American Standard Brands
Encyclopedia
American Standard Brands is a closely held manufacturer of plumbing fixture
s, sold under the American Standard, Crane
, Fiat, Sanymetal, Showerite and Eljer brand names, based in Piscataway Township, New Jersey
, United States
. It is principally owned by Sun Capital Partners with Bain Capital Partners holding a minority stake. Bain Capital Partners owns a related and formerly co-owned plumbing fixture company, Ideal Standard
which operates outside North America
.
business, Pierce Steam Heating Company, merged with independent manufacturers to form the American Radiator Company.
In 1929, the American Radiator Company merged with the Standard Sanitary Manufacturing Company (founded in 1875) 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 has been used for both divisions from that year on.
In 1999, American Standard purchased control of the UK
-based Armitage Shanks
and Ceramica Dolomite of Italy
from Blue Circle Industries
for 430 million United States dollars.
On February 1, 2007, American Standard Companies
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.
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 HVAC
products. American Standard changed its name to Trane on November 28, 2007.http://ir.americanstandard.com/ReleaseDetail.cfm?ReleaseID=272232
Bain Capital
created American Standard Americas which sold a majority stake in the company to Sun Capital Partners on November 27, 2007.http://boston.citybizlist.com/lstg/lstgDetail.aspx?id=27449
In February 2008, American Standard Americas merged with two other plumbing fixture companies, Crane Plumbing and Eljer to create American Standard Brands. The Crane Plumbing unit includes the former Universal-Rundle product line which Crane continues to support with repair parts.http://www.americanstandard-us.com/companyinfo/overview.aspxhttp://www.americanstandard-us.com/newsevents/pressroom_detail.aspx?pressid=364 Crane also has a Canadian subsidiary
.
Plumbing fixture
A plumbing fixture is an exchangeable device which can be connected to an existing plumbing system to deliver and drain away water but which is also configured to enable a particular use.-Common fixtures:The most common plumbing fixtures are:*Bathtubs...
s, sold under the American Standard, Crane
Crane Co.
The Crane Company is an American industrial products company based in Stamford, Connecticut. Founded by Richard Teller Crane, the company is best known to the consumer public as a large manufacturer of vending machines. Their famous National brand includes glassfront vending machines and cold...
, Fiat, Sanymetal, Showerite and Eljer brand names, based in Piscataway Township, New Jersey
Piscataway Township, New Jersey
The township consists of the following historic villages and areas: New Market, known as Quibbletown in the 18th Century, Randolphville, Fieldville and North Stelton...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is principally owned by Sun Capital Partners with Bain Capital Partners holding a minority stake. Bain Capital Partners owns a related and formerly co-owned plumbing fixture company, Ideal Standard
Ideal Standard
Ideal Standard International is a privately-held multinational plumbing fixture company based in Brussels, Belgium. Principally owned by Bain Capital Partners, it operates throughout the world except in North America where the formerly affiliated American Standard Brands operates which Bain...
which operates outside North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
.
History
The heritage of American Standard began in 1892, when industrialist John B. Pierce'sJohn B. Pierce
John Bartlett Pierce was an American industrialist who founded the American Radiator Company, a forerunner of American Standard....
business, Pierce Steam Heating Company, merged with independent manufacturers to form the American Radiator Company.
In 1929, the American Radiator Company merged with the Standard Sanitary Manufacturing Company (founded in 1875) 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 has been used for both divisions from that year on.
In 1999, American Standard purchased control of the UK
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.
On February 1, 2007, American Standard Companies
American Standard Companies
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....
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
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...
Company.
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 HVAC
HVAC
HVAC refers to technology of indoor or automotive environmental comfort. HVAC system design is a major subdiscipline of mechanical engineering, based on the principles of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and heat transfer...
products. American Standard changed its name to Trane on November 28, 2007.http://ir.americanstandard.com/ReleaseDetail.cfm?ReleaseID=272232
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...
created American Standard Americas which sold a majority stake in the company to Sun Capital Partners on November 27, 2007.http://boston.citybizlist.com/lstg/lstgDetail.aspx?id=27449
In February 2008, American Standard Americas merged with two other plumbing fixture companies, Crane Plumbing and Eljer to create American Standard Brands. The Crane Plumbing unit includes the former Universal-Rundle product line which Crane continues to support with repair parts.http://www.americanstandard-us.com/companyinfo/overview.aspxhttp://www.americanstandard-us.com/newsevents/pressroom_detail.aspx?pressid=364 Crane also has a Canadian subsidiary
Crane Plumbing Corporation
Crane Plumbing Corporation is a Canadian manufacturer of bathroom fixtures, founded in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1906, and later moved to Montreal, Quebec...
.