Tenneco (formerly Tenneco Automotive and originally Tennessee Gas Transmission Company) is an American automotive components original equipment manufacturer and an aftermarket ride control and emissions products manufacturer. It is a

Fortune 500 The ''Fortune'' 500 is an annual list compiled and published by ''Fortune'' magazine that ranks 500 of the largest United States corporations by total revenue for their respective fiscal years. The list includes publicly held companies, along ...

company that has been publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange since November 5, 1999 under the symbol TEN. Tenneco company headquarters are located in

Lake Forest, Illinois Lake Forest is a city located in Lake County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 19,367. The city is along the shore of Lake Michigan, and is a part of the Chicago metropolitan area and the North Shore. Lake Forest ...

, United States The company was acquired in November 2022 by

Apollo Global Management Apollo Global Management, Inc. is an American global private-equity firm. It provides investment management and invests in credit, private equity, and real assets. As of March 31, 2022, the company had $512 billion of assets under management, ...

History

Tenneco, Inc.'s origin was in the Chicago Corporation, established about 1930.TENNECO BUILDING
Diana J. Kleiner, Handbook of Texas Online (retrieved 11 August 2010) Tennessee Gas and Transmission Company (completely separate) had been formed in 1940.

Natural gas

A shortage of fuel for World War II defense industries in the

Appalachia Appalachia () is a cultural region in the Eastern United States that stretches from the Southern Tier of New York State to northern Alabama and Georgia. While the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Belle Isle in Newfoundland and Labrador, Ca ...

n area developed when industrial production was increased. The nuclear development operations of the Manhattan Project at

Oak Ridge, Tennessee Oak Ridge is a city in Anderson and Roane counties in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Tennessee, about west of downtown Knoxville. Oak Ridge's population was 31,402 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Knoxville Metropolitan Area. Oak ...

consumed huge quantities of Tennessee Valley Authority electrical power that would have otherwise been available to other industrial operations. The Chicago Corporation was able to acquire a

Federal Power Commission The Federal Power Commission (FPC) was an independent commission of the United States government, originally organized on June 23, 1930, with five members nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate. The FPC was originally created in 1 ...

(FPC) license to build a pipeline from Texas to Appalachia, eventually expanding to the largest natural gas pipeline network in the United States. These pipelines were acquired by

El Paso Corporation El Paso Corporation was a provider of natural gas and related energy products and was one of North America's largest natural gas producers until its acquisition by Kinder Morgan in 2012. It was headquartered in Houston, Texas. United States. Pr ...

in 1996, and are now owned by

Kinder Morgan Kinder Morgan, Inc. is one of the largest energy infrastructure companies in North America. The company specializes in owning and controlling oil and gas pipelines and terminals. Kinder Morgan owns an interest in or operates approximately of ...

Tenneco Service Station - Tallahassee, Florida 1967

Diversification

In the 1950s, the company acquired existing oil companies, including Sterling Oil, Del-Key Petroleum, and Bay Petroleum. The Tennessee division of the Chicago Corporation acquired Tennessee Gas Transmission Company in 1943 to build a natural-gas pipeline from Texas to West Virginia. The first line was completed in October 1944. It was followed by three additional pipelines totaling during the next 15 years which provide gas to

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

and New Jersey. In 1966, Tennessee Gas was incorporated as Tenneco, Inc. Tenneco expanded into a number of business ventures as a result of diversification. In 1967, the company acquired Walker, Inc., a manufacturer of universal-fit exhaust mufflers and pipes. The year after, they started working on the construction of a universal-fit catalytic converter, that would become a cost-effective alternative to the OE catalytic converters. It took the company 8 years to introduce one. Tenneco bought Houston Oil & Minerals Corporation in the late 1970s. Tenneco owned and operated a large number of

gasoline service station A filling station, also known as a gas station () or petrol station (), is a facility that sells fuel and engine lubricants for motor vehicles. The most common fuels sold in the 2010s were gasoline (or petrol) and diesel fuel. Gasoline ...

s, but all were closed or replaced with other brands by the mid-1990s. Fairchild F-27J N516T 124 ORD 30

In the 1970s, Tenneco purchased 53% of J.I. Case when they purchased its owner Kern County Land Company, the agricultural equipment manufacturer based in Racine, Wisconsin, USA. In 1972, Tenneco purchased UK-based

David Brown Tractors David Brown Engineering Limited is an English engineering company, principally engaged in the manufacture of gears and gearboxes. Their major gear manufacturing plant is in Swan Lane, Lockwood, Huddersfield, adjacent to Lockwood railway stat ...

