And, we hope you’ll continue with us on the journey ahead. With a long-standing history of good fortune and a solid business strategy in place, Universal would in all probability remain a leader in the tobacco industry in the years to come. Universal acquires Silva International, a privately-held, natural, specialty dehydrated vegetable, fruit and herb processing company. The relationship thus established between the two companies was intimate and durable, even including the financing by Universal of some of Philip Morris's tobacco purchases in the 1930s. Our Plant. The company's first significant acquisition outside the tobacco leaf business was its 1968 purchase of Inta Roto Company, makers of packaging equipment, and of Overton Container Corporation, suppliers of boxes to the tobacco industry. 2 Co-owned with Hearst Corporation. While Universal expected the difficult conditions to continue well into 2002, management felt confident that the firm was well positioned for continued success. This was followed closely by the purchase of Unitized Systems Company, the beginning of Universal's interest in the building supplies industry, and the creation of a land development subsidiary called Universal Land Use Corporation. Universal Technos Co., Ltd. absorbed Universal Sales Co., Ltd. in merger and changed trade name to ARUZE CORP. Relocated head office to Ariake, Koto-ku, Tokyo. History of Universal Corporation. The Company offers its services for television episodes, commercials, and films. 1997: Company name is changed to Andrews McMeel Universal. About Us. Universal provides complete solutions to meet specific requirements by leveraging its portfolio of flexible platforms for surface mount, through-hole, advanced semiconductor packaging, light mechanical, and final assembly processes. For much of its history, Universal was known primarily as a wholesaler of close-out merchandise, operating on … Some 60 percent of Southwestern's burley went to Export Leaf, making that company one of the two pillars, with Philip Morris, of Universal Leaf's prosperity at that time. Universal acquires Silva International, a specialty dehydrated vegetable, fruit and herb processing company The late 1980s saw a severe recession in real estate, however, which coincided with an increase in claims. Company History: A regional discount retailer, Universal International, Inc., operates a chain of nearly 60 Only Deals stores in the upper Midwest and Texas. Universal selects, buys, ships, processes, packs, stores, and finances leaf tobacco in tobacco growing regions. As intermediaries between growers and manufacturers of tobacco products, leaf dealers achieved a position of some power prior to the formation in 1889 of The American Tobacco Company, the so-called tobacco trust of James B. Duke. In September 1991, with no end in sight for the real estate downturn, Universal spun off its title insurance companies as an independent corporation called Lawyers Title Corporation, with Universal shareholders becoming the initial owners of Lawyers Title's stock. As with every other commercial carbine manufacturer, as surplus GI carbine parts became scarce, Universal Firearms bega… Export Leaf did not buy its burley tobacco directly, relying instead on Universal Leaf's network of experienced burley dealers for its requirements. Leaf tobacco may broadly be divided between burley and flue-cured varieties; burley became a key ingredient of the increasingly popular "American blend" cigarette. We’re grateful for your confidence, your help, your friendship and our relationships. Find the latest Universal Corporation (UVV) stock quote, history, news and other vital information to help you with your stock trading and investing. The company sells this tobacco to tobacco product manufacturers. Two years later, it acquired a tobacco leaf plant from the Tanzanian government along with the Polish tobacco operations of Reemtsma Cigarettenfabriken GmbH. The company has gone through various hard-times. Supplying quality PMA and STC components for over 40 years Our Distributors • Aircraft SpruceAircraft Spruce • Airparts Universal Corporation Construction Melbourne, VIC 691 followers Discover the 360 approach today. Universal bought all of its burley via a subsidiary of its own called Southwestern Tobacco Company, which by the end of the 1930s was buying about 20 percent of the entire U.S. crop. Universal celebrates 100 years of continuous operation. Within eight years, Universal became the largest independent tobacco dealer in the world, a status it has maintained. In the beginning the first Universal Firearms carbines were 100% compatible with surplus GI carbine parts, their carbines included many of these parts. It is involved in procuring, financing, processing, packing, storing, and shipping leaf tobacco for sale to, or for the account of, manufacturers of consumer tobacco products. Universal's numerous