1874
Charles Jeremiah Smith establishes Charles J. Smith-Machinist in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, beginning as a machine shop making metal parts for baby carriages and other hardware specialties. He was later joined by two of his sons and changed the name to C. J. Smith and Sons.

1889
The company enters the bicycle industry by introducing a concept of forming steel tubing from sheet metal. This innovation allows C. J. Smith and Sons to become the largest bicycle parts manufacturer in the world.

1899
Arthur O. Smith, a son of the founder, develops the world’s first pressed steel automobile frame; a lighter, more cost-effective alternative to existing frames.

1906
Henry Ford orders 10,000 steel automobile frames, leading the company to develop the world’s first mass production process for assembling frames. Within four years, A. O. Smith is North America’s largest frame manufacturer.

1918
As part of the U.S. war effort, A. O. Smith engineers develop a coated welding rod. This breakthrough influenced the development of arc welding as a mass production method.

1921
A. O. Smith unveils “the Mechanical Marvel," the world’s first fully automated automobile frame assembly plant.

1927
The company perfects a method of economically forming and welding large-diameter steel-lined pipe. This new mass production technique was instrumental in launching the natural gas industry and transcontinental oil pipeline business.

1936
A. O. Smith patents the process of glass-lining a water heater tank. This concept quickly became the standard of the industry, making hot water an affordable convenience for homeowners.

1942
As a part of the war effort, A. O. Smith begins producing bomb casings, aircraft propellers, and landing gear, frames for the B-25 bomber, water heaters, jeep frames, and components for the atomic bomb project. By 1945 A. O. Smith had built 4.5 million bombs, 16,750 sets of landing gear, and 46,700 propeller blades.

1979
State Industries introduces the first self-cleaning commercial water heater, the Sandblaster®.

1984
State Industries introduces the first self-cleaning residential water heater.

1996
Pioneering the use of a slush-coated glassing process, A. O. Smith launches Cyclone® commercial water heaters.

2007
A. O. Smith introduces the Vertex® water heater which offers superior energy efficiency in the residential category

2010
Launching a new era in high efficiency products, the company introduces an unprecedented number of new innovative products including hybrid electric heat pump, high efficiency gas, and solar water heating solutions.

A. O. Smith and Takagi enter into a joint venture to market and manufacture a comprehensive line of residential and commercial tankless products in North America

2014
A. O. Smith ushers in a new era of commercial water heating with the launch of the Cyclone® MXi. This new generation integrates modulating operation into A. O. Smith’s flagship Cyclone technology for unprecedented performance and efficiency.

2017
A. O. Smith draws from its expertise in commercial water heating technology to launch the ProLine® family of commercial-grade residential water heaters.

2018
A. O. Smith unveils its new L. R. Smith Corporate Technology Center in Milwaukee, Wisc. The 42,700 sq. ft. state-of-the-art center supports advanced research and development in the areas of potable and hydronic water heating, water treatment and air purification.

2020
The industry leading Cyclone family of commercial gas water heaters grows to include the Cyclone® LV and Cyclone® XL models for large volume and high demand applications.

2022
A. O. Smith introduces X3® Scale Prevention Technology to its existing suite of condensing tankless products, accompanied by the industry’s first ever “Peace of Mind" 15-year limited warranty covering scale-related failures.

ProLine Standard Atmospheric Vent Manual (100263112)