, and merged it with the J.I. Case business. In 1984, Case parent Tenneco bought selected assets of the International Harvester agriculture division and merged it with J.I. Case. All agriculture products are first labeled Case International and later Case IH. Tenneco purchased the articulated 4WD manufacturer

Steiger Tractor Steiger is a tractor brand that is manufactured in the United States. The Steiger Tractor Company was founded in the 1950s by Douglass Steiger and Maurice Steiger, brothers who were farmers near Red Lake Falls, Minnesota. The Steigers first built a ...

in 1986, and merged it into Case IH. The new corporate direction was to buy failing companies in a variety of industries, and work to develop them into market leaders. This worked well with

Newport News Shipbuilding Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS), a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries, is the largest industrial employer in Virginia, and sole designer, builder and refueler of United States Navy aircraft carriers and one of two providers of U.S. Navy ...

, but failed miserably with the various tractor companies, probably due in large part to the economy at the time. By 1988, the company was losing $2 million per day. After being pressured by the banks, it was decided to sell off the oil business. Tenneco Oil Exploration Company was split up and sold off to multiple buyers. By 1994, Tenneco decided to begin getting out of the agricultural business and agreed to sell 35% of the now named Case Corporation. In 1996, the spin-off of Case Corporation was completed. The company was acquired by

Fiat Fiat Automobiles S.p.A. (, , ; originally FIAT, it, Fabbrica Italiana Automobili di Torino, lit=Italian Automobiles Factory of Turin) is an Italian automobile manufacturer, formerly part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and since 2021 a subsidiary ...

in 1999 and merged with

New Holland Agriculture New Holland is a global full-line agricultural machinery manufacturer. New Holland agricultural products include tractors, combine harvesters, balers, forage harvesters, self-propelled sprayers, haying tools, seeding equipment, hobby tractors, ...

to form CNH Global.

Consolidation

Tenneco Inc. emerged from a

conglomerate Conglomerate or conglomeration may refer to: * Conglomerate (company) * Conglomerate (geology) * Conglomerate (mathematics) In popular culture: * The Conglomerate (American group), a production crew and musical group founded by Busta Rhymes ** Co ...

consisting of six unrelated businesses: shipbuilding, packaging, farm and construction equipment, gas transmission, automotive, and chemicals. The automotive division was spun off from Tenneco, Inc. in 1991 along with the packaging, energy, natural gas, and shipbuilding divisions. All businesses except automotive and packaging were disposed of between 1994 and 1996 (through public offerings, sales, spin-offs and mergers). In 1999, Tenneco Packaging was spun off and renamed to

Packaging Corporation of America Packaging Corporation of America is an American manufacturing company based in Lake Forest, Illinois. The company has about 15,500 employees, with operations primarily in the United States. The CEO is Mark W. Kowlzan. History and operations T ...

(

Pactiv Corporation Pactiv Evergeen Inc., is a manufacturer and distributor of food packaging and foodservice products, supplying packers, processors, supermarkets, restaurants, institutions and foodservice outlets across North America. Operations Pactiv Evergreen ...

). Since the 1960s, Tenneco Automotive has sold mufflers (UK: silencers) in Europe, including through the Pit Stop chain in Germany. The group bought a German factory in Virnheim in 1969, Swedish Starla in 1974 and French Bellanger and English Harmo Industries in 1976 and Danish Lydex in 1978. More acquisitions followed. On October 28, 2005 Tenneco Automotive was renamed as Tenneco.

Federal Mogul Acquisition

On October 1, 2018, Tenneco completed its acquisition of Federal-Mogul, a leading global supplier to original equipment manufacturers and the aftermarket. In February 2019, it was announced that Tenneco will be separated into two different companies, leading to the launch of DRiV Incorporated - a publicly traded Aftermarket and Ride Performance company that will serve as a global multi-line and multi-brand aftermarket supplier of ride performance and braking suppliers to light vehicle and commercial vehicle customers.

Acquisition by Apollo Global Management

On February 23, 2022, Tenneco announced that it had entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by Apollo Global Management for $7.1 billion. The acquisition was completed in November 2022.