foreign affiliates and offices were important to its growth. But the now famous rivalry between the two mega-destinations didn't start in Orlando - for that, we need to go back to the early 1920's. 5 NBCUniversal acquired some of ITC's assets when Universal Pictures merged with PolyGram, but ITV plc still owns ITC's films and shows. The firm's tobacco operations account for over 65 percent of company revenues. The Investor Relations website contains information about Universal Corporation's business for stockholders, potential investors, and financial analysts. Expansion continued under his leadership, and in 1993 competitor Casalee Group was acquired. Universal Studios, American motion-picture studio that was one of the leading producers of film serials in the 1920s and of popular horror films in the ’30s. During 1997, net income reached $100.8 million. 1999: 8 The firm's Zimbabwe-based operations also suffered due to political unrest and economic challenges in the region. At first the insurers produced an excellent return on their $200 million in sales. International growth continued even though market conditions forced Universal to shutter its tobacco operations in both Korea and Thailand. Universal announces 50th consecutive annual increase in common stock dividends. Universal Corporation engages in leaf tobacco business worldwide. Together, Universal Leaf's subsidiaries and affiliates bought 100 million pounds of tobacco in the company's first year of existence, or nearly 10 percent of national production--an extraordinary figure for any industrial newcomer. Universal Corporation. Carl Laemmle, a film exhibitor turned producer, formed the company in 1912. Reflecting on all that’s occurred since our founding, one thought seems to sum it up better than others—it’s been quite a ride! In October 1976, Congoleum made an unsolicited bid of $32.50 per share for all of Universal's common stock, surprising Wall Street and enraging the directors of Universal. As a result of further diversification moves in the 1980s and early 1990s, its overseas subsidiaries in commodities and housing supplies flourished to such an extent that they supplied a significant amount of revenues and earnings. A wholly owned subsidiary of Seagram Company, Ltd. since 1995, Universal has a rich history dating back to the … Universal Corporation, known until 1987 as Universal Leaf Tobacco Company Inc., operates as the world's largest buyer and processor of leaf tobacco in nearly 40 countries across the globe. In 1998, the company launched a significant stock repurchase program that would eventually reach $300 million in repurchased shares. Universal strives to be the leading supplier to each of the major tobacco product manufacturers worldwide by operating as one company worldwide with strong local management in key operating areas; by developing and maintaining mutually beneficial long-term strategic alliances with major manufacturers; by optimizing uncommitted inventory levels to reduce risk of loss during market declines; by increasing market share in traditional areas for both high quality flavor tobaccos and filler styles; by developing sources of low-cost tobacco; by maintaining diversified sources of supply to limit reliance on any one area and to meet customers' requirements for all major types and growths of leaf tobacco; and by maintaining financial strength to provide for manufacturers' worldwide tobacco needs and to provide the resources to expand into new areas with them. Nevertheless, no changes in the market were effected or recommended by the court. They were bought by Iver Johnson in 1983, who were then bought by American Military Arms Corp … After the 1911 breakup of the American Tobacco Company trust, Jacquelin (sic) P. Taylor incorporated Universal out of six formerly independent leaf merchants. By the mid-1970s, Universal Leaf's steady growth and valuable ties with Philip Morris attracted the attention of Congoleum Corporation, a Milwaukee-based maker of linoleum and furniture that was looking for acquisitions. Universal was founded in 1912 by the German Carl Laemmle (pronounced "LEM-lee"), Mark Dintenfass, Charles O. Baumann, Adam Kessel, Pat Powers, William Swanson, David Horsley, Robert H. Cochrane, and Jules Brulatour. 