# Companies with irregular product lines **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 4, 2006, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companies-with-irregular-product-lines/355342 "2006-05-04T02:21:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Seren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e19adc/32.png) [@Seren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seren)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2006, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companies-with-irregular-product-lines/355342/21 "2006-05-04T17:49:06Z")
Milliken. Dash boards and pool table tops. Along with a ton of other stuff. [They’re everywhere.](http://www.milliken.com/hr/wwwmlkn.nsf/HomePGFrameset?Open) > [@](#): > > Just look around. You’ll see Milliken ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2006, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companies-with-irregular-product-lines/355342/22 "2006-05-04T18:11:46Z")
Kinney National Corp, before it was eaten by Time Warner, managed parking lots, published DC comics and Mad Magazine, and ran Warner Brothers Studios. And it started out as a chain of funeral homes. ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2006, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companies-with-irregular-product-lines/355342/23 "2006-05-04T18:18:18Z")
> [@MessyPaint](#): > > Daewoo makes cars and VCR’s. [They also make assault rifles.](http://world.guns.ru/assault/as32-e.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2006, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companies-with-irregular-product-lines/355342/24 "2006-05-04T18:35:30Z")
Many people think of Texas Instruments as a calculator company. IIRC, a friend of mine that was an auditor for them said that calculators were less than 1/10th of one percent of their total income. Most of it is in semi-conductors and defense contracting. ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2006, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companies-with-irregular-product-lines/355342/25 "2006-05-04T18:59:32Z")
> [@Askance](#): > > My nomination is Yamaha, who produce (amongst much else) pianos, guitars, … and motor-bikes. They make all sort of musical instruments, I played a Yamaha bass trombone in college. Kawasaki makes motorcycles and train parts along with other large construction vehicles, I always thought that was interesting though not that strange. ---
**Author:** ![Dijon\_Warlock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9a28c/32.png) [@Dijon\_Warlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dijon_Warlock)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2006, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companies-with-irregular-product-lines/355342/26 "2006-05-04T19:21:01Z")
In a house I once rented a room in, we had two old refrigerators: A Ford Philco (mostly known–to me–for radios) An International Harvester (mostly known–to me–for tractors and other farm equipment) ---
**Author:** ![Zeriel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/58956e/32.png) [@Zeriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeriel)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2006, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companies-with-irregular-product-lines/355342/27 "2006-05-04T19:37:28Z")
Going back to Europe, we have Saab which, like Mitsubishi, makes decent cars and advanced military fighter aircraft. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2006, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companies-with-irregular-product-lines/355342/28 "2006-05-04T19:51:10Z")
During WWII, the Colt 1911A1 pistol was produced by several companies including Singer Sewing Machines and Union Switch and Signal. ---
**Author:** ![rinni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f6c823/32.png) [@rinni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rinni)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2006, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companies-with-irregular-product-lines/355342/29 "2006-05-04T21:25:59Z")
> [@Edward The Head](#): > > They make all sort of musical instruments, I played a Yamaha bass trombone in college. Kawasaki makes motorcycles and train parts along with other large construction vehicles, I always thought that was interesting though not that strange. I always thought Yamaha was amusing too. BTW, I play a Yamaha flute. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2006, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companies-with-irregular-product-lines/355342/30 "2006-05-05T02:06:24Z")
TWA (the airline) once owned Hilton Hotels. Ford Motor Company made and sold charcoal from 1924-1951. (The Kingsford brand is the linear descendent.) Crosley made radios, refrigerators and automobiles. One of my favorites is LTV (Ling Temco Vought) which at one time or another had product lines including stereo equipment, fighter jets, sporting goods, wire and cable, Braniff Airlines, National Car Rental – and meat. ---
**Author:** ![mike1dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@mike1dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mike1dog)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2006, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companies-with-irregular-product-lines/355342/31 "2006-05-05T02:31:31Z")
I’ve got to say [3M](http://solutions.3m.com/en_US/Products/) has to be one of the most diverse companies. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/companies-with-irregular-product-lines/355342.md?page=1)