TMCnet News
Electrolux now Husqvarna(Times and Democrat, The (Orangeburg, SC) (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Jun. 15--Orangeburg's largest employer, Electrolux Home Products, will officially see its name change to Husqvarna Home Products Inc. today. The name change is part of a company spin-off of its outdoor products subsidiary, Husqvarna AB, after fourth-quarter 2005 company net income fell by 37 percent. Beyond the company name change, there will be no significant impact on the 2,200-employee base at the Orangeburg plant, said Gregg Robinson, Orangeburg County Development Commission executive director. "They are constantly an impact on our community," Robinson said, noting the OCDC is always ready to work with Husqvarna to "add to the overall process" in order to ensure the company is a success. "They are this region's BMW." Electrolux decided to sell its outdoor products business and to focus on its indoor line of household appliances including refrigerators, washing machines, stoves and vacuum cleaners, which are sold under such brand names as Frigidaire, Tappan, Gibson, White-Westinghouse, Eureka, Electrolux and Zanussi. As of June 12, Electrolux shareholders received one share of Husqvarna for each share of Electrolux stock they own. Trading in Husqvarna stock is expected to start on today on the O-list of the Stockholm Stock Exchange. The Orangeburg plant's name change is nothing new. The company began in the Orangeburg area in the early 1970s under the name of Roper Corp. In 1989, shortly after Roper was purchased by General Electric Co., the outdoor products unit was acquired by AB Electrolux and named American Yard Products. In 1997, by uniting three sister companies, American Yard Products, Frigidaire Co. and Poulan/Weed Eater, Frigidaire Home Products was formed. The year 2000 saw the plant undergo another name change when the Electrolux Group, the world's largest producer of products for kitchen, cleaning and outdoor use, signed an agreement to reacquire the trademark and company name Electrolux from Electrolux LLC, an American direct sales floor care products company. Beyond outdoor products, Electrolux is the world's leading producer of powered appliances for the kitchen such as refrigerators, washing machines, cookers and vacuum cleaners. Husqvarnas consumer products in North America are made at three other U.S. plants. There are two in Arkansas for portable equipment and one in Georgia for lawn mowers. The U.S. headquarters for Husqvarna is in Augusta, Ga.; its home office is in Jonkoping, Sweden. |