Elkay Manufacturing

Elkay Manufacturing
Private
Industry Plumbing fixtures manufacturing
Founded Chicago, United States (1920 (1920))
Founders
  • Leopold Katz
  • Louis Katz
Headquarters Chicago, Illinois, United States
Products
Number of employees
 3,500
Website www.elkay.com
Founders Leopold and Louis Katz
Elkay Headquarters in Oak Brook, IL

Elkay Manufacturing Company, a manufacturer of stainless steel sinks, faucets and kitchen cabinets,[1] was started in 1920 by Leopold & Louis Katz and Eleth Robarth, a tinsmith who came up with an idea to hand fabricate German silver sinks and deliver them in Chicago.[2] Today, still privately owned by the founding family,[3] Elkay has 3,500 employees worldwide and is America's largest stainless steel sink company.[2] Over the years the products Elkay manufactures have expanded to include sinks, faucets, water coolers, drinking fountains, water bottle fillers,[4] and residential and commercial kitchen and bath products.

History

The Elkay Manufacturing Company was founded in 1920 by Leopold Katz and his son Louis. It started with three employees in rented premises in Chicago's Near North Side. During World War II, Elkay supplied sinks and commodes to equip the U.S. Military.[5][6]

In 2010, Elkay launched the EZH2O Water Bottle Filler, which is recognized for contributing to keeping plastic bottles out of landfills.[7] The unique counter on the unit allowed for users to see how many bottles had been saved from landfills at a particular location, which had the effect of “making the thing go viral”.[8] The EZH2O first came about when Elkay business travelers started noticing their fellow travelers doing "the airport dance." More people were toting plastic water bottles. Rather than drinking from the fountain, they wanted to refill those jugs. It wasn't working. The dance was a sort of shuffle done by travelers trying to tilt bottles at the proper angle for refilling without splashing water on their shoes.[9]

In 2013, Elkay Manufacturing, won an international trade case involving anti-dumping and anti-subsidy petitions filed by the company and "unlawful pricing by Chinese producers of drawn stainless steel sinks which caused material injury to ELKAY Manufacturing Company and other domestic producers."[10]

Products

Elkay currently has four main product categories – Coolers; Sinks, Faucets and Accessories; Cabinetry; Foodservice and Millwork. Their breadth of plumbing products includes 4,000 SKUs of kitchen sinks made of a variety of different materials.[2] Elkay manufactures residential kitchen and commercial products, such as sinks, bars, faucets, cabinets and commercial kitchen appliances. The company has the largest water cooler offering in the market, and recently shipped its five millionth water cooler.[2] Most recently, Elkay elaborated on water cooler units by creating bottle filler units that can both retrofit to existing water cooler units, or stand alone. These units decreased plastic waste through promotion of using reusable plastic bottles. Their most popular bottle filler unit model is the ezH2O.[11] Elkay products are sold through distributors, designers, home center establishments and various internet retailers.

Divisions

Elkay Manufacturing has several divisions:

Facilities

Elkay Manufacturing is based in Oak Brook, Illinois, with thirteen manufacturing facilities across the United States and international operations in China and Mexico.

Major competitors

Fortune Brands, Inc.; Kohler Co.; Masco Corporation.[5]

References

  1. ↑ Yue, Lorene (January 3, 2008). "Elkay Manufacturing CEO". Crain's Chicago Business.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Cimarusti, Sarah (March 2015). "In for the Long Haul". The Wholesaler Magazine. TMB Publishing.
  3. ↑ "Crain's List: Chicago's Largest Privately Held Companies" (PDF). The Lake Team.
  4. ↑ Gudeman, Sarah. "Elkay EZH2O Bottle Filling Station". Green-Buildings.com.
  5. 1 2 "Elkay Manufacturing Company". Reference for Business. Advameg.
  6. ↑ Spencer, Mark (February 2, 2000). "A Sparkling Success Longtime Sink Maker Elkay Seen as Best in Business". Daily Herald. Arlington Heights, IL – via HighBeam Research. (subscription required (help)).
  7. ↑ Lanum, Jamison (February 17, 2011). "Drinking fountain to curb plastic waste". The Daily Beacon. Knoxville, TN: University of Tennessee.
  8. ↑ Daft, Richard L. (2015). Management. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning. p. 368. ISBN 978-1-285-86198-2.
  9. ↑ Haggerty, James (March 24, 2013). "With Bottle-Fillers in Mind, The Water Fountain Evolves". Wall Street Journal.
  10. ↑ Reisman, Lisa (April 2, 2013). "Elkay Manufacturing Interview: How the Company Monitors Imports, Dumping". Metal Miner.
  11. ↑ Anderton, Sadie (August 2016). "Why Add Bottle Fillers to Your Facility". Equiparts Drinking Fountains. Sadie Anderton. Retrieved August 17, 2016.
  12. ↑ "Chicago Innovation Award Winner Profiles". Chicago Innovation Awards.
  13. ↑ "Signature Kitchens Additions & Baths Offers 50% off Cabinetry". Woodworking Network. March 11, 2014.
  14. ↑ "Schuler Cabinetry Celebrates 10 Years at Lowe's; Goes National". Woodworking Network. September 19, 2012.
  15. ↑ Koenig, Karen (April 28, 2014). "Stokes Returns to Elkay Cabinetry as VP, GM Cabinet Channels". Woodworking Network.
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