COMPANYHISTORIES
NAIC 33635

Motor Vehicle Transmission and Power Train Parts Manufacturing

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

13companies1873–1998founding years12still active1no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedRENK AG
1873
1882
TechnologyEdison's Pearl Street Station opens the electric-utility era.
FoundedGKN plc
1900
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
1908
TechnologyFord's Model T puts the automobile within reach of the middle class.
FoundedEaton Corporation
1911
1913
TechnologyFord's moving assembly line transforms factory production.
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedZF Friedrichshafen AG
1915
FoundedGeneral Motors CorporationFoundedModine Manufacturing Company
1916
FoundedValeo
1923
FoundedGrupo Industrial Saltillo, S.A. de C.V.
1930
FoundedToyota Motor Corporation
1937
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
FoundedAisin Seiki Co., Ltd.
1943
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedMidas Inc.
1956
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedBorg-Warner Automotive, Inc.
1987
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
FoundedDelphi Automotive Systems Corporation
1998
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

RENK AG →
Active · founded 1873 · Germany
RENK AG is a leading German firm for the engineering and manufacture of the power transmission components, gear units,…
GKN plc →
Defunct · founded 1900 · United Kingdom
Born out of the early 20th-century mergers of three companies, GKN plc has evolved into a global industrial giant…
Eaton Corporation →
Active · founded 1911
Eaton Corporation is a diversified industrial manufacturer whose operations are divided into four main groups: fluid…
ZF Friedrichshafen AG →
Active · founded 1915 · Germany
ZF Friedrichshafen AG--one of the world's largest vendors to the global auto industry--translates power into motion…
General Motors Corporation →
Active · founded 1916
General Motors Corporation (GM) is the world's largest full-line vehicle manufacturer and marketer.
Modine Manufacturing Company →
Active · founded 1916
Modine Manufacturing Company operates as a leading thermal management concern that serves the light truck, heavy…
Valeo →
Active · founded 1923 · France
France's Valeo is the tenth-largest supplier of components and systems to the worldwide automobile and truck industry.
Grupo Industrial Saltillo, S.A. de C.V. →
Active · founded 1930 · Mexico
Grupo Industrial Saltillo, S.A.
Toyota Motor Corporation →
Active · founded 1937 · Japan
Toyota Motor Corporation was Japan's largest car company and the world's third largest by the year 2000.
Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. →
Active · founded 1943 · Japan
Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd.
Midas Inc. →
Active · founded 1956 · www.midasinc.com
Midas Inc.
Borg-Warner Automotive, Inc. →
Active · founded 1987
Not to be confused with its former parent (Borg-Warner Corporation) or ex-sibling (Borg-Warner Security Corporation),…
Delphi Automotive Systems Corporation →
Active · founded 1998
Delphi Automotive Systems Corporation is the world's largest and most diversified manufacturer of automobile components.
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