Entrepreneurial vision, technological innovation and attention to people: these are the three pillars around which the Ariston Group‘s journey revolves, a journey that spans almost a century and began in Italy, reaching millions of homes around the world. True to its mission of bringing comfort to homes with the style and quality typical of Made in Italy, today the group is one of the world’s leading players in the sector, offering solutions ranging from water and room heating to sustainable air conditioning, including innovative, energy-efficient technologies.
Aristide Merloni’s intuition
The journey began in 1930, when Aristide Merloni founded a small company specialising in the production of scales in Albacina, in the Marche region. It was an artisan business that soon expanded into new manufacturing sectors.
In the 1950s and 1960s, the company identified an emerging need: domestic comfort. It therefore began manufacturing electric water heaters and water heating systems under the Ariston brand, which was launched in 1960. It soon became synonymous with reliability and well-being in the home.
Industrial growth and the birth of the group
From water heaters, it was a short step to room heating. In the 1980s, Ariston entered the boiler and domestic heating systems market, consolidating its presence in the Italian and European markets.
In the years that followed, the group expanded its portfolio to include heat pumps, hybrid solutions, and high-efficiency products, placing sustainability at the heart of its product and innovation strategy. At the same time, it pursued a global growth strategy not only through internal development but also through acquisitions, integrating brands and companies such as ELCO and WOLF to strengthen its offering in climate comfort and heating systems for residential and commercial use.
A recent example of this strategy is the acquisition of Riello Group in 2025, a Made in Italy company with a century-long history in air conditioning systems and combustion technologies, which has brought brands and core skills to the group, completing its offering in European and global markets.
Focus on innovation and sustainability
Today, Ariston is a global leader in the thermal comfort sector, with a range that spans from heating and air conditioning systems to the most advanced solutions for renewable energy. A focus on the environment and people’s well-being is the compass that guides Ariston’s research and development. The company continually invests in new technologies to ensure year-round thermal comfort, focusing on intelligent solutions that combine energy savings and environmental friendliness.
Ariston and the value of Made in Italy tradition
The Ariston Group operates in over 150 countries, bringing Italian excellence to the world. Although the company is now a global player, it maintains strong ties to its Italian roots and has never lost its artisan touch, attention to detail and passion for quality and innovation, which are typically Italian traits. This combination of tradition and innovation has enabled the Ariston Group to earn the trust of millions of customers worldwide.
A separate chapter: household appliances and the Ariston brand
It is worth noting that Ariston was one of the best-known brands in the household appliances sector for decades. In the 1970s and 1980s, under Industrie Merloni and then Merloni Elettrodomestici, the Ariston brand was used on products such as washing machines, dishwashers, refrigerators, hobs and ovens. In 2007, the Ariston brand was combined with Hotpoint, only to be gradually abandoned in favour of Hotpoint after the transfer of Merloni Elettrodomestici, which, in 1987, had become Indesit Company, to the US company Whirlpool.
Ariston Group, on the other hand, has focused all its energy on the evolution of thermal comfort and air conditioning solutions – sectors in which it continues to invest in sustainability and innovation.
A glimpse into the future
The history of the Ariston Group is constantly evolving. Today, the company faces the challenges of energy and digital transition with the same pioneering spirit that guided its origins: improving the quality of everyday life by making home comfort increasingly intelligent and sustainable. The group has over 10,000 employees, 28 R&D centres and 29 production sites worldwide and is listed on the Milan Stock Exchange.
Congratulations to those who bring Italian know-how to the world!
Discover the stories of other outstanding Made in Italy companies in the Marche region.