Kelvinator

Last updated
Kelvinator
Company type Division
Industry Appliances
Founded1914;110 years ago (1914)
Defunct1986;38 years ago (1986)
ProductsCommercial refrigeration for food service applications
air-conditioning
Owner Electrolux AB, took over ownership in 1986

Kelvinator was an American home appliance manufacturer and a line of domestic refrigerators that was the namesake of the company. Although as a company it is now defunct, the name still exists as a brand name owned by Electrolux AB. It takes its name from William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin, who developed the concept of absolute zero and for whom the Kelvin temperature scale is named. The name was thought appropriate for a company that manufactured ice-boxes and refrigerators.

Contents

History

Kelvinator ad from 1920 Kelvinator 1920 newspaper ad.png
Kelvinator ad from 1920
Kelvinator refrigerator, c. 1926 Icebox - Ca d'Zan - John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art - Sarasota, FL - DSC00369.jpg
Kelvinator refrigerator, c. 1926

Kelvinator was founded on September 18, 1914, in Detroit, Michigan, United States, by engineer Nathaniel B. Wales who introduced his idea for a practical electric refrigeration unit for the home to Edmund Copeland and Arnold Goss. [1]

Wales, a young inventor, secured financial backing from Arnold Goss, then secretary of the Buick Automobile company, to develop the first household mechanical refrigerators to be marketed under the name "Electro-Automatic Refrigerating Company". [2] After producing a number of experimental models, Wales selected one for manufacturing.

In February 1916, the name of the company was changed to "Kelvinator Company" in honor of the Irish-Scottish physicist, Lord Kelvin (William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin), the discoverer of absolute zero. Kelvinator was among some two dozen home refrigerators introduced to the U.S. market in 1916. In 1918 Kelvinator introduced the first refrigerator with any type of automatic control. [3]

Frustrated by iceboxes, the Grand Rapids Refrigerator Company introduced a porcelain lined "Leonard Cleanable" ice cabinet. [4] Kelvinator began buying Leonard's boxes for its electric refrigerated models. By 1923, the Kelvinator Company held 80% of the American market for electric refrigerators. [2]

On July 3, 1925, Kelvinator bought Nizer Corporation in a tri-party merger valued at $20,000,000. [5]

In 1926, the company acquired Leonard, which had been founded in 1881. Kelvinator concentrated its entire appliance production at the Grand Rapids factory in 1928. [4] That year, George W. Mason assumed control of Kelvinator. Under his leadership, the company lowered its costs while increasing market share through 1936.

In 1936, Kelvinator introduced the "Kelvin Home", which was one of the earliest attempts to market in-home central air conditioning and heating to ordinary consumers. Customers could choose from a number of different home designs, all of which were equipped with climate control systems and the latest electric appliances, and were advertised to cost about $7,500 ($151,523 in 2022) [6] for a six-room house. [7] [8] The first Kelvin Home shown to the public was located in Livonia, Michigan and attracted thousands of visitors. [9] A number of surviving homes are registered historic properties, including several in the Rosedale Gardens Historic District in Livonia [10] and the Kelvinator House in Albuquerque, New Mexico. [11]

British operations

In 1926, Kelvinator Limited, England, was started in London. From simple merchandising of the products of the American factories, it grew until it was producing much of its own equipment for the British market. In 1946, it was considered that the time was ripe for this unit to expand and be self-contained in its manufacture of Kelvinator Equipment, and the London manufacturing activities were moved to Crewe and greatly expanded with a further 19,000 square metres (200,000 sq ft) of floor space. The Crewe factory was shared with Rolls-Royce Motors, but burned down in the 1950s and was replaced by a new facility in Bromborough, Cheshire.

Italian manufacturer Candy bought the operation in 1979 together with the use of the Kelvinator brand name in the UK and produced both Candy and Kelvinator products until it closed around 2000.

Merger with Nash Motors

On October 27, 1936, it was announced that Nash Motors and Kelvinator Corp. were merging. [12] The merger took effect on January 4, 1937, to form Nash-Kelvinator Corporation as part of a deal that placed George W. Mason at the helm of the combined company.

In 1952, it acquired the Altorfer Bros. Company, which made home laundry equipment under the ABC brand name.

