World Dryer
{{short description|Manufacturer of hand dryers}}{{More citations needed|date=March 2021}}
{{Infobox company
| name = World Dryer
| logo = World Dryer logo.svg
| image = World Dryer hand dryer.JPG
| image_caption = A World Dryer Model RA5-974 in a McDonald's restroom.
| founded = {{start date and age|1950}}{{cite web|title=The History of the World Dryer Brand|url=http://www.handdryer.com/blog/the-history-of-the-world-dryer-brand/|publisher=www.handdryer.com|accessdate=15 September 2016}}
| founder = George Clemens
| parent = Carrier Corporation
| subsid = Electric Aire, Nova (Hand Dryers), and American Dryer
| hq_location = 5700 McDermott Drive
Berkeley, Illinois
| hq_location_country = U.S.
| key_people = Tom Vic (President){{cite web|title=World Dryer Corporation: CEO and Executives - Businessweek|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/people.asp?privcapId=9874933|website=www.bloomberg.com|accessdate=15 September 2016}}
| website = {{URL|www.worlddryer.com}}
}}
World Dryer Corporation is a Berkeley, Illinois, based manufacturer of hand dryers and related products. Established in 1950 with the Model A, it was a subsidiary of Beatrice Foods, has been a subsidiary of Carrier Corporation, and in 2017 joined the Zurn Industries brand of Rexnord Corp.
Products
History
World Dryer was founded in 1950 by inventor George Clemens, with the intention of inventing and selling a new hand dryer that could compete against paper towels. Three years later, Clemens patented a new hand dryer design, called the Model A. The original version of the Model A featured a wall-mounted assembly, a cast-iron cover, push-button operation, and a swivel nozzle.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/apr/25/hand-dryers-paper-towels-hygiene-dyson-airblade|title=Hand dryers v paper towels: the surprisingly dirty fight for the right to dry your hands|first=Samanth|last=Subramanian|date=April 25, 2019|website=The Guardian}}
Beginning in 1955, World Dryer began manufacturing and exporting units internationally via a partnership with UK-based Warner Howard Limited (later taken over by Caerphilly-based Personnel Hygiene Services).
In 1968, World Dryer introduced a version of the Model A with a recessed assembly rather than a wall-mounted version. This version, called the Model RA, was modified slightly in 1990 to ensure compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990, and was further modified in 2005 with a squashed nozzle (Q Nozzle).{{cn|date=September 2024}} Other available options on the Model A include a steel cover rather than a cast iron one (DA) and a fixed non-swivel nozzle (A5).
In 1974, World Dryer was acquired by Beatrice Foods Co., and underwent a rebranding later that year, which saw the introduction of the current dark red "globe" logo. Also in 1974, World Dryer introduced a new hair dryer, called the Model B (later renamed the “Airstyle”), which features the same motor and assembly as the Model A, but the unit is flipped upside down (blowing air up instead of down) and has a longer 80-second timer.{{Citation needed|date=May 2021}}
File:Restroom Hand Dryer - World Dryer Corporation (31261321287).jpg
In 1985, Beatrice Foods Co. spun off World Dryer as an independent company. Model As manufactured during Beatrice Foods Co.'s ownership of World Dryer from the mid-1970s to mid-1980s include the byline "A Division of Beatrice Foods Co" on their front labels. World Dryer sold their hand dryer model units to Bradley Corp with a modified version of their cast iron cover.{{Citation needed|date=May 2021}}
In 1986, World Dryer introduced two new low-cost models, the NoTouch and the Airspeed. The NoTouch was the first automatic hand dryer.{{Cite patent|country=US|number=USD302870S|title=World Dryer Airspeed/No Touch patent document|pubdate=1989-08-15|gdate=1986-04-18|url=https://patents.google.com/patent/USD302870S/en}}
In 1987, World Dryer introduced an automatic version of the Model A, known as the XA{{Citation needed|date=May 2021}},
In 1992, World Dryer merged with the Electric-Aire Company.
In 2000, World Dryer acquired Quebec-based Nova Hand Dryers, integrating its Nova line into its offerings.
Beginning in 2005, World Dryer introduced several new models to compete against faster and more modern models that entered the market in the late 1990s and early 2000s, most notably the Dyson Airblade and the Xlerator from Excel Dryer, the latter of which had, by this time, overtaken the World Dryer Model A as the industry standard. The first of these was the AirMax in 2005, which is externally identical to the Model A Series, but is fitted with a larger, more powerful motor, drying a user's hands in 15 seconds. This was followed by the Airforce in 2008, the speed-adjustable SMARTdri in 2010, the ADA-compliant SLIMdri in 2011, (serving Southern California locations like Los Angeles, Anaheim, San Diego etc). the hands-in VMax in 2013, and the low-electricity VERDEdri in 2015.{{Citation needed|date=May 2021}}
In 2017 World Dryer became part of Zurn Industries, and in 2022 with Zurn Industries merging with Elkay Manufacturing Company.{{cn|date=September 2024}}
Galleries
File:World Dryer Airspeed.jpg|World Dryer Airspeed
File:World Dryer SmartDRI.jpg|World Dryer SMARTdri Plus
File:SilmDri @ McDonalds.jpg|World Dryer SLIMdri in Beverly Hills, CA
File:Asciugamani Airforce World Dryer.jpg|World Dryer Airforce, sold by Initial in Europe; a version also exists with PHS/Warner Howard branding on the left side of the dryer
File:RA5-Q At an Market in Houston.jpg|World Dryer Model RA
File:World Dryer Rest Room Hand Blow Hot Air Blower Dryer (14207273032).jpg|A newer World Dryer Model A series hand dryer
File:Second generation World Dryer VerdeDri hand dryer at Lowe's Indiana PA.jpg|A second generation World Dryer VerdeDri hand dryer in Indiana, PA
File:World Dryer DryBaby changing table.jpg|World Dryer DryBaby changing table
References
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