- A.O. Smith’s water heater brand portfolio
- The company’s long history and expansion
- State Water Heaters and its product range
- American and Reliance as related brands with distinct roles
- Lochinvar’s boiler focus and specialty heating line
- Giant’s Canadian market position and acquisition
A.O. Smith casts a wide net in the water heater world, and a lot of shoppers do not realize how many familiar brand names sit under the same roof. From residential tanks to commercial systems, its lineup stretches across different markets, different technologies, and even different countries. The result is a portfolio that looks broad on the surface, but is tightly connected underneath.
The company did not start out in water heating at all. Founded in Milwaukee in 1874, it first made parts for baby carriages and bicycles, then moved into other manufacturing work before landing on water heating much later. A major turning point came in 1936, when A.O. Smith patented a glass lining for tanks, helping set the stage for a business that would eventually become a major force in heating and water treatment.
State Water Heaters is one of the best-known names in the group and one of the broadest in terms of product variety. Its lineup includes gas and electric tank models, gas tankless units, and heat pump options, with more than 500 products claimed across residential and commercial use. The brand’s ProLine series is aimed at professional distributors, while ProLine XE adds efficiency features for buyers trying to keep energy use in check.
State also has a long backstory of its own, beginning in a Tennessee garage in 1946 with coal- and wood-burning stoves. Water heaters arrived a little later, with the first one sold in 1948 and gas models following in 1954. Even after A.O. Smith bought the company in 2001, State kept its name and its base in Ashland City, Tennessee.
American Water Heaters sits in a similar lane, but with its own identity and history. Based in Johnson City, Tennessee, it serves homebuyers with gas and electric tank units, heat pump hybrids, and an Adapt line of gas tankless heaters. The brand is also known for selling its main ProLine range through distributors rather than on retail shelves, which keeps it closely tied to installers and local plumbing pros.
That brand has changed hands a few times, which helps explain why it now lives inside A.O. Smith’s portfolio. Before the acquisition, American Water Heaters belonged to SouthCorp, then moved to GSW in 2002, and finally came under A.O. Smith after the larger company bought GSW in 2006. It is a useful reminder that big appliance brands often have corporate histories as layered as the products they sell.
Reliance Water Heaters brings a more retail-focused angle to the mix. Founded in 1981, it was built to serve hardware and building supply stores, and it still leans into that channel while also offering parts and accessories for installation and maintenance. That gives the brand a practical role for both consumers and technicians who need more than just the appliance itself.
Reliance’s path also runs through State Industries, which A.O. Smith acquired in 2001. Like State, it is based in Ashland City, Tennessee, and its product list has expanded over time to include gas and electric units, heat pump hybrids, and gas tankless models introduced in 2010. It may not be the flashiest name in the group, but it covers a lot of the day-to-day needs that keep hot water flowing.
Lochinvar stands apart by leaning harder into heating systems than into standard water heaters. While it does offer tank, tankless, and heat pump options, its main reputation comes from high-efficiency boilers for homes and commercial buildings. The brand also serves pool owners with dedicated heaters, giving it a niche that reaches beyond the average water heater aisle.
Its history goes back to 1939, when Walter Vallett Sr. started the Walter Vallett Company to sell water heaters. The name Lochinvar came later, and the brand gained more attention in the 1980s with Power-Fin, a product that helped raise expectations for efficiency during a tough energy era. A.O. Smith bought Lochinvar in 2011 for about $418 million, adding both expertise and a stronger foothold in the boiler market.
Giant is the most Canadian-facing brand in the group, and that focus shapes almost everything about it. It concentrates heavily on electric models, but also offers gas, tankless, and commercial units for buyers who need a wider range of choices. For A.O. Smith, buying Giant in 2021 was a way to deepen its presence in Canada and tap into a market where replacements drive a big share of sales.
Giant has its own long history too, starting as a family business in Montreal in 1945. By the time A.O. Smith stepped in, the company was already manufacturing at two factories and employing more than 300 people, which says plenty about its size and reach. In a market where reliability matters as much as brand recognition, that kind of established presence carries real weight.
