Constructions Électriques du Nord

Northern Electrical Constructions Constructions Électriques du Nord
1 of CEN's buildings in 1989. Photo courtesy of Philip Gosse.
Headquarters	Tourcoing, HDF
Key people	François Odoux-Lefebvre
Founded	1885 1897
Products	Outdoor warning sirens Electric motors
Succeeded by	FOX Motors

Northern Electrical Constructions (French: Constructions Électriques du Nord; abbreviated CEN), was a manufacturer of electrical machinery such as motors, generators, and outdoor warning sirens founded in 1897. CEN was one of the earliest manufacturers of sirens in France, producing them at least since 1926, and even after the company's closure, their sirens are a common sight in France.

History

Constructions Électriques du Nord was founded at the turn of the 19th century in 1897, with 1 source suggesting they were founded even earlier in 1885. CEN started as little more than a small electrical machine shop, producing small motors which would power formerly steam-driven wool mills. The company's operations grew in size and scope during the 1900s, and the outbreak of World War I likely saw an increase in CEN's manufacturing capabilities. Contrary to what some believe, CEN did not produce air raid sirens during World War I, with the only known manufacturers of sirens at the time being CICCA and Chollet, of which very little are known about. CEN's sirens came at a much later date in 1926, when the company began to produce 2 models of outdoor warning sirens under François Odoux's direction, the CEO of the company at the time. CEN produced sirens from then until its closure, with units hailing from the late 1980s to support this claim.

Production of CEN's sirens during the 1940s likely continued to increase during World War II, with high demand for sirens to warn the public about Axis air raids. After the war, Odoux saw an opportunity to improve the primitive state of individual controls for small machines, with many at the time still controlled by pulley devices and belt transmissions. He founded FOX Motors in 1949, which complemented CEN's manufacturing and focused on fractional horsepower motors. FOX Motors began to produce sirens of their own in 1964, named the MONICA and PAKITA. The latter became predominant in the market, and competed with CEN's own NP2S and NP3S, despite Odoux's intention with FOX Motors to not compete with CEN at all. CEN began to produce brand new brushless AC motors begun in the early 1970s, as well as waterproof motors specifically built for UNITEC's water pumps, who later licensed their design to the American firm WEMCO. Unfortunately, CEN had closed up shop by 1986, becoming KM Europ, who carried over CEN's designs and model naming scheme. KM Europ as an independent company now no longer exists; it was later acquired by Finescur in 2006, who still produces CEN's sirens under the "KMfinescur" name, and was split with Moflash in 2018, although Moflash's portion of KM Europ does not produce outdoor warning sirens.

Though little is known about CEN, they were one of the most influential siren manufacturers shortly before, during, and after World War II. Despite the company being long gone, CEN sirens are one of, if not the most common sirens in France's nationwide siren system. Today, FOX Motors continues CEN's legacy with their still manufactured PAKITA series of sirens, derived from CEN's models.

Products

Type NP2S

A Type NP2S unit. Photo courtesy of TheOfficialDorianelevator.

The Type NP2S consists of an 8 or 10-port rotor and stator, with 10-port units being exceptionally rare. 8 (or 10) conical horns are attached to each stator port, which likely improves the sirens' audible range. A few units only have 6 horns, despite the siren having 8 ports. Some units have horns with mesh screens installed to prevent debris from entering, while others do not; whether this is because they never came with them or the mesh screens have fallen off or degraded is unknown. The horns are offset with the angle of the ports, which is typical for most French sirens produced post-WWII. The Type NP2S was also available without horns, leaving only the horn connecting pieces attached to the stator and mesh screens covering the openings. The Type NP2S is driven by a 50/60 Hz 2.2 kW (3 hp) 3 ph 230/400 V motor above the stator, which spins the rotor at around 2850 rpm. It is unknown if 1 ph units were ever offered. Some units have cylindrical plates suspended above the motor by several supports, which shields it the motor from the elements. A cylindrical assembly with a mesh screen wrapped around it serves as the siren's intake. This design was later carried over to KM Europ after CEN went defunct, who seemingly only rebadged the siren and made no other changes, as CEN and KM Europ-era units are relatively identical, and the same can be said for units produced once KM Europ became KMfinescur. The difference between this siren and the Type NP3S is unclear; the former was likely less effective than the latter, as the Type NP2S was not as successful as the Type NP3S; comparatively less Type NP2S units exist compared to Type NP3Ss. This may be an inaccurate assumption to make, however, as both sirens have minimal differences. The most reliable way to tell the 2 apart are by looking at the tags on the motors.

Type NP3S

A Type NP3S unit. Photo courtesy of TheOfficialDorianelevator.

The Type NP3S consists of an 8 or 10-port rotor and stator, with 10-port units being exceptionally rare. 8 (or 10) conical horns are attached to each stator port, which likely improves the sirens' audible range. Some units have horns with mesh screens installed to prevent debris from entering, while others do not; whether this is because they never came with them or the mesh screens have fallen off or degraded is unknown. The horns are offset with the angle of the ports, which is typical for most French sirens produced post-WWII. The Type NP3S was also available without horns, leaving only the horn connecting pieces attached to the stator and mesh screens covering the openings. The Type NP3S is driven by a 50/60 Hz 2.2 kW (3 hp) 3 ph 230/400 V motor above the stator, which spins the rotor at around 2850 rpm. It is unknown if 1 ph units were ever offered. Some units have cylindrical plates suspended above the motor by several supports, which shields it the motor from the elements. A cylindrical assembly with a mesh screen wrapped around it serves as the siren's intake. This design was later carried over to KM Europ after CEN went defunct, who seemingly only rebadged the siren and made no other changes, as CEN and KM Europ-era units are relatively identical, and the same can be said for units produced once KM Europ became KMfinescur. The difference between this siren and the Type NP3S is unclear; the former was likely less effective than the latter, as the Type NP2S was not as successful as the Type NP3S; comparatively less Type NP2S units exist compared to Type NP3Ss. The Type NP2S was not as successful as the Type NP3S, with comparatively less Type NP2S units existing compared to the latter. This may be an inaccurate assumption to make, however, as both sirens have minimal differences. The most reliable way to tell the 2 apart are by looking at the tags on the motors.