Harrison Radiator Corporation was an early manufacturer of automotive radiators and

heat exchanger A heat exchanger is a system used to transfer heat between a source and a working fluid. Heat exchangers are used in both cooling and heating processes. The fluids may be separated by a solid wall to prevent mixing or they may be in direct contac ...

s for

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and

guided missiles In military terminology, a missile is a guided airborne ranged weapon capable of self-propelled flight usually by a jet engine or rocket motor. Missiles are thus also called guided missiles or guided rockets (when a previously unguided rocket i ...

, as well as various cooling equipment for automotive, marine, industrial, nuclear, and

aerospace Aerospace is a term used to collectively refer to the atmosphere and outer space. Aerospace activity is very diverse, with a multitude of commercial, industrial and military applications. Aerospace engineering consists of aeronautics and astrona ...

applications, (particularly for

space suit A space suit or spacesuit is a garment worn to keep a human alive in the harsh environment of outer space, vacuum and temperature extremes. Space suits are often worn inside spacecraft as a safety precaution in case of loss of cabin pressure, ...

s of the first two U.S. human space flights) that became a division of

General Motors The General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest automaker in the United States and ...

in 1918. Today its business is a part of General Motors' Automotive Components Group, and is based in Lockport,

Niagara County, New York Niagara County is in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 212,666. The county seat is Lockport. The county name is from the Iroquois word ''Onguiaahra''; meaning ''the strait'' or ''thunder of waters''. Niag ...

History

The company was known in 1910, as the Harrison Radiator Company, by Herbert C. Harrison, an inventor and entrepreneur. Harrison's technical background in metallurgy and the "Harrison Hexagon" honeycomb radiator had advantages in design (hexagon cellular efficient heat distribution) and manufacturing so that leakages became rare. The first hand-built radiator was sold in 1911 to the Remington Standard Motor Company of New York. In 1916 the company was sold to

William C. Durant William Crapo Durant (December 8, 1861 – March 18, 1947) was a leading pioneer of the United States automobile industry and co-founder of General Motors and Chevrolet. He created a system in which a company held multiple marques – each s ...

, the owner of the

United Motors Company ACDelco is an American automotive parts brand owned by General Motors (GM). Factory parts for vehicles manufactured by GM are consolidated under the ACDelco brand, which also offers aftermarket parts for non-GM vehicles. Over its long history i ...

. The Wall Street Journal commented: :::"The company has large contracts with the

Mitchell Mitchell may refer to: People *Mitchell (surname) *Mitchell (given name) Places Australia * Mitchell, Australian Capital Territory, a light-industrial estate * Mitchell, New South Wales, a suburb of Bathurst * Mitchell, Northern Territo ...

, Hupp, and

Chandler Chandler or The Chandler may refer to: * Chandler (occupation), originally head of the medieval household office responsible for candles, now a person who makes or sells candles * Ship chandler, a dealer in supplies or equipment for ships Arts ...

, among other motor companies, and the increased facilities will enable it to accept contracts with the Olds, the Oakland, and the Chevrolet motor companies. Durant, also the founder of General Motors, created United Motors to begin vertical integration of the automobile industry. United Motors was run by

Alfred P. Sloan Alfred Pritchard Sloan Jr. ( ; May 23, 1875February 17, 1966) was an American business executive in the automotive industry. He was a long-time president, chairman and CEO of General Motors Corporation. Sloan, first as a senior executive and lat ...

. Durant lost control of General Motors in 1910 and established

Chevrolet Chevrolet ( ), colloquially referred to as Chevy and formally the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors Company, is an American automobile division of the American manufacturer General Motors (GM). Louis Chevrolet (1878–1941) and ous ...

as his principal manufacturing company. He regained control of General Motors in 1916 through a merger with Chevrolet, and in 1918 he sold United Motors to General Motors. Other divisions of United Motors included the

Hyatt Roller Bearing Company Hyatt Roller Bearing Company was a manufacturer of roller bearings from 1892 to 1916, when it was acquired by General Motors. It continued as a distinct division of GM for many years. The company struggled at first, then entered a phase of profit ...

(roller bearings), New Departure Manufacturing Company (ball bearings), Remy Electric Company (electrical starting, lighting, and ignition equipment), Dayton Engineering Laboratories Company, later known as

Delco Electronics Corporation Delco Electronics Corporation was the automotive electronics design and manufacturing subsidiary of General Motors based in Kokomo, Indiana, that manufactured ''Delco'' Automobile radios and other electric products found in GM cars. In 1972, Gene ...

(electrical equipment), the Perlman Rim Corporation and Klaxon Horn. Herbert Harrison remained President of Harrison Radiator until his death in 1927. By 1929, the company was manufacturing 2.3 million radiators annually. It later became the division of GM responsible for manufacturing air conditioning units as well as radiators. In 1995, General Motors formed a subsidiary for its components' divisions, called Delphi Automotive Systems (later

Delphi Corporation Aptiv PLC is an Irish-American automotive technology supplier with headquarters in Dublin. Aptiv grew out of the now-defunct American company, Delphi Automotive Systems, which itself was formerly a component of General Motors. History The comp ...

) and the Harrison Radiator business was renamed Delphi Harrison Thermal Systems. Delphi was spun off as an independent company in 1999. Delphi filed for bankruptcy in 2005 and emerged in 2009. The Harrison business and the Lockport manufacturing plant were repurchased by General Motors as part of its GM Components Holdings subsidiary in October 2009.

References

{{reflist Auto parts suppliers of the United States General Motors factories Manufacturing companies based in New York (state) Niagara County, New York Manufacturing companies established in 1918 1918 establishments in New York (state)

History

See also

References