Dongan was originally established in Albany, New York in 1909 as the Dongan Electric Instrument Company. Our first products were ammeters and voltmeters for the growing automotive business.
Dongan was acquired by Lyle J. Hicks in 1909 who had been working as an electrical engineer for General Electric Company in Schenectady, New York. Dongan was then moved to Detroit Michigan in 1911 and renamed Dongan Electric Manufacturing Company. The corporate name is taken from Governor Thomas Dongan who was the first appointed Colonial governor of the Territory of New York in 1682!
The company then quickly began manufacturing low voltage bell ringing transformers. Some of the first UL approvals are dated February 10, 1911 covering door bell transformers with secondary outputs of 6, 12 and 18 volts. Continued success in the transformer industry led us into making transformers, the principal product on which the company was to compete.
The Roaring 20's ushered popular and certainly more affordable console radios originally powered by dry-cell B batteries. During this time Dongan introduced radio voltmeters, amplifier transformers, filament heating transformers and chokes compatible with Raytheon, R.C.A., and Cunningham radio tubes.
This decade also saw the emergence of electric toys and trains. The demand for transformers to operate trains manufactured by Lionel, American Flyer, Ives and Bing was met with a series of various sized transformer products from Dongan.
The popularity of neon signs in the 30's created a mark for luminous tube or neon transformers. Dongan achieved one of the first UL approval for neon transformers and powered signs across the country including the famed Radio City Music Hall.
Technology moved to provide other opportunities in the 30's as well. Coal fired furnaces began to give way to oil heat. Dongan responded with a complete line of replacement oil burner ignition transformers.
During the 1950's Dongan opened up a new manufacturing facility on Pioneer, OH to meet the demand of ignition transformers under the name of Pioneer Transformer Company a wholly owned subsidiary. Eventually the plant was expanded and all of the production in Detroit was moved to Pioneer. Today the Detroit location serves as our corporate Headquarters only.
General purpose power distribution transformers, industrial control and other more specialized designs were gradually added to our product line in the 40's and 50's. Wartime production included both existing product lines and Department of Defense related parts for gun sights.
More recent products include reactors, constant voltage regulators, K-rated transformers, lighting disconnects and other related products.