[1] Wilton C. Dinges founded the Electric Machine and Equipment Company (Emeco) in 1944 with $300 in savings and a used lathe for machine-work.

He started bidding on government manufacturing contracts out of a loft in Baltimore, Maryland, beginning with experimental antennas and jet engine parts.

[2][3][4] He obtained 10,000 pounds of aluminum scrap metal at an attractive price and started using it to build dining table legs.

[13] In addition to architects Gehry, Starck, and Lord Foster, Emeco has collaborated with many other famous architects and designers such as Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec, Naoto Fukasawa, Barber Osgerby, Jasper Morrison, Sam Hecht and Kim Colin, Nendo, Konstantin Grcic, Adrian Van Hooydonk (BMW Designworks), Michael Young, Jean Nouvel, Christophe Pillet [fr], Andrée Putman, and Ettore Sottsass.

[19] Philippe Starck and Emeco revived and reengineered a 2001 design so that it could be made using a formula that combines waste polypropylene and reclaimed wood fiber.

In January 2013, Restoration Hardware agreed to stop selling the disputed chairs and to recycle their existing stock.

[29] In May 2016 Emeco accepted an out-of-court settlement from IKEA, both companies issued a joint statement announcing that a deal had been reached.