COMPANYHISTORIES
NAIC 333415

Air Conditioning and Warm Air Heating Equipment and Commercial and Industrial Refrigeration Equipment

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

45companies1874–2000founding years43still active2no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedVaillant GmbH
1874
FoundedGeneral Electric Company
1892
FoundedDe'Longhi S.p.A.
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedLennox International Inc.
1904
FoundedBrunswick Corporation
1907
FoundedFedders Corp.
1913
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedBundy Corporation
1922
1927
TechnologyLindbergh flies the Atlantic solo, and aviation captures the public.
FoundedWelbilt Corp.
1929
FoundedTecumseh Products Company
1930
FoundedBaltimore Aircoil Company, Inc.
1938
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
FoundedMestek, Inc.
1946
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedZero Corporation
1952
1955
EconomyMcDonald's franchising begins, remaking fast food.
FoundedSime Darby Berhad
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
FoundedToromont Industries, Ltd.
1961
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedLancer Corporation
1967
FoundedSamsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
1969
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
FoundedEngineered Support Systems, Inc.
1983
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedAAON, Inc.
1987
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

Vaillant GmbH →
Active · founded 1874 · Germany
Vaillant GmbH is one of Europe's leading manufacturers of heating systems and is based in Remscheid, Germany.
Johnson Controls, Inc. →
Active · founded 1885
Johnson Controls, Inc.
General Electric Company →
Active · founded 1892
The history of General Electric Company is a significant part of the history of technology in the United States.
York International Corp. →
Active · founded 1895
York International Corp.
The Manitowoc Company, Inc. →
Active · founded 1902
The Manitowoc Company, Inc.
De'Longhi S.p.A. →
Active · founded 1903 · Italy
Multi-faceted De'Longhi S.p.A.
Eljer Industries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1904
Eljer Industries, Inc.
Lennox International Inc. →
Active · founded 1904
Lennox International Inc., through its four main subsidiaries--Lennox Industries Inc., Heatcraft Inc., Armstrong Air…
Ingersoll-Rand Company Ltd. →
Active · founded 1905
Ingersoll-Rand Company Ltd.
Behr GmbH & Co. KG →
Active · founded 1907 · Germany
Headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany, Behr GmbH & Co.
Brunswick Corporation →
Active · founded 1907
Brunswick Corporation, the oldest and largest manufacturer of recreation and leisure-time products in the United…
Enodis plc →
Active · founded 1910 · United Kingdom
Enodis plc is a leading manufacturer of commercial kitchen equipment.
Fedders Corp. →
Active · founded 1913
Fedders Corp.
Viessmann Werke GmbH & Co. →
Active · founded 1917 · Germany
Viessmann Werke GmbH & Co, based in Allendorf, Germany, is one of the world's leading manufacturers of furnaces,…
GEA AG →
Active · founded 1920 · Germany
GEA AG is one of the world's leading suppliers for food and process engineering, and thermal engineering technology.
Bundy Corporation →
Active · founded 1922
Bundy Corporation is a subsidiary of the London-based specialized engineering group TI Group plc and a world leader in…
American Standard Companies Inc. →
Active · founded 1929
American Standard Companies Inc.
Welbilt Corp. →
Active · founded 1929
Welbilt Corp., through its subsidiaries, is the largest manufacturer of cooking and warming equipment in North America.
Whirlpool Corporation →
Active · founded 1929
From its beginning as a manufacturer of electrically powered clothes washers, Whirlpool Corporation has become the…
Kubota Corporation →
Active · founded 1930 · Japan
Kubota Corporation prides itself on being flexible and adjusting as necessary to compete under changing economic…
Tecumseh Products Company →
Active · founded 1930
Tecumseh Products Company manufactures compressors for refrigeration and air conditioning equipment, gasoline engines…
United Technologies Corporation →
Active · founded 1934
United Technologies Corporation (UTC) is one of the largest conglomerates in the United States and a major military…
Baltimore Aircoil Company, Inc. →
Active · founded 1938
Baltimore Aircoil Company, Inc., is a leading producer and exporter of evaporative cooler and heat transfer equipment.
Thermo King Corporation →
Active · founded 1938
Thermo King Corporation, a technological leader in mobile temperature control, revolutionized the eating habits of the…
Nichirei Corporation →
Active · founded 1942 · Japan
Nichirei Corporation has developed a two-pronged leadership strategy in two core markets: processed foods, on the one…
Mestek, Inc. →
Active · founded 1946
Mestek, Inc., is a leading manufacturer of heating, ventilating, and air conditioning systems for industrial,…
SANYO Electric Co., Ltd. →
Defunct · founded 1950 · Japan
SANYO Electric Co., Ltd.
Zero Corporation →
Active · founded 1952
Zero Corporation is a leading designer and manufacturer of enclosure, cooling, and other systems, primarily for the…
Dover Corporation →
Active · founded 1955
Dover Corporation is a diversified industrial manufacturing holding company composed of about 50 subsidiaries with…
Goldstar Co., Ltd. →
Active · founded 1958 · Republic of Korea
Goldstar Co., Ltd.
Sime Darby Berhad →
Active · founded 1958 · Malaysia
Sime Darby Berhad is the largest conglomerate in Malaysia and one of the largest in southeast Asia.
P & F Industries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1961
P & F Industries, Inc.
Toromont Industries, Ltd. →
Active · founded 1961 · Canada
Toromont Industries, Ltd.
PepsiAmericas, Inc. →
Defunct · founded 1962
PepsiAmericas, Inc.
BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeräte GmbH →
Active · founded 1967 · Germany
BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeräte GmbH, a joint venture between German industrial giants Robert Bosch GmbH and Siemens…
Lancer Corporation →
Active · founded 1967
Lancer Corporation manufactures and designs soft-drink beverage dispensers and related food service equipment such as…
Nortek, Inc. →
Active · founded 1967
Nortek, Inc., founded in 1967 by Ralph R.
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. →
Active · founded 1969 · South Korea
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., is the chief subsidiary of South Korea's giant Samsung Group and one of the largest…
Mark IV Industries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1970
Mark IV Industries, Inc.
AAF-McQuay Incorporated →
Active · founded 1982
A leading manufacturer of air conditioning and air filtration equipment, AAF-McQuay Incorporated comprises two separate…
Engineered Support Systems, Inc. →
Active · founded 1983
Engineered Support Systems, Inc.
Haier Group Corporation →
Active · founded 1984 · China
Haier Group Corporation is one of the world's top-selling makers of white goods and other home appliances.
AAON, Inc. →
Active · founded 1987
AAON, Inc.
Scotsman Industries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1989
Scotsman Industries, Inc.
Dalkia Holding →
Active · founded 2000 · France
Dalkia Holding is Europe's leading provider of energy services.
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