Nash-Kelvinator Corporation

Nash-Kelvinator Corporation was a diversified American manufacturing company created on January 2, 1937, through the combination of Nash Motors and Kelvinator Appliance Company. The merger brought together an automobile manufacturer and a major household-appliance producer, giving the resulting company a broader industrial base than either business possessed independently. Charles W. Nash, founder of Nash Motors and chairman of the board, wanted George W. Mason to lead Nash. Mason had become president of Kelvinator in 1928 and agreed to move to Nash only on the condition that Nash acquire Kelvinator. The transaction therefore reflected both a strategic combination and a leadership succession arrangement. George W. Mason became president of Nash-Kelvinator and remained its central executive until the company joined with Hudson Motor Car Company in 1954. The new corporation began operations without debt and with reported cash assets of $50 million. Its businesses included Nash automobiles and Kelvinator refrigerators and other major appliances. Kelvinator products occupied an upmarket position in household refrigeration, while Nash competed in the American automobile market. During the Second World War, Nash-Kelvinator became an important participant in the United States wartime production system. The company redirected and expanded manufacturing facilities to produce military and aviation equipment, including Hamilton Standard aircraft propellers, spare propeller blades, Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp aircraft engines, Sikorsky R-6 helicopters, and binoculars for the U.S. Army. It ranked 27th among United States corporations by the value of its World War II production contracts. The wartime program made the company a significant industrial supplier beyond its consumer-facing automobile and appliance operations. As the war ended, Nash-Kelvinator resumed development of new automobiles and completed new proving grounds in Wisconsin in 1945. The corporation's appliance activities continued to develop after the automotive merger. In 1955, the Kelvinator division introduced the Food-A-Rama side-by-side refrigerator, an early modern side-by-side frost-free refrigerator. Kelvinator remained associated with premium household appliances and refrigeration equipment, even though the Nash-Kelvinator corporate structure ended in 1954. In that year, Nash-Kelvinator acquired Hudson Motor Car Company in a transaction described as mutually beneficial and formed American Motors Corporation, commonly known as AMC. The combination was one of the largest corporate consolidations of its time. Kelvinator continued inside AMC as a wholly owned appliance division, while AMC concentrated increasingly on automobiles. In 1968, AMC sold rights to the Kelvinator brand to White Consolidated Industries as part of its effort to focus on the automotive market. Kelvinator subsequently became part of White's broader appliance portfolio alongside brands including White-Westinghouse, Gibson, and Frigidaire. White's appliance operations later became part of Electrolux. Nash-Kelvinator itself is therefore a historical corporate entity rather than an active standalone brand, while the Kelvinator name continued in household appliances and scientific refrigeration.

Nash-Kelvinator emerged from the relationship between Charles W. Nash and George W. Mason. Nash had founded Nash Motors and later served as its board chairman. Mason, a production engineer with experience in the automobile industry, became president of Kelvinator in 1928. Nash wanted Mason to lead Nash Motors, but Mason required Nash to acquire Kelvinator before accepting the position. The resulting combination joined an automobile business with a manufacturer of refrigerators and other household appliances. The merger was completed in 1937, and the new corporation began business on January 2 of that year. It reportedly started without debt and with $50 million in cash assets. Mason served as president, while Nash remained chairman. The corporation operated the Nash automobile business and Kelvinator's appliance operations under one industrial organization. This structure gave it exposure to both durable consumer goods and automobile manufacturing, while preserving Kelvinator's position as a higher-end refrigeration brand. World War II transformed the company's manufacturing profile. As part of the United States' wartime industrial mobilization, Nash-Kelvinator converted and expanded production for military use. It manufactured Hamilton Standard propellers and more than 158,000 complete propellers, together with more than 85,000 spare blades. It also assembled nearly 17,000 Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp engines, produced Sikorsky R-6 helicopters, and supplied more than 200,000 binoculars to the U.S. Army. These activities made the company one of the major participants in the American wartime supply system; it ranked 27th among United States corporations in the value of wartime production contracts. The company began preparing for the postwar automobile market before the war had fully ended. By 1945, it had completed new proving grounds in Wisconsin and was working on new vehicle designs. Its civilian operations subsequently included Nash cars and Kelvinator refrigerators and appliances. Kelvinator's postwar product development included the Food-A-Rama side-by-side refrigerator, introduced in 1955 and regarded as an early modern side-by-side frost-free design. Although this launch occurred after the Nash-Kelvinator corporation had been absorbed into AMC, it represented the continuing development of the Kelvinator division. Nash-Kelvinator's corporate life ended through its 1954 combination with Hudson Motor Car Company. The transaction created American Motors Corporation, one of the largest corporate consolidations of its era. Mason continued as a leading figure in the new organization, while Kelvinator remained a wholly owned AMC division focused on household appliances and refrigeration equipment. AMC increasingly concentrated on automobiles and eventually divested the appliance name. In 1968, it sold Kelvinator brand rights to White Consolidated Industries, whose appliance group also included White-Westinghouse, Gibson, and Frigidaire. That appliance business later became part of Electrolux. The Nash-Kelvinator corporate identity therefore belongs to the period from 1937 to 1954, while the Kelvinator name survived separately in appliance and scientific-refrigeration markets.

