A.O. SMITH

History

Year	Detail
1874	A. O. Smith Corporation was founded in 1874 by Charles Jeremiah Smith as C. J. Smith and Sons, a baby carriage and bicycle parts manufacturer. It began forming steel tubing from sheet metal to make bicycle frames.
1899	Arthur O. Smith, the founder's son, developed the world’s first pressed steel automobile frame, a lighter, more cost-effective alternative to existing frames.
1914	A. O. Smith introduced the Smith Motor Wheel, a gasoline-powered bicycle device. It developed the Smith Flyer three years later, known as “the world’s first sports car.” This technology was eventually sold to Milwaukee's Briggs & Stratton Company.
1925	A. O. Smith introduced the first arc-welded, high-pressure vessel to refine oil. Through 1963, the company produced pressure vessels for various chemical processing, refinery, and related applications.
1940	A. O. Smith acquired Los Angeles, California-based Sawyer Electric, a manufacturer of electric motors, including a pump motor that could be used in oil well applications.
1948	The company acquired Toledo, Ohio-based Burkay Company and entered the coil-type “instantaneous” commercial water heater market. Five years later, the first glass-lined commercial water heater was introduced.
1961	The company opened its first commercial water heater and boiler plant outside the U.S. in Stratford, Ontario, Canada.
1972	The company opened its first European operations in Veldhoven, the Netherlands. Originally a sales office serving Europe and the Middle East, the facility expanded to include assembly and, eventually, fabrication of water heaters.
2001	The company acquired State Industries, Inc., nearly doubling the size of its water heater business. The acquisition enabled the company to enter the retail market segment.
2009	The company entered the water purification industry with a new venture: A. O. Smith (Shanghai) Water Treatment Products Co. Ltd. The new company supplies reverse osmosis water treatment and water filtration products to the China residential and commercial markets.
2011	A.O. Smith sold its electric motor business to Regal Beloit Corp. and acquired Lochinvar Corp., a Lebanon, Tennessee-based manufacturer of high-efficiency condensing residential and commercial boilers for hot water and hydronic heating applications.
2017	A. O. Smith expanded its North American water treatment presence by acquiring Groveport, Ohio-based Hague Quality Water, a manufacturer of a comprehensive line of water softener products sold through retail and dealer channels.
2019	The company acquired Water-Right, Inc., a water quality solutions provider based in Appleton, Wisconsin, that offers a complete line of residential and commercial products and systems for various applications.
2021	The company expanded its portfolio in water heating by purchasing Montreal, Quebec-based Giant Factories, Inc., and in water treatment by purchasing Pottstown, Pennsylvania-based Master Water Conditioning Corp.