| Today, as in the past, Adjustable Fixture is guided by this corporate credo: "Responding to Specialty Lighting Needs." |
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Adjustable Fixture, LLC • P.O. Box 162 • Mequon, WI 53092 • P: 262-377-6454 • F: 262-692-9863 • info@adjustablefixture.com © 2012 Adjustable Fixture, LLC |
Adjustable Fixture was founded in 1911 by William L. Schumaker. The company's heritage,
while spanning most of the 20th century, four family generations, two world wars and
countless product innovations, has remained true to its founder's vision.
Against the trend of the time, William Schumaker held the surprisingly modern conviction that
a company would best prosper if its products were specifically designed to meet the needs of
its end user customers - rather than merely starting with a preconceived product and hoping
the marketplace would accept it. All great ideas seem obvious in hindsight. It was no different
with William Schumaker's innovative task lighting, the first line of Adjustable Fixture's products.
while spanning most of the 20th century, four family generations, two world wars and
countless product innovations, has remained true to its founder's vision.
Against the trend of the time, William Schumaker held the surprisingly modern conviction that
a company would best prosper if its products were specifically designed to meet the needs of
its end user customers - rather than merely starting with a preconceived product and hoping
the marketplace would accept it. All great ideas seem obvious in hindsight. It was no different
with William Schumaker's innovative task lighting, the first line of Adjustable Fixture's products.
In visits to Milwaukee-area industrial manufacturing plants, William
noticed that workers spent long hours at machine tools in poorly-lit
areas, with little or no local lighting to illuminate the job they were
working on. This, he realized, was not only diminishing the quality of the
work environment, but was actually compromising production speed,
accuracy and worker safety. The workpieces and machine controls were
simply hard to see, and the workstations were gloomy. Here was the
foundation for a whole new concept in enhancing the work environment-
specialized local area lighting that would illuminate the task. Speed and
production quality would improve. Safety would be enhanced. The
workplace would be brightened. William Schumaker determined to set
out at once to design a line of task lights to fill what he realized was an
important unmet need in industry.
He set about the task in typical Schumaker fashion- personally visiting a
large Milwaukee machine tool manufacturer to gain an understanding of
precisely what was needed to respond to the need, inspecting the work
stations, observing worker movements, making measurements, jotting
down ideas. Armed with an arsenal of observations and ideas, he
returned to his new Adjustable Fixture shop to design a series of task
lights expressly for that customer.
The rest, as they say, is history. The manufacturer liked the products so
well, he became a virtual spokesman for the company. On the heels of
this first success, Schumaker went on to personally visit many other
companies, develop new solutions, and expand his line of manufactured
task lights. A catalog soon followed, and the lights were sold to
manufacturers nationwide under the AJUSCO brand name- a respected
name in task lighting to this very day. From that beginning in 1911, the
Adjustable Fixture diversified into a wide variety of commercial and
residential lighting over the years experience that would serve it well in
its current markets.
noticed that workers spent long hours at machine tools in poorly-lit
areas, with little or no local lighting to illuminate the job they were
working on. This, he realized, was not only diminishing the quality of the
work environment, but was actually compromising production speed,
accuracy and worker safety. The workpieces and machine controls were
simply hard to see, and the workstations were gloomy. Here was the
foundation for a whole new concept in enhancing the work environment-
specialized local area lighting that would illuminate the task. Speed and
production quality would improve. Safety would be enhanced. The
workplace would be brightened. William Schumaker determined to set
out at once to design a line of task lights to fill what he realized was an
important unmet need in industry.
He set about the task in typical Schumaker fashion- personally visiting a
large Milwaukee machine tool manufacturer to gain an understanding of
precisely what was needed to respond to the need, inspecting the work
stations, observing worker movements, making measurements, jotting
down ideas. Armed with an arsenal of observations and ideas, he
returned to his new Adjustable Fixture shop to design a series of task
lights expressly for that customer.
The rest, as they say, is history. The manufacturer liked the products so
well, he became a virtual spokesman for the company. On the heels of
this first success, Schumaker went on to personally visit many other
companies, develop new solutions, and expand his line of manufactured
task lights. A catalog soon followed, and the lights were sold to
manufacturers nationwide under the AJUSCO brand name- a respected
name in task lighting to this very day. From that beginning in 1911, the
Adjustable Fixture diversified into a wide variety of commercial and
residential lighting over the years experience that would serve it well in
its current markets.
| Adjustable Fixture floor fixtures lit these looping machine work stations at Cooper Wells Co., St. Joseph, Michigan. circa 1918 |
| One of the earliest installations was this stitching room equipped with bench bracket task lights. Mayer Boot and Shoe Co., Milwaukee, Wisconsin. circa 1917 |
From Factory Floor to Haute Couture
For a time, Adjustable Fixture was a major national producer of residential
lighting. In the 1930's, its innovative, stylish designs were featured in swank
east coast department stores. In fact, at one time in the 1930's, AFC had 50
employees working exclusively to produce silk shades! Unfortunately, with the
advent of World War II, silk became a rationed commodity- supplies were
disrupted and silk was needed for the manufacture of military parachutes-
effectively ending the elegant AFC line of silk-shaded residential lamps.
