Sub-Zero (company)
{{Short description|American private home appliance company}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Sub-Zero Group, Inc.
| logo = File:Sub-Zero (logo).svg
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| industry = Home appliances
| brands = {{Hlist|Sub-Zero|Wolf|Cove}}
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| founded = {{Start date and age|1945|08|20}} in Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| founder = Westye F. Bakke
| defunct =
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| website = {{URL|https://www.subzero-wolf.com/}}
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Sub-Zero Group, Inc. is a privately-held American company that manufactures and sells luxury kitchen appliances. It sells refrigerators and wine preservation products under the Sub-Zero brand. The company also manufactures kitchen appliances under the Wolf brand and dishwashers under the Cove brand name.{{Cite web|url=https://www.subzero-wolf.com/|title=Discover Our Legendary Appliances {{!}} Sub-Zero, Wolf, and Cove Appliances|website=www.subzero-wolf.com|access-date=2019-07-25}} Sub-Zero Group is based in Madison, Wisconsin.
History
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Sub-Zero was founded as the Sub-Zero Freezer Company on August 20, 1945 by Westye F. Bakke in Madison, Wisconsin.{{cite web |url=https://madisonbiz.com/sub-zero-freezer-company-celebrates-75-years-of-premier-american-manufacturing/ |title=Sub-Zero Freezer Company Celebrates 75 Years of Premier American Manufacturing |last= |first= |date=August 20, 2020 |website=Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce |publisher= |access-date=2022-08-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220815005208/https://madisonbiz.com/sub-zero-freezer-company-celebrates-75-years-of-premier-american-manufacturing/ |archive-date=2022-08-15 |url-status=live }} In 2000, it acquired the domestic appliance line of the Wolf Range Corporation,{{cite web|title=History of Sub-Zero and Wolf |url=http://www.wolfappliance.com/about/history.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071006082354/http://www.wolfappliance.com/about/history.aspx |archive-date=October 6, 2007 }} a California-based manufacturer of professional-style ranges, cooktops and grills for both home and commercial use.
Wolf Appliance Inc., Sub-Zero's corporate companion, expanded the few products acquired from Wolf Range Corporation. It now sells domestic cooking appliances from kitchen stoves, cooktops, wall ovens, warming drawers and ventilation equipment. The company's products compete with those made by Viking, Dacor, Thermador, GE Monogram, KitchenAid, JennAir and Miele.{{citation needed|date=August 2021}}
Innovations
According to the official company history, Bakke invented the first free-standing freezer in 1943.{{cite web | url=https://www.subzero-wolf.com/company/our-heritage | title=How Sub-Zero transformed the kitchen | publisher=Sub-Zero Group, Inc. | access-date=2 June 2015}}{{cite web|title=In the Beginning |url=http://www.wolfappliance.com/about/subzerohistory.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070714130200/http://www.wolfappliance.com/about/subzerohistory.aspx |archive-date=July 14, 2007|website=Sub-Zero, Inc. and Wolf Appliance, Inc.}} It also claims to have been the first to manufacture built-in refrigerators, beginning in the 1950s,.
Appliance models
Sub-Zero manufactures two series of built-in refrigeration as well as wine storage and under counter units. Each refrigerator model usually comes in two variations, namely a stainless steel exterior or a customizable exterior in an overlay or flush inset version.{{Citation needed|date=August 2021}} The customizable option allows the buyer to install kitchen cabinet panels on the door(s) to match with the rest of the kitchen. Its refrigerators are designed with a {{convert|24|in|cm|adj=on}} depth and can be installed flush with kitchen cabinets of the same standard depth to provide an integrated look.{{Citation needed|date=August 2021}}
The Sub-Zero 424 Wine Cooler has held virtually the same design since the early 1990s. It is the only under-counter wine cooler in its class to be able to keep wine as low as {{convert|38|°F|°C}}.{{Citation needed|date=August 2021}} It has two temperature zones and can be connected to a house alarm.{{Citation needed|date=August 2021}}
A Sub-Zero refrigerator can weigh as much as {{convert|800|lb}} and require four delivery people to move the refrigerator unit into a kitchen. Most Sub-Zero full-size models are {{convert|84|in|m}} tall and {{convert|48|in|cm}} wide.{{cite web | url=https://www.subzero-wolf.com | title=An Overview of Sub-Zero Appliances | publisher=Sub Zero and Wolf Co | date=7 February 2015 | access-date=2 June 2015 | author=Adam Green}}
The company has production facilities in Madison, Wisconsin; Phoenix, Arizona; Goodyear, Arizona; Richmond, Kentucky; and Fitchburg, Wisconsin and a forthcoming 400,000 ft² facility in Cedar Rapids, Iowa scheduled to open in 2025.{{Cite web |title=Construction begins on Sub-Zero’s new $140.6M Cedar Rapids manufacturing facility |url=https://www.thegazette.com/local-government/construction-begins-on-sub-zeros-new-140-6-million-cedar-rapids-manufacturing-facility/ |access-date=2025-01-28 |website=www.thegazette.com |language=en-US}}
References
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External links
- {{Official website|http://www.subzero-wolf.com}}
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Category:Home appliance brands
Category:Home appliance manufacturers of the United States
Category:Companies based in Madison, Wisconsin
Category:Manufacturing companies established in 1945