Tammy Baldwin: “I rise today to congratulate A.O. Smith Corporation on the occasion of their 150th anniversary. In 1874, A.O. Smith…”

“I rise today to congratulate A.O. Smith Corporation on the occasion of their 150th anniversary. In 1874, A.O. Smith began in Milwaukee, WI, as a small family business. Over the past century and a half, they have grown from their humble roots. They began by specializing in the fabrication of metal hardware specialties and have emerged today as an industry leading global water technology manufacturer producing residential and commercial water heaters, boilers, and water purification equipment. Today, they employ more than 12,000 people across the world and conduct business in over 60 countries. The company was instrumental in helping to usher in the automobile revolution, developing a new, lightweight steel car frame--a development that caught the interest of major car companies including Peerless, Cadillac, Packard, Oldsmobile, and Ford. Ford's initial order of 10,000 frames led A.O. Smith to develop the world's first mass production process for assembling frames, later introducing the world's first automated frame production line. This first fully automated frame assembly plant came to be known as the Mechanical Marvel due to the line's ability to make a frame every 8 seconds--10,000 frames a day. A.O. Smith was also a large component manufacturer that supplied parts to another early Wisconsin pioneering manufacturer, Harley-Davidson. A.O. Smith engineers discovered an improved method for welding, allowing for the production of a wide range of steel products.…”