World War II

Sikorsky R-6A Hoverfly II helicopter S-49 Sikorsky R-6A USAF museum.jpg
Sikorsky R-6A Hoverfly II helicopter

Between 1939 and 1945, the complete manufacturing facilities of the factories' group were turned over to the manufacturing of military supplies. With the exception of one-ton, two-wheeled truck cargo trailers and some refrigerators, Nash-Kelvinator did not manufacture products related to its pre-war operations. [13] It became the largest producer of helicopters in the U.S. during the war by making the A Hoverfly II, the most advanced helicopter design of the war. [13] Other wartime products included three- and four-blade propellers, optical equipment and binoculars as well as Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp radial aircraft engines. [13] The Kelvinator refrigerator facility in Grand Rapids, Michigan, had up to 5,000 employees when it produced airplane propellers and engine parts. [14] Nash-Kelvinator placed 27th in the value of World War II production contracts that were awarded to U.S. firms. [15]

In Britain, Kelvinator of London contributed to the field of testing airplane components at ultra-low temperatures, and instruments under high altitude conditions, research that was credited as saving the lives of many Allied aircrews.

The company pledged to introduce the scientific discoveries gained during the war production into its appliances to make them more useful and efficient. [16]

Kelvinator refrigerator ad from 1948 1948KELVINATOR (8205072109).jpg
Kelvinator refrigerator ad from 1948

Integration into American Motors

Nash-Kelvinator became a division of American Motors (AMC) when Nash merged with Hudson in 1954. Kelvinator introduced the first auto-defrost models. [17] [18] Kelvinator refrigerators included shelves on the inside of their doors and special compartments for frozen juice containers in the freezer. [17] It also pioneered the side-by-side refrigerator freezer in the early 1950s. [17] [19] In the 1960s, Kelvinator refrigerators introduced "picture frame" doors on some models allowing owners to decorate their appliance to match décor of their kitchens.

Under the leadership of Roy D. Chapin Jr., AMC sold off its Kelvinator operations in 1968. [20] (AMC then purchased the Jeep brand from Kaiser Industries in 1970.) Kelvinator joined White Consolidated Industries, a company that later acquired the rights to Frigidaire (originally owned by General Motors), Gibson, and White-Westinghouse product lines. Electrolux of Sweden acquired White Consolidated Industries in 1986, and combined WCI brands with Electrolux-owned Tappan to become WCI Major Appliances Group.

In the early 1990s, the name of the Dublin, Ohio based holding company changed to Frigidaire Company.

In 1997, it was reorganized into Electrolux North America Products.

Legacy

In North America, Electrolux continues to sell (under the Kelvinator Commercial brand) a range of commercial refrigeration equipment. [21]

The Kelvinator brand is used in Argentina for a wide variety of appliances marketed by Radio Victoria Fueguina in Tierra del Fuego. [22] The factory is in this province. [23]

In the Philippines, the Kelvinator brand was licensed in 1977 to Concepcion Industries Inc. (now Concepcion Industrial Corporation) who continues to sell whitegoods under this brand. [24]

In Australia, Kelvinator Australia Ltd was formed in 1934, and manufactured and distributed products under licence from several US companies, including Kelvinator. The managing director was William Queale, while his father-in-law, F.H. Griffiths, was a co-director. [25] In 1980, they became part of the Australian-owned Email Limited group of companies, whose appliance division was subsequently sold to the Swedish-owned Electrolux Group in 2001. [26] Refrigerators and air conditioners continue to be sold under the Kelvinator brand by the Electrolux Group. [27]

In India, the Kelvinator brand was revived in 2019, when the retail arm of Reliance Retail signed a licensing, manufacturing, marketing and distribution deal with Electrolux. [28] They currently sell a range of appliances and whitegoods under the Kelvinator brand. [29]

As late as 2014, residents of Robeson County, North Carolina used "Kelvinator" to generically refer to refrigerators, due to the former presence of a Kelvinator factory in their county. [30]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electrolux</span> Swedish multinational home appliance manufacturer

Electrolux AB is a Swedish multinational home appliance manufacturer, headquartered in Stockholm. It is consistently ranked the world's second largest appliance maker by units sold, after Whirlpool.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haier</span> Chinese multinational consumer electronics and home appliance company

Haier Group Corporation is a Chinese multinational home appliances and consumer electronics company headquartered in Qingdao, Shandong. It designs, develops, manufactures and sells products including refrigerators, air conditioners, washing machines, dryers, microwave ovens, mobile phones, computers, and televisions. The home appliances business, namely Haier Smart Home, has seven global brands – Haier, Casarte, Leader, GE Appliances, Fisher & Paykel, Aqua and Candy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tappan (brand)</span> American appliance brand

Tappan is a brand of appliances, named after company founder W. J. Tappan.

