Nortek Celebrates 100-Year Anniversary
Celebration focuses on innovations from the past and prospects for the future
ST. LOUIS — Nortek Global HVAC is celebrating its 100-year anniversary in 2019 by recognizing the accomplishments from the past and focusing on the innovations of tomorrow. The landmark anniversary kicked off at the 2019 AHR Expo on Jan. 14, in Atlanta and will continue with subsequent celebrations and events throughout the year.
Founded as the International Oil Heating Co. in 1919, the company rose to success manufacturing coal-to-oil conversion furnace burners. The innovative oil burners helped reduce coal-burning air pollution challenges faced in its St. Louis hometown, considered the dirtiest city in the Mississippi Valley at the time. Later, the company innovated even cleaner gas-fired burner conversions.
In 1933, the company designed, built, and installed the first heater for mobile homes (termed manufactured homes today).
It went on to innovate dozens of “firsts” throughout the subsequent decades, such as the first fully automatic mobile home furnace, the first sealed combustion oil furnace for mobile homes, and the first electric hot water self-contained baseboard heater.
The company was renamed Nordyne in 1987 and applied its experience in developing HVAC equipment for manufactured housing to the residential market. Newly developed manufacturing processes, such as demand flow technology (DFT) in 1994, led to faster production turnaround times and quality assurance awards. For example, DFT helped generate accolades from manufacturers, such as Sidney, Ohio-based Copeland, which recognized the company for multiple years as having the best compressor reliability in the industry.
In 2015, Nordyne was renamed Nortek Global HVAC, the name it maintains in its 100th year. Continuing the innovation of previous decades, Nortek Global HVAC recently introduced the first all-aluminum coil technology for use in residential HVAC applications. And in October 2018, the company patented a methodology that eliminates hot gas reheat circuit instability and the risk of potential freezing.
Nortek Global HVAC’s success is due in part to its partnership with independent contractors and distributors. This partnership has led to many product improvements, such the new split-system jacket design launched in 2017. The new jacket was directly influenced by contractor feedback, resulting in a design that increases system serviceability.
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Publication date: 2/8/2019
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