Operations

Tenneco is a multi-national corporation with 93 manufacturing facilities in 26 countries located on 6 continents, with major centers of operations in North America, Europe, Australia and Asia. There were 30,000 employees in 2016. The North American manufacturing facilities are located in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Tennessee, Georgia, Virginia, Ohio and Cambridge, Ontario, Canada; the corporate headquarters is located in

, European facilities in Belgium, Poland, Czech Republic, Germany, UK, France, Spain and Portugal, with headquarters located in Belgium, Asian facilities include in India, China, Singapore and Japan, Australian Facilities are in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, Morea (New Zealand) and

Clovelly Park Clovelly Park is an inner southern suburb of Adelaide in the local government area of the City of Marion. Before becoming an 'advanced' suburb, it was a farm and vineyard. The suburb is bordered by Daws Road to the north, South Road to the eas ...

and African Facility includes South Africa's

Port Elizabeth Gqeberha (), formerly Port Elizabeth and colloquially often referred to as P.E., is a major seaport and the most populous city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is the seat of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, Sou ...

. Tenneco owns the following brands: * Axios * Clevite Elastomers * DNX * DynoMax * Fonos * Fric-Rot * Gillet *

Kinetic Kinetic (Ancient Greek: κίνησις “kinesis”, movement or to move) may refer to: * Kinetic theory of gases, Kinetic theory, describing a gas as particles in random motion * Kinetic energy, the energy of an object that it possesses due to i ...

* Lukey * Marzocchi * Monroe *

Öhlins Öhlins or Öhlins Racing AB, is a Swedish company that develops suspension systems for the automotive, motorcycle, mountain bike and motorsport industries. Approximately 97% of all production is exported and Öhlins has distribution in over 50 ...

Rancho Rancho or Ranchos may refer to: Settlements and communities *Rancho, Aruba, former fishing village and neighbourhood of Oranjestad *Ranchos of California, 19th century land grants in Alta California **List of California Ranchos *Ranchos, Buenos Ai ...

* Walker *

Thrush ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' is an American spy fiction television series produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television and first broadcast on NBC. The series follows secret agents, played by Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, who work for a secret ...

These are sold to over 500 after-market customers including retailers and wholesalers and to more than 25 OEMs, including Audi,

Chrysler Stellantis North America (officially FCA US and formerly Chrysler ()) is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of the multinational automoti ...

Daimler Daimler is a German surname. It may refer to: People * Gottlieb Daimler (1834–1900), German inventor, industrialist and namesake of a series of automobile companies * Adolf Daimler (1871–1913), engineer and son of Gottlieb Daimler * Paul Da ...

, Stellantis, Enfield,

, Ford Motor Company,

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 ...

, Honda, Navistar International,

Jaguar Cars Jaguar (, ) is the luxury vehicle brand of Jaguar Land Rover, a British multinational car manufacturer with its headquarters in Whitley, Coventry, England. Jaguar Cars was the company that was responsible for the production of Jaguar cars ...

, Mahindra & Mahindra, Maruti Suzuki, Mazda,

Mitsubishi The is a group of autonomous Japanese multinational companies in a variety of industries. Founded by Yatarō Iwasaki in 1870, the Mitsubishi Group historically descended from the Mitsubishi zaibatsu, a unified company which existed from 1870 ...

Nissan , trade name, trading as Nissan Motor Corporation and often shortened to Nissan, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. The company sells ...

Porsche Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, usually shortened to Porsche (; see #Pronunciation, below), is a German automobile manufacturer specializing in high-performance sports cars, SUVs and sedans, headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany ...

, PSA Peugeot Citroën, Renault,

Škoda Škoda means ''pity'' in the Czech and Slovak languages. It may also refer to: Czech brands and enterprises * Škoda Auto, automobile and previously bicycle manufacturer in Mladá Boleslav ** Škoda Motorsport, the division of Škoda Auto respons ...

Suzuki is a Japan, Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Minami-ku, Hamamatsu, Japan. Suzuki manufactures automobiles, motorcycles, All-terrain vehicle, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), outboard motor, outboard marine engines, wheelchairs ...

, Tata, Toyota, TVS, Volkswagen Group, Volvo,

E-Z-GO Textron Inc. is an American industrial conglomerate based in Providence, Rhode Island. Textron's subsidiaries include Arctic Cat, Bell Textron, Textron Aviation (which itself includes the Beechcraft, and Cessna brands), and Lycoming Engine ...

, and CLUB CAR.

Controversy

During the

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...

, reports surfaced that Tenneco had failed to join other "international" (mainly western) businesses by withdrawing from the Russian market. Research from Yale University updated on April 28, 2022, identifying how companies were reacting to Russia's invasion identified Tenneco in the worst category of "Digging In", meaning Defying Demands for Exit: companies defying demands for exit/reduction of activities.

