The Amana Corporation is an American brand of household appliances. It was founded in 1934 by George Foerstner as The Electrical Equipment Co. in

Middle Amana, Iowa Middle Amana is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Iowa County, Iowa, United States. It is the largest of the seven villages of the Amana Colonies, all designated as a National Historic Landmark. As of the 2010 Cens ...

, to manufacture commercial walk-in coolers. The business was later owned by the Amana Society and became known as Amana Refrigeration, Inc. It is now owned by the

Whirlpool Corporation The Whirlpool Corporation is an American multinational manufacturer and marketer of home appliances, headquartered in Benton Charter Township, Michigan, United States. The Fortune 500 company has annual revenue of approximately $21 billion, ...

History

In 1947, Amana manufactured the first upright freezer for the home, and in 1949 it added a side-by-side refrigerator. In 1950 the company was sold to a group of investors, including its founder, and became Amana Refrigeration, Inc. In 1954, it began making air conditioners. Amana was acquired in 1965 by

Raytheon Raytheon Technologies Corporation is an American multinational aerospace and defense conglomerate headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. It is one of the largest aerospace and defense manufacturers in the world by revenue and market capitali ...

, which had invented the

microwave oven A microwave oven (commonly referred to as a microwave) is an electric oven that heats and cooks food by exposing it to electromagnetic radiation in the microwave frequency range. This induces polar molecules in the food to rotate and produce ...

in 1947, and introduced the commercial ''Radarange'' Model 1611 in 1954. In 1967, Amana introduced a consumer model of the ''Radarange'', the first popular microwave designed for home use. In 1997, the company was purchased by

Goodman Global Goodman Manufacturing is an American company operating as an independent subsidiary of Daikin Group, the world's largest manufacturer of heating, ventilation and air conditioning products and systems. The company, founded in 1975 and based in ...

(now part of Daikin North America), a heating-and-cooling manufacturer who sold it to

Maytag The Maytag Corporation is an American home and commercial appliance company owned by Whirlpool Corporation since April 2006. Company history The Maytag Washing Machine Company was founded in 1893 by businessman Frederick Maytag. In 1925, ...

(now part of Whirlpool) in 2002. Goodman still owns Amana's air conditioner and furnace division, and Amana home appliances are now owned and manufactured by the

. Amana Under Counter Wine was spun off and is now marketed under the Aficionado marquee. Amana has since expanded into manufacturing a variety of other appliances, including furnaces, ovens, countertop ranges, dishwashers, and clothes washers and dryers. Whirlpool manufactures products under the Amana, JennAir, KitchenAid, Maytag and Whirlpool name at their factory in Amana, Iowa. The plant, in operation since 1940, was sold in October, 2020 to Wramia001, a Chicago-based limited liability company. The company has a long-term lease agreement.

References

External links

* Amana Colonies Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning companies Manufacturing companies based in Iowa Whirlpool Corporation brands Maytag brands Raytheon Company Electronics companies established in 1934 1934 establishments in Iowa Benton Harbor, Michigan 1997 mergers and acquisitions American brands Daikin {{manufacturing-company-stub