Sunbeam Australia

Not to be confused with Sunbeam Products.

Sunbeam Corporation Limited is an Australian home appliance brand with headquarters in Sydney, New South Wales that cater to the Australian and New Zealand markets. The majority of products sold today are Australian designed, with little stock in common with their American counterparts. Sunbeam's Café Series of products include domestic espresso machines and coffee grinders.

Company History

The company began in Australia in 1902 as a small branch of the American group, Chicago Flexible Shaft Company.[1] The name was later changed to Cooper Engineering Company. The name changed again to Sunbeam Corporation in 1946. The company became publicly traded in 1952 and came into Australian ownership in 1987. In 1981 it obtained a range of consumer appliances from Monier Limited.[2] Sunbeam Corporation was purchased by GUD Holdings Ltd in 1996.[3]

The American-designed Mixmaster 9B was the first Sunbeam appliance manufactured and sold in Australia in 1948 However, starting in the late 1970s, Australian industrial designers were hired to create new designs.[4] In recent years many of Sunbeam Australia's products have won awards for product design.[5] Sunbeam Australia has also licenced its designs to other companies including Sunbeam Products Inc. including the Mixmaster Professional / Heritage Series Stand Mixer.[6]

See also

References and footnotes

  1. ↑ History of Cooper Engineering Co.
  2. ↑ The Sydney Morning Herald - Aug 12, 1981
  3. ↑ G.U.D. Holdings Limited (GUD) - Investsmart.com.au
  4. ↑ History Notes, Sunbeam Mixmaster Professional, 2003 - Powerhouse Museum Collection Search 2.4
  5. ↑ Company History - Sunbeam Corporation
  6. ↑ Sunbeam Mixmaster - Bringing it all back home

External links