American Standard Companies


American Standard Companies, Inc. was a global manufacturer of plumbing, heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems and services, bath and kitchen products and vehicle control systems.
The company was formed in 1929 through the merger of the American Radiator Company and Standard Sanitary Manufacturing Company forming the American Radiator and Standard Sanitary Corporation. The group was renamed to the "American Standard Corporation" in 1967.
The company divested all but the HVAC business in 2007, and renamed itself Trane. Trane was acquired by Ingersoll Rand in 2008.

History

In 1929, the American Radiator Company merged with the Standard Sanitary Manufacturing Company to form the American Radiator and Standard Sanitary Corporation. The plumbing division, Standard Sanitary, would continue to sell their products under the "Standard" label until 1967, when the company changed its name to American Standard Corporation. The American Standard label was used for both divisions from that year on.
In 1929, American Standard bought the Kewanee Boiler Company which it kept until the early 1970s.
In 1968 the group purchased the Westinghouse Air Brake Company's earthmoving and mining product range. It divested itself of these assets in 1984.
In 1984, the group acquired HVAC company Trane. In 1999, American Standard purchased control of the United Kingdom-based Armitage Shanks and Ceramica Dolomite of Italy from Blue Circle Industries for $430 million.
On 1 February 2007, the company announced it would break up its three divisions. The plan included the sale of its kitchen and bath division; and the spin off of its vehicle control systems business; the remainder of the company, primarily its air conditioning business was to be retained, and renamed "Trane":