Our History
A Tradition of Excellence Since 1940
1940 - A. O. Smith enters the electric motor industry with the purchase of Sawyer Electric Manufacturing Co., a maker of small-diameter and small integral horsepower electric motors for use in oil wells.
1947 - On April 29, the Whirl-A-Way Motor Company of Tipp City, Ohio ships its first 25 electric motors to Sta-Rite Industries of Delavan, Wisconsin. More than 50 years later, Sta-Rite is still our customer.
1950 - A. O. Smith acquires Whirl-A-Way and consolidates all of its motor operations in Tipp City.
1952 - Century Electric (now A. O. Smith) builds the first low-cost, high-volume permanent split capacitor motor.
1953 - A. O. Smith begins work on developing hermetic motors for the air conditioning and commercial refrigeration industries.
1960 - A. O. Smith introduces the square flange mounting, a concept that becomes a popular alternative to the C-Face motor in the pump industry.
1964 - To meet the growing demand for hermetic motors, A. O. Smith opens a plant in Mt. Sterling, Kentucky.
1965 - A. O. Smith applies the enclosed-canopy two-compartment motor concept to pool pump motors. The design improves motor reliability by separating the switching components from the motor windings.
1975 - Century Electric produces the first UL-approved swimming pool motor.
1976 - A. O. Smith opens its first motor plant outside the United States in Bray, Ireland, to serve commercial compressor customers in Europe and the U. S. with large-horsepower hermetic motors.
1982 - MagneTek's Motor Division (now A. O. Smith) introduces the first triple-voltage, factory-wired "quick connect" fractional horsepower three-phase motors.
1983 - The company introduces the Centurion switchless, permanent split capacitor motors for the swimming pool, spa, and jetted tub industries.
1986 - A. O. Smith acquires Westinghouse Electric’s Small Motor Division.
1991 - A. O. Smith develops the first hermetic motor insulation system compatible with R-134a non-ozone-depleting refrigerant.
1992 - The Bray plant earns ISO-9002 certification.
1995 - A. O. Smith develops the first hermetic motor insulation systems compatible with ammonia.
1996 - MagneTek discovers the cause of premature failure in inverter-duty motors, leading to the development of the Speed Engineered inverter duty line of motors.
1997 - A. O. Smith acquires UPPCO, Inc., becoming the world’s largest manufacturer of subfractional horsepower C-frame motors.
1998 - The company acquires General Electric’s domestic hermetic motor operations, becoming North America’s largest manufacturer of hermetic motors.
1998 - York International makes A. O. Smith its Tier One motor supplier.
1999 - A. O. Smith acquires the worldwide electric motor operations of MagneTek Inc.
2005 - A. O. Smith acquires YYZM in YueYang, China
2008 - A. O. Smith introduces new Branding Initiative
2011 - Regal-Beloit Corporation acquires Electrical Products Company from A. O. Smith