| ARJ Company | |
| Foundation: | 1937 |
| Location City: | Tehran, Iran |
| Products: | Home appliances |
| Homepage: | arjgroup.ir |
| Founder: | Khalil Arjomand |
Arj Home Appliance Company (Persian: ارج) is the first white goods manufacturer in Iran. It was founded by Khalil Arjomand in 1937 as a small workshop in Tehran, Iran with eight employees. It started by producing water coolers and refrigerators. It later expanded its production line to include gas heaters, washing machines, freezers and other devices.
The company originally began with a small factory producing metal products. Gradually, it broadened its range of products, increasing the number of employees to eight in the 1940s. With the expansion, the brand moved to Tehran-Karaj Road – the main industrial area to the west of the Iranian capital – where it broadened its range to include several household appliances.
However, in 1979, as with many of its competitors, Arj was nationalized due to the new revolutionary government's dislike of large businesses not under national control. By 1995 the majority of its shares were then sold off to Iran's largest state bank, Melli (National) Bank, which sold them on to different private shareholders.[1]
Arj had been closed since 1995. As a result of increasing competition from foreign brands and financial problems, the company declared bankruptcy in fiscal year 2016-17.[2]
Arj officially closed in 2016 due to escalating production problems. The main reasons leading to its closure may have been:
The Ministry of Industry decided to hold talks with multinational conglomerate corporation General Electric (GE), the American multinational manufacturer and marketer of home appliances Whirlpool Corporation, and the Italian Ariston Thermo Group to revive and update the named Iranian companies like Arj and others.[4] [5]