In late 1933 the swedish Electrolux established their first American plant in Old Greenwich, Connecticut. Mainly vacuum cleaners were produced. On December 7, 1941 came the shock of the attack on Pearl Harbor. The US was abruptly plunged into war. In one way or another, the life of the company, and of every Electrolux worker, would be affected by the conflict before it was over. Under the dislocation of the war, the manufacture of most kinds of civilian goods was halted, or at least severely limited, and the Electrolux plant "went to war," along with thousands of other factories throughout the nation. No new vacuum cleaners could be made, although the company was granted permission to continue to turn out parts and service for its countless thousands of machines already in use.

Electrolux's principal, direct contribution to the war as a company was to convert its factory to the "round-the-clock" production of more than 35 kinds of electric motors and precision controls needed by the armed forces. The work force at the factory was considerably enlarged and a schedule of three eight-hour shifts was put into effect, under which employees had only every sixth day off. Only the secret archives of the old War Production Board could have disclosed how many vital instruments of war were made at the Old Greenwich plant during that period.