Frigidaire Appliance Company is the American consumer and commercial home appliances brand subsidiary of multinational company Electrolux.

White-Westinghouse is an American home appliance brand used under license by trademark owner Westinghouse Licensing Corporation. It was created in 1975 when White Consolidated Industries bought the Westinghouse Electric Corporation's major appliance business. White Consolidated Industries was in turn acquired by Electrolux in 1986.

Nash-Kelvinator Corporation was the result of a merger in 1937 between Nash Motors and Kelvinator Appliance Company. The union of these two companies was brought about as a result of a condition made by George W. Mason prior to his appointment as CEO of Nash. The company manufactured cars and refrigerators as well as aeronautic components and helicopters during World War II. In 1954, the company merged with Hudson Motors to form American Motors Corporation (AMC).

Arçelik A.Ş. is a Turkish multinational household appliances manufacturer which owns Beko and Grundig.

Fisher & Paykel Appliances Holdings Ltd is a major appliance manufacturer founded in 1934. It is a subsidiary of Chinese multinational home appliances company Haier and is based in East Tāmaki, New Zealand.

Candy is an Italian domestic appliance maker and is a subsidiary of Chinese multinational home appliances company Haier. It is based in Brugherio, near Milan.

Morphy Richards is a British brand of electrical appliances headquartered in Swinton, in South Yorkshire, England. Its products were formerly made at its historic home of Mexborough, and in other facilities across the United Kingdom. However, since the 1990s, all of its manufacturing has been carried out in the Far East.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GE Appliances</span> Brand of appliance, owned by Haier and KKR

GE Appliances is an American home appliance manufacturer based in Louisville, Kentucky. It has been majority owned by Chinese multinational home appliances company Haier since 2016. It is one of the largest appliance companies in the United States and manufactures appliances under several brands, including GE, GE Profile, Café, Monogram, Haier and Hotpoint. The company also owns FirstBuild, a co-creation community and micro-factory on the University of Louisville's campus in Louisville, Kentucky. Another FirstBuild location is in South Korea, and a FirstBuild location in India opened its doors in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parkinson Cowan</span> British home appliance brand

Parkinson Cowan was a British manufacturer of gas meters and gas stoves between 1900 and 1971. The name is now used for a brand of cooking appliances, owned by the Electrolux group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edward Hallstrom</span>

Sir Edward John Lees Hallstrom was one of Australia's best-known philanthropists and businessmen of the mid 20th century. Hallstrom is best known for his long association with the Taronga Zoo and for his "Silent Knight" brand of refrigerators.

Eureka is an American home appliances brand owned by Chinese company Midea Group that manufactures vacuum cleaners, including uprights, cordless, canisters, sticks and handhelds. Eureka also manufactures aftermarket vacuum accessories, such as bags, belts and filters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White Sewing Machine Company</span>

The White Sewing Machine Company was a sewing machine company founded in 1858 in Templeton, Massachusetts, by Thomas H. White and based in Cleveland, Ohio, since 1866.

Olympic Group is an Egyptian group of companies operating mainly in the field of domestic appliances. The main products it manufactures are washing machines, refrigerators, electric water heaters and gas cookers. It also operates in the fields of IT and real estate. It owns the licensing rights for Sony products in Egypt. Olympic Group has acquired "IDEAL", a formerly state-owned appliances giant.

Email Limited was a manufacturing conglomerate operating mainly in Australia, best known for domestic electricity meters and major appliances.

The Leonard Company was founded in 1881 by Charles H. Leonard in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Midea Group</span> Chinese home appliance manufacturer and air conditioner OEM

Midea Group is a Chinese electrical appliance manufacturer, headquartered in Beijiao town, Shunde District, Foshan, Guangdong and listed on Shenzhen Stock Exchange. As of 2021, the firm employs approximately 150,000 people in China and overseas with 200 subsidiaries and over 60 overseas branches. Midea Group is listed on Shenzhen Stock Exchange since 2013. It has been listed on the Fortune Global 500 since July 2016. Midea produces lighting, water appliances, floor care, small kitchen appliances, laundry, large cooking appliances, and refrigeration appliances. It is the largest microwave oven manufacturer, and acts an OEM for many brands. It also has a long history in producing home and commercial products in heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC). It is the world's largest producer of robots and appliances.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenmore (brand)</span> Brand of household appliances

Kenmore is an American brand of household appliances, cookware, floorcare, grills, HVAC equipment and other home items owned and licensed by Transformco, an affiliate of ESL Investments. Previously they were a subsidiary brand of Sears Holdings, but after Sears Holdings filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on October 15, 2018 they were acquired by Transformco, formed in 2019 after acquiring the assets of Sears Holdings Corporation.

