General Electric, one of the largest manufacturers of major appliances in the world, offers nearly 400 products, from refrigerators to cooking appliances to dryers. The multinational conglomerate with a 120 year history is headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut. Its New York headquarters are located at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Rockefeller Center.
The appliance division is one of the longest running businesses among the number of primary business units of the GE Company.
GE has maintained a tradition of innovation and boasts many appliance "firsts" since it's debut in the appliance industry.
According to The New York Times, on May 15, 2008, rumor is that General Electric is planning to sell its appliance division. Among the potential bidders are Haier of China, Bosch of Germany and LG of South Korea.
| 1907 | First Full line of heating and cooking products |
| 1925 | First hermetically sealed domestic refrigerator |
| 1927 | First GE Monitor Top refrigerator and first direct drive dishwasher still in use today |
| 1928 | First Calrod electric range |
| 1930 | First Room Air Conditioner |
| 1935 | First food waste disposer, the Disposall® |
| 1936 | First front loading single rack dishwasher |
| 1947 | First completely automatic clothes washer and the Erie Plant produced the first two door refrigerator freezer combination |
| 1954 | First washer/dryer combination unit and the first automatic portable dishwasher, the Mobile Maid® |
| 1956 | The first automatic drying termination cycle was introduced for clothes dryers |
| 1962 | The mini-basket washing system was introduced to improve small load washing |
| 1963 | The Zoneline package terminal air conditioner was introduced. |
| 1967 | First combination motor and water circulation pump was developed for dishwashers to improve efficiency and reduce energy and operating costs. |
| 1969 | First custom through-the-door- refrigerator with ice and water dispenser |
| 1971 | First portable room air conditioner, the Carry-Cool® |
| 1978 | First over the range microwave oven was introduced, the SpaceMaker® |
| 1982 | First 24/7 consumer information service |
| 1987 | The Monogram® line was introduced by GE (premium built-in appliances for professionally designed custom cabinets |
| 1994 | First 30 c. ft. freestanding side-by-side refrigerator, the GE Profile™ 30 |
| 1995 | The GE Profile™ Washer was introduced. The first "smart" dishwasher with auto-sensing gauges for soiled dishes was also introduced |
| 1997 | First major appliance manufacturer to offer a complete line of water softening and filtration systems, GE SmartWater™ |
| 1998 | GE introduced the Spectra™ oven as "the most accurate oven in America" |
| 1999 | GE introduced the Advantium™, a revolutionary new oven with SpeedCook technology that delivered great tasting food in an average of 1/4 the time of a conventional oven with no pre-heating. The GE Triton™ dishwasher was introduced as the "quietest dishwasher in America. |
| 2000 | GE launched the GE Profile Artica™ refrigerator with CustomCool™ Technology. This was the first refrigerator in the market to provide speed chilling and speed thawing capabilities. |
| 2003 | GE Profile Harmony™ Clothes Care System was introduced. This was the first "talking" washer to communicate electronically with the "listening" dryer. GE Profile™ Ovens with Trivection™ Technology was developed. The first oven to have a combination of thermal, convection and microwave energies. Speed modes allow the full size ovens to cook up to five times faster than conventional ovens. |
| 2005 | Introduction of the GE Profile™ Dishwasher with SmartDispense™ Technology. The first dishwasher to hold entire 45 oz. of liquid or gel detergent and dispense the detergent based on water hardness, cycle selection, and soil level of the dishes. |