1909
Timken Detroit Axle was formed and located on Clark
Street in Detroit, Michigan.
1913
By 1913, the area served daily by a truck was more
than six times larger than the one served by horse-drawn wagons. Total work was
nearly four times greater, with less than 15 percent of space required for
garaging as opposed to stabling (Perry, 1913). Massive deployment of trucks
began only with the U.S. involvement in WW1.
1919
Colonel Willard F. Rockwell (1888-1978) purchases
Wisconsin Parts Company to produce an improved axle based on his own design.
Rockwell said, "A big wheel is nothing without an axle."
1929
Timken Detroit Axle acquires Wisconsin Parts to form
Timken-Detroit Axle and Wisconsin Axle; Willard Rockwell later becomes
president.
1941
Facility is built in Cwmbran, South Wales as a
Ministry of Aircraft production unit for the manufacture of electric gun turrets
for RAF bomber aircraft.
1951
With manufacturing locations in Detroit and Jackson,
Mich.; Oshkosh, Wis.; Utica, N.Y.; Ashtabula and Kenton, Ohio; and New Castle,
Pa.; Timken Detroit Axle advertises its new R-330 series axle with top-mounted
final drive as an "advanced engineering improvement found only in Timken-Detroit
axles."
1953
Willard Rockwell merges Wisconsin Parts, Standard
Steel and Spring, and Timken Detroit Axle to form Rockwell Spring and Axle
Company.
1958
Rockwell Spring becomes Pittsburgh-based Rockwell
Standard Corporation, with factories located in the upper Midwest United States
and Southern Ontario, Canada.
1967
North American Aviation’s reputation was damaged by
the Apollo space capsule disaster of January 1967, and was soon threatened with
bankruptcy. Rockwell Standard made a successful bid of $922 million for the
company in March 1967, thus establishing North American Rockwell.
1973
North American Rockwell acquires Collins Radio which
designed and built radios that communicated the Apollo moon launch landings -
thus establishing Rockwell Collins.
North American Rockwell merges with Rockwell
Manufacturing Company to form Rockwell International – which wins a $2.6 billion
contract to build the space shuttle orbiter designated OV-101.
1975
Automotive operations headquarters for Rockwell
International is established in Troy, Michigan.
1989
Rockwell Automotive introduces family of nine- and
13-speed on-highway transmissions.
1993
Rockwell designs first permanently lubricated
universal joints to reduce maintenance costs.
1996
Rockwell Automotive introduces revolutionary Engine
Synchro Shift transmission designed to reduce driver shift effort and improve
operational efficiencies.
1997
Rockwell International spins off its automotive
business, creating Meritor Automotive.
1998
Meritor acquires Volvo Trucks’ heavy vehicle
manufacturing operation in Lindesberg, Sweden, and acquires Euclid Industries, a
leading replacement parts manufacturer for heavy-duty vehicles.
Meritor acquires Lucas Varity's Heavy Vehicle Braking
Systems business.
2000
Meritor Automotive and Arvin Industries merge to form
ArvinMeritor, Inc. (NYSE: ARM).
2004
Charles "Chip" McClure joins ArvinMeritor as chairman,
CEO and president, and begins to lead the company through a multi-year
transformation.
ArvinMeritor launches its “3R” Strategy: Rationalize,
Refocus and Regenerate which includes divestitures, acquisitions, product
innovations, international expansion and technical advancements.
2006
Performance Plus, a profit
improvement program, is launched to improve cash flow, drive earnings power, and
improve shareowner value.
2007
International Military and
Government, LLC selects ArvinMeritor to supply front and rear drive axles for a
new generation of armored personnel carriers for the U.S. military – the Mine Resistant
Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle. Later that year, ArvinMeritor is also selected
as the drivetrain supplier for Armor Holdings.
The Meritor®17X axle is introduced in Europe, offering
new design features and superior performance for linehaul applications.
2008
ArvinMeritor's off-highway original equipment and
aftermarket components business is re-established in North America, South
America, Europe and Africa.
A new 400,000 sq. ft. facility opens in Monterrey,
Mexico to accommodate additional capacity for the company's axle and brake
assembly operations with advanced manufacturing technology.
2009
ArvinMeritor launches its first hybrid drivetrain
system specifically designed for linehaul trucks. The System combines mechanical
and electrical propulsion systems resulting in a zero emission mode over a wide
range of vehicle driving conditions.
2010
The new Meritor®14X tandem drive axle is unveiled,
offering North American truck operators distinct efficiency and and long life
improvements through its advanced evolutionary axle system.
2011
ArvinMeritor completes the divestiture of its light
vehicle business in January 2011 and officially changes the name of the company
back to Meritor - signifying a dedicated focus to the commercial vehicle and
industrial businesses and marking an important evolution in the company's
history.