Tenneco, Inc.'s origin was in the Chicago Corporation, established about 1930.[5] Tennessee Gas and Transmission Company (completely separate) had been formed in 1940.[6]
A shortage of fuel for World War II defense industries in the Appalachian area developed when industrial production was increased. The nuclear development operations of the Manhattan ProjectatOak Ridge, Tennessee 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 (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 in 1996, and are now owned by Kinder Morgan.
In the 1950s, the company acquired existing oil companies, including Sterling Oil, Del-Key Petroleum, and Bay Petroleum.[7] The Tennessee division of the Chicago Corporation acquired Tennessee Gas Transmission Company in 1943 to build a natural-gas pipeline 1,265 miles (2,036 km) from Texas to West Virginia. The first line was completed in October 1944. It was followed by three additional pipelines totaling 3,840 miles (6,180 km)[6] during the next 15 years which provide gas to New York and New Jersey.[8]
In 1966, Tennessee Gas was incorporated as Tenneco, Inc.[5] 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 stations, but all were closed or replaced with other brands by the mid-1990s.[6]
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.[6] In 1972, Tenneco purchased UK-based David Brown Tractors, 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 in 1986, and merged it into Case IH.
The new corporate direction was to buy failing companies in a variety of industries, and then to develop them into profitable businesses. This worked well with Newport News Shipbuilding, 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.[10]
By 1994, Tenneco decided to begin getting out of the agricultural business and agreed to sell 35% of the now named Case Corporation.[11] In 1996, the spin-off of Case Corporation was completed. The company was acquired by Fiat in 1999 and merged with New Holland Agriculture to form CNH Global.[12]
Tenneco Inc. emerged from a conglomerate consisting of six unrelated businesses: shipbuilding, packaging, farm and construction equipment, gas transmission, automotive, and chemicals.[13] The automotive division was spun off from Tenneco, Inc. in 1991 along with the packaging, energy, natural gas, and shipbuilding divisions.[6] All businesses except automotive and packaging were disposed of between 1994 and 1996 (through public offerings, sales, spin-offs and mergers).[13] In 1999, Tenneco Packaging was spun off and renamed to Packaging Corporation of America and Pactiv Corporation.[13]
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 Viernheim in 1969, Swedish Starla in 1974, French Bellanger, English Harmo Industries in 1976 and Danish Lydex in 1978. More acquisitions followed.[14]
On October 28, 2005 Tenneco Automotive was renamed as Tenneco.[15]
On October 1, 2018, Tenneco completed its acquisition of Federal-Mogul, a large global supplier to original equipment manufacturers and the aftermarket.[citation needed]
In February 2019, Tenneco announced that it would spin off its automotive aftermarket suspension components into DRiV Incorporated.[16]
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.[17] The acquisition was completed in November 2022.
Tenneco is a multi-national corporation with 93 manufacturing facilities in 26 countries located on 6 continents, with major centers of operations in the Americas, Europe, India and Asia. The North American manufacturing facilities are located in Arkansas, Alabama, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Tennessee, Ohio, United States, and Cambridge, Ontario, Canada; the corporate headquarters is located in Northville, Michigan, 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, and African Facility includes South Africa's Port Elizabeth.[citation needed]
During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, 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.[28]
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, Chrysler, 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, Chrysler, and General Motors. 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.[29]
Missouri
Kansas City - Manufacturing facility that makes full exhaust systems and related components for Ford and General Motors.
Nebraska
Seward - Manufacturing facility that makes full exhaust systems and related components for CAT, Chrysler, General Motors, John Deere 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
Milan - Products: suspension bushings, cab mounts, steering system bushings, exhaust isolators, rubber compound
Napoleon - Products: anti-vibration bushings and suspension links
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
