The story
Founded by Warren Seymour Johnson in 1885, in Milwaukee.1
In 1883, Warren S. Johnson, a professor at the Whitewater Normal School (now University of Wisconsin–Whitewater) in Whitewater, Wisconsin, received a patent for the first electric room thermostat. His invention helped launch the building control industry and was the impetus for a new company. Johnson and a group of Milwaukee investors led by William Plankinton incorporated the Johnson Electric Service Company in 1885 to manufacture, install and service automatic temperature regulation systems for buildings. After Johnson died in 1911, the company decided to focus on its temperature control business for non-residential buildings.
In 1970, the company took over clock manufacturer Standard Electric Time Company. The company was renamed Johnson Controls in 1974. In 1978, Johnson Controls acquired the battery company Globe-Union. That same year, the company divested itself of the Standard Electric Time Company and sold it to Faraday. In 1985, Johnson Controls acquired automotive seating companies Hoover Universal and Ferro Manufacturing.
In 1989, Johnson acquired Pan Am World Services, which provides facilities management for airports, military bases and the two space centers of the U.S. Government. The acquisition would more than double Johnson Controls' facilities management business and diversify away from the cyclical construction business. Revenue from facilities maintenance contributed about one-third of Johnson's in 1988.
During the 2007–2009 recession, the company's president, Keith Wandell, lobbied the U.S. Congress for a bailout of the companies that Johnson supplied. The Johnson Controls plant in Lakeshore, Ontario, closed in late March 2010 and the property was sold. In 2013, Stephen Roell retired and Alex Molinaroli took his position as CEO and chairman of the board.
Subsequent history
On 31 October 2016, the former Johnson Controls Automotive Experience division was spun off as a separate, publicly traded company, Adient, and began trading on the New York Stock Exchange. In March 2017, it was announced that Scott Safety, its safety gear business, would be bought by 3M for $2 billion.
On 1 September 2017, George Oliver was appointed as chairman and CEO, an acceleration by 6 months from the original plans.
On 12 May 2021, Johnson Controls completed the acquisition of Silent-Aire, a Canadian firm that specialized in data center cooling systems. The deal was structured as follows: Johnson Controls paid $630 million upfront, and additional payments were made contingent upon reaching certain milestones, with total price capped at $870 million.
In October 2021, it was announced that Johnson Controls had chosen Ava Robotics to power its new fully autonomous Tyco Security Robot.
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In September 2023, Johnson Controls' experienced a ransomware attack, encrypting numerous company devices and servers, prompting the company to immediately shut down specific IT systems.
In July 2024, Johnson Controls announced their plans to sell a portfolio of heating and ventilation units to Germany's Bosch Group for $6.7 billion.
From Wikipedia’s article on Johnson Controls, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.9