American Standard Companies
Encyclopedia
American Standard Companies, Inc. was a global manufacturer of air conditioning
systems and services, bath
& kitchen
products and vehicle
control systems. The company divested all but the air conditioning business in 2007, and renamed itself Trane
.
A Fortune 500
listed company with 2004 sales exceeding 9.5 billion United States dollars. The Air conditioning systems and services are sold under the Trane
and American Standard brands. The previously owned bathroom and kitchen products sold under such brands as American Standard, Ideal Standard and Armitage Shanks. WABCO was the brand name for the electronic braking, stability, suspension and transmission control systems business.
Company (founded 1892).
In 1999, American Standard purchased control of the U.K.
based Armitage Shanks
and Ceramica Dolomite of Italy
from Blue Circle Industries
for 430 million United States dollars.
WABCO began trading as an independent company on August 1, 2007. The new stock symbol is WBC on the New York Stock Exchange.
On October 31, 2007 American Standard Cos. announced it had completed the sale of the kitchen and bath division to Bain Capital
Partners, LLC. This announcement includes the sale of the American Standard name to Bain while American Standard retains the rights to use the "American Standard" name for air conditioning products. American Standard changed its name to Trane on November 28, 2007.
Air conditioning
An air conditioner is a home appliance, system, or mechanism designed to dehumidify and extract heat from an area. The cooling is done using a simple refrigeration cycle...
systems and services, bath
Bathroom
A bathroom is a room for bathing in containing a bathtub and/or a shower and optionally a toilet, a sink/hand basin/wash basin and possibly also a bidet....
& kitchen
Kitchen
A kitchen is a room or part of a room used for cooking and food preparation.In the West, a modern residential kitchen is typically equipped with a stove, a sink with hot and cold running water, a refrigerator and kitchen cabinets arranged according to a modular design. Many households have a...
products and vehicle
Vehicle
A vehicle is a device that is designed or used to transport people or cargo. Most often vehicles are manufactured, such as bicycles, cars, motorcycles, trains, ships, boats, and aircraft....
control systems. The company divested all but the air conditioning business in 2007, and renamed itself Trane
Trane
Trane Inc. is a subsidiary of Ingersoll Rand and is the successor company to the American Standard Companies. It is a global provider of heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems and building management systems and controls under the Trane and American Standard brand names...
.
A Fortune 500
Fortune 500
The Fortune 500 is an annual list compiled and published by Fortune magazine that ranks the top 500 U.S. closely held and public corporations as ranked by their gross revenue after adjustments made by Fortune to exclude the impact of excise taxes companies collect. The list includes publicly and...
listed company with 2004 sales exceeding 9.5 billion United States dollars. The Air conditioning systems and services are sold under the Trane
Trane
Trane Inc. is a subsidiary of Ingersoll Rand and is the successor company to the American Standard Companies. It is a global provider of heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems and building management systems and controls under the Trane and American Standard brand names...
and American Standard brands. The previously owned bathroom and kitchen products sold under such brands as American Standard, Ideal Standard and Armitage Shanks. WABCO was the brand name for the electronic braking, stability, suspension and transmission control systems business.
History
The "American Standard" brand name dates to 1929 when Standard Sanitary Manufacturing Company (founded 1875) merged with the American RadiatorRadiator
Radiators are heat exchangers used to transfer thermal energy from one medium to another for the purpose of cooling and heating. The majority of radiators are constructed to function in automobiles, buildings, and electronics...
Company (founded 1892).
In 1999, American Standard purchased control of the U.K.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
based Armitage Shanks
Armitage Shanks
Armitage Shanks is a British manufacturer of bathroom fixtures and plumbing supplies.In 2004 Armitage Shanks had eight factories in the UK, the largest in Armitage, Staffordshire. Armitage Shanks is one of the sponsors of the Loo of the Year Awards....
and Ceramica Dolomite of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
from Blue Circle Industries
Blue Circle Industries
Blue Circle Industries was a British public company manufacturing cement. It was founded in 1900, and was bought out by the French company Lafarge in 2001.-History:...
for 430 million United States dollars.
Break up of American Standard
On February 1, 2007, American Standard Cos. announced it would break up its three divisions. The plan included the sale of its kitchen and bath division and spin off WABCO, American Standard's vehicle controls division, while retaining The Trane Company..WABCO began trading as an independent company on August 1, 2007. The new stock symbol is WBC on the New York Stock Exchange.
On October 31, 2007 American Standard Cos. announced it had completed the sale of the kitchen and bath division to Bain Capital
Bain Capital
Bain Capital LLC is a Boston-based private equity firm founded in 1984 by partners from the consulting firm Bain & Company. Originally conceived as an early-stage, growth-oriented investment fund, Bain Capital today manages approximately $65 billion in assets, and its strategies include private...
Partners, LLC. This announcement includes the sale of the American Standard name to Bain while American Standard retains the rights to use the "American Standard" name for air conditioning products. American Standard changed its name to Trane on November 28, 2007.