4 Co-owned with Corus Entertainment. As Morris's unofficial leaf buyer, Universal Leaf benefited from the growing international success of such Philip Morris brands as Marlboro, which rose from obscurity to become the world's leading seller in the 1980s. A second important customer for Universal during its early years was Export Leaf Tobacco Company, the purchasing arm of British tobacco giant, British American Tobacco (BAT). Universal Leaf's sales reached $215 million in 1961, on which the company earned a low but very steady 2 percent to 3 percent profit. Company History: Andrews McMeel Universal is a diversified publishing and media company that includes under its umbrella one of the nation's largest syndicators of newspaper comics and features, a leading humor book publishing company, and a gift, card, and calendar division. In the United States, the industry experienced smaller crop sizes and a change from the traditional auction-style selling platform to a direct contract purchasing system. The company's nucleus had been formed in 1916, when Hill's vice-president of leaf purchasing, Thomas B. Yuille, resigned from American Tobacco and gained control of J.P. Taylor Company, a prosperous dealer in the rich tobacco lands of Virginia and North Carolina formed by Jaquelin Plummer Taylor. Principal Competitors: DIMON Inc.; Standard Commercial Corporation; British American Tobacco plc. Similarly, Universal Leaf quietly put together a large timber and building supplies distribution business in Europe, primarily in the Netherlands, which along with the commodities business grew to provide approximately 33 percent of the company's revenue. In 2003, it wa… Universal also buys, ships, processes, and distributes agri-products including tea, rubber, sunflower seeds, nuts, dried fruit, and canned and frozen foods. In Europe, Universal's Dutch lumber business was plagued by the weak Euro, which caused earnings in that sector to decline. When Crenshaw and other top Universal officials made it clear that if the company were bought they would take their customers with them to some new and competing venture, Congoleum withdrew its offer. Founded in 1958 by Bill Putnam Sr., Universal Audio has been synonymous with innovative recording products since its inception. Universal Corporation of Virginia is an independent leaf tobacco merchant. Briegmann joined Universal Music Germany in 2004, as the youngest CEO in the history of all German major labels. By that time, what dealers remained had combined into larger and more effective organizations that were able to capitalize on the sharp rise in demand for tobacco then beginning. Through over 100 years characterized by economic anxiety, geo-political turmoil and breathtaking technological change, Universal has managed to adapt to changing agricultural practices, build a global presence, embrace state of the art technology and emerge as the recognized industry leader. Percival Hill died in 1925, and by 1930 American Tobacco was again doing all of its own leaf purchasing, while Universal Leaf had forged a new alliance with Philip Morris that would prove to be of long duration. In effect, Universal served as Philip Morris's tobacco purchasing department for many years. Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an American film production and distribution company owned by Comcast through the NBCUniversal Film and Entertainment division of NBCUniversal.. Universal Logistics Holdings, Inc. is a full-service provider of customized transportation and logistics solutions. Philip Morris was late in joining the ranks of the major tobacco manufacturers, and as its business expanded dramatically in the middle decades of the 20th century the company found it simpler to leave most of its leaf buying in the hands of Universal rather than take the time to create its own staff of buyers and warehousers. Universal acquires Silva International, a privately-held, natural, specialty dehydrated vegetable, fruit and herb processing company. Universal operated in the early 1990s and into the new millennium under the guidance of new chief executive Henry Harrell, who replaced Gordon Crenshaw in October 1988 after the latter had served nearly 25 years in that position. Universal Leaf not only established trading offices around the world but also built processing plants for local threshing and storage and in some cases provided training and financial help to individual farmers. Still, the gradually accumulating evidence of tobacco's health hazards prompted Universal Leaf to diversify its asset base. The Company offers operations in agri-products and the distribution of lumber and building products. Its international business eventually included plants in Brazil, Italy, Korea, and the African nations of Malawi and Zimbabwe, as well as a network of dealers and brokers who slowly began to handle other commodities such as cocoa, tea, peanuts, and rubber. More than 426,000 carbines were manufactured by Universal Firearms over a 25 year period from 1961 through 1986. The trade in commodities was a natural outgrowth of Universal Leaf's foreign tobacco business; it developed slowly and was dispersed among a large number of non-consolidated subsidiaries and affiliates whose contribution to Universal Leaf's growth was rarely noted by financial analysts. To all we say, "thank you". Welcome to Universal Corporation. The post-World War II decade saw a remarkable surge in the popularity of cigarette smoking in the United States, and in particular the rise of Philip Morris to national leadership. "Giant