Keel Mfg. Corp.

Keel ceased to exist in 1981. For any pressings after this date which match the criteria, please consider Hauppauge Record Manufacturing Ltd. instead. Defunct Long Island record manufacturer/pressing facility which was located in Hauppauge, NY (USA). A division of Pickwick International, Inc., they at one time produced more than 25 million records per year and were also known as K. M. Corp., K.M. Corporation, Keel Manufacturing, Inc. ("Keel"), KEEL Manufacturing Corp., and Keel Manufacturing Division. Keel sourced nickel electroplated masters from Mastercraft Record Plating, Inc., and vinyl plastic compounds from Woodbridge. The company was reorganized as Hauppauge Record Manufacturing Ltd. in mid-1981 after sell-off by parent company Pickwick International, Inc.. Through 1973, Keel pressings had a single pressing ring measuring 2.8125". In 1979 a new two-step pressing ring debuted; the shouldered outer ring measured ~ 2.75" and the inner ring measured 1.1875". The two styles are known to co-exist through 1980. Pressing identifiers are not fully confirmed but some are shared with successor Hauppauge Record Manufacturing Ltd.: • Number code on labels: 53 • Union jack runout stamp 🇬🇧 • K or KMC in runout etching Sometimes there won't be any identifiable marking on pressings from this plant. This is often the case with some of Pickwick International, Inc.'s sub labels such as De-Lite, and Groove Merchant.