In 2024 Apropa Machinery celebrated its 70th Anniversary. This marked over 70 years of service to individuals, manufacturers, and corporations doing business throughout Europe and the world. Apropa Machinery are proud to have been at the forefront of the UK foam industry for over 70 years and in more recent decades servicing the mattress, furniture and packaging industries. We have got this far through hard work, superior products, dedication and loyalty to our valued customers and integrity in the way we conduct our business. We look forward to continuing our business relationships with our large list of satisfied customers and gaining new customers who will appreciate our work ethic and the way we have always maintained our company at the cutting edge of current technology.
Founded in 1954 by Dr. Michael Mayer, the company was established in Poultry, City of London with a principal mission of supplying specialized machinery to the Foam Industry as well as additives for the meat industry. This dual specialization led to the formation of two entities: the first being Jameson Equipment (Trading) Limited, known as JET throughout the industry, which supplied foam machinery and the other being Jameson Equipment Limited which supplied chemicals to the meat industry.
The early 1950s saw the birth of the foam industry and Jameson worked closely with the pioneers of this young industry, working in the UK with British Vita - who were one of the first foam manufacturers - and with Mac. A. King who were one of the first foam converters.
In 1957, Ralph Borchard, the stepson of Michael Mayer, joined the company and took over the responsibilities for the machinery side of the business.
Since 1954, JET has represented Albrecht Baumer and Grauff from Germany. This alliance has led to a long-term professional association, which still continues to this day. Under the direction of Ralph Borchard, JET began to represent more companies allied with the foam and furniture industries, providing our customers with more diverse and technically advanced choices.
On January 1st, 1974, the company split into two totally separate entities. Jameson Equipment Limited, under the direction of Michael Mayer, continued to supply additives to the food industry. Ralph Borchard founded Apropa Machinery Limited, which took over the sole distribution of equipment to the foam industry and all allied industries.
In 1976, Ralph’s son, Jonathan joined Apropa and right away began his training at Albrecht Baumer for a period of six months. During this period, Jonathan learned not only the language but also the details of the foam machinery manufacturing business.
In 1986, Ralph Borchard passed away after a short illness which led Jonathan to take over the role of Managing Director. Jonathan continues to this day to provide direction to the company and interact with our wide range of customers. Ralph’s son Terry also worked at Apropa from 1995 till 2004 before moving to the USA where he now has a position with Baumer USA and Jonathan’s stepson Andrew Chadbourne has become a valuable addition to Apropa since he joined in 2010.
In 2012, Jonathan moved the company to its present location in Teddington, Middlesex.