Scintilla Magneto Company

Industry| Aerospace
Headquarters|

Sidney, New York

United States

Number of employees

| 8,600+ (1944)
Parent| Bendix Corporation

The Scintilla Magneto Company was an American manufacturer of aircraft and automobile magnetos.

## History

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Scintilla Magneto factory in Sidney, New York in 1941

The origins of the company lie in the development of a magneto by Swiss engineers. The rights to the design was purchased by an American and brought to the United States in 1921. The company was originally located in New York City, but was convinced by a local businessman named Winfield Sherwood to move to the site of the recently bankrupt Cortland Cart & Carriage Company in Sidney, New York in the mid-1920s. In 1925, it was purchased by an American subsidiary of the Swiss Brown, Boveri & Company.[1] The company was later purchased by Bendix Corporation in 1929 and became the Scintilla Magneto Division. The acquisition of the Hurley Townsend Corporation in 1935 led to an expansion of the plant and a housing project was begun to accommodate all of the new workers. During World War II, the company was a key manufacturer of magnetos used on American aircraft engines such as the Allison V-1710. Its name was changed to the Electrical Components Division in 1966. The Bendix Engine Products Division was split off in 1980 and moved to Jacksonville, Florida a few years later.[2][3] By 1985, the portion remaining in Sidney had been renamed Bendix Connector Operations.[4] The Amphenol Products Division was bought from AlliedSignal by LPL Investment Group in 1987.[5] The former Scintilla factory was occupied by the Amphenol Aerospace Corporation until 2011 when, after being flooded in 2006, restored at great expense, and flooded again in 2011, the main factory was demolished. The plating annex still operates on the site but the majority of the site is now a solar farm. The Amphenol Aerospace offices and manufacturing were moved to a nearby location in Sidney NY, on higher ground.

## References

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### Notes

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1. ^ "Two Electrical Concerns Bought". Hartford Daily Courant. 5 October 1925. p. 15. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
2. ^ "Bendix splits Sidney plant". Evening Press. 30 September 1980. p. 12-B. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
3. ^ Wright, Jim (21 February 1983). "Bendix division move is on schedule". Evening Press. p. 2B. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
4. ^ "Cost cuts enable plant to gain edge". Sunday Press. 27 January 1985. p. 15G. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
5. ^ Levine, Steven (4 April 1987). "Investment firm buys Amphenol plants". Press & Sun-Bulletin. p. 1B. Retrieved 13 June 2021.

### Bibliography

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* Jump, Linda (8 September 2000). "Amphenol of Sidney celebrates its 75th year". Press & Sun-Bulletin. pp. 9B, 12B. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
* Lees, Walter E. "Scintilla Magneto Division, Bendix Aviation Corporation, 1935". The Early Birds of Aviation, Inc. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
* Palmer, I. Jeremiah (July 2008). "Scintilla – A Famous Name in Sidney" (PDF). Delaware County NY Genealogy and History Site. Retrieved 10 June 2021.