company began as a division of the Coleman Company in 1958 and was acquired by Evcon in 1990, which in turn was acquired by Johnson Controls in 1996. Of the twelve largest American furnace brand names represented at Gas Furnace Guide, the Coleman brand received an average ranking of 3.7 out of 5 stars. York International York International is the final name of a company started in York, Pennsylvania, USA, in 1874, which developed the York brand of refrigeration and HVAC equipment. The York brand has been owned since August 2005 by Johnson Controls, when it was sold to them for $3.2 billion. At the time of the acquisition, it was the world's largest independent manufacturer of air conditioning, heating, and refrigeration machinery. Its stock symbol was formerly YRK. Manufacturing Johnson Controls operates HVAC manufacturing plants in the United States in Wichita, Kansas and Norman, Oklahoma. The Wichita plant primarily produces residential unitary equipment, such as air conditioners, furnaces, and heat pumps for the North American Market under various brands including York and Coleman. The Norman plant primarily produces rooftop units (RTUs) for commercial use. Controversies Merger with Tyco On 25 January 2016, Johnson Controls announced that it would merge with Tyco International to create Johnson Controls International plc, a company headquartered in Cork, Ireland. The merger was completed in September 2016. Merging with the Irish company allowed Johnson Controls to become an Irish company itself, and enjoy sharply lowered corporate taxes, a process known as a tax inversion. This restructuring came at great expense of the workforce which was reduced by 52% between 2016 and 2022. The same occurred after the takeover of York International in 2005, which led to a reduction of 76% of the workforce between 2005 and 2016. Hillary Clinton condemned the company for wanting to escape United States taxes through the merger after having "begged" the government for financial help in 2008. The Johnson deal, termed "outrageous" by Fortune magazine, qualifies as a "super inversion" because Tyco shareholders will own 44% of the company, thus avoiding penalties that the United States Department of the Treasury has imposed on other inversion deals. The firm estimated that it would save about US$150 million a year by avoiding American taxes. Tyco international scandal In 2002, former chairman and chief executive Dennis Kozlowski and former chief financial officer Mark H. Swartz were accused of the theft of more than