References

  1. ↑ "History". Electrolux International Company. 2007. Archived from the original on 27 December 2007. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
  2. 1 2 Hubbert, Christopher J. (2006). "The Kelvin Home: Cleveland Heights Leads the Way to: 'a New and Better Way of Living'". Cleveland Heights Historical Society. Archived from the original on 31 January 2013. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
  3. ↑ "History of the Refrigerator". history.com. 2006. Archived from the original on 26 March 2008. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
  4. 1 2 Beld, Gordon (2012). Grand times in Grand Rapids: pieces of Furniture City history. History Press. pp. 70–71. ISBN   9781609496296 . Retrieved 24 May 2013.
  5. ↑ "Ice Machine Merger Is Said to Impend; Kelvinator and Nizer Concerns Named in $20,000,000 Electrical Refrigerator Deal". The New York Times. 3 July 1925. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
  6. ↑ "Calculate the Value of $1.00 in 1936. How much is it worth today?".
  7. ↑ "A Typical Kelvin Home". Chicago Tribune. December 27, 1936. Retrieved June 6, 2020– via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "If You Plan To Build (advertisement)". Elmira Star-Gazette. February 4, 1937. Retrieved June 6, 2020– via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ "More Than 10,000 See Kelvin Home". Detroit Free Press. November 1, 1936. Retrieved June 6, 2020– via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ Christensen, R.O. (December 2009), National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Rosedale Gardens Historic District, File Unit: National Register of Historic Places and National Historic Landmarks Program Records: Michigan, 1964 - 2013, retrieved June 6, 2020
  11. ↑ "New Kelvin Home Open to Public for Four Hours Today". Albuquerque Journal. February 20, 1938. Retrieved June 5, 2020– via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ "Nash-Kelvinator". Cars & Parts. Vol. 27. Amos Press. 1984. Retrieved 5 August 2019.
  13. 1 2 3 Jackson, David D. (10 April 2022). "Nash-Kelvinator in World War Two". usautoindustryworldwartwo.com. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  14. ↑ "Kelvinator Plant Can't Shake Name No Matter Who Owns It". AP News. 25 December 1987. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  15. ↑ Shea, Jerry. "Producing the Weapons of War · World War II in Life Magazine Advertisements · Western CT State University Archives' Digital Collections". archives.library.wcsu.edu. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  16. ↑ "We'll be Inside ... Looking Out (advertisement)". Life. Vol. 18, no. 8. 19 February 1945. p. 39. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
  17. 1 2 3 Seideman, Tony; Seideman, Celine (March–April 2007). "Cold Comparisons". Old-House Journal. 35 (2): 46. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
  18. ↑ "Move the magic of the "Magic Cycle" defrosting (advertisement)". Life. Vol. 35, no. 7. 17 August 1953. p. inside cover. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
  19. ↑ "Fabulous Foodarama by Kelvinator (advertisement)". Life. Vol. 40, no. 16. 16 April 1956. p. 68. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
  20. ↑ Hyde, Charles K. (2003). Riding the Roller Coaster. Wayne State University Press. p. 276. ISBN   978-0-8143-3091-3 . Retrieved 24 May 2013.
  21. ↑ "Kelvinator Commercial". Kelvinator Commercial. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  22. ↑ "Historia". radiovictoria.com (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 25 April 2012. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
  23. ↑ "Acerca de Kelvinator" (in Spanish). Radio Victoria Fueguina. Archived from the original on 23 January 2012. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
  24. ↑ "Concepcion Industrial Corporation - About Us". Concepcion Industrial Corporation. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  25. ↑ Grainger, G (2020). "Kelvinator Australia Ltd. with a special emphasis on its Keswick Plants" (PDF). City of Woodville West-Torrens. West Torrens Historical Society Inc. p. 3. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  26. ↑ "Kelvinator Australia Ltd - Keswick Local History". City of West Torrens, South Australia. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  27. ↑ "About Kelvinator Australia" . Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  28. ↑ Mukherjee, Writankar (21 October 2019). "Reliance set to bring back the 'coolest one' to India". The Economic Times. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  29. ↑ "Kelvinator - About Us". Kelvinator India. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  30. ↑ Wolfram, Walt; Reaser, Jeffrey (2014). Talkin' Tar Heel: How Our Voices Tell the Story of North Carolina. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press. p. 234. ISBN   978-1-4696-1437-3.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.