Our history
From the very beginning, high-quality products and customer-centric solutions have been at the heart of what we do. To help you understand our background and motivations, we are happy to recount some of the most important milestones that have shaped our history, both in Myson and Purmo Group.
1937 – The Sigmund Pumps company is founded by Miroslav Sigmund in Czechoslovakia. He successfully tendered for a British government contract to make firefighting pumps.
1938 - Miroslav Sigmund moved to Britain soon after Hitler's annexation of Austria, where he founded Sigmund Pumps (Great Britain) Ltd based at the Team Valley Trading Estate in Gateshead. By 1939, 3000 pumps had already been manufactured at the new factory.
During WWII, the company mainly manufactured firefighting pumps and stirrup pumps. On top of that, they made parts for the Bren gun (a Czech light machine-gun made in Brno), parts for Polsten anti-aircraft guns, engine parts for tank landing craft, gun undercarriages, and ammunition. Moreover, in co-operation with the Chemical Defence Establishment at Porton Down, they developed air filtration equipment for installation in underground shelters.
1953 – Sigmund Pumps was producing pumps for the "Green Goddess" fire trucks, which were prepared for action in case of atomic war.
1956 – Sigmund Pumps developed Thermopak pumps for small bore central heating and commenced manufacture at Gateshead.
1958 – Miroslav Sigmund set up a new company, International Boilers and Radiators Ltd, to market his new range of Thermopak pumps and manufacture slimline pressed steel radiators.
1958 – International Boilers and Radiators was acquired by Booker McConnell.
1961 – Miroslav Sigmund was appointed to the board of Booker Brothers, McConnell and Co, a company which had started as an adjunct to Sigmund Pumps, to provide an outlet for their smaller accelerator pumps designed for central heating systems.
1967 – International Boilers and Radiators was merged with Powell Duffryn Heating, a well-established company involved in the manufacture and sale of heating and air conditioning equipment, and part of the Powell Duffryn group, originally formed in the 1800’s. The company became known as International Janitor, jointly owned with Booker Group.
1970 – International Janitor was acquired by Thorn Electrical Industries Ltd and became known as Thorn Heating.
1980 – Thorn Electrical Industries became part of the global EMI group and the business was renamed Thorn EMI Heating.
1986 – Thorn EMI Heating was acquired by Myson Group plc, a company founded in Ongar, Essex in 1952, which had been heavily involved in the heating and ventilation market since the 1960’s.
Newly named as Myson Heating, the company was now manufacturing radiators, fires, boilers, water heaters, fan convectors, towel warmers, circulating pumps and valves.
1989 – Myson Heating was acquired by Blue Circle Industries Plc and, together with Potterton (part of Blue Circle Heating Division), became Potterton Myson.
1999 – Potterton Myson was acquired by Baxi Partnership Limited. Soon after, the business was split into Potterton Boilers and Myson Radiators (which included fan convectors, towel warmers and valves), and the radiator business was put up for sale.
2000 – Myson Radiators was acquired by Rettig ICC, Europe's largest manufacturer of domestic heating systems (mainly domestic radiators) and part of the larger Finnish Rettig Group.
Rettig ICC is a shortened name for Rettig Indoor Climate Comfort whose well-known radiator brands already included, among others, Purmo, Vogel & Noot, Finimetal, and Radson.
The MYSON brand continues in the UK, under the umbrella of Rettig ICC.
2019 – Rettig ICC acquired the design business of Quinn Radiators Ltd with three strong design brands; Barlo, Design by QRL and Merriott, which were integrated into the Rettig ICC brand portfolio.
2019 - Rettig ICC changed its business name to Purmo Group.
It all started with a bow-saw
Purmo’s history begins in 1953 when 3 enterprising men, Gunnar Skog, Ivar Långnabba and Ingvar Granroth launched Purmo-Produkt in the tiny village of Purmo, Finland. The first product they released was a metal bow saw for professional tree fellers, which quickly began to replace the timber version. The Purmo saw soon became known throughout the country, as did the company itself. Garden furniture, snow-cleaning equipment and chairing implements were added to the portfolio.
First radiator production
Six years later, in 1959, Purmo-Produkt bought a small radiator manufacturer called Terjärv Värmeelement. The radiator production was transferred from Terjärv to Jakobstad, near Purmo, and expanded. Competition was stiff, but the company managed to increase its market share. In 1971 the tobacco factory Strengberg, which was a part of the Rettig Group, took over Purmo-Produkt.
Leading radiator manufacturer in Finland
Strengberg modernised and automated the radiator production. The company soon became the leading radiator manufacturer in Finland. Purmo-Produkt’s other production lines were sold and the company concentrated entirely on radiators, later acquiring some of its domestic competitors.
Extensive era of expansion
In 1974 Purmo opened its first sales office in Hannover (Germany) and from there an extensive era of expansion began. Acquisitions of impressive brands such as Radson, LVI, MMA, Vogel&Noot, Finimetal, Myson, Emmeti, Hewing, Sigarth and the Decorative Steel Tubular business of Quinn Radiators Ltd (Barlo, Design by QRL and Merriott) have all contributed to making Purmo Group the leading partner in sustainable indoor climate comfort.
Who we are today
Today, we are an international leader with an extensive product portfolio of sustainable heating and cooling systems and solutions. Our headquarters are based in Helsinki but our employees operate in 24 countries, manufacturing and distributing top quality products and solutions to our customers in more than 100 countries.
Employees worldwide
Locations in 12 countries
Export markets
Our 10 commitments
We have set up these 10 commitments as our reference points along our journey to integrate sustainability in every part of our business.
