FEATURE/First an innovative company, now a brand recognized worldwide; Tappan celebrates its 115th anniversary year.

DUBLIN, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE FEATURES)--Sept. 18, 1995--In 1881, W.J. Tappan launched a company and a dream with an innovative idea and a strong determination.

Today, 115 years later, the dream is represented by an equity-rich brand with forward-thinking cooking appliances.

W.J. Tappan began what was first called the Ohio Valley Company in 1881 in Bellaire, Ohio, a community located on the Ohio River. He could often be seen traveling through the nearby countryside in a wagon loaded down with Tappan wood burning stoves. Because the price of one of Tappan's stoves was often more than a family could afford in those days, W.J. often sold the industrial stoves for a payment that was partially in cash and the remainder in grain and vegetables.

In the Army Now

After a fire in 1889, the company, newly named the Eclipse Stove Company, was moved to the north central Ohio town of Mansfield. W.J.'s father suggested the new company name after traveling that year to Siberia with an American expedition that had gone to photograph the Great Comet. The company name was changed to Tappan in 1920 after growing sales territories forced its products into the same sales area as the Eclipse Stove Company of Rockford, Ill. During World War I, the Eclipse rolling kitchen established Tappan as the innovative, forward-thinking product developer it remains today. The range, which was mounted on wheels which made it easily transportable, was selected by the U.S. Army as the outstanding field kitchen when compared to those designed by Army engineers and other American manufacturers. Because of Tappan's ability to provide solutions to difficult engineering problems, the company was later chosen to design complete galleys for U.S. Navy ships.

In the 1930s, Tappan continued its tradition of innovative products with the introduction of the first range with rounded corners, the revolutionary insulated oven and the all porcelain enameled range. These developments were followed by other improvements which have been widely copied including the light-weight removable oven bottom for cleaning ease, the convenient divided cooking top with more working space and greater cooking capacity and the Visualite(R) ``See Through'' Oven Door which made baking less of a guessing game.

Awards Pile Up; Innovations Continue, Including First Microwave

Sales of Tappan ranges continued to rise in the 1940s. During World War II, the Tappan Company received four awards of excellence for producing various defense materials. In 1948 under the direction of W.J. Tappan's son A.P., Tappan introduced a line of electric ranges and developed new production centers in Kentucky and Montreal. With the election of W.R. ``Dick'' Tappan as president in the 1950s, the company undertook the largest expansion program in its history. Still headquartered in Mansfield, Ohio, existing production facilities were improved, more were added and the product line was diversified.

The most significant development of the `50s, was one that would revolutionize cooking in the modern world -- the microwave oven. Tappan introduced the first microwave oven model for home use in 1955. It was a 24-in. built-in oven that operated on 220 volts and retailed for approximately $1,200. One of the original Tappan microwave ovens, model RR-1, has been donated to the Smithsonian Institute National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.

In 1965, Tappan introduced the first conventional range and microwave oven available in one unit. The unit included a large capacity microwave oven on top (offering both full and reduced power settings) and a lower range with four infinite heat surface cooking elements and an all-chrome electric oven.

In 1969, Tappan introduced the ultimate in cooking capacity with a new style of microwave/range combination. The unit had a full-size microwave oven and a large, self-cleaning conventional electric oven below. The cooking center, which was offered in a wide variety of colors, opened the appliance market to microwave cooking. Also in 1969, Tappan introduced the first built-in microwave/range combination as an attempt to reach the builder/remodeler market.

Tappan continued to be an innovative brand leader in the 1970s with its introduction of the durable glass smooth-top cooking surface. The surface offered a modern look and provided for easier cleaning.

Cooking and Clean-up Become Easier; Brand Joins Frigidaire Company

More than a century ago, the face of cooking was changed forever when improved manufacturing gave Americans the opportunity to own a stove that didn't require gathered wood in order to cook. Tappan was crucial to that step on the ladder of appliance evolution.

Cooking on a Tappan range was further enhanced by the eventual development of user-friendly cooking appliances which made clean-up easier. The brand was an innovator in that area too, presenting ScrubSaver ranges with self-cleaning ovens.

The 1995 line of Tappan scrub-saver ranges is newly designed with stylish looks and plenty of popular consumer features. One favored option is the free-standing convection range with the Tappan Evencook System for 30 percent faster oven cooking.

Other recent important product introductions and features include the Speedwave 1000, a 1000-watt microwave oven that increases cooking speed by approximately 25 percent; upswept gas range cooktops; and one-piece, ``frameless'' glass backguards for one-wipe clean-ups.

The Pro Design(R) line of Tappan gas and electric ranges -- models that were introduced in 1994 to bring the look of commercial ranges to the public without the price tag and installation hassles -- have been well received and critically acclaimed. New in 1995 are two 115th anniversary year commemorative ranges with built-in spice racks.

Tappan became associated with European manufacturing giant AB Electrolux in 1979. When AB Electrolux purchased White Consolidated Industries in 1986, Tappan was joined with WCI Major Appliance Group brands Frigidaire, Gibson, Kelvinator and White-Westinghouse. The WCI Major Appliance Group's name was changed to Frigidaire Company in 1991, and the U.S. manufacturer remains Tappan's parent operation today, headquartered in Dublin, Ohio.

CONTACT: Frigidaire Company, Dublin

Tony Evans, 614/792-4102

or

SBC Public Relations, Westerville, Ohio 

George Heddleston or Kristen Hubly, 614/891-7070