Companies known for two different things?

[y_p_w]

Well - I get that there are large companies that are extremely diversified like General Electric, and in their case their best known consumer product lines were sold to other companies, just licensed to use the name, or where they're just kind of acting as resellers.

However, there are some companies that are market leaders in a couple of very much unrelated fields. You know - where you don't quite get what the connection is. I'm in the electronics industry, and the name Schlumberger used to be one of the big names in automated chip-testing equipment, but I guess many here would know of them for oil exploration. I never quite got why Shimano was a big name in bicycle parts and fishing equipment. Or Kohler for plumbing and generators.

 

[Mr Nice]

Stay away from GE products, they are very terrible.

 

[Papa Bear]

Yamaha pianos and motorcycles

 

[drtyler]

They power a lot of jets flying around.

Originally Posted By: Mr Nice
Stay away from GE products, they are very terrible.

 

[jhellwig]

Originally Posted By: Papa Bear
Yamaha pianos and motorcycles


The Yamaha symbol is actually three tuning forks.

 

[WiskyBadger]

Originally Posted By: jhellwig
Originally Posted By: Papa Bear
Yamaha pianos and motorcycles


The Yamaha symbol is actually three tuning forks.
and snowmobiles

 

[bdcardinal]

There is a company called MGW that makes some of the best manual transmission shifters on the market and also makes tools for changing sights on handguns.

 

[fdcg27]

Ball Bothers, later Ball Corp.
Can't get any more diverse than glass canning jars and food and beverage cans and unmanned probes from early in the American space program.

 

[fdcg27]

Originally Posted By: Mr Nice
Stay away from GE products, they are very terrible.


Rolls Royce and Pratt have been trying to tell airlines and military procurement officers this very thing for decades.

 

[y_p_w]

Originally Posted By: Mr Nice
Stay away from GE products, they are very terrible.

I guess their jet engines were mentioned. Even if you don't take passenger trains you probably buy stuff that was transported with their locomotives. Or shipped with their marine engines. Or electricity produced with their equipment. Or their electric meters. And avoid any hospitals since they might be using their medical equipment.

 

[04SE]

Originally Posted By: Mr Nice
Stay away from GE products, they are very terrible.


I see what you did there.

 

[y_p_w]

Originally Posted By: fdcg27
Originally Posted By: Mr Nice
Stay away from GE products, they are very terrible.


Rolls Royce and Pratt have been trying to tell airlines and military procurement officers this very thing for decades.

Pratt is pretty dominant in military sales. That's basically what's keeping them relevant. And how would Rolls stay in business without European patronage sales?

 

[y_p_w]

Originally Posted By: ChevyBadger
Originally Posted By: jhellwig
Originally Posted By: Papa Bear
Yamaha pianos and motorcycles


The Yamaha symbol is actually three tuning forks.
and snowmobiles

Audio equipment and a whole range of musical instruments. But they're kind of a more diversified company. Still - a lot of people see a common Japanese brand name and assume it's the same company when it's more the keiretsu system.

 

[exranger06]

Mitsubishi- cars, heavy duty trucks, construction equipment, televisions, air conditioning units, probably some other stuff I'm forgetting.

 

[simple_gifts]

Hitachi; who would know they make hard drives, excavators and have a barbeque named after them.

 

[02SE]

Honda, Suzuki, Kawasaki, BMW. All companies that make Motorcycles, and other things. Perhaps Kawasaki is the most diversified.

 

[BHopkins]

Mitsubishi. Builds cars and ships. Used to build TVs. Do they still? IDK.

Hyundai. Here in the US, we know Hyundai as an automotive company. But when I was in South Korea on business a few years ago, you see the Hyundai name on everything from skyscraper construction companies to kitchen appliances. I think they are also a ship builder.

Fiat. Builds cars and landfill filler. Oh, wait. its only one thing, two purposes. My bad.

 

[Vern_in_IL]

Subaru:

AWD automobiles and Pressure washers.

 

[y_p_w]

Originally Posted By: exranger06
Mitsubishi- cars, heavy duty trucks, construction equipment, televisions, air conditioning units, probably some other stuff I'm forgetting.

They're a keiretsu though, so it's actually a lot of little companies that share the same name. It's a very Japanese thing.

 

[Farmer]

Originally Posted By: simple_gifts
Hitachi; who would know they make hard drives, excavators and have a barbeque named after them.


They also make ignition parts.