About Tenneco

Tenneco Inc., designs, manufactures, markets, and distributes products and services for light vehicle, commercial truck, off-highway, industrial, motorsport, and aftermarket customers. The company manufactures innovative performance solutions, clean air and powertrain products and systems, and serves both original equipment (OE) manufacturers and the repair and replacement markets worldwide. Segments The company operates through four segments: Motorparts, Performance Solutions, Clean Air, and Powertrain. Motorparts segment The Motorparts segment designs, manufactures, sources, markets, and distributes a broad portfolio of leading brand-name products in the global vehicle aftermarket while also servicing the original equipment service (OES) market. Motorparts products are organized into categories, including shocks and struts, steering and suspension, braking, sealing, emissions control, engine, and maintenance. Motorparts products are marketed and sold under brand-names, including Monroe, Champion, Öhlins, MOOG, Walker, Fