Gibson Refrigator Company
| Gibson Refrigator Company | |
|---|---|
| legal form | Company |
| founding | 1877 |
| resolution | 1986 |
| Reason for dissolution | Takeover by Electrolux |
| Seat | Greenville, Michigan |
| Number of employees | 3000 (2005) |
| Branch | domestic appliances |
| Website | www.gibson-intl.com |
The Gibson Refrigator Company was an American manufacturer of household appliances from Greenville (Michigan) and particularly known for its electric refrigerators and freezers .
history
The company was founded in 1877 by Frank Gibson and John Lewis to manufacture wooden ice boxes in Greenville . 1908 merged with the also in 1877 by Joshua Hall in Belding (Michigan) founded Belding-Hall Company . This made Gibson the largest American manufacturer of ice boxes.
Gibson began series production of the first electric refrigerator as early as 1931. The company was the first to install automatic refrigerator lighting, and Gibson also manufactured the first upright refrigerators, a departure from the chest shape customary at the time. Gibson already had electrically operated ovens in its range in 1942 . Progressively, refrigerators were already available with cold storage compartments.
During the Second World War, 1,078 Waco CG-4A troop and cargo gliders were manufactured under license at Gibson .
In 1953 the range was expanded to include air purifiers and air conditioning units.
In 1956, the Hupp Corporation acquired Gibson. In 1967 Hupp was sold to White Consolidated Industries , which already owned the trademark rights to Frigidaire and Kelvinator . In 1986 Electrolux took over WCI and with it the Gibson brand. In 2006, Electrolux completely relocated production from its location to Mexico .
Today Electrolux sells household and air conditioning devices under the name Gibson only on the African market and in the Middle East . In the USA the brand name Gibson is only used for the manufacture of air conditioning units. The naming rights are here with Nortek from O'Fallon (Missouri) .
Others
The manufacturer cleverly exploited the coincidental identity of the name with the then popular illustrator Charles Dana Gibson in advertisements. The Gibson Girl , created by the draftsman and known from magazines , an ideal-typical representation of the independent, elegant, sporty young lady of the upper class, was integrated into the advertising. Be a Gibson Girl - with a Gibson refrigerator.
Web links
- View of the Gibson factory in Michigan, ca.1952 , May 23, 2017
- Gibson refrigerator factory , July 8, 1954
- Collection of historic Gibson newspaper ads , accessed January 28, 2020
Individual evidence
- ↑ / When Greenville Losts Ist Refrigerator on aljazeera america, May 4, 2015 (English)
- ↑ Company history on the website of the distributor Alessa (English), accessed January 28, 2020
- ↑ a b Edward Hoogterp West Michigan Almanac (English), page 357
- ↑ History of the Gibson brand (English) on the corporate website, accessed January 28, 2020
- ↑ LIFE Magazine (English), February 2, 1942, page 58
- ↑ Manufacturer information (English) on A / C Warehouse, accessed January 28, 2020
- ↑ WHITE CONSOLIDATED INDUSTRIES, INC. in the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History , Case Western Reserve University, accessed January 28, 2020
- ↑ Dealer search on the manufacturer's international website , accessed January 28, 2020
- ↑ Gibson HVAC website , accessed January 28, 2020
- ↑ Historical advertisement from 1951 on Flickr, accessed January 29, 2020