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.^[2]

Wales, a young inventor, secured financial backing from Goss, secretary of the Buick automobile company, to develop the first household mechanical refrigerators to be marketed under the name "Electro-Automatic Refrigerating Company".^[3] 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), 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 featuring automatic control.^[4]

Frustrated by ice-boxes, the Grand Rapids Refrigerator Company introduced a porcelain-lined "Leonard Cleanable" ice cabinet.^[5] Kelvinator began buying Leonard's boxes for its electric refrigerated models. By 1923, the Kelvinator Company held 80% of the American market for electric refrigerators.^[3]

On July 3, 1925, Kelvinator bought Nizer Corporation in a tri-party merger valued at $20 million.^[6]

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.^[5] That year, George W. Mason assumed control of Kelvinator. Under his leadership, the company reduced its costs while increasing its 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 (US$169,946 in 2024 dollars ^[7]) for a six-room house.^[8][9] The first Kelvin Home shown to the public was located in Livonia, Michigan and attracted thousands of visitors.^[10] Several surviving homes are registered historic properties, including some in the Rosedale Gardens Historic District in Livonia^[11] and the Kelvinator House in Albuquerque, New Mexico.^[12]

In 1926, Kelvinator Limited, based in England, was established in London. From importing American-made products, it grew to producing much of its own equipment for the British market. In 1946, the parent company decided to expand operations in the UK and make the unit self-contained in the manufacture of Kelvinator Equipment. The London manufacturing activities were relocated to Crewe and significantly expanded with an additional 19,000 square metres (200,000 sq ft) of floor space. The Crewe factory was shared with Rolls-Royce Motors, but burned down in the 1950s and was replaced by a new facility in Bromborough, Cheshire. The Italian manufacturer, Candy acquired the operation in 1979, along with the use of the Kelvinator brand name in the UK. Both Candy and Kelvinator products were marketed until the business was closed around 2000.

Kelvinator and Nash Motors announced they were merging on 27 October 1936.^[13] The merger took effect on 4 January 1937 to form Nash-Kelvinator Corporation as part of a deal that placed George W. Mason at the helm of the combined company.

Nash-Kelvinator filed a patent in 1938 for a front-end mounted, fully integrated HVAC automobile system, which was granted September 14, 1942 (#2,295,750).^[14] It showed the evaporator and heat exchangers integrated for the passenger cabin using non-flammable and low-toxicity CFC.^[15]

Between 1939 and 1945, all manufacturing was converted to produce military supplies. Except for one-ton, two-wheeled truck cargo trailers and some refrigerators, Nash-Kelvinator did not manufacture any products related to its pre-war operations.^[16]

It became 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.^[16] 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.^[16] The Kelvinator refrigerator facility in Grand Rapids, Michigan, had up to 5,000 employees when it produced airplane propellers and engine parts.^[17] Nash-Kelvinator placed 27th in the value of World War II production contracts that were awarded to U.S. firms.^[18]

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 with saving the lives of many Allied aircrews.

The company pledged to introduce the scientific discoveries gained during the war production into its appliances to make them more valuable and efficient.^[19]

In 1952, the company acquired the Altorfer Bros. Company, which made home laundry equipment under the ABC brand name.

Nash-Kelvinator became a division of American Motors (AMC) when Nash merged with Hudson in 1954.

The 1954 model year introduced the All-Weather Eye system as an option in Nash-branded cars based on the patent filed before the War. This was the first integrated climate control system that has become the standard in vehicles.^[20]

Kelvinator introduced the first auto-defrost models.^[21][22]

Other innovations included Kelvinator refrigerators featuring shelves on the inside of their doors and special compartments for frozen juice containers in the freezer.^[21] It pioneered the side-by-side refrigerator freezer, the Foodarama series, in the mid-1950s.^[21][23]

In the 1960s, Kelvinator refrigerators introduced "picture frame" doors on some models allowing owners to decorate their appliance to match décor of their kitchens.