A. O. Smith Corporation – history, company profile (overview) and history video
A. O. Smith Corporation is a manufacturer of residential and commercial water heaters and boilers headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. It operates in the United States, Canada, Mexico, China, India, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands.
HISTORY
A. O. Smith Corporation’s history began in 1874 when Charles Jeremiah Smith, a man skilled in metalwork, founded C. J. SMITH, MACHINIST. C. J. Smith grew to become a major supplier of metal components for manufacturers of baby carriages and bicycles. Charles’ sons Charles S., George H. and Arthur O. also joined their father in business.
In 1899, during the earliest days of the automobile revolution, Arthur developed a new, lightweight pressed steel car frame, and within a few short years, he was selling these frames to car makers, such as Packard, Cadillac, Oldsmobile, Studebaker, Buick, Chevrolet, and Ford.
By 1908, more than 60 percent of new passenger cars in the U.S. were built on an A. O. Smith frame.
As the Company continued to grow, Arthur’s eldest son, Lloyd Raymond, joined the Company, and after Arthur’s unexpected death in 1912, Ray took over the leadership of the family company.
In 1921, A. O. Smith introduced the Mechanical Marvel, the world’s first automated frame production line, capable of producing 10,000 auto frames per day, one every eight seconds. Smith engineers developed an improved method of welding, enabling the company to develop a wide range of steel products, including the pressure vessel for oil refining and large-diameter steel pipe, inventions that were instrumental in creating the modern oil and natural gas industries.
In the mid-1930s, Smith engineers perfected the process of fusing glass to steel, leading to a series of new, glass-lined products, including beer kegs, brewing tanks, and residential water heaters.
In 1940, the company acquired Sawyer Electric, a manufacturer of electric motors.
In 1998, A. O. Smith Corporation acquired General Electric’s domestic compressor motor business, as well as the electric motor division of Magnetek.
In 2006, the company acquired GSW Inc., a water heaters manufacturer for the Canadian market.
In 2011, A. O. Smith Corporation sold its electric motor business and started focusing on becoming a leading global water technology company.
In 2011, the company also acquired the commercial and residential water heater and boiler manufacturer Lochinvar.
In 2016, A. O. Smith Corporation acquired the water treatment expert Aquasana.
In 2017, Hague Quality Water was acquired.
In 2018, Water-Right was acquired. In 2021, the company acquired the water treatment expert Master Water Condition and Giant Factories, a commercial and residential water heater and boiler manufacturer.
BRANDS
- A. O. Smith Water Products;
- American Water Heaters;
- Aquasana Inc.;
- Atlantic Filter;
- Clean Water Testing;
- Clear Reflections;
- A. O. Smith Water Products;
- A. O. Smith Water Products;
- CustomCare;
- Evolve;
- GSW;
- Giant Factories, Inc.;
- Hague Quality Water International;
- Impact Water Products;
- John Wood;
- Lochinvar;
- Master Water Conditioning;
- Mineral-Right;
- Reliance Water Heaters;
- State Water Heaters;
- Takagi;
- U.S. Craftmaster Water Heaters;
- Water-Right;
- WaterCare;
- Water Tec.
PRODUCTS
- residential, commercial scale water treatment systems;
- residential gas and electric water heaters;
- residential water treatment products;
- residential electric water heaters;
- boilers, water heaters, heat pumps, solar thermal and associated ancillary equipment;
- pump tanks and pressure tanks;
- residential gas and electric water heaters and heat pump water heaters;
- water heater components;
- wholesale and retail water heaters and water purifiers;
- porcelain enamel coatings and specialty glass;
- water softener products;
- residential water treatment products;
- wholesale and retail water purifier and air purifier products;
- air purifiers and water purifiers;
- residential and light commercial gas and electric water heaters;
- steel cut sheets for residential and commercial water heaters;
- residential and commercial boilers, commercial water heaters and storage tanks;
- commercial gas and electric water heaters and copper tube boilers;
- electric, gas and oil-fired water heaters;
- reverse osmosis water purification and filtration products; residential and commercial gas and electric water heaters;
- synthetic zeolites designed for water treatment, air filtration, odor removal and other unique applications;
- residential, commercial and light industrial products and systems, including point-of-entry water softeners, filters and ultrafiltration systems;
- water treatment equipment for residential, commercial, institutional and industrial use;
- commercial and residential gas and electric water heaters, solar water heaters and heat pumps, boilers, storage and indirect tanks.
Global Operations
- United States;
- United Kingdom;
- India;
- France;
- Mexico;
- United Arab Emirates;
- Canada;
- Vietnam;
- Hong Kong;
- The Netherlands.
With more than 13,700 employees, A. O. Smith Corp. is considered one of the world’s leading manufacturers of residential and commercial water heaters and boilers. According to Forbes, it is considered one of the Largest Public Companies in the World.
*Information from Forbes.com, Wikipedia.org, and www.aosmith.com.
**Video published on YouTube by “A. O. Smith English | EMEA“