Solahart was a pioneering solar hot water developer based in Perth which is now part of Japan's Paloma Group, through its Rheem Australia subsidiary. The Solahart company had its beginnings in Perth, Western Australia, in 1901 when two plumbers formed a company known as S W Hart & Co, Plumbers and Ironworkers. They commenced business in galvanising and sheet metal fabrication, manufacturing tanks, baths, sinks, tubs and buckets. In 1935 Hart became a corporation and continued as S W Hart & Co Pty Ltd, adding manufacture of water heaters to its operations. In 1953, plumbing company SW Hart and Co decided that the sun was the best energy source to heat water in Western Australian homes. As a result, solar hot water in Australia was born. Solahart became a world leader in solar innovation and technology and invested millions of dollars into R&D and manufacturing. It has installed over 1 million systems in over 70 countries around the world and at its peak had 5 hectare manufacturing facility in Welshpool. By the early 1970s the Hart company had endured a series of takeovers, shattering employee morale. In 1973 the employees purchased the company and in their first full year of operation sales of Solahart solar hot water systems increased by over 160%. In 1979 Shell Australian acquired from the employees a 50% shareholding and in 1984 the James Hardie Industry Group, one of Australia's largest companies, acquired the remaining 50% from the employees. James Hardie Industries Limited then acquired the remainder of Shell's share in 1987 and changed the firm's name from S W Hart & Co to Hardie Energy Products. In October 1994 the Solahart firm was acquired by the Malaysian group Johan Holdings and the name changed again to Solahart Industries. In September 1998 Southcorp Limited, a diversified company which owns other water heater firms including Rheem and American Water Heater, but was better known as a wine-producing via brnads such as Penfolds and Lindemans, took over the firm. In 2001 it was purchased by Paloma, as part of its acquisition of the Rheem assets.
