Acme Electric & Manufacturing Co.
1410-1444 Hamilton Ave.
Cleveland, OH (1919-1946) [1]
55 Water St.
Cuba, NY (1937-1946) [5]

Other names used were Acme Electric Co. and Acme Radio and Electric, Inc.

Trade name: ACME; Trademark: ACME inside a diamond (1926). [3]

Manufacturer, sales, and distributor of electrical appliances, transformers, capacitors, motor-driven battery chargers, "A" and "B" battery chargers and eliminators, and radios.

Their radio production ended in the early days of the Great Depression, but they continued production of transformers, chokes, and other devices at the Cleveland plant. They moved some production to Cuba, NY (1937) and later, the Cleveland plant was shut down and all production moved to NY (1941). The name was changed to Acme Electric Co. (1946) and acquired by Hubbell Inc. (2015) as part of their Electric Controller and Manufacturing Company, LLC division, and is still active today (2024). [2, 5]

Note that ACME was a common trade name used by many unrelated companies.

Acme Electric & Manufacturing Co. is not affiliated with Acme Radio Manufacturing Co., Miamisburg, OH.

Note that Ghirardi [4] mistakenly states that ACME and Moto-Midget are trade names of Acme Electric & Manufacturing Co., but Moto-Midget is a trade name for Acme Radio Manufacturing Co., Miamisburg, OH.

Also note that McMahon [15] mistakenly states that Acme Mfg Co. of Miamisburg, OH, made the 1932 models Moto-Midget and DeLuxe; however, this company didn't exist. The correct manufacturer is Acme Radio Manufacturing Co. of Miamisburg, OH. The Moto-Midget schematic's Title Block lists the manufacturer as Acme Radio Mfg. Co., Miamisburg, OH, and the designer as C.H.H., who was Curt H. Hockner, one of the founders of Acme Radio Manufacturing Co. of Miamisburg, OH.

Grinder [16] also incorrectly states that Moto-Midget is a trade name for Acme Electric & Manufacturing Co., but the correct manufacturer is Acme Radio Manufacturing Co. of Miamisburg, OH, for the reasons previously described.

See Acme Radio Manufacturing Co. of Miamisburg, OH, for details.

Founded initially as Acme Electric & Machine Co. in Cleveland, OH (1917) by Charles Henry (C.H.) Bunch (1892-1953), G.R. Hillstrom, J.B. Armitage, R.A. Lais, and G.R. Sawitzke. The initial product offering consisted of motor-driven battery chargers, electrical appliances, and electrical generators. [1, 5]

In 1919, they offered company stock and changed the name to Acme Electric & Manufacturing Co. [1, 5], with early offerings including a hot plate appliance (1921) [6] and variable condensers (1923). [7] They announced a new product line to include battery chargers (1924) [8] and quickly followed with additional battery chargers and eliminators (1924-1928). [9, 10]

A new corporation, Acme Radio and Electric, Inc. (1929-1933), was incorporated, first in Delaware [13] and then in Ohio as a foreign corporation (linked to the Delaware Corp.) [1], to handle all of the production, including a new product line of radios. [11] They likely incorporated in Delaware first for tax advantages.

During the next few years, radio ads still listed one of the three companies as manufacturers: Acme Electric & Manufacturing Co., Acme Radio and Electric, Inc., or Acme Electric Co.

The Great Depression resulted in poor radio sales, and the company ceased radio production in the early 1930s. Their Acme Radio and Electric, Inc. Ohio Charter was cancelled in late 1931 for non-payment of taxes. [1] Some radio production continued for a short time until the Delaware Charter was repealed in early 1933, also for non-payment of taxes. [14]

Acme Electric & Manufacturing Co. survived the Great Depression and changed the product line to focus on transformers. In 1936, a group of businessmen in Cuba, NY, was seeking industry for their rural town and approached Acme, who was looking to expand, with an offer to build a plant if they would move to Cuba. Acme accepted and moved some transformer production there (1937) and then expanded over the next few years.

In 1941, the Cleveland plant was shut down, and production was moved to Clyde, NY. During WW2, production at both the Clyde and Cuba plants was dedicated to war production. At the end of the war in 1945, Clyde plant production was consolidated in Cuba. With all of the Acme production now in Cuba, NY, the company became Acme Electric Co. and chartered in NY (1946). [5]

The company continues today (2024) as part of the Hubbell Inc., Electric Controller and Manufacturing Company, LLC division. [2]

sources:

[1] Ohio Secretary of State website, business search records (2024).
[2] Hubbell/Acme Electric website (2024).
[3] Cleveland Plain Dealer, May 23, 1926, page 8, Acme Electric & Manufacturing Co., Acme is Trademarked.
[4] Radio Troubleshooter's Handbook, Third Edition, 1939, 1941, 1943, Alfred A. Ghirardi, page 710.
[5] Buffalo Courier-Express, July 15, 1973, Niagara Frontier Industries No. 117, Acme Electric in Cuba Has Become A Giant In Its Field, pages 46-47. 
[6] Cleveland Plain Dealer, Aug. 4, 1921, page 7-A, Acme Electric & Manufacturing Co., Hot Plate Sales.
[7] Cleveland Plain Dealer, Jan. 14, 1923, page 8, Acme Electric & Manufacturing Co., Variable Condensers.
[8] Radio Age, March 1924, page 44, Acme Electric & Manufacturing Co., announcement of A & B battery charger.
[9] Wireless Age, April 1924, page 61, A & B radio battery charger.
[10] Radio Retailing, Oct. 1928, page 30, dry battery charger and B battery eliminator.
[11] Cleveland Plain Dealer, April 29, 1928, page 19-A, Acme Electric & Manufacturing Co., new line of radio items.
[12] Wikipedia website, Hubbell Inc. search (2024).
[13] The News Journal, Wilmington, Delaware, March 7, 1929, page 20, Acme Radio and Electric, Inc., incorporated in Delaware.
[14] The Morning News, Wilmington, Delaware, Jan. 23, 1933, page 16, Acme Radio and Electric, Inc. charter repealed in Delaware.
[15] Radio Collector's Guide (1921-1932), Second Printing, 1974, Morgan E. McMahon, page 194.
[16] The Radio Collector's Directory and Price Guide 1921-1965, Second Edition, 1995, Robert E. Grinder, page 497.