Young engineer Mark Honeywell formed the Honeywell Heating Specialty Co. Incorporated. The company specialised in making hot water heat generators, after perfecting them as part of his plumbing and heating business.
During World War I, Germany controlled much of the world's chemical industry, causing shortages among the U.S. and its allies of critical drugs and dyes. In 1920, publisher Eugene Meyer and scientist William Nichols formed the Allied Chemical & Dye Corporation as a partnership of five American chemical companies.
Minneapolis Heat Regulator Company and Honeywell Heating Speciality Co. merged to form the Minneapolis Honeywell Regulator Co. The business became the largest producer of high-quality jewelled clocks. W.R. Sweatt became Chairman and Mark Honeywell became president. The company quickly grew as it began to tackle more challenges, including industrial controls and indicators.
On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission. Honeywell was critical to that mission. For example, 16,000 Honeywell parts went into the 14 separate electronic devices that made up the Stabilisation and Control Systems (SCS). Meanwhile, Honeywell pilots helped with flight testing.
In 1999, Honeywell was acquired by AlliedSignal, who elected to retain the Honeywell name for its brand recognition. The headquarters were moved to the AlliedSignal headquarters in Morristown, N.J. Together the companies shared huge business interests in aerospace, chemical products, automotive parts and building controls.
At the start of the 21st century, Honeywell continued to grow by acquiring businesses across industries. In 2005, we acquired Universal Oil Products, a leading international supplier and licensor for the petroleum refining, gas processing, petrochemical production and major manufacturing industries. Three years later, we added Metrologic Instruments, which made laser, mobile imaging and remote scanners. In 2016, Intelligrated came on board. They provide automation solutions for distribution centres and warehouses.
Honeywell spun off its homes business in to an independent, publicly-traded company: Resideo, which still creates Honeywell Home products as a licensed brand. The same year, the Transportation Systems business was also spun off as Garrett Motion.
In June of 2019, Honeywell launched its Enterprise Performance Management software solution called Honeywell Forge. The software leverages Honeywell's expertise in asset and process control technology across industries, including buildings, airline, industrials and critical infrastructure.
In August 2019, Honeywell relocated its headquarters to Charlotte, North Carolina fro Morris Plains, New Jersey. A 23 storey office was built by Charlotte developer Lincoln Harris, which was completed in 2021.
