Mirro Aluminum Company
Encyclopedia
The roots of the Mirro Aluminum Company, commonly known as Mirro, can be traced to the 1885 founding of the Aluminum Manufacturing Company by Joseph Koenig in Two Rivers, Wisconsin
. In 1909 Aluminum Manufacturing Company merged with Aluminum Novelty Company, founded in neighboring Manitowoc, Wisconsin
by Henry Vits, and the New Jersey Aluminum Company. The combined company was renamed the Aluminum Goods Manufacturing Company, was headquartered in Manitowoc and headed by Vits. The name stuck until 1957 when shareholders approved the change to the Mirro Aluminum Company, a title referring to a number of the company's popularly-known products.
At its peak, Mirro was the United States' largest manufacturer of aluminum cooking utensils, and over time had as many as eight plants in three states, with products ranging from pots and pans to small boats and aluminum siding.
Mirro was acquired by The Newell Companies
in 1983. Facing stiff competition from other manufacturers, Newell had moved most of its Manitowoc area operations out of the country by 2001, and shuttered the most modern of the area Mirro plants in 2003. Mirro also closed its administrative offices in Manitowoc at that time, ending the company's 118 year history in the area.
Two Rivers, Wisconsin
Two Rivers is a city in Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 11,712 at the 2010 census. It is the birthplace of the ice cream sundae...
. In 1909 Aluminum Manufacturing Company merged with Aluminum Novelty Company, founded in neighboring Manitowoc, Wisconsin
Manitowoc, Wisconsin
Manitowoc is a city in and the county seat of Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, United States. The city is located on Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Manitowoc River. According to the 2000 census, Manitowoc had a population of 34,053, with over 50,000 residents in the surrounding communities...
by Henry Vits, and the New Jersey Aluminum Company. The combined company was renamed the Aluminum Goods Manufacturing Company, was headquartered in Manitowoc and headed by Vits. The name stuck until 1957 when shareholders approved the change to the Mirro Aluminum Company, a title referring to a number of the company's popularly-known products.
At its peak, Mirro was the United States' largest manufacturer of aluminum cooking utensils, and over time had as many as eight plants in three states, with products ranging from pots and pans to small boats and aluminum siding.
Mirro was acquired by The Newell Companies
Newell Rubbermaid
Newell Rubbermaid is a global marketer of consumer and commercial products including such well-known brands as Rubbermaid food storage, home organization, and refuse container products; Sharpie, PaperMate, Parker and Waterman writing instruments; Calphalon gourmet cookware; Goody beauty and...
in 1983. Facing stiff competition from other manufacturers, Newell had moved most of its Manitowoc area operations out of the country by 2001, and shuttered the most modern of the area Mirro plants in 2003. Mirro also closed its administrative offices in Manitowoc at that time, ending the company's 118 year history in the area.
External links
- Newell Rubbermaid corporate website
- 60th Anniversary "Mixing Bowl" publication from the Mirro Aluminum Company in 1955, hosted by the Wisconsin Historical Society
- Laid Off Workers Buy Factory, from NPR
- Tramontina U.S. Cookware, Inc.