ZODIAC

Zodiac Marine and Pool is a Franco-American company formed in 2007 by the merger of the marine division of the French company Zodiac and the American company Jandy Pool Products. Zodiac Marine and Pool is the result of the genius of two inventors. Zodiac was founded in 1896 by Maurice Mallet, an "aeronaut" who began producing balloons and aeroplanes. In 1911, the company changed its name to Zodiac. It took part in the maritime aerostation adventure, before launching into inflatable boats in 1934: the famous Zodiacs. In the 1960s and 1970s, Zodiac conquered markets in the United States and Europe, then bought out its competitors over the following twenty years, and diversified into swimming pool accessories. At the same time, Andrew L. Pansini had the idea in the 1950s of inventing a swimming pool robot after seeing his hose fall into the pool and clean it. In 1958 he set up Jandy Pool in California, despite suffering from polio. In 2007, he oversaw the merger of Jandy and Zodiac. The new group became a specialist in pool heat pumps, pool cleaners and mineral purification cartridges.