Nash-Kelvinator

Nash-Kelvinator Corporation was an American industrial manufacturer created in 1937 through the combination of Nash Motors and Kelvinator Appliance Company. The unusual merger joined an automobile producer with a major refrigerator and household-appliance manufacturer. Its formation was closely associated with George W. Mason, an experienced production executive who had become Kelvinator's president in 1928. Charles W. Nash, founder of Nash Motors and chairman of its board, wanted Mason to lead Nash, but Mason's appointment was conditioned on Nash acquiring Kelvinator. The resulting company began operations on January 2, 1937, with no debt and approximately $50 million in cash assets. The company operated across two major commercial areas. Nash-Kelvinator manufactured Nash automobiles while Kelvinator continued to develop and market refrigerators and other household appliances. The Kelvinator name occupied an upmarket position in domestic refrigeration, and the appliance business gave the combined company a degree of diversification beyond the highly cyclical automobile market. The business also benefited from shared attention to industrial engineering, production efficiency, and factory utilization, areas in which Mason had substantial experience. During the Second World War, Nash-Kelvinator became a significant defense contractor. It redirected much of its manufacturing capacity toward military and aerospace production and ranked 27th among United States corporations in the value of wartime production contracts. Its wartime work included Hamilton Standard aircraft propellers and spare blades, Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp aircraft engines, Sikorsky R-6 helicopters, and binoculars for the United States Army. The company produced more than 158,000 propellers, over 85,000 spare blades, nearly 17,000 R-2800 engines, and more than 200,000 binoculars according to historical accounts. These activities made Nash-Kelvinator part of the industrial mobilization commonly described as the Arsenal of Democracy. The company resumed attention to automobile development late in the war. By 1945 it had completed new proving grounds in Wisconsin for vehicle testing and engineering work. In the appliance business, Kelvinator continued to introduce products aimed at the higher end of the household market. A notable later product was the Kelvinator Food-A-Rama side-by-side refrigerator, introduced in 1955 and described as one of the early modern side-by-side frost-free refrigerators. Nash-Kelvinator's independent existence ended in 1954, when it acquired Hudson Motor Car Company in a mutually beneficial combination that created American Motors Corporation, or AMC. The transaction was regarded at the time as the largest corporate consolidation yet completed in the United States. George Mason led Nash-Kelvinator until the merger and became associated with the new AMC organization. Kelvinator did not disappear immediately: it continued as a wholly owned AMC division specializing in major appliances and refrigeration equipment. AMC later chose to concentrate more strongly on automobiles. In 1968 it sold the rights to the Kelvinator brand to White Consolidated Industries. Kelvinator then became part of White's broader appliance portfolio alongside brands including White-Westinghouse, Gibson, and Frigidaire. White Consolidated Industries' appliance operations were subsequently absorbed into the Electrolux organization. The Kelvinator name has continued to be used for household appliances and scientific refrigeration systems, but Nash-Kelvinator as the combined automobile-and-appliance corporation ceased to exist after the formation of AMC.

Nash-Kelvinator emerged from the strategic relationship between Charles W. Nash and George W. Mason. Nash, who had founded Nash Motors and later served as its board chairman, valued Mason's production expertise. Mason had worked for several automobile manufacturers before becoming president of Kelvinator in 1928. When Nash sought to recruit Mason, the arrangement required Nash to purchase Kelvinator, a leading refrigerator producer. The resulting merger created Nash-Kelvinator Corporation on January 2, 1937. The new enterprise began without debt and with approximately $50 million in cash assets, giving it a strong financial foundation for expansion. The company retained both sides of the combined business. Nash supplied automobile manufacturing and engineering capabilities, while Kelvinator contributed a recognized appliance operation focused particularly on refrigerators and refrigeration equipment. Kelvinator products were generally positioned toward the upper end of the household-appliance market. The combination also created a diversified industrial structure at a time when automobile manufacturing and consumer durable goods were both important sectors of the American economy. World War II transformed Nash-Kelvinator's production profile. As part of the United States' wartime industrial mobilization, the company converted facilities to defense work and became a major supplier of military and aerospace equipment. It manufactured Hamilton Standard propellers and spare blades, assembled Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp engines, produced Sikorsky R-6 helicopters, and supplied binoculars to the United States Army. Historical accounts credit the company with producing more than 158,000 propellers, over 85,000 spare blades, nearly 17,000 aircraft engines, and more than 200,000 binoculars. By the value of its wartime production contracts, Nash-Kelvinator ranked 27th among American corporations. The company began preparing for the postwar automobile market in late 1944. New automobile designs were developed, and a proving ground in Wisconsin was completed in 1945. Kelvinator continued its appliance activities alongside the automobile business. In 1955, after Nash-Kelvinator had become part of AMC, Kelvinator introduced the Food-A-Rama side-by-side refrigerator, an important example of the brand's continued product development and its role in the evolution of modern domestic refrigeration. Nash-Kelvinator's major corporate turning point came in 1954, when it acquired Hudson Motor Car Company. The combination formed American Motors Corporation and was described at the time as the largest corporate consolidation in the United States. George Mason led Nash-Kelvinator until the merger. Under AMC, Kelvinator remained a wholly owned appliance division rather than being immediately discontinued. It continued to manufacture and market major household appliances and refrigeration products while AMC concentrated increasingly on the automobile market. In 1968, AMC sold the rights to the Kelvinator name to White Consolidated Industries. Kelvinator subsequently joined White's group of appliance brands, which included White-Westinghouse, Gibson, and Frigidaire. White Consolidated Industries' appliance business later became part of Electrolux. Kelvinator therefore survived as an appliance and scientific-refrigeration brand, but Nash-Kelvinator itself ended as a corporate entity after its absorption into American Motors.

