BorgWarner history

Borg soon decided to pursue other interests, and in March 1929 he switched positions with Davis.

In 1930 Ford contracted Borg-Warner to construct transmissions for its new standard lever gearshift.

Warner Gear engineers developed the first overdrive, sold to Chrysler in 1934.

By 1936 the Rollator refrigerator was the second-best-selling refrigerator in the United States.

In autumn 1941 the navy contracted Borg-Warner to develop an amphibious tank for the marines to use in the Pacific theater of war.

In 1948 Borg-Warner was contracted by Ford to produce half of its automatic transmissions.

After the war, Warner Gear's technology briefly lent itself to the medical field in 1949, producing iron lungs.

Davis remained president of BWC until 1950.

The latter was so enamored of Borg-Warner's transmissions that it signed a five-year exclusive contract with Borg-Warner in 1951 for the production of automatic transmissions.

After working as a Federal Bureau of Investigation agent, Johnson came to BWC in 1952, working in the firm’s automotive-manufacturing operations.

While in Paris in 1954 Davis died, and Ingersoll became chairman of the board.

Nevertheless, diversification, especially after 1955, eventually brought BWC to appliances, heating and air conditioning, chemicals, financial services, and protective services.

Borg-Warner executives decided to purchase the York Corporation of York, Pennsylvania, in 1956.

To broaden its international operations, Borg-Warner acquired Coote & Jurgenson, an Australian transmission producer for autos and tractors in 1957.

In 1958 Borg-Warner’s contract to manufacture Ford-O-Matic transmissions ended.

The next year, 1961, was the beginning of a new era--though few recognized it as such&mdash James F. Bere joined the company as head of the Borg & Beck subsidiary.

By 1967 chemicals accounted for about $100 million of BWC’s sales.

As a result, insiders were shocked when Chairman Robert S. Ingersoll announced Bere as his new president in 1968, promoting him over four company veterans.

In 1969 Aisin-Warner was formed as another joint venture with Japan to build automatic transmissions, including the advanced Model 35, which was now distributed to 30 automakers for use in over 100 vehicles ranging from Nissans to Jaguars.

Marvel-Schebler expanded by merging with Tillotson Carburetor in 1971, the same year that Borg & Beck christened a new plant in Michigan.

In 1972, just four years after his surprise appointment as president, Bere became CEO when Ingersoll left the company and the United States to become an ambassador to Japan.

1973: Company introduces full-time, four-wheel drive transfer cases using Hy-Vo drive chains.

When Borg-Warner celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1978, its automotive profits had reached $98 million.

After an upswing in the company’s fortunes in early 1980, however, Firestone directors balked at the agreed price, and the deal fell through in April 1980.

Borg-Warner also tightened its focus by selling Morse Industrial and its automotive service parts divisions in 1981.

After a difficult transition period among its top management, the future of Borg-Warner seemed to have been settled with the selection of Clarence Johnson as president in April 1984.

By 1985 Borg-Warner Automotive employed 10,000 people and began using high volume laser-cutting in its Frankfort, Illinois, plant.

Wary of a “poison pill” plan adopted by Borg-Warner in early 1986, Heyman claimed his acquisition was a friendly one.

At Merrill Lynch’s insistence Bere was brought back as chief executive in June 1987.

The largest sale involved the chemicals group, which was bought in September 1988 by General Electric for $2.3 billion.

In July 1994, John Fiedler was named president and CEO of Borg-Warner Automotive after serving Goodyear's North American Tire division for 30 years.

1996: Company acquires three automotive businesses from Coltec Industries.

1997: Borg-Warner enters turbocharger market through purchase of majority interest in German firm.

In October 1999 BWA completed another large acquisition, this one a $310 million purchase of the fluid power division of Eaton Corporation.

With the risk of confusion gone, the company took this opportunity to rename itself simply BorgWarner Inc. in early 2000.

To the last point, by 2002 the Big Three comprised only 63 percent of BorgWarner's sales.

Fiedler retired in 2003, having shepherded a booming nine-year span in which revenues surged from $800 million to $2.73 billion.

After another record year in 2004, BorgWarner bolstered its engine business early the following year by acquiring a controlling 69 percent stake in Beru AG of Ludwigsburg, Germany.

By moving its headquarters from Chicago to the metro Detroit area in 2005, BorgWarner chooses a key location in the worldwide automotive industry.

On Oct 2, 2006, BorgWarner announced the purchase of the European Transmission and Engine Controls product lines from Eaton Corporation.”

The company is also notable for co-developing a variable-geometry turbocharger with Porsche, the Variable Turbine Geometry (VTG) system, used in the 2007 911 Turbo.

It was announced by the Izod Indycar Series that BorgWarner has been selected as the official supplier for the turbochargers to be used in the 2.2L turbocharged engine formula for the series which took effect in 2012.

In 2015, BorgWarner also acquires rotating electric business to integrate it with their own powertrain technology.

In 2016, BorgWarner presents its first integrated electric drive module (iDM) for the electric vehicle market and launches the 48-volt eBooster® electrically driven compressor in Daimler’s 3.0-liter gasoline engine.

Complementing its power electronics and electrified propulsion solutions, BorgWarner acquires Sevcon, Inc. in 2017.

To stay ahead of emerging technology trends, the company partners with Plug and Play and Franklin Venture Partners in 2018.

In 2019, BorgWarner acquires propulsion inverters and controls businesses for HEVs and EVs in the specialty and commercial vehicle sectors.