Who Makes Frigidaire Appliances And Where Are They Made?

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Depending on your generation and what part of the country you live in, when you hear the word Frigidaire, refrigerators are probably the first appliance that comes to mind. For a long time, Frigidaire occupied the refrigerator throne in the U.S. and much of the world, as it was the first brand to mass-produce electric refrigerators in the early 20th century. While other major brands outrank Frigidaire in our list of best and worst refrigerators, once upon a time, Frigidaire was so well known that many Americans used the name interchangeably with "refrigerator," no matter what brand they were referring to. If you've ever said "fridge" instead of refrigerator, you can thank Frigidaire for that, too.

Today, the Frigidaire brand falls under the Electrolux umbrella, as the Swedish company acquired it back in 1986. Refrigerators aren't the only appliances Electrolux sells under the Frigidaire brand. Their products also include dishwashers, ovens, washers, dryers, and more. Electrolux produces Frigidaire appliances at various locations throughout the world, and while the company doesn't specify which sites make Frigidaire products — or whether they're made at all of them — it operates production units in North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa.

While Electrolux makes today's Frigidaire appliances, it wasn't always this way. Back in 1918, General Motors President William C. Durant bought the Guardian Frigerator Company — the maker of the first self-contained refrigerator — and in 1919, it was rebranded Frigidaire. Following Durant's purchase, it didn't take long for Frigidaire to become a household name across the U.S. and the world, and by 1929, the company had sold its one-millionth refrigerator. The company didn't limit itself to refrigerators; it went on to produce the first home freezer, the first room air conditioner, and the first family-sized laundry center.

If you're a car enthusiast, there are several interesting facts you might not know about General Motors, including that it held a majority stake in Ohio-based Frigidaire from 1919 all the way through 1979, when the appliance brand was sold to White Consolidated Industries. White Consolidated Industries owned the company until Electrolux acquired it in 1986. Electrolux continues to produce appliances sold under the Frigidaire name, and you can still buy a Frigidaire refrigerator if you live in the U.S. However, outside of North and South America, you'll find that Electrolux markets similar appliances under different brand names, such as Kelvinator or Philco, depending on the region.

As the debate continues about whether smart refrigerators are worth the price or just a gimmick, you may have considered buying a Frigidaire connected appliance. Before you make a purchasing decision, you might want to know where that product is made. As part of its global production strategy, Electrolux makes Frigidaire appliances in several locations around the world. In North America, Electrolux has production units in Springfield, TN, Anderson, SC, Kinston, NC, and Juarez, Mexico. 

However, buying a Frigidaire appliance in the U.S. doesn't necessarily mean it was produced at one of these sites. In fact, on a Best Buy discussion board, someone posted that their Frigidaire refrigerator has a "made in China" label and is asking for clarification about the quality of products based on manufacturing location. A representative from Frigidaire support responded, confirming the refrigerator in question was made by its "international partners" but designed in the U.S. Therefore, before buying a Frigidaire product, double-check the label to confirm where it was made.

On the international side, in Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa, Electrolux's major appliances are produced in Poland, Italy, Hungary, Romania, Germany, Ukraine, Egypt, Thailand, China, and Australia. As far as Latin America goes, Electrolux has production units in Curitiba, Manaus, and São Carlos in Brazil, Rosario in Argentina, and Santiago in Chile.