Kirby Company
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| Division | |
| Industry | Consumer products |
| Founded | 1914 (as Scott Fetzer Company) 1935 (as Kirby Company) |
| Headquarters | Cleveland, Ohio, United States |
| Products | Vacuum cleaners |
| Parent | The Scott Fetzer Company (Berkshire Hathaway) |
| Website | www |
The Kirby Company is a manufacturer of vacuum cleaners and home cleaning accessories, based in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is a division of The Scott Fetzer Company (also known as Scott & Fetzer) which in turn is part of Berkshire Hathaway. Dealers are located in over 50 countries throughout the world. Kirby's products are only sold via in-home door-to-door demonstrations.
The Kirby Company is a member of the Direct Selling Association.
The first Kirby vacuums were designed by James B. Kirby (1885–1971) for George Scott and Carl Fetzer after World War I, although the Kirby name was not used on a vacuum cleaner until the 1930s. James Kirby invented the "vacuette" circa 1920.
The Vacuette Electric, introduced in 1925 with its removable floor nozzle and handle, became the forerunner of today's multi-attachment Kirby vacuum models. In 1935, the company introduced the Kirby Model C, the first product to carry Jim Kirby's name.
From 1935 through the 1960s, continuous improvements and refinements were made to the Kirby home care system. The last model of this first generation, the Dual Sanitronic 80, was produced in 1967 and still resembled the original.
In 1970, input from Kirby distributors, dealers, management and customers guided Kirby engineers in developing the Kirby Classic. The model was an instant success, with soaring sales, forcing the company to expand its manufacturing facilities outside of Cleveland for the first time. In 1972, Kirby West began operations in Andrews, Texas. The facility doubled the company's manufacturing capabilities.
Berkshire Hathaway bought Kirby parent Scott Fetzer in 1986 for $315 million. Two years prior, Ivan Boesky had offered to buy Scott Fetzer for $60 a share, or $420 million.Warren Buffett has singled out Scott Fetzer to Berkshire's shareholders as the "prototype" for the "kind of company — and acquisition — he was interested in." According to Berkshire managers, "absolutely no changes were made to the existing Scott Fetzer business or management, and the entire business (and its jet) was preserved."
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Wikipedia