Tobacco Firm Edgy About Zim Chaos,". In the case of Export Leaf, it was probably helpful that the presidents of Export and of Universal were brothers. One of International Planters' largest clients was the new American Tobacco, whose president, Percival S. Hill, was instrumental in the creation of a second, competing organization of leaf dealers, Universal Leaf Tobacco Company. In 1995, Holland-based Heuvelman, a softwood product processor and distributor, was purchased. Through time, the company discontinued safety pin production and made a transition to a machining and tool and die business. Universal Corp. Universal Corp. engages in the processing, procuring, financing, packing, storing, shipping and trading of leaf tobacco. The Industry Leader. The company instead focused on Tanzania and Eastern Europe. Allied Universal®, a leading security and facility services company with more than 265,000 employees and revenues exceeding $9.5 billion, provides unparalleled security services and technology solutions. After years of argument, the eight defendants were found guilty as charged, although no evidence of actual collusion was found or even asserted. Principal Subsidiaries: B.V. European Tobacco Company (Netherlands); B.V. Deli-HTL Tabak Maatschappij (Netherlands); Beleggings-en Beheermaatschappij "DE Amstel" B.V. (Netherlands); Casa Exported Ltd.; Casalee (UK) Ltd.; Casalee Transtobac (PVT) Ltd. (Zimbabwe); Casalee Transtobac Lieferanten A.G. (Switzerland); Casalee, Inc.; Companhia Panamericana de Tabacos "Copata" (Dominican Republic); Continental Tobacco, S.A. (Switzerland); Corrie, MacColl & Son Ltd. (U.K.); Deli Maatschappij B.V. (Netherlands); Deli Universal, Inc.; Deltafina, S.p.A. (Italy); Gebruder Kulenkampff AG (Germany); Gebruder Kulenkampff, Inc.; Handelmatschappij Steffex B.V. (Netherlands); Industria AG (Switzerland); Itofina, S.A. (Switzerland); J.P. Taylor Company, Inc.; L'Agricola, S.p.A. (Italy); Lancaster Leaf Tobacco Company of Pennsylvania, Inc.; Latin America Tobacco Company; Limbe Leaf Tobacco Company, Ltd. (Malawi); Lytton Tobacco Company (Malawi) Ltd.; Lytton Tobacco Company (Private) Ltd. (Zimbabwe); Maclin-Zimmer-McGill Tobacco Company, Inc.; Red River Foods, Inc.; Simcoe Leaf Tobacco Company, Ltd. (Canada); Southern Processors, Inc.; Southwestern Tobacco Company, Inc.; Steffex Beheer B.V. Netherlands); Tabacos Argentinos S.A. (Argentina); Tabacos Del Pacifico Norte, S.A. De C.V. (Mexico); Tanzania Leaf Tobacco Co., Ltd. (Tanzania); Tobacco Processors, Inc.; Tobacco Trading International, Inc. Toutiana, S.A. (Switzerland); Universal Leaf (UK) Ltd.; Universal Leaf Tobacco Company, Inc.; Zimbabwe Leaf Tobacco Company (Private) Ltd. With its grand opening in 1990 - Universal Studios Florida became the first real challenge to Disney's dominance of the Orlando tourism market. As Universal entered the new millennium, it recorded its 30th year of annual dividend increases despite facing challenges. 9: Registered shares on over-the-counter market of Japan Securities Dealers Association (JASDAQ). As early as the 1930s, the company was both exporting and importing large quantities of tobacco leaf. Like most antitrust cases, the outcome of this struggle was less than definitive. Philip Morris grew into the world's leading maker of cigarettes, and its leaf requirements increased, strengthening the relationship between Philip Morris and Universal Leaf. Although the successor companies to the tobacco trust--R.J. Reynolds, Liggett & Myers, Lorillard, and a smaller American Tobacco Company--continued to dominate the leaf markets, the overall growth in tobacco consumption in the United States left room for a limited number of independent dealers to prosper throughout the 1910s. Universal launches its "Universal Effect" brand to recognize Universal's continued global effort to positively impact the communities in which we operate, while working to achieve sustainability throughout our supply chain. The pharmaceutical company of choice in East & Central Africa!!! Universal acquires FruitSmart, and independent specialty fruit and vegetable ingredient processor serving global markets. In 1988, the firm acquired Thorpe & Ricks in order to expand its U.S. operations and also purchase the German firm Gebrueder Kulenkampff AG, which increased its hold in the Brazilian and Turkish markets. It distributes lumber and building products in the Netherlands and Belgium. Since the founding of the works until about 1999/2000, about 1.32 millions tractor under both brand names and UTB - especially for export - Universal (or combined UTB / Universal) and in the 1950s, in the meantime with a different manufacturer name UTOS (Uzina Tractorul Oraşul Stalinproduced), with over 720,000 exported in about 115 countries worldwide. That year, Universal also joined with Socotab LLC in a venture that created the largest oriental tobacco leaf merchant across the