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History of Sinclair International

The Sinclair Company was founded by Peter S. Sinclair in 1925. With one employee he entered into the business of manufacturing and repairing dandy rolls for the paper industry in the immediate area. The shop was located in a small wooden frame building located on Laurel Street in the Elmwood section of Holyoke, Massachusetts. As business increased, his area of service to the paper industry increased to cover all of New England, the Hudson River Valley, Eastern Canada and south to New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

At that time, in the midst of severe depression, the Buchanan and Bolt Company, manufacturers of wire cloth and dandy rolls, at which Mr. Sinclair had served his apprenticeship, was forced into bankruptcy. The local bank which stood to lose considerable money invested in Buchanan and Bolt, prevailed upon Mr. Sinclair to assume the responsibility of operating this business. Therefore, in 1933, The Sinclair Company moved its operation to the existing plant of Buchanan and Bolt on Appleton Street in Holyoke. The Sinclair Company launched into the production of fourdrinier and paper mill wire cloth as well as dandy rolls and cylinder moulds for the paper industry. The growth of the Company continued until its products were nationally known and distributed.

In 1943, recognizing the increased need for a sound source of non-ferrous castings used in the products of the Company, Mr. Sinclair acquired the Williams Brass Foundry located on Park Street in Holyoke, and set this as the Foundry Division of The Sinclair Company.

In 1947, Peter Sinclair, with his sons Richard and David, purchased the assets and equipment of Purves Machine Wire Company, Inc., a small manufacturer of paper mill wire cloth, and added this equipment to the production facilities of The Sinclair Company.

In 1958, Peter Sinclair retired from fully active participation in Company affairs. At this time, Richard M. Sinclair, his oldest son, assumed the duties of President of the Company.

In 1962, in an effort to keep pace with the expanding paper industry and the necessity for additional production facilities, a new corporation called Sinclair Wire Works was formed with plant facilities built in Florence, Mississippi. Richard Sinclair left Holyoke to become President of the new facility and David H. Sinclair became President of The Sinclair Company.

In 1963, a small branch repair shop was established in Hamilton, OH, to service the industry in that area.

In order to further broaden the Company’s line of products to the paper industry, The Sinclair Company acquired Pressure Systems Inc., of Glens Falls, NY, in 1969. This company specialized in the manufacture of paper machine showering systems and pressure filters.

In 1972, Trion Industrial Plastics of Rock Hill, South Carolina, was acquired by The Sinclair Company. The company name was changed to Sinclair Plastics and moved to Jacksonville, FL, and primarily manufactured suction box covers, foils and deflector blades of various synthetic materials. All these products are used in the paper industry.

In 1984, David H. Sinclair, Sr. sold the company to his two sons, Peter S. Sinclair II and David H. Sinclair Jr. with Peter S. Sinclair II selling his share of the company to his brother, David H. Sinclair Jr. in 1995.

The Sinclair Wire Division was sold to the Johnston Dandy Roll Company in 2000.

In 2003, the Plastics Division consolidated with the PSI Division in Queensbury, New York.