Wagner Electric

Last updated

Wagner Electric Corporation
Industry Automotive
Founded1891;130 years ago (1891)
Founder
  • Herbert Appleton Wagner
  • Ferdinand Schwedtmann
Defunct1967 (1967)
FateMerged into Studebaker-Worthington

Wagner Electric Corporation was an electric equipment manufacturing firm established in 1891 that became part of Studebaker-Worthington in 1967.

Contents

History

Herbert Appleton Wagner Herbert Appleton Wagner (1867-1947).png
Herbert Appleton Wagner

Wagner Electric Corporation was founded by Herbert Appleton Wagner and Ferdinand Schwedtmann (aka Francis Charles Schwedtman) in 1891. The company manufactured electric engines,electric motors and electric starters for early automobiles. They also made electric lights and many other electric-related products. In 1909, Wagner Electric started manufacturing their first automotive headlamp bulbs.

Wagner Electric Company Strike, May 3, 1918 Wagner Electric Company Strike, several people gathered outside building, some in confrontational poses as they converse with each other. May 3rd, 1918.jpg
Wagner Electric Company Strike, May 3, 1918

The International Association of Machinists held a strike at the Wagner Electric Company in St. Louis, Missouri from June 4 to October 7, 1918. [1] [2]

Before it became part of a conglomerate, Wagner had three main divisions. It had the automotive division where it made brake parts and systems for autos and trucks. It had the motor division which made small and large electric motors and it had the transformer division where it manufactured small and medium power transformers plus liquid-immersed distribution transformers. The transformer division ended up as part of the Cooper Power Systems division.

In 1967 Wagner Electric was merged with Studebaker and Worthington Corporation to create Studebaker-Worthington, a diversified American manufacturer. The combined company included profitable divisions from Studebaker such as Onan generators and STP engine additives, brake and electrical automobile component manufacturing from Wagner Electric, and diverse operations from Worthington that included manufacture of construction equipment, valves and power generation plant. [3]

Wagner brands today

Today Wagner is part of the Federal-Mogul Motorparts group. Under the name Wagner Lighting Products, some of their brands include TruView, [4] BriteLite, HalogenGold and LazerBlue. They also make brake pads under the name Wagner Brake Products. [5]

Related Research Articles

Studebaker Defunct car manufacturer

Studebaker was an American wagon and automobile manufacturer based in South Bend, Indiana. Founded in 1852 and incorporated in 1868 as the Studebaker Brothers Manufacturing Company, the firm was originally a coachbuilder, manufacturing wagons, buggies, carriages and harnesses.

American Locomotive Company Defunct locomotive manufacturer

The American Locomotive Company was an American manufacturer of locomotives, diesel generators, steel, and tanks that operated from 1901 to 1969.

Montreal Locomotive Works Defunct Canadian locomotive manufacturer

Montreal Locomotive Works (MLW) was a Canadian railway locomotive manufacturer which existed under several names from 1883 to 1985, producing both steam and diesel locomotives. For a number of years it was a subsidiary of the American Locomotive Company. MLW's headquarters and manufacturing facilities were located in Montreal, Quebec.

The Bendix Corporation was an American manufacturing and engineering company which, during various times in its 60-year existence (1924–1983), made automotive brake shoes and systems, vacuum tubes, aircraft brakes, aeronautical hydraulics and electric power systems, avionics, aircraft and automobile fuel control systems, radios, televisions and computers. It was also well known for the name Bendix, as used on home clothes washing machines, but never actually made these appliances.

The Studebaker-Packard Corporation was the entity created in 1954 by the purchase of the Studebaker Corporation of South Bend, Indiana, by the Packard Motor Car Company of Detroit, Michigan. While Studebaker was the larger of the two companies, Packard's balance sheet and executive team were stronger than that of the South Bend company.

Johnson Electric (德昌電機控股有限公司) is a provider of motors, actuators, motion subsystems and related electro-mechanical components for automotive, industrial and medical applications. Johnson Electric has manufacturing facilities in 18 countries.

Northern (automobile) Manufacturer of Brass Era automobiles in Detroit.

Northern Manufacturing Company was a manufacturer of Brass Era automobiles in Detroit, Michigan, automobiles designed by Charles Brady King. Early advertising included catchy phrases such as "Utility is the Basis for Beauty" and "Built for Business" and the famous "Silent Northern".

Lucas Industries plc was a Birmingham-based British manufacturer of motor industry and aerospace industry components. Once prominent, it was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was formerly a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. In August 1996, Lucas merged with the American Varity Corporation to form LucasVarity.

Federal-Mogul Corporation is an American developer, manufacturer and supplier of products for automotive, commercial, aerospace, marine, rail and off-road vehicles; and industrial, agricultural and power-generation applications. It was acquired in October 2018 by Tenneco.

