COMPANY·HISTORIES
NAIC 333415

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

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

52companies1874–2000founding years48still active4no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironment
FoundedVaillant GmbH
1874
FoundedJohnson Controls, Inc.
1885
FoundedGeneral Electric Company
1892
FoundedDe'Longhi S.p.A.
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedLennox International Inc.
1904
FoundedBehr GmbH & Co. KG
1907
1908
TechnologyThe Ford Model T brings the automobile to the middle class.
FoundedEnodis plc
1910
1913
EconomyThe Federal Reserve is created.
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedAmerican Standard Companies Inc.FoundedWhirlpool Corporation
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression begins.
1933
EconomyNew Deal reforms reshape banking and industry.
FoundedBaltimore Aircoil Company, Inc.
1938
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
FoundedNichirei Corporation
1942
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long postwar expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented at Bell Labs.
FoundedSANYO Electric Co., Ltd.
1950
1956
EconomyThe Interstate Highway program remakes commerce.
FoundedSime Darby Berhad
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
FoundedP & F Industries, Inc.
1961
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedBSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeräte GmbHFoundedNortek, Inc.
1967
1970
EnvironmentThe EPA is founded; environmental regulation expands.
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; Nasdaq opens.
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins with the Altair.
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher.
1980
EnvironmentSuperfund law makes polluters pay for cleanup.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
FoundedEngineered Support Systems, Inc.
1983
FoundedHaier Group Corporation
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall 22% in a single day.
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
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2000
EconomyThe dot-com bubble bursts.
2001
EconomyThe September 11 attacks; a recession follows.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 begin to take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2008
EconomyThe global financial crisis freezes credit.
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
1970s:Vaillant intensifies international expansion.
Vaillant GmbH →
Active · founded 1874 · Germany
1970s:Vaillant intensifies international expansion.
Johnson Controls, Inc. →
Active · founded 1885
Johnson Controls, Inc.
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.
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.
The Manitowoc Company, Inc. →
Active · founded 1902
The Manitowoc Company, Inc.
The Manitowoc Company, Inc. →
Active · founded 1902
The Manitowoc Company, Inc.
De'Longhi S.p.A. →
Active · founded 1903 · Italy
1950s:De'Longhi incorporates, with a specialty in supplying components to the heating appliance industry.
De'Longhi S.p.A. →
Active · founded 1903 · Italy
1950s:De'Longhi incorporates, with a specialty in supplying components to the heating appliance industry.
Lennox International Inc. →
Active · founded 1904
Lennox International Inc., through its four main subsidiaries--Lennox Industries Inc., Heatcraft Inc., Armstrong Air…
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.
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.
Behr GmbH & Co. KG →
Active · founded 1907 · Germany
Headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany, Behr GmbH & Co.
Enodis plc →
Active · founded 1910 · United Kingdom
Enodis plc is a leading manufacturer of commercial kitchen equipment.
Enodis plc →
Active · founded 1910 · United Kingdom
Enodis plc is a leading manufacturer of commercial kitchen equipment.
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,…
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,…
American Standard Companies Inc. →
Active · founded 1929
American Standard Companies Inc.
American Standard Companies Inc. →
Active · founded 1929
American Standard Companies Inc.
Whirlpool Corporation →
Active · founded 1929
From its beginning as a manufacturer of electrically powered clothes washers, Whirlpool Corporation has become the…
Whirlpool Corporation →
Active · founded 1929
From its beginning as a manufacturer of electrically powered clothes washers, Whirlpool Corporation has become the…
United Technologies Corporation →
Active · founded 1934
United Technologies Corporation (UTC) is one of the largest conglomerates in the United States and a major military…
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.
Baltimore Aircoil Company, Inc. →
Active · founded 1938
Baltimore Aircoil Company, Inc., is a leading producer and exporter of evaporative cooler and heat transfer equipment.
Nichirei Corporation →
Active · founded 1942 · Japan
Nichirei Corporation has developed a two-pronged leadership strategy in two core markets: processed foods, on the one…
Nichirei Corporation →
Active · founded 1942 · Japan
Nichirei Corporation has developed a two-pronged leadership strategy in two core markets: processed foods, on the one…
SANYO Electric Co., Ltd. →
Defunct · founded 1950 · Japan
SANYO Electric Co., Ltd.
SANYO Electric Co., Ltd. →
Defunct · founded 1950 · Japan
SANYO Electric Co., Ltd.
Dover Corporation →
Active · founded 1955
Dover Corporation is a diversified industrial manufacturing holding company composed of about 50 subsidiaries with…
Dover Corporation →
Active · founded 1955
Dover Corporation is a diversified industrial manufacturing holding company composed of about 50 subsidiaries with…
Sime Darby Berhad →
Active · founded 1958 · Malaysia
Sime Darby Berhad is the largest conglomerate in Malaysia and one of the largest in southeast Asia.
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.
P & F Industries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1961
P & F Industries, Inc.
PepsiAmericas, Inc. →
Defunct · founded 1962
PepsiAmericas, Inc.
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…
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…
Nortek, Inc. →
Active · founded 1967
Nortek, Inc., founded in 1967 by Ralph R.
Nortek, Inc. →
Active · founded 1967
Nortek, Inc., founded in 1967 by Ralph R.
Mark IV Industries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1970
Mark IV Industries, Inc.
Mark IV Industries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1970
Mark IV Industries, Inc.
Engineered Support Systems, Inc. →
Active · founded 1983
Engineered Support Systems, Inc.
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.
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.
Dalkia Holding →
Active · founded 2000 · France
Dalkia Holding is Europe's leading provider of energy services.
Dalkia Holding →
Active · founded 2000 · France
Dalkia Holding is Europe's leading provider of energy services.
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