Waukesha Engines

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Advertisement for truck and tractor engines for the Waukesha Motor Company in the Automobile Trade Journal (Vol. 20/1916)

Waukesha Engines was founded in Waukesha in 1906 and is now a manufacturer of large, stationary gas engines owned by Advent International . In the past, smaller engines were also built , including for automobiles , commercial vehicles and tractors.

Company history

The company was founded in 1906 as Blue Front Garage by Harry L. Horning and Fred Ahrens , who were previously employed as chief engineers and mechanics at the Modern Steel Structural Company . In their free time, they had repaired the engine of their boss's yacht and so came up with the idea of ​​developing their own engine. Until it was ready for the market, they repaired, looked after and stored customer vehicles in their facility on North Street . An investor was found in the farmer Allan Stebbins from Wales and the company was reorganized as the Waukesha Motor Company .

Initially, boat engines were made, which soon became popular with boat owners on Lake Geneva . Between 1906 and 1910, Horning built a very small number of Waukesha automobiles to order and according to customer specifications , naturally with their own engines. This was discontinued as the order volume in engine construction increased.

As early as 1908, the city of Chicago purchased a Waukesha engine for a fire engine. A number of automobile and commercial vehicle manufacturers subsequently used Waukesha engines. Soon the existing facilities became too small and a new building was erected on West St. Paul Avenue . In 1916, Waukesha advertised large-volume tractor engines of ( bore × stroke ) 3⅓ "× 5¾", resulting in a displacement of 383.9 ci (6291 cm³) to 4¾ "× 6¾" resulting in a displacement of 1098.7 ci (18,004 cm³).

Liberty truck

Pierce-Arrow Liberty truck , ca.1916

From 1917 Waukesha participated as one of several engine suppliers in the US government's Liberty truck program. The Liberty Army Truck was built to US military specifications by numerous commercial vehicle manufacturers; The purpose was to provide the United States , which had just entered World War I , and its allies with as many vehicles as possible as quickly as possible.

Liberty truck manufacturers (selection)

A total of 15 US manufacturers built such military trucks, which formed the backbone of the US Army.

Second World War

Waukesha also supplied the US Army with engines in very large numbers during World War II.

History after 1945

In 1957, Climax Engineering Company , also a manufacturer of large engines, was acquired in Clinton . In 1973 the company was sold to Arrow Engine Company , founded in Tulsa in 1955 .

In 1959, Waukesha advertised having produced 3.5 million horsepower. On offer were diesel, gasoline, kerosene and alcohol engines.

In 1968, Waukesha Engines was bought by Bangor Punta .

In 1974 Dresser Industries acquired the company and incorporated it into the group as the Waukesha Engine Division.

In 1989 the Dutch engine manufacturer Brons Industrie NV was taken over.

In 2010, Waukesha Engines (then called Dresser Waukesha ) was acquired by General Electric (GE).

After a corporate reorganization in 2012, the plant was incorporated into GE Power & Water .

In September 2015, GE announced that it would outsource internal combustion engine production to Canada and shut down the Waukesha plant, resulting in the loss of 350 jobs there. The closure was in connection with the political conflict over the Export-Import Bank of the United States , which provided export risk guarantees for US companies.

In 2018 GE Waukesha was sold to the finance company Advent International. Together with GE Jenbacher , which was also sold , Waukesha has been run under the Innio umbrella brand since November 2018 .

Vehicle manufacturers with Waukesha engines (selection)

Passenger cars

commercial vehicles

Other early U.S. vehicle engine manufacturers (selection)

literature

  • Beverly Rae Kimes, Henry Austin Clark Jr. Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805–1942. Krause Publications, Iola WI 1985, ISBN 0-87341-045-9 .
  • Beverly Rae Kimes (ed.); Henry Austin Clark Jr. Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942. 3. Edition. Krause Publications, Iola WI 1996, ISBN 0-87341-428-4 . (English)
  • John Gunnell (Ed.): Standard Catalog of American Cars 1946–1975. 4th revised edition. Krause Publications, Iola WI 2002, ISBN 0-87349-461-X (English, CD-Rom / PDF)
  • Don Butler: Auburn Cord Duesenberg. (Crestline Series). Crestline Publishing, 1992, ISBN 0-87938-701-7 . (English)
  • Charles H. Wendel: Standard Catalog of Farm Tractors 1890–1980 , Krause Publications, Iola WI, 2nd edition (2005); ISBN 0-87349-726-0 ; ISBN 978-0-87349-726-8 ; Softcover (english)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942. 1996, p. 1520.
  2. ^ Waukesha Engine Historical Society: The Waukesha / Climax Connection
  3. ^ Waukesha Motor Becomes a Devision of Bangor Punta. In: The Milwaukee Journal. July 31, 1968.
  4. ↑ news.google.com
  5. ^ The Milwaukee Sentinel of June 23, 1989: Waukesha Engine expands in Europe
  6. ↑ ABC / WISN12 of September 28, 2015: GE to stop manufacturing gas engines in Waukesha.
  7. ↑ Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, September 28, 2015: GE to stop making engines in Waukesha, cut 350 jobs
  8. ↑ Joe Taschler: GE selling distributed power unit, which includes Waukesha site, for $ 3.25 billion. In: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel . June 25, 2018, accessed November 27, 2018 .
  9. ↑ GE Jenbacher is now called INNIO - purchase completed through Advent. In: Tyrolean daily newspaper . November 6, 2018, accessed November 27, 2018 .
  10. ^ Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942. 1996, p. 560.
  11. ^ Kimes, Clark: Standard Catalog of American Cars 1805-1942. 1996, p. 1009.
  12. ^ Locke: Elcar and Pratt Automobiles. The Complete Story. , P. 247.
  13. ↑ Wendel: Standard Catalog of Farm Tractors 1890-1980 (2005), pp. 188-189
  14. ↑ coachbuilt.com: Columbia Coachworks
  15. ↑ coachbuilt.com: Fageol
  16. ↑ Wendel: Standard Catalog of Farm Tractors 1890-1980 (2005), pp. 480-481
  17. ↑ Wendel: Standard Catalog of Farm Tractors 1890-1980 (2005), pp. 205-206
  18. ^ Wendel: Standard Catalog of Farm Tractors 1890–1980 (2005), p. 516
  19. ↑ coachbuilt.com: Pickwick Motor Coaches