History
In the mid 1930s, Mr. F.L. Burt of San Francisco believed the United States would benefit from his German-designed filling system. Thus the F.L. Burt Filling Machine Company was founded. As the machines were straightforward and uncomplicated to use, Mr. Burt chose the name ‘Simplex’ for his machines.
Mr. Burt’s top selling machine was a table-top, single-head piston filling machine. Today, this machine, the AS-1, is the cornerstone of the Simplex line. Little has changed on the AS-1, and it is as reliable, accurate, and cost effective as it was nearly 50 years ago. There are actually a few original machines that are still in use today.
In 1947, the FL Burt Co. manufactured the Simplex piston fillers in San Francisco with the help of Russian and German immigrants who had arrived in the United States after the onslaught of World War II.
In 1966, Mary Gary Harrison, Tom Harrison, and G. Donald Murray III purchased F.L Burt Co. through their parent company Wild Horse Industrial Corporation which was named after Mr. and Mrs. Murray’s horse ranch, Wild Horse Valley Ranch, in Napa, California.
In 1970, the demand for F.L Burt fillers became too great for the company’s manufacturing space, so it was moved from San Francisco to a larger plant in Hayward, California.
In 1975, Wild Horse Industrial purchased Elkus Manufacturing, a leader in the pressure filling industry. The two companies, F.L Burt and Elkus, were welded into one company which became the Simplex Filler Company. The name ‘Simplex’ was a tribute to Mr. Burt’s original machines and his philosophy of designing simple and flexible machines.
In 2000, Simplex relocated to a brand new 13,000 square feet facility in the world famous Napa Valley in California. The move to Napa was based on the fact that Don and Edna Murray resided in Napa and wanted to be closer to their business. Joining Mr. and Mrs. Murray were two of their four children, who took an active role in the day-to-day operations. Simplex is now on its 3rd generation of management. The youngest daughter of Don and Edna Murray, Sasha Murray Kaether, has been co-owner and CEO of Simplex Filler Company since 2014.
To compliment the family fun atmosphere at Simplex, dogs are a welcome addition and happily greet customers and delivery personnel alike.
Simplex is known throughout the world as the leader in piston fillers, and we take great pride in knowing that Simplex has been family-owned and operated for more than fifty years.
