He was responsible for the plant expanding in 1937 to produce items unrelated to the building trade such as electrical insulation equipment and moulds for rubber products such as gloves, baby bottle teats and condoms.

[citation needed] This type of utilitarian tableware became central to Crown Lynn, and the company gained a reputation for supplying sturdy and reliable products.

A tunnel kiln was built in 1941, and the following year a new range of tableware was produced including pudding basins, casserole dishes and various sized chamber pots.

In the late 1940s and early 1950s Tom Clark recruited experienced staff from England and Europe to work in the newly formed Crown Lynn Specials Department.

This new range included tea sets, art pottery and salad ware, and utilised a variety of decorative techniques such as monogram printing, band brushing and lining.

At the same time the factory laboratory discovered that the use of a halloysitic clay from Matauri Bay helped increased the fired whiteness of the body.

This discovery virtually saved the firm, as the recent revaluation of the pound had made it very difficult for companies to export overseas.

"With only one operation on the machine itself, plus those engaged in bringing up and removing the ware, the Murray Curvex will put through 200 dozen pieces a day.

At its height the factory employed 650 staff, produced about 17 million pieces annually, and exported to Australia, the Pacific Islands, south-east Asia, the US and Canada.

By then staff numbers had fallen to between 180 and 220, and many amongst the largely female workforce believed that the Government had sabotaged the company by allowing cheap imported tableware into the country.

Although Crown Lynn was showing signs of recovery after years of trading losses, the company could not compete with the more advanced manufacturing technologies used in Asia and Europe.

In September 1989 all of Crown Lynn's assets, including plant, designs and brand name, were sold to GBH Porcelain Sdn Bhd of Malaysia.