COMPANY·HISTORIES
NAIC 336322

Other Motor Vehicle Electrical and Electronic Equipment

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

16companies1871–1998founding years16still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedContinental AG
1871
FoundedRENK AG
1873
FoundedJohnson Controls, Inc.
1885
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedLennox International Inc.
1904
FoundedEaton Corporation
1911
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedModine Manufacturing Company
1916
FoundedLear Corporation
1917
FoundedCummins Engine Company, Inc.
1919
FoundedValeo
1923
FoundedStandard Motor Products, Inc.
1926
FoundedMotorola, Inc.
1928
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression spreads worldwide.
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.
FoundedPolaris Industries Inc.
1954
FoundedMidas Inc.
1956
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; currencies float.
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher worldwide.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
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.
FoundedDelphi Automotive Systems Corporation
1998
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

Continental AG →
Active · founded 1871 · Germany
Long established as the leading tire producer in Germany, Continental AG attained international prominence through a…
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,…
Johnson Controls, Inc. →
Active · founded 1885
Johnson Controls, Inc.
Lennox International Inc. →
Active · founded 1904
Lennox International Inc., through its four main subsidiaries--Lennox Industries Inc., Heatcraft Inc., Armstrong Air…
Eaton Corporation →
Active · founded 1911
Eaton Corporation is a diversified industrial manufacturer whose operations are divided into four main groups: fluid…
Modine Manufacturing Company →
Active · founded 1916
Modine Manufacturing Company operates as a leading thermal management concern that serves the light truck, heavy…
Lear Corporation →
Active · founded 1917
Lear Corporation is the world's leading supplier of automotive interior systems.
Cummins Engine Company, Inc. →
Active · founded 1919
No one makes more large diesel engines than Cummins Engine Company, Inc.
Valeo →
Active · founded 1923 · France
France's Valeo is the tenth-largest supplier of components and systems to the worldwide automobile and truck industry.
Standard Motor Products, Inc. →
Active · founded 1926
Standard Motor Products, Inc.
Motorola, Inc. →
Active · founded 1928
Electronic communications pioneer Motorola, Inc.
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.
Polaris Industries Inc. →
Active · founded 1954
Polaris Industries Inc.
Midas Inc. →
Active · founded 1956 · www.midasinc.com
Midas Inc.
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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