- Braun (company)
Infobox Company
company_name = Braun GmbH
company_
company_type =Wholly owned subsidiary
foundation = 1921
location = flagicon|GermanyKronberg ,Germany
key_people =
industry =Small appliance s
products = Electric razors
Electric toothbrush es
Coffeemaker s,toaster s, blenders
revenue =
operating_income =
net_income =
num_employees =
parent =Procter & Gamble
subsid =
homepage = [http://www.braun.com/ www.braun.com]
footnotes =Audio|Braun.ogg|Braun (German pronunciation "brown", commonly pronounced "brawn" in English) GmbH is a German consumer products company in
Kronberg im Taunus .From 1984 through 2005, Braun was a
wholly owned subsidiary of The Gillette Company, which had purchased a controlling interest in the company in 1967. Braun is now a wholly owned subsidiary ofProcter & Gamble , which acquired Gillette in 2005.Products
Braun's products include the following categories:
* Shaving and Grooming (electric shaving, hair trimming, beard trimming)
* Oral Care (now under theOral-B brand)
* Beauty Care (hair care and epilation)
* Heath and Wellness (ear thermometers, blood pressure monitors)
* Food and Drink (coffee makers, coffee grinders, toasters, blenders, juicers)
* Irons
* Clocks and CalculatorsFormerly a manufacturer of radios, slide projectors, optical equipment, and high-fidelity sound systems.
History
Max Braun, an
engineer , established a small engineering shop inFrankfurt am Main in 1921. In 1923 he began producing components forradio sets. In 1928 the company had grown to such an extent, partly due to the use of certainplastic materials, that it moved to new premises on "Idsteiner Strasse".Eight years after he started his shop, Max Braun began to manufacture entire radio sets in 1929. Soon after, Braun became one of Germany's leading radio manufacturers. This development continued with the launch of one of the first combined radio and
record player s in 1932.In 1935 the Braun
brand was introduced, and the familiarlogotype with the raised "A " took form. At the 1937World's Fair inParis , Max Braun received the award "For special achievements inphonography ". Three years later, the company had more than 1000 employees.Braun continued to produce state-of-the art radios and audio equipment, and in 1956 introduced its now famous SK-4 record player. Braun soon became well known for its '
high-fidelity ' audio and record players.The 1950s also marked the beginning of the product that Braun is most known for today: the electric shaver. The S 50 was the first electric shaver from Braun. The shaver was designed in 1938, but
World War II delayed its introduction until 1951. [http://iavbbs.com/gflinn/shaver1.htm] It featured an oscillating cutter block with a very thin, yet very stable steel-foil mounted above it. This principle is still used in Braun's shavers of today.From the mid-1950s, the Braun brand was closely linked with the concept of German modern industrial design and its combination of functionality and technology. The most influential designer at this time was
Dieter Rams , a member of Braun's design staff. Rams was a key figure in the German design renaissance of the late 1950s and 1960s, and a former teacher at the Ulm Hochschule für Gestaltung. Eventually becoming head of Braun's design staff, Rams' influence was soon evidenced in many products. Braun's famous SK-4 record player and the high-quality 'D'-series (D45, D46, D47) of 35mm slide projectors are some of the better examples ofFunctionalist design. Another 'icon' of modern design, but less well known, is the electrostatic loudspeaker unitBRAUN LE1 , the electronics were licenced fromQUAD . Dieter Rams and Dietrich Lubs are also responsible for the classic range of Braun alarm clocks, collaborating first on the AB 20 in 1987. These designs were discontinued by Braun in 2005. For nearly 30 years Dieter Rams served as head of design for Braun A.G. until his retirement in 1995 when he was succeeded by Peter Schneider. Many of his designs - wonderfully sleek coffee makers, calculators, radios and razors - have found a permanent home at theMuseum of Modern Art .In the 1970s, a design approach influenced by pop-art began to inspire Braun products, which by this time included many common household appliances and products. Contemporary Braun design of the period incorporated this new approach in bright colors and a lightness of touch, while still clean-lined in keeping with Functionalist philosophy.
A controlling interest in Braun AG was sold to The Gillette Company in 1967 by the heirs of Max Braun, complementing the
razor offerings of that company. Braun became a wholly owned subsidiary of Gillette in 1984; Gillette was in turn acquired by Procter & Gamble in 2005.External links
* [http://www.braun.com/ International Website: Braun]
* [http://www.braun.com/global/company/history.html History of Braun]
* [http://www.householdappliance.com/braun.html Factory Authorized Braun Shaver Parts]
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