Tenneco is an American automotive components original equipment manufacturer and an aftermarket ride control and emissions products manufacturer. It is a Fortune 500 company that has been publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange since November 5, 1999 under the symbol TEN. Tenneco, with headquarters in Lake Forest, Illinois, United States

Delco Electronics Corporation was the automotive electronics design and manufacturing subsidiary of General Motors based in Kokomo, Indiana, that manufactured Delco radios and other electric products found in GM cars. In 1972, General Motors merged it with the AC Electronics division and it continued to operate as part of the Delco Electronics division of General Motors. The name Delco came from the Dayton Engineering Laboratories Co., founded in Dayton, Ohio, by Charles Kettering and Edward A. Deeds in 1909. Delco was responsible for several innovations in automobile electric systems, including the first reliable battery ignition system and the first practical automobile self-starter.

PACE Award Annual Automotive News award

The PACE Award is an annual award from Automotive News. The focus of the award is an innovation (i) developed primarily by a supplier, (ii) that is new to the automotive industry, (iii) that is in use, and (iv) that "changes the rules of the game." Awards have been given for products, materials, processes, capital equipment, software and services. A panel of independent judges from industry, finance, research, and academia choose finalists from the initial applicants, make site visits to evaluate the innovation, and then gather to select winners, independent of the sponsors. Winners to date include suppliers from Japan, Korea, China, the US, Canada, Brazil, Germany, France, Italy, Poland and other European countries. Among the most awarded companies over the years are BorgWarner, Delphi Automotive, Federal-Mogul, Valeo and PPG Industries as well as Robert Bosch GmbH, Gentex Corporation, and Siemens.

Autolite or Auto-Lite is an American brand of spark plugs and ignition wire sets. Autolite products are sold in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Australia. Until 2011, the Autolite brand was a part of Honeywell's automotive Consumer Products Group, along with FRAM and Prestone. Since then, it has been manufactured and marketed by FRAM Group, which is a constituent company of the Auckland, New Zealand-based investment firm Rank Group. Autolite has been the official spark plug of NASCAR since April 2000.

Automotive industry in Canada Overview of the automotive industry in Canada

The automotive industry in Canada consists primarily of assembly plants of foreign automakers, most with headquarters in the United States or Japan, along with hundreds of manufacturers of automotive parts and systems.

American automobile industry in the 1950s

The 1950s were pivotal for the American automobile industry. The post-World War II era brought a wide range of new technologies to the automobile consumer, and a host of problems for the independent automobile manufacturers. The industry was maturing in an era of rapid technological change; mass production and the benefits from economies of scale led to innovative designs and greater profits, but stiff competition between the automakers. By the end of the decade, the industry had reshaped itself into the Big Three, Studebaker, and AMC. The age of small independent automakers was nearly over, as most of them either consolidated or went out of business.

Frederick Morrell Zeder was an American automotive industry engineer and a member of the Automotive Hall of Fame. He made material contributions to Allis-Chalmers and Studebaker. Along with Carl Breer and Owen Skelton, he was one of the core engineering team that formed the present-day Chrysler Corporation. His innovations included rubber motor mounts that contributed to Chrysler's success. He was the first president of Chrysler's Institute of Engineering.

McGraw-Edison was an American manufacturer of electrical equipment. It was created in 1957 through a merger of McGraw Electric and Thomas A. Edison, Inc., and was in turn acquired by Cooper Industries in 1985. Today, the McGraw-Edison brand is used on industrial, commercial, and institutional lighting products, and is now owned by the Pennsylvania Transformer Technologies Inc. Company as of being aquired in 1996.

Studebaker-Worthington was a diversified American manufacturer created in 1967 through a merger of Studebaker, Wagner Electric and Worthington Corporation. The company was in turn acquired by McGraw-Edison in 1979.

Worthington Corporation

The Worthington Corporation was a diversified American manufacturer that had its roots in Worthington and Baker, a steam pump manufacturer founded in 1845. In 1967 it merged with Studebaker and Wagner Electric to form Studebaker-Worthington. This company was in turn acquired by McGraw-Edison in 1979.

Frank J. Nunlist American businessman

Frank J. Nunlist was an American businessman who became chairman of Worthington Corporation, and then of Studebaker-Worthington. After retiring, he was appointed Assistant Postmaster General, Bureau of Operations.

References

  1. Tate, Linda. "The History of Wagner Electric". The Wellston Loop. Retrieved April 28, 2018.
  2. "Guide to the Strike Files of the U.S. Department of Justice, Pt. 1 on Microfilm". Cornell University Library Rare and Manuscript Collections. Retrieved April 28, 2018.
  3. Foster, Patrick (2008). Studebaker: The Complete History. MotorBooks International. p. 187. ISBN   978-1-61673-018-5 . Retrieved October 22, 2013.
  4. "Tenneco - Cleaner, More Efficient and Reliable Performance".
  5. "Tenneco - Cleaner, More Efficient and Reliable Performance".