• 1968

  Kelvinator rights sold to White Consolidated Industries

  [1]Nash-Kelvinatoren.wikipedia.org

  American Motors divested the Kelvinator brand rights as it focused more closely on automobile manufacturing.

• 1955

  Kelvinator Food-A-Rama introduced

  [1]Nash-Kelvinatoren.wikipedia.org

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

• 1954

  Merger with Hudson creates American Motors

  [1]Nash-Kelvinatoren.wikipedia.org

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

• 1945

  New Wisconsin proving grounds completed

  [1]Nash-Kelvinatoren.wikipedia.org

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

• 1942

  Wartime production expansion

  [1]Nash-Kelvinatoren.wikipedia.org

  Nash-Kelvinator expanded into military and aerospace manufacturing during the United States wartime mobilization.

• 1937

  Nash-Kelvinator begins operations

  [1]Nash-Kelvinatoren.wikipedia.org

  The merger of Nash Motors and Kelvinator took effect on January 2, creating the diversified Nash-Kelvinator Corporation.

• 1928

  George W. Mason becomes president of Kelvinator

  [1]Nash-Kelvinatoren.wikipedia.org

  Mason's leadership of Kelvinator later became central to Charles W. Nash's plan to combine Kelvinator with Nash Motors.

A diversified American industrial manufacturer combining Nash's automobile business with Kelvinator's premium-oriented refrigeration and appliance operations. During World War II, the company also positioned itself as a large-scale defense and aerospace supplier.

• Automobiles · 1937

  Nash automobiles

  Nash-Kelvinator continued the automobile operations inherited from Nash Motors. The company developed and manufactured Nash passenger cars and invested in postwar vehicle programs, including new designs and proving-ground facilities in Wisconsin. These automobiles formed one of the corporation's two principal civilian businesses alongside Kelvinator appliances.

• Household appliances · 1937

  Kelvinator refrigerators and appliances

  Kelvinator produced refrigerators and other major household appliances. Before and after the Nash combination, the brand was associated with relatively upscale household refrigeration. Its appliance business remained within American Motors after the 1954 corporate merger and was later separated from AMC through the sale of Kelvinator brand rights.

• Refrigerators · 1955

  Kelvinator Food-A-Rama

  Introduced in 1955, the Food-A-Rama was a Kelvinator side-by-side refrigerator and one of the early modern side-by-side frost-free refrigerator designs. It illustrates the product development that continued in Kelvinator's appliance division after Nash-Kelvinator became part of American Motors.

• Defense and aerospace manufacturing · 1942

  Wartime aerospace and military equipment

  During World War II, Nash-Kelvinator manufactured a broad range of military and aviation products, including Hamilton Standard propellers, spare blades, Pratt & Whitney R-2800 aircraft engines, Sikorsky R-6 helicopters, and binoculars supplied to the U.S. Army. These products were made under wartime production programs rather than as enduring consumer lines.

• 1968

  Divest Kelvinator brand rightsStrategy

  Background

  American Motors sought to concentrate its resources and management attention on the automobile business.

  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 appliance operations that entered Electrolux.

  Source

• 1954

  Combine with Hudson Motor Car CompanyM&A

  Background

  Nash-Kelvinator and Hudson pursued a combination described as mutually beneficial amid consolidation in the American automobile industry.

  Action taken

  Nash-Kelvinator acquired Hudson Motor Car Company and the two businesses formed American Motors Corporation.

  Aftermath

  Nash-Kelvinator ceased to exist as an independent corporation. Kelvinator continued as an AMC appliance division, while the new company increasingly emphasized automobiles.

  Source

• 1937

  Acquire Kelvinator to secure George W. Mason's leadershipM&A

  Background

  Charles W. Nash wanted George W. Mason, then president of Kelvinator, to lead Nash Motors. Mason made the acquisition of Kelvinator a condition of accepting the appointment.

  Action taken

  Nash Motors combined with Kelvinator, creating Nash-Kelvinator Corporation under Mason's presidency.

  Aftermath

  The transaction created a diversified company spanning automobiles and household refrigeration and began operations without debt and with reported cash assets of $50 million.

  Source

1. 1Nash-Kelvinatoren.wikipedia.org