Locations

United States

;Arkansas * Paragould - Products:

Shock absorbers A shock absorber or damper is a mechanical or hydraulic device designed to absorb and damp shock impulses. It does this by converting the kinetic energy of the shock into another form of energy (typically heat) which is then dissipated. Most sh ...

, struts ;Georgia *

Hartwell Hartwell may refer to: Places * Hartwell, Victoria, a neighbourhood of Camberwell in Melbourne, Australia ** Hartwell railway station England * Hartwell, Buckinghamshire * Hartwell, Northamptonshire, a village * Hartwell, Staffordshire, a loca ...

- Products:

shock absorber A shock absorber or damper is a mechanical or hydraulic device designed to absorb and damp shock impulses. It does this by converting the kinetic energy of the shock into another form of energy (typically heat) which is then dissipated. Most sh ...

s ;Indiana * Angola - Elastomeric Products: Heavy duty/Automotive products, spring eye bushings, fluid bushings, torque rod assemblies, links, & V-rods. * Elkhart - Manufacturing plant that primarily makes exhaust components for other Tenneco facilities. The Elkhart plant is the only manufacturing plant that is owned (rather than leased) by Tenneco. * Ligonier - Manufacturing facility that makes full exhaust systems and related components for Ford Motor Company,

, and Honda. Ligonier is one of the plants that has its own tubemill which accepts steel coil, gradually rolls it into a pipe and then welds the seam shut. This newly formed pipe is then cut to length and used within the plant or shipped as-is to other Tenneco plants. ;Michigan * Litchfield - Manufacturing facility that makes full exhaust systems and related components. This plant has its own tubemill which accepts steel coil, gradually rolls it into a tube and welds the seam shut. This newly formed pipe is cut to length and used within the plant or shipped as-is to other Tenneco plants. * Marshall - Manufacturing facility that makes full exhaust systems and related components for Ford Motor Company,

, and

. Marshall is one of the plants that has its own tubemill which accepts steel coil, gradually rolls it into a tube and then welds the seam shut. This newly formed pipe is cut to length and used within the plant or shipped as-is to other Tenneco plants. The Marshall facility is also equipped with multiple high-speed automatic muffler assembly lines. * Monroe - Houses the North American business unit which consists of almost 500 employees involved in multiple disciplines such as design, product engineering, sales, and marketing. ;Missouri *

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more ...

- Manufacturing facility that makes full exhaust systems and related components for Ford and

. ;Nebraska * Seward - Manufacturing facility that makes full exhaust systems and related components for CAT,

John Deere Deere & Company, doing business as John Deere (), is an American corporation that manufactures agricultural machinery, heavy equipment, forestry machinery, diesel engines, drivetrains (axles, transmissions, gearboxes) used in heavy equipment, ...

and Harley-Davidson. Seward is one of the plants that has its own tubemill which accepts steel coil, gradually rolls it into a tube and then welds the seam shut. This newly formed pipe is cut to length and used within the plant or shipped as-is to other Tenneco plants. ;Ohio * Kettering - Products: Shock absorbers, Struts, modular suspension assemblies, XNOx injector, and XNOx DCU box. * Milan - Products: suspension bushings, cab mounts, steering system bushings, exhaust isolators, rubber compound *

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

- Products: anti-vibration bushings and suspension links ;Tennessee * Smithville - Products: Automotive parts ;Virginia * Harrisonburg - Aftermarket exhaust *

International

; Argentina *

Rosario Rosario () is the largest city in the central provinces of Argentina, Argentine province of Santa Fe Province, Santa Fe. The city is located northwest of Buenos Aires, on the west bank of the Paraná River. Rosario is the third-most populous ci ...

- Monroe Fric Rot - Shock absorbers * Buenos Aires - Walker - Products: Muffler (silencers), Catalysts, exhaust systems ;

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

Edinburgh Park Edinburgh Park is an out-of-town business park in South Gyle, Edinburgh, Scotland. It is west of the city, near Edinburgh Airport and adjacent to the Edinburgh City Bypass. It was opened in 1995. The layout of the park was masterplanned by ...

, Adelaide - Products: exhaust systems * Monroe,

, Adelaide - Products:

s, struts * Walker,

O'Sullivan Beach O'Sullivan Beach is a seaside suburb in the southern Adelaide metropolitan area, within the City of Onkaparinga. O'Sullivan Beach has a unique postcode of 5166. Development The very first development to occur along the coast of O'Sullivan Bea ...

