Speed Queen is a laundry machine manufacturer headquartered in Ripon

Ripon, Wisconsin

Ripon is a city in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 6,828. The City of Ripon's official website claims the city's current population to be 7,701. The city is surrounded by the Town of Ripon....

, Wisconsin

Wisconsin

Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...

, USA

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. Speed Queen is a subsidiary of Alliance Laundry Systems LLC, who bill themselves as the world's largest manufacturer of commercial laundry equipment. They make a large variety of residential and commercial products, from 25 pound capacity tumblers to 250 pound washer-extractors, as well as dryers. Their commercial machines are a popular brand for laundromats, apartment

Apartment

An apartment or flat is a self-contained housing unit that occupies only part of a building...

 buildings, and hotels.

History

The company was founded in 1908 by Joe Barlow and John Seelig as Barlow & Seelig Manufacturing. They got their start by taking existing machine designs and improving them. In 1922, Speed Queen was the first company to introduce washers with nickel-copper tubs. The brand name "Speed Queen" was created in 1928. During World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, they switched production to support the war effort, manufacturing 20 mm shell

Shell (projectile)

A shell is a payload-carrying projectile, which, as opposed to shot, contains an explosive or other filling, though modern usage sometimes includes large solid projectiles properly termed shot . Solid shot may contain a pyrotechnic compound if a tracer or spotting charge is used...

s, and parts for airplanes, tanks and guns. In 1998, Raytheon

Raytheon

Raytheon Company is a major American defense contractor and industrial corporation with core manufacturing concentrations in weapons and military and commercial electronics. It was previously involved in corporate and special-mission aircraft until early 2007...

 Commercial Laundry, owners of the Speed Queen brand, was sold to Alliance Laundry Systems.