sorting out WCI

[dynodave]

1996 husqvarna 41
POULAN/WEED EATER
Shreveport, Louisiana 71129 U.S.A
DIVISION WCI OUTDOOR PRODUCTS, INC.

1999 es300 poulan saw
Frigidare Home Products
Div WCI outdoor products inc
Augusta GA 30907

2001 gas blowers
BV1650 / BV1800
BV1850 / BV2000
Electrolux Home Products
North America
Div. of WCI Outdoor Products, Inc.
Augusta, GA 30907

Can anyone clear up the corporate history
who owns who ?vs time

 

[HarleyT]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poulan

 

[wcorey]

It's a long, twisted story, I included the whole string for the sake of context...


Husqvarna was formerly part of the Electrolux Group.
Electrolux is the world's largest builder of lawn & garden tractors.
A short run-down on the company:

1978 - Purchased Partner of Sweden

1979 - purch. Husqvarna of Sweden, which traces roots to 1689

1979 - purch. Jonsered of Sweden

1979 - Weed Eater merged with Poulan

1986 - purch. Poulan/Weed Eater of USA in 1986 from Emerson Electric, and operated as a div. of WCI, White Consolidated Industries Outdoor Products

1988 - purch. American Yard Products of USA

1988 - Partner-Pioneer div. merged into Poulan/Weed Eater, creating the Poulan Pro brand

1989 - purch. Roper outdoor products unit from GE, and renamed American Yard Products

1990 - purch. Allegretti & Co., makers of the Paramount brand and merged into Poulan/Weed Eater

1997 - Poulan/Weed Eater, Frigidaire and American Yard Products combined to form Frigidaire Home Products

1999 - purch. rights to McCulloch products outside of USA

2000 - purch. Blue Bird

2000 - USA operations renamed Electrolux Home Products

2005 - Electrolux announces plans to spin off or sell the Outdoor Products unit

2006 - The Electrolux Outdoor Products unit, including Husqvarna, is spun off into Husqvarna Outdoor Products, part of the new Husqvarna Group.

2006 - Acquired Dixon Industries, a US-based manufacturer of residential zero-turn mowers.

2007 - Purchased the Swedish lawnmower company Klippo.

2007 - Purchased outdoor products division of Japan's Komatsu Zenoah.

2008 - Purchased Jeng Feng Industrial of Taiwan, the owner of the McCulloch brand in North America, thus giving Husqvarna world-wide rights to the McCulloch brand

 

[wcorey]

Got curious wondering where I got the idea that another 800lb gorilla of Oh Pee E, MTD, fit into all this somewhere. (can't f'in believe I still can't type in the standard abreviation for 'outdoor power equip' without it being censored)

Quite a convoluted tale of takeovers and spinoffs going back many years...

The short of it is WCI (White Consolidated Industries) at some point spun off White Motors (White/Feightliner, etc), then eventually MTD bought WM and at some point became White Outdoors, not to be confused with WCI's Outdoor Products division.

Electrolux spun off Husqvarna garden and forestry and I think it's still under WCI...

 

[dynodave]

Got curious wondering where I got the idea that another 800lb gorilla of Oh Pee E, MTD, fit into all this somewhere. (can't f'in believe I still can't type in the standard abreviation for 'outdoor power equip' without it being censored)

Quite a convoluted tale of takeovers and spinoffs going back many years...

The short of it is WCI (White Consolidated Industries) at some point spun off White Motors (White/Feightliner, etc), then eventually MTD bought WM and at some point became White Outdoors, not to be confused with WCI's Outdoor Products division.

Electrolux spun off Husqvarna garden and forestry and I think it's still under WCI...

Bill
Thanks for the "family tree". Very interesting to put my initial curosity to rest thinking the husky 41 was other than a poulan manufactured product.
I wondered due to the 41's oil tank plastic welding failure if there was a different manufacturing processing going on, related to a different company doing the building. Since then I found out the original part# was superseded. Part or process upgraded?
I'll fix this saw for 50 cents then put it on the shelf with the other 50+ freebee's.