Ever-alert for new opportunities to serve the lighting needs of America,
William Schumaker's three sons, who had joined him in the company,
expanded into the field of institutional lighting, bringing to the new enterprise
the proven principles that had already served the company and its customers
well for over thirty years.
For a time, Adjustable Fixture was a major national producer of residential
lighting. In the 1930's, its innovative, stylish designs were featured in swank
east coast department stores. In fact, at one time in the 1930's, AFC had 50
employees working exclusively to produce silk shades! Unfortunately, with the
advent of World War II, silk became a rationed commodity- supplies were
disrupted and silk was needed for the manufacture of military parachutes-
effectively ending the elegant AFC line of silk-shaded residential lamps.
Ever-alert for new opportunities to serve the lighting needs of America,
William Schumaker's three sons, who had joined him in the company,
expanded into the field of institutional lighting, bringing to the new enterprise
the proven principles that had already served the company and its customers
well for over thirty years.
The Post-War Era
Post-World War II America saw an explosion of new construction in hospitals and
healthcare facilities. Adjustable Fixture participated in this growth and the
development of improved patient care by developing a new line of lamps and
lighting fixtures for exam rooms, patient rooms and common areas under the
Nightingale brand name.
Among the company's many innovations was the introduction of a
bedspring-mounted patient reading lamp. With the aid of a special bracket, when
the bed was elevated, the lamp would go up with it- maintaining an optimum,
self-adjusting reading angle for the patient.
At that time, the company was also manufacturing a line of infra-red heat lamps for
patient therapy. The lamp's unique reflector proved so well-ventilated and effective
at dissipating heat, a variation of it was produced to become the basis for the
famous Adjustable Fixture Model 421 gooseneck physician's examination lamp- a
reflector which remains safe and cool to the touch. The Model 421 is among the
largest-selling lamps in the history of healthcare, and is still winning sales and
satisfied customers today with its combination of efficiency, abundant light,
cool-touch safety and economy.
Post-World War II America saw an explosion of new construction in hospitals and
healthcare facilities. Adjustable Fixture participated in this growth and the
development of improved patient care by developing a new line of lamps and
lighting fixtures for exam rooms, patient rooms and common areas under the
Nightingale brand name.
Among the company's many innovations was the introduction of a
bedspring-mounted patient reading lamp. With the aid of a special bracket, when
the bed was elevated, the lamp would go up with it- maintaining an optimum,
self-adjusting reading angle for the patient.
At that time, the company was also manufacturing a line of infra-red heat lamps for
patient therapy. The lamp's unique reflector proved so well-ventilated and effective
at dissipating heat, a variation of it was produced to become the basis for the
famous Adjustable Fixture Model 421 gooseneck physician's examination lamp- a
reflector which remains safe and cool to the touch. The Model 421 is among the
largest-selling lamps in the history of healthcare, and is still winning sales and
satisfied customers today with its combination of efficiency, abundant light,
cool-touch safety and economy.
| A 1928 booklet on infa-red heat radiation by Gerrit J. Warnshuis, M.D., reveals "the correct position for securing deep penetration in the particular structures of the should joint" and cautions that "the heat is usually incorrectly applied over the deltoid or back." The basic reflector design of the AFC lamp is till benefiting users in the healthcare profession today. |
Adjustable Fixture's vision of the future focuses on continuing to explore new and better lighting solutions for the
end-users. The company has a special focus on reducing life cycle costs and developing more efficient ergonomics,
energy savings and safety features - all while using the 100 years of past experience to provide time-tested lighting
for your specialty lighting needs.
The Tradition Continues
Today, Adjustable Fixture is still a family-run business, with a
third-generation Schumaker, Mike, at the helm since 1989. The
company manufacturers three primary product lines with a
unique combination of time-tested inventive design,
ergonomics, efficiency, safety and economy:
• Nightingale Gooseneck Exam Lighting
• Ajusco Industrial Task Lighting
• Nightingale Institutional-grade Lampshades