COMPANY·HISTORIES
SIC 3714

Motor Vehicles Parts and Accessories

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

48companies1848–1993founding years48still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedGoulds Pumps Inc.
1848
FoundedMetallgesellschaft AG
1881
FoundedRheinmetall Berlin AG
1889
FoundedTRW Inc.
1901
FoundedHarley-Davidson, Inc.
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedGenCorp Inc.
1915
FoundedParker-Hannifin Corporation
1918
FoundedTrico Products Corporation
1920
FoundedFederal-Mogul Corporation
1924
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression spreads worldwide.
FoundedUnited Technologies Automotive Inc.
1930
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
FoundedRenault S.A.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedDaihatsu Motor Company, Ltd.
1951
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
FoundedKyocera Corporation
1959
FoundedTalley Industries, Inc.
1960
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedInternational Telephone and Telegraph Corporation
1968
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; currencies float.
FoundedDesc, S.A. de C.V.
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
FoundedPurolator Products Company
1976
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher worldwide.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
FoundedDanaher Corporation
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall sharply around the world.
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
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2000
EconomyThe dot-com bubble bursts.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2008
EconomyThe global financial crisis freezes credit worldwide.
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

Goulds Pumps Inc. →
Active · founded 1848
Goulds Pumps Inc.
Scovill Fasteners Inc. →
Active · founded 1850
One of the oldest manufacturing concerns in the United States, Scovill Fasteners Inc.
Metallgesellschaft AG →
Active · founded 1881 · Germany
Metallgesellschaft AG (MG), based in the heart of Frankfurt since its foundation, is a conglomerate providing raw…
Robert Bosch GmbH →
Active · founded 1886 · Germany
One of the ten largest companies in Germany, Robert Bosch GmbH is best known as a worldwide supplier of automotive…
Walker Manufacturing Company →
Active · founded 1888
Celebrating more than a century of quality workmanship, Walker Manufacturing Company is the world's leading producer of…
Rheinmetall Berlin AG →
Active · founded 1889 · Germany
Rheinmetall Berlin AG, the parent company of a group of more than 60 industrial manufacturing firms, is a leading…
Rexnord Corporation →
Active · founded 1892
A wholly owned subsidiary of BTR PLC, an international holding company based in London, England, since 1994, the…
Kuhlman Corporation →
Active · founded 1897
One of the fastest-growing companies in the United States, Kuhlman Corporation is an industrial manufacturing company…
TRW Inc. →
Active · founded 1901
Long a conglomerate, TRW Inc.
Clark Equipment Company →
Active · founded 1903
Clark Equipment Company designs, manufactures, and sells industrial trucks, tractors, and motor vehicle parts as well…
Harley-Davidson, Inc. →
Active · founded 1903
The only motorcycle manufacturer in the United States, Harley-Davidson, Inc.
A. O. Smith Corporation →
Active · founded 1904
A.
The Budd Company →
Active · founded 1912
The Budd Company is the leading automotive stamping manufacturer and one of the top automotive suppliers in the United…
GenCorp Inc. →
Active · founded 1915
As the parent corporation for three principal segments--Aerojet, GenCorp Automotive and GenCorp Polymer…
Dana Corporation →
Active · founded 1916
Dana Corporation is a leading manufacturer and distributor of vehicular and industrial products with 430 manufacturing…
Sparton Corporation →
Active · founded 1916
Sparton Corporation has a century long history of manufacturing technologically advanced equipment for the…
Parker-Hannifin Corporation →
Active · founded 1918
Motion control through the use of air, liquid, and gas is the principal concern of Parker-Hannifin Corporation.
AlliedSignal Inc. →
Active · founded 1920
