BorgWarner

The original Borg-Warner Corporation was formed in 1928[1] by the merger of Warner Gear,[1] which itself was founded by Thomas Warner in 1901,[1] and Borg & Beck[1] founded by Charles Borg and Marshall Beck in 1903,[1] Marvel Schelber Carburetor Co founded in 1905 by George Schebler and the Mechanics Universal Joint Co. The company was best known as the supplier of Warner Gear overdrive units for cars of the 1930s to the 1970s,[11] and as the developer of Studebaker's three-speed automatic transmission introduced in 1950,[1] along with 'Holley' brand Borg & Beck carburetors.[1] Ford took up development of the transmission in Studebaker's place in 1955. The early Ford automatics are derivatives of the Borg Warner.

The Warner Gear name was still being used for the marine and industrial transmissions supplied by Borg Warner under the trade name 'Velvet Drive' into the 1980s. The 'Velvet Drive' production was transferred to Regal-Beloit Corporation in 1995, who trade as "Velvet Drive Transmissions".

In the 21st century, the company changed the styling of its name from Borg-Warner to BorgWarner.

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.[12] BorgWarner claims this technology will reach mainstream cars within 10 years.[12] From 2002, Peugeot, Ford and Renault became major customers for the company's turbochargers[1] with the Volkswagen Group on-board since 1999, choosing to exclusively use the BorgWarner K-Series turbochargers for their then-new 1.8T power plant.

BorgWarner supplies wet clutches and hydraulic modules for dual-clutch transmission systems. With their DualTronic[1] technology, BorgWarner has gained contracts with European automakers[1] that want to use dual clutch transmissions. The German automotive concern Volkswagen Group is BorgWarner's largest customer (by sales),[8] and Europe is their largest market.[8] Light vehicles (automobiles, car-derived vans, and light commercial vehicles) account for 72% of BorgWarner's total sales.[8]

The company's world headquarters is in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Robert S. Ingersoll formerly served as the company's CEO and Chairman. BorgWarner's Powertrain Technical Center (PTC) is also based in Auburn Hills.

The BorgWarner Indianapolis 500 Trophy is presented to the winner of the annual Indianapolis 500 auto racing event; this has been provided by the company since 1936,[13][14] as a legacy of Louie Schwitzer who won the first automobile racing event held at the facility, in 1909.[1] 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. On October 2, 2006, BorgWarner announced the purchase of the European Transmission and Engine Controls product lines from Eaton Corporation.

In January 2020, BorgWarner and Delphi Technologies announced that BorgWarner will acquire Delphi for $3.3 billion to expand its ability to supply hybrid and electric vehicles.[15] In March 2020, BorgWarner raised the option of terminating the acquisition deal after Delphi tapped its $500 million revolving credit facility due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[16]

In 2002, BorgWarner Inc. was split into two key business divisions:[1]

• BorgWarner Engine Group:[7] This is responsible for the research and development of the company's internal combustion engine-related components, along with operational efficiency, including fuel consumption, emissions and performance. Key products are turbochargers and other related engine operation components.[7]
• BorgWarner Drivetrain Group:[7] The fundamental core of this division is its automotive transmission systems. These include manual transmissions, automatic transmissions, and the critically acclaimed DualTronic dual clutch transmission, which is more commonly known as Volkswagen Group's Direct-Shift Gearbox. Other responsibilities are its four-wheel drive systems and transmission electronic control units.[7]

The following are subsidiary companies of the parent, BorgWarner Inc.,[17] and/or its primary divisions, and outline their respective products:

BorgWarner Inc. has the following production locations:[28][29]

North America, inc United States

Auburn Hills, MI – World Headquarters

Asheville, North Carolina

Auburn Hills, MI – Powertrain Technical Center

Bellwood, IL

Cadillac, MI

Cortland, NY

Dixon, IL

Ramos Arizpe, Mexico

El Salto, Mexico

Fletcher, North Carolina

Frankfort, IL

Guadalajara, Mexico

Ithaca, NY

Livonia, MI

Longview, TX (closed 2014)[30]

Marshall, MI

Melrose Park, IL

Muncie, IN (closed 2009)[31]

San Luis Potosí, Mexico

Seneca, South Carolina

Simcoe, Ontario, Canada

Water Valley, MS

Europe

Arcore, Italy

Arnstadt, Germany

Bradford, England

Bretten, Germany (BERU)

Chazelles sur Lyon, France (BERU)

Diss, England (BERU)

Heidelberg, Germany

Ketsch, Germany

Kirchheimbolanden, Germany

Landskrona, Sweden

Ludwigsburg, Germany

Lugo, Italy

Margam, Wales

Markdorf, Germany

Muggendorf, Germany (BERU)

Neuhaus, Germany (BERU)

Newcastle, England

Oroszlany, Hungary

Rzeszów, Poland

Tralee, Ireland (BERU)

Tulle, France

Valença, Portugal

Vigo, Spain

Vitoria, Spain (BERU)

Asia

Aoyama, Japan

Beijing, China

Dalian, China

Tianjin, China

Changwon, South Korea

Chennai, India

Chungju, South Korea

Eumsung, South Korea

NSK-Warner – Shanghai, China

NSK-Warner – Fukuroi, Japan

Kakkalur, India

Manesar, India

Nabari City, Japan

Ningbo, China

Oochang, Korea

Pune, India (BERU)

Pune, India

Pyongtaek, South Korea

Rayong, Thailand

Seoul, South Korea

Shanghai, China

Taicang, China

Sirsi, India

South America

Itatiba, Brazil (Turbos Systems, Morse Systems, Thermal Systems and Power Drive Systems)

Piracicaba, Brazil (Emissions Systems)

Brusque, Brazil (Power Drive Systems)

On April 12, 2005, BorgWarner won a 2005 Automotive News PACE Award at a ceremony in Detroit. The award recognized automotive suppliers for superior innovation, technological advancement and business performance.[32]

Since 2012 season, BorgWarner currently supplies the turbochargers for the IndyCar Series with designation EFR7163. Since 1936 BorgWarner has also sponsored the Indianapolis 500-winning trophy.[33] Each year, the winning driver is presented with a miniature replica during a reception in January, about seven months after the race. Prior to the trophy's inception, the Wheeler-Schebler Trophy was awarded to the leader at the 400-mile mark, but was retired when car owner Harry Hartz claimed it three times. Since 2014 season, BorgWarner currently supplies turbochargers for Renault Sport Energy F1 V6 Turbo Power Units as an expertisement of hybrid turbochargers. BorgWarner also supplied turbochargers for all Renault Sport R.S. 01 cars for both seasons of the Renault Sport Trophy.

The company sponsors the Louis Schwitzer Award and prize money.

• BorgWarner.com official corporate portal

• Business data for BorgWarner:
  • Google Finance
  • Yahoo! Finance
  • SEC filings
• Changing Gears Documentary Film Collection Digital Media Repository, Ball State University Libraries
• Gear-O-Gram Magazine Digital Media Repository, Ball State University Libraries