March 12, 2008 Johnson
City, Tennessee - A.O. Smith
Corporation has selected Johnson City, Tennessee for its first engineering
design center dedicated solely to residential water heater development,
less than two years after purchasing the American Water Heater plant
in Johnson City.
"Putting a residential engineering center for all our U.S.
business here states to me that we're committed to this market and
how we do business here," A.O. Smith's Kevin Wheeler said as
company officials toured the facility - which occupies 42,000 square
feet in part of the former Vaughn-Empire Furniture Company, - with
local dignitaries. The site will host all facets of product development
and testing and be home to about 55 engineers and other technicians
who will move in over the next few weeks.
A.O. Smith's nearby plant, also in Johnson City, employs 1,200
people and cranks out about 8,000 water heaters a day. "We
believe that Johnson City's vision of becoming a technology center
would enable us not only to attract, but retain the engineering
talent that we need to be competitive in the industry," said
Wheeler, a senior vice-president and general manager over A.O. Smith's
U.S. retail water heater division. "We're excited to be on
the leading edge of that development."
The company spent $1.5 million converting a century-old, 265,000
square foot factory into a high-tech research and development facility
that will allow A.O. Smith to pursue aggressive development plans
for all its water heater lines in what Wheeler called a rapidly
changing industry.
For more information on the A.O. Smith Corporation, visit their
website at www.aosmith. com.
