FREDERICKSBURG, VA — Harkness Screens is celebrating its 80th year in business, growing from humble beginnings in 1929 to a company employing 100 people in five countries today. Harkness now serves the cinema, film production, special effects and live events markets and makes screens for 2D and 3D digital projection, for 35mm film projection, and for rear-projection. Harkness Screens also makes custom-made frames.
In 1929, Andrew Smith Harkness first entered into the screen-manufacturing business with his 18-year-old son Tom.
During the early 1940s, when Tom Harkness began making trips to the U.S., he started using plastic, then a new material, which needed to be joined. Harkness developed and patented a new method of welding the plastic together called the Tearseal method to produce a flat seam.
In the early 1950s, screen perforations were incorporated into Harkness screens enabling behind-screen speaker placement. The company also developed the Perlux coated screen for brighter presentation. Harkness Screens has also used its knowledge of coating screens to produce the latest generation of Spectral “silver” screens for 3D cinema application.
Andrew Robinson is the current managing director/CEO of Harkness Screens. Robinson joined Harkness Screens in 1999 and has helped focus Harkness on the manufacturing of large screens for entertainment and related applications.
In addition, Robinson has focused on international growth by expanding the company’s U.S. operations, acquiring European facilities (based in France), growing an Asian dealer network and opening a factory in China.
“We have always aimed to provide our customers with high performance, consistent quality and cost effective screens and frames,” said Robinson. “We have tried to be responsive to our customers’ needs and this has helped to grow our business. As technology evolves, so does our commitment to develop products that will keep us at the forefront of the industry.”
For more information, please visit www.harkness-screens.com.
