Kelvinator was an American home appliance manufacturer and a line of domestic refrigerators that was the company's namesake. Although it is now defunct as a company, the name remains a brand 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.
25-499: Nizer Corporation was a maker of electrically cooled ice-cream cabinets and other types of commercial refrigerators, based in Detroit Michigan. During its active years, it was the market leader in this field. The company was purchased by Kelvinator in 1926 in a tri-party merger (the third party being Grand Rapids Refrigerator Company) that was valued at $ 20,000,000. This United States manufacturing company–related article
50-478: 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
75-613: 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. 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. It became
100-453: A production engineer for several car manufacturers before being appointed president of Kelvinator in 1928. To have Mason, Nash had to buy Kelvinator, a leading manufacturer of refrigerators. The merged company began on 2 January 1937 with no debt and $ 50 million in cash assets. Mason then served as president of Nash-Kelvinator until 1954 when the firm merged with Hudson Motors . Nash-Kelvinator ranked 27th among United States corporations in
125-507: A range of appliances and whitegoods under the Kelvinator brand. 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. Nash-Kelvinator Corporation Nash-Kelvinator Corporation was the result of a merger in 1937 between Nash Motors and Kelvinator Appliance Company. The union of these two companies
150-800: A six-room house. The first Kelvin Home shown to the public was located in Livonia, Michigan and attracted thousands of visitors. Several surviving homes are registered historic properties, including some in the Rosedale Gardens Historic District in Livonia and the Kelvinator House in Albuquerque, New Mexico . In 1926, Kelvinator Limited, England , was started in London . From simple merchandising of
175-461: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Kelvinator The enterprise was established 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. Wales, a young inventor, secured financial backing from Arnold Goss, then secretary of
200-530: The Buick Automobile company, to develop the first household mechanical refrigerators to be marketed under the name "Electro-Automatic Refrigerating Company". After producing many experimental models, Wales selected one for manufacturing. In February 1916, the name of the business was changed to "Kelvinator Company" in honor of the Irish-Scottish physicist, Lord Kelvin ( William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin ),
225-661: The Australian-owned Email Limited group of companies, whose appliance division was subsequently sold to the Swedish-owned Electrolux Group in 2001. Refrigerators and air conditioners continue to be sold under the Kelvinator brand by the Electrolux Group. 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. They currently sell
250-568: The Foodarama series, in the mid-1950s. 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. (AMC then purchased the Jeep brand from Kaiser Industries in 1970.) Kelvinator joined White Consolidated Industries ,
275-604: The Kelvinator Company held 80% of the American market for electric refrigerators. On July 3, 1925, Kelvinator bought Nizer Corporation in a tri-party merger valued at $ 20 million. 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. That year, George W. Mason assumed control of Kelvinator. Under his leadership,
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#1732876751197300-452: The company lowered its costs while increasing market share through 1936. In 1936, Kelvinator introduced the "Kelvin Home", one of the earliest attempts to market in-home central air conditioning and heating to ordinary consumers. Customers could choose from several 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) for
325-506: The discoverer of absolute zero . Kelvinator was among 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. Frustrated by iceboxes, the Grand Rapids Refrigerator Company introduced a porcelain -lined "Leonard Cleanable" ice cabinet. Kelvinator began buying Leonard's boxes for its electric refrigerated models. By 1923,
350-496: 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. 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. The Kelvinator refrigerator facility in Grand Rapids, Michigan, had up to 5,000 employees when it produced airplane propellers and engine parts. Nash-Kelvinator placed 27th in
375-542: The merger with Nash, were considered an upmarket brand of household appliances. In 1954, Nash-Kelvinator acquired Hudson Motor Car Company of Detroit , Michigan, in what was called a mutually beneficial merger that formed the American Motors Corporation . It was the largest corporate consolidation to date. Kelvinator continued as a wholly owned division that was focused on the production and marketing of major home appliances and refrigeration equipment within
400-487: The new company. Seeking to focus on the automobile market, the rights to the Kelvinator brand was sold by AMC to White Consolidated Industries in 1968, which brought the product under its corporate appliance group, joining the White-Westinghouse , Gibson , and Frigidaire appliance brands. The appliance division of White Consolidated Industries is now part of Sweden 's Electrolux Corporation. The Kelvinator brand
425-638: The newly introduced Sikorsky R-6 helicopters, and becoming one of the largest suppliers of binoculars in the world with over 200,000 delivered to the U.S. Army. Starting in late 1944, the company began to work on new car designs and by 1945 it completed new proving grounds in Wisconsin. In 1955, Kelvinator introduced the Kelvinator Food-A-Rama Side-by-Side Refrigerator, one of the earliest modern side-by-side frost-free refrigerators. Kelvinator consumer products, before and after
450-539: 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
475-400: The value of World War II production contracts that were awarded to U.S. firms. 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
500-640: The value of World War II production contracts. As part of the Arsenal of Democracy , the company shifted its factories to make a large variety of military components and aeronautic assemblies. The company expanded its facilities to produce the Hamilton Standard propellers to become the largest manufacturer of this type of propeller with more than 158,000 units made with an additional over 85,000 spare blades, assembling nearly 17,000 Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp 18-cylinder, air-cooled aircraft engine, making
525-437: The war production into its appliances to make them more useful and efficient. Nash-Kelvinator became a division of American Motors (AMC) when Nash merged with Hudson in 1954. Kelvinator introduced the first auto-defrost models. Kelvinator refrigerators included shelves on the inside of their doors and special compartments for frozen juice containers in the freezer. It also pioneered the side-by-side refrigerator freezer,
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#1732876751197550-453: 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). The founder of Nash Motors, Charles W. Nash , now serving as chair of the board, wanted George W. Mason for his expertise as
575-440: Was licensed in 1977 to Concepcion Industries Inc. (now Concepcion Industrial Corporation) who continues to sell whitegoods under this brand. 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. In 1980, they became part of
600-625: Was reorganized into Electrolux North America Products. In North America, Electrolux continues to sell (under the Kelvinator Commercial brand) a range of commercial refrigeration equipment. The Kelvinator brand is used in Argentina for a wide variety of appliances marketed by Radio Victoria Fueguina in Tierra del Fuego . The factory is in this province. In the Philippines, the Kelvinator brand
625-614: 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. On October 27, 1936, it was announced that Nash Motors and Kelvinator Corp. were merging. The merger took effect on January 4, 1937, to form Nash-Kelvinator Corporation as part of
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