About Us
Market-leading healthcare and home environment products
Kaz is a global leader in developing and marketing high-quality branded consumer health care devices and home comfort appliances. Every aspect of product development, from in-house consumer research to operational excellence and superior consumer care, focuses on providing quality products that meet consumers’ needs and enhance their lives. We operate in over 65 countries on six continents.
Kaz was founded over 80 years ago when founder Max Katzman invented the world’s first electric vaporizer. Today, we are a $500 million company selling market-leading products in over 65 countries on six continents under world-class brand names such as Vicks, Braun, and Honeywell. Our innovative products span a broad range of categories, including humidifiers, vaporizers, thermometers, blood pressure monitors, air purifiers, fans, air circulators, portable heaters, heating pads, and insect control devices.
Building on three generations of family leadership by the Katzman family, Kaz is a professionally managed multinational corporation that has given the world hundreds of products. We remain true to our tradition of innovation guided by the goal of improving people’s lives through insight-driven everyday products.
Company history
The origins of Kaz can be traced to upstate New York in 1926, when an open-flame alcohol-burning croup kettle prescribed by Max Katzman’s physician for treating his infant son exploded. It was clear to Max that a safer appliance was needed. He founded Kaz to produce and market his revolutionary electric vaporizer, which incorporated carbon electrodes, automatic shutoff, and a safety lock that made it impossible to open the vaporizer without first disconnecting the electricity. At the 1927 convention of the American Medical Association, Mr. Katzman’s vapor inhalation therapy invention was credited with saving over a thousand lives a year.
Kaz quickly became the world’s largest vaporizer/humidifier manufacturer, and we continue to be the most trusted name in the industry. Today, Vapor Therapy is prescribed by virtually all American physicians, particularly for croup and upper respiratory illness in infants and children.
Brands and products
Kaz has grown through a combination of in-house R&D programs and targeted acquistions. We boast a distinguished lineup of innovative products with many patented designs.
In 1995, Kaz licensed the Vicks brand from The Procter & Gamble Company. We have used it to develop a broad lineup of Vicks vaporizers and humidifiers, as well as a new range of Vicks thermometers with innovative designs and features that have become market leaders in the US and Canada. Exclusive new Vicks humidifier designs include Vicks scent pads, which allow consumers to enjoy the soothing Vicks vapors many know from childhood. New Vicks thermometers include an exclusive Fever Insight feature that visually alerts parents to fevers.
In 2002, Kaz acquired Honeywell’s Home Environment business from Honeywell International, Inc. In the process, we took over market-leading air purifiers as well as a solid range of portable fans, humidifiers, dehumidifiers and heaters that are sold throughout the world. This acquisition also added Asia-based manufacturing capabilities that have fueled our ability to enter new markets competitively.
In 2006, Kaz further expanded and globalized its health care lineup by acquiring the global Braun thermometer and blood pressure business from The Procter & Gamble Company. This included the world-renowned, patented Braun ThermoScan® infrared ear thermometer, which is now the market leader in over 25 countries in North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Braun ThermoScan® thermometers, a sine qua non for physicians and medical professionals, are sold globally through WelchAllyn, one of world’s most distinguished professional medical device companies. With over 250,000,000 Braun probe covers sold each year, consumers and professionals can be assured of an accurate, hygienic reading in just one second with the very best technology available.
As always, Kaz seeks innovative technology partners to leverage the global presence of Vicks, Braun and Honeywell. This represents a platform for future business growth through new products and commercial innovations that meet the needs of the world’s consumers.