• 1968

  Kelvinator rights transferred to White Consolidated Industries

  [1]Nash-Kelvinatoren.wikipedia.org

  AMC sold the Kelvinator brand rights as it focused more closely on automobiles.

• 1955

  Kelvinator Food-A-Rama introduced

  [1]Nash-Kelvinatoren.wikipedia.org

  Kelvinator launched an early modern side-by-side frost-free refrigerator.

• 1954

  American Motors Corporation is formed

  [1]Nash-Kelvinatoren.wikipedia.org

  Nash-Kelvinator's combination with Hudson Motor Car Company created AMC.

• 1945

  Wisconsin proving grounds completed

  [1]Nash-Kelvinatoren.wikipedia.org

  The company completed new proving grounds as it prepared postwar automobile designs.

• 1937

  Nash-Kelvinator begins operations

  [1]Nash-Kelvinatoren.wikipedia.org

  Nash Motors' acquisition of Kelvinator produced the combined corporation on January 2, 1937.

• 1928

  George W. Mason becomes Kelvinator president

  [1]Nash-Kelvinatoren.wikipedia.org

  Mason's leadership of Kelvinator later became central to the creation of Nash-Kelvinator.

A diversified American industrial manufacturer combining Nash automobile production with Kelvinator's premium-oriented refrigeration and appliance business, and later supplying major military and aerospace components during World War II.

• Automobiles

  Nash automobiles

  Nash-Kelvinator continued Nash Motors' automobile business and worked on new vehicle designs during the later years of World War II. Automobile engineering and production remained one of the company's principal commercial activities until the 1954 combination with Hudson created American Motors Corporation.

• Household appliances

  Kelvinator refrigerators

  Kelvinator refrigerators formed the core of the company's consumer-appliance business. The brand was regarded as an upmarket refrigerator and household-appliance name both before and after its combination with Nash, with products marketed alongside the company's broader major-appliance range.

• Refrigerators · 1955

  Kelvinator Food-A-Rama

  Introduced in 1955, the Food-A-Rama was a Kelvinator side-by-side refrigerator. It is historically associated with the early development of modern side-by-side frost-free refrigerator formats and illustrates Kelvinator's premium-oriented consumer positioning.

• Defense manufacturing · 1941

  Wartime aerospace and military equipment

  During World War II, Nash-Kelvinator manufactured Hamilton Standard propellers and spare blades, assembled Pratt & Whitney R-2800 aircraft engines, produced Sikorsky R-6 helicopters, and supplied large quantities of binoculars for the United States Army.

• 1968

  Divest Kelvinator brand rightsStrategy

  Background

  American Motors increasingly focused its resources and corporate identity on automobile manufacturing.

  Action taken

  AMC sold the rights to the Kelvinator brand to White Consolidated Industries.

  Aftermath

  Kelvinator joined White's appliance portfolio and later became associated with the Electrolux organization, while Nash-Kelvinator remained defunct.

  Source

• 1954

  Acquire Hudson Motor Car CompanyM&A

  Background

  Nash-Kelvinator and Hudson sought a combination intended to strengthen their position in the automobile industry.

  Action taken

  Nash-Kelvinator merged with Hudson Motor Car Company to form American Motors Corporation.

  Aftermath

  Nash-Kelvinator ceased to operate as an independent corporation, while Kelvinator continued as an AMC appliance division.

  Source

• 1937

  Combine Nash Motors with KelvinatorM&A

  Background

  Charles W. Nash wanted George W. Mason's production expertise at Nash, while Mason's appointment was tied to Nash acquiring Kelvinator.

  Action taken

  Nash Motors acquired Kelvinator and began the combined Nash-Kelvinator Corporation with Mason as president.

  Aftermath

  The company operated as a diversified automobile and appliance manufacturer and entered World War II with substantial industrial capacity.

  Source

1. 1Nash-Kelvinatoren.wikipedia.org