, Adelaide - Products: emission control * Monroe Springs,

- Products: coil and leaf springs ; Belgium * Sint-Truiden - EU headquarters Ride Control division; METC, the EU design and development center; largest ride control plant in Europe; products: shock absorbers, powdered metal components, press parts ; Brazil * Cotia, São Paulo (Axios) - Products: engine mounts, shock absorber bushings, and dampers *

Moji-Mirim Mogi Mirim is a municipality located in the eastern part of São Paulo State, in Brazil. The population is 93,650 (2020 est.) in an area of 498 km². The elevation is 611 m. Mogi Mirim is around 65 km from Campinas, the biggest city in ...

, São Paulo (Monroe, Walker) - Products: exhaust automotive systems and shock absorbers *

Três Corações Três Corações () is a municipality in the south of Minas Gerais state in Brazil. As of 2020, the city population was estimated at 80,032, making it one of the largest cities in the south of Minas Gerais. The city is geographically located close ...

, Minas Gerais (Federal-Mogul) - Products: combustion engine valves * Santo André, São Paulo (Federal-Mogul) - Products: combustion engine valves * Araras, São Paulo (Federal-Mogul) - Products: pistons and camshafts *

Manaus Manaus () is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian state of Amazonas. It is the seventh-largest city in Brazil, with an estimated 2020 population of 2,219,580 distributed over a land area of about . Located at the east center of the s ...

, Amazonas (Federal-Mogul) - Products: lighting equipments *

São Bernardo do Campo São Bernardo do Campo () is a Brazilian Municipalities of Brazil, municipality in the state of São Paulo. It is part of the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo. The population is 844,483 (2020 est.) in an area of . History The city was founded b ...

, São Paulo - Former Diadema plant. Passthrough operations. ; Canada * Cambridge, Ontario - Exhaust systems and components * Owen Sound, Ontario - Shocks and shock absorbers under the label Monroe ;

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

Suzhou Suzhou (; ; Suzhounese: ''sou¹ tseu¹'' , Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Soochow, is a major city in southern Jiangsu province, East China. Suzhou is the largest city in Jiangsu, and a major economic center and focal point of trade ...

- Products: elastomer products ; Czech Republic * Hodkovice nad Mohelkou - Products: shock absorber and exhaust systems ; Germany * Edenkoben - Products: exhaust systems ; Hungary * Kecskemét - Products: Exhaust systems ; India * Bawal - Products: struts, shock absorbers, front fork * Pune - Products: muffler (silencers), catalytic converter, complete exhaust systems *

Hosur Hosur is an industrial city located in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Hosur is one of the municipal corporations in Tamil Nadu. It is located on the bank of the river River Ponnaiyar, southeast of Bengaluru and west of Chennai, the state ...

- Products: struts, shock absorbers, front fork * Sanand - Products: Exhaust System (Silencers) ; Mexico * Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes - Exhaust Systems * Celaya, Guanajuato - Shock absorber (struts) * Puebla, Puebla - Exhaust Systems *

Reynosa, Tamaulipas Reynosa () is a border city in the northern part of the state of Tamaulipas, in Mexico. It is also the municipal seat of Reynosa Municipality. The city is located on the southern bank of the Rio Grande in the international Reynosa–McAllen Met ...

- Products: bushing silentbloc, bonded products, Clevebloc products, STA Bars, control arm links, engine mounts ; Poland * Rybnik - Emission control engineering and manufacturing * Gliwice - Shock absorber (struts) plant with Engineering Centre (EEEC) in Gliwice, near Katowice * Stanowice ; Portugal * Palmela - Products: Exhaust systems (JIT Plant) VW Autoeuropa. ; Spain * Ermua - Products: shock absorbers, elastomers, and complete exhaust systems * Gijón - Products: shock absorbers - closed in 2016. * Valencia ; South Africa *

- producing Shock Absorbers under the Monroe brand ; Wales * Tredegar - producing exhaust systems under the Tenneco-Walker brand, employing 190 * Dowlais Top - producing exhaust components, scheduled to employ 200+

References

External links

* {{Authority control 2022 mergers and acquisitions Natural gas companies of the United States Natural gas pipeline companies Auto parts suppliers of the United States Manufacturing companies based in Illinois Multinational companies headquartered in the United States Companies based in Lake Forest, Illinois American companies established in 1940 Energy companies established in 1940 Conglomerate companies established in 1940 Manufacturing companies established in 1940 Non-renewable resource companies established in 1940 1940 establishments in Illinois Companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange