Culligan
Culligan is a US-based water treatment company, founded in 1936 in Northbrook (Illinois) by Emmett Culligan as the Culligan Zeolite Company — with $50 of his own capital and family financing from his brother Dr. John M. Culligan and his sister Anna V. Culligan. The impulse came from an encounter in 1921: Emmett Culligan had learned in a hospital boiler room how zeolite, as a natural ion exchange material, was used for water softening. He subsequently developed a first prototype from two coffee cans and zeolite sand. In 1938 the first Culligan franchise dealership opened in Wheaton (Illinois). In 1947 the first print advertisements appeared in Life Magazine; in 1958 a radio commercial coined the slogan "Hey, Culligan Man!", making the company iconic in the United States. In 1967 Culligan introduced the world's first mass-producible reverse osmosis water treatment system. In 1970 the company was renamed Culligan International Company. The ownership structure changed several times: Beatrice Foods → E-II Holdings → American Brands → Astrum International → stock market flotation in 1995 as Culligan Water Technologies → US Filter (1998) → Vivendi/Veolia (1999/2000) → Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (2003) → BDT Capital Partners. In 2024 Danish manufacturer Grundfos acquired Culligan's Commercial & Industrial Division (United Kingdom, Italy, France).
Today Culligan is active in over 90 countries, with more than 1,000 dealers (over 600 in North America alone), more than 14,000 employees, over 35 brands worldwide and a turnover of approximately $3.1 billion USD. The company holds over 200 patents. Culligan Italiana has been manufacturing water treatment systems in Italy since 1960 for industrial purposes, swimming pools and medical applications; the distribution network comprises 12 of its own branches and 120 independent facilities across the entire Italian territory. Products on Archiproducts (all Made in Italy / Culligan Italiana): water softeners (Modernity), reverse osmosis systems (AC Slim+ — compact, 11 cm wide, under-counter installation; Aqua-Cleer with over 100 configuration options), microfiltration and ultrafiltration system (Intense), HoReCa water dispensers (Aquabar Elettronico — countertop/freestanding unit, stainless steel, 30/80/150 L/h, cold/ambient/sparkling water, Energy Saving -75%), office water dispensers (CB Ultra), public drinking fountains, swimming pool technology, ultra-pure water for medical applications, water supply for cruise ships. Product categories on Archiproducts: Ho.Re.Ca, Household, Office, water supply infrastructure.
For architects and hospitality planners requiring water treatment and dispensing solutions from a single source for hotels, restaurants, offices and public buildings, Culligan is the only address with over 90 years of company history, a fully Italy-manufactured HoReCa product line and a global service network reaching from the reverse osmosis system under the kitchen counter to the drinking water supply of cruise ships.
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Culligan
Culligan is a US-based water treatment company, founded in 1936 in Northbrook (Illinois) by Emmett Culligan as the Culligan Zeolite Company — with $50 of his own capital and family financing from his brother Dr. John M. Culligan and his sister Anna V. Culligan. The impulse came from an encounter in 1921: Emmett Culligan had learned in a hospital boiler room how zeolite, as a natural ion exchange material, was used for water softening. He subsequently developed a first prototype from two coffee cans and zeolite sand. In 1938 the first Culligan franchise dealership opened in Wheaton (Illinois). In 1947 the first print advertisements appeared in Life Magazine; in 1958 a radio commercial coined the slogan "Hey, Culligan Man!", making the company iconic in the United States. In 1967 Culligan introduced the world's first mass-producible reverse osmosis water treatment system. In 1970 the company was renamed Culligan International Company. The ownership structure changed several times: Beatrice Foods → E-II Holdings → American Brands → Astrum International → stock market flotation in 1995 as Culligan Water Technologies → US Filter (1998) → Vivendi/Veolia (1999/2000) → Clayton, Dubilier & Rice (2003) → BDT Capital Partners. In 2024 Danish manufacturer Grundfos acquired Culligan's Commercial & Industrial Division (United Kingdom, Italy, France).
Today Culligan is active in over 90 countries, with more than 1,000 dealers (over 600 in North America alone), more than 14,000 employees, over 35 brands worldwide and a turnover of approximately $3.1 billion USD. The company holds over 200 patents. Culligan Italiana has been manufacturing water treatment systems in Italy since 1960 for industrial purposes, swimming pools and medical applications; the distribution network comprises 12 of its own branches and 120 independent facilities across the entire Italian territory. Products on Archiproducts (all Made in Italy / Culligan Italiana): water softeners (Modernity), reverse osmosis systems (AC Slim+ — compact, 11 cm wide, under-counter installation; Aqua-Cleer with over 100 configuration options), microfiltration and ultrafiltration system (Intense), HoReCa water dispensers (Aquabar Elettronico — countertop/freestanding unit, stainless steel, 30/80/150 L/h, cold/ambient/sparkling water, Energy Saving -75%), office water dispensers (CB Ultra), public drinking fountains, swimming pool technology, ultra-pure water for medical applications, water supply for cruise ships. Product categories on Archiproducts: Ho.Re.Ca, Household, Office, water supply infrastructure.
For architects and hospitality planners requiring water treatment and dispensing solutions from a single source for hotels, restaurants, offices and public buildings, Culligan is the only address with over 90 years of company history, a fully Italy-manufactured HoReCa product line and a global service network reaching from the reverse osmosis system under the kitchen counter to the drinking water supply of cruise ships.