globe. Historically, tobacco buying in the United States was conducted at auctions held throughout the prime growing areas in North Carolina, Kentucky, Virginia, and other states--during 2001, this was changed to a contract leaf purchasing system. Notes 1 Co-owned with Sony Pictures Entertainment and Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation. Export Leaf shipped its burley purchases to BAT, which in turn used the bulk of it for the manufacture of Brown & Williamson brands, such as Raleigh and Viceroy. Our History Universal Corporation Ltd. (UCL) got its name from the erstwhile entity Universal Pharmacy (K) ltd. (UPKL) which came into being in 1996 with a small manufacturing unit in Industrial Area, Nairobi – Kenya. With commission work representing the bulk of Universal Leaf's business, its revenue was fixed to a cost-plus-fee basis, limiting net income but offering exceptionally stable growth from year to year. Founded in 1912 by Carl Laemmle, Mark Dintenfass, Charles … UCL is a Kenyan Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Company based in Kikuyu Township, Kiambu County in the Outskirts of the capital city of Kenya; Nairobi. Universal Firearms started out as Bullseye in 1950, and later changed their name to Universal Firearms. Sales from the company's largest customer, Philip Morris Companies Inc., accounted for just over 10 percent of consolidated revenues in 2001. Hamilton Street at Broad Richmond Virginia 23230 U.S.A. (804) 359 – 9311 Fax: (804) 254-3583. Universal Television LLC is an American television production company that is a subsidiary of NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, a division of Comcast's NBCUniversal.A substantial portion of the company's shows air on NBC, making the company its de facto television production division. Since its founding in 1932, Universal has evolved from a provider of regional transportation services to a holistic provider of logistics solutions throughout North America and in selected South American countries. A favorite engineer of Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Ray Charles and more, the late Bill Putnam Sr. was a passionate innovator who is widely regarded as the father of modern recording — with many of his legendary studio and equipment designs still in use today. Universal selects, buys, ships, processes, packs, stores, and finances leaf tobacco in tobacco growing regions. After paying the insignificant sum of $255,000, the eight companies returned to business as usual, the court offering no suggestions as to how the market might be made more competitive. Duke's trust controlled all of the large U.S. tobacco manufacturers, and it was not long before American Tobacco took steps to circumvent the tobacco leaf dealers by buying its product directly from farmers at auction. The renewed vigor among the leaf dealers culminated in the 1916 establishment of the International Planters Corporation, a nationwide organization of dealers that was apparently powerful enough to maintain somewhat firmer prices to its large manufacturing customers. Continued Growth and Expansion: 1990s and Beyond. The trial's message seemed to be that the tobacco market's domination by three or four manufacturers rendered it inherently monopolistic--or at least not ideally competitive--regardless of whether the parties involved were engaged in deliberate collusion. In addition to its sales to Export Leaf, destined for markets in the British Commonwealth, Universal shipped U.S. cigarette tobacco to manufacturers around the world, including those in Scandinavia, Turkey, and Japan. This was 10 years longer and more than three times the quantity manufactured by any other commercial carbine manufacturer. As the following timeline demonstrates, ours is a history defined by forward progress, often in spite of the uncertainty around us. Universal Music Group, the largest music company in the world, includes over a dozen recording labels and related publishing and technology operations. Universal Leaf was able to carve out a place for itself in the international markets by offering large manufacturers the expertise they could not otherwise obtain. None of these early efforts at diversification was of great importance, however, when compared to Universal's holdings in the early 1990s in commodities and European building materials. We’re indebted to those who’ve traveled with us—our investors, our employees, our growers and, especially, our customers. Universal announces 50th consecutive annual increase in common stock dividends. In 1940, Universal Leaf was one of eight tobacco companies charged with violations of the Sherman Antitrust Act. The federal government brought suit in a Kentucky court, charging the industry leaders with price manipulation in both the purchasing and sales aspects of the business, including an alleged conspiracy to limit prices paid for leaf tobacco at auction.