AlliedSignal Inc., formed from the acquisition of Signal Companies, Inc.
Trico Products Corporation →
Active · founded 1920
Trico Products Corporation, a subsidiary of the Stant Corporation, is the world's largest manufacturer of automobile…
Bundy Corporation →
Active · founded 1922
Bundy Corporation is a subsidiary of the London-based specialized engineering group TI Group plc and a world leader in…
Federal-Mogul Corporation →
Active · founded 1924
Federal-Mogul Corporation manufactures precision components for cars, trucks, and construction vehicles, marketing its…
Federal-Mogul Corporation →
Active · founded 1924
Federal-Mogul Corporation manufactures precision components for cars, trucks, and construction vehicles, marketing its…
Hayes Lemmerz International, Inc. →
Active · founded 1927
The largest manufacturer of automobile wheels in the world, Hayes Lemmerz International, Inc.
Rockwell International Corporation →
Active · founded 1928
One of five companies in the United States supplying the federal government with military aircraft fighters and bombers…
United Technologies Automotive Inc. →
Active · founded 1930
United Technologies Automotive is a global designer and supplier of components and systems for automotive manufacturers.
Hino Motors, Ltd. →
Active · founded 1942 · Japan
Hino Motors, Ltd.
Renault S.A. →
Active · founded 1945 · France
One of the world's pioneering auto makers, Renault S.A.
Tenneco Inc. →
Active · founded 1947
Tenneco Inc.
Walbro Corporation →
Active · founded 1950
Walbro Corporation, a manufacturer and designer of fuel systems for automotive and outdoor power equipment, is…
Daihatsu Motor Company, Ltd. →
Active · founded 1951 · Japan
Daihatsu Motor Company, Ltd.
Burelle S.A. →
Active · founded 1957 · France
Burelle S.A., based in Lyons, France, is a holding company for two principal businesses: Compagnie Plastic Omnium and…
Echlin Inc. →
Active · founded 1959
Echlin Inc., founded by the Echlin brothers in 1924, is a leading manufacturer of automotive replacement parts,…
Kyocera Corporation →
Active · founded 1959 · Japan
Kyocera Corporation, founded in 1959, was one of the first companies to produce fine ceramic components.
Cooper Tire & Rubber Company →
Active · founded 1960
America's fourth largest tire manufacturer, Cooper Tire & Rubber Company ranks among the world's top ten tiremakers and…
Talley Industries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1960
Talley Industries Inc.
Linamar Corporation →
Active · founded 1966 · N1K 1B2
Canadian-based Linamar Corporation is one of the fastest-growing manufacturers of high precision machined and assembled…
Mr. Gasket Inc. →
Active · founded 1967
Throughout its more than 30 years in business, Mr.
International Telephone and Telegraph Corporation →
Active · founded 1968
Once known primarily as a telecommunications company, the International Telephone and Telegraph Corporation (ITT) has…
Superior Industries International, Inc. →
Active · founded 1969
Founded initially to make radiator bug screens, Superior Industries International, Inc., has grown to be the largest…
Varlen Corporation →
Active · founded 1969
The Varlen Corporation is a continuously evolving diversified manufacturing company.
Desc, S.A. de C.V. →
Active · founded 1973 · Mexico
Desc, S.A.
Alfa, S.A. de C.V. →
Active · founded 1974 · Mexico
Alfa, S.A.
Purolator Products Company →
Active · founded 1976
Purolator Products Company is the largest manufacturer of automotive filters in the United States.
Grupo Carso, S.A. de C.V. →
Active · founded 1980 · Mexico
Grupo Carso, S.A.
TI Group plc →
Active · founded 1982 · United Kingdom
TI Group plc is a holding company for an international specialized engineering group of firms with three core business…
Danaher Corporation →
Active · founded 1984 · United States
Danaher Corporation, a holding company established in 1984, currently consists of thirteen wholly owned subsidiaries…
Wabash National Corp. →
Active · founded 1991
Wabash National Corporation--one of the largest manufacturers of semi-trailers in the world--designs, manufactures, and…
Tower Automotive, Inc. →
Active · founded 1993
A leading supplier of automotive components to U.S.
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