Michael Jenkins Crouch (1933-2018) *84

was Chairman of Australian private company Midgeon Holdings Pty Ltd. Midgeon acted as a holding vehicle for his long-term investments which include interests in Australian manufacturing, beef production, meat processing and property. Until December 2013 he was also Executive Chairman of Zip Industries, a manufacturing company he founded following his acquisition in 1962 of Zip Heaters. In 1962 Michael Crouch acquired a small Australian company, Zip Heaters, which had been formed in 1947 to market kitchen and bathroom water heaters. Under his management, Zip expanded its product range to include hot water appliances of many kinds and in the 1970s introduced the world’s first small instant boiling water heaters now widely used in homes, offices and restaurant kitchens. From 1970, Zip also developed under-bench drinking water appliances dispensing both instant boiling water and chilled filtered drinking water. Newer models also dispense sparkling chilled filtered water.

From 1982, Crouch appointed Zip distributors in Singapore, Taiwan, the Philippines and Thailand to cover South-East Asia. A distributor for Great Britain was engaged in 1987, and Zip products were introduced to Europe at trade shows in 1989 and 1991. A wholly owned subsidiary was formed in 1991 to handle UK distribution, and a distributor for Europe was appointed in 2002. A Zip subsidiary to handle distribution in New Zealand was established in 1996, and a joint venture partner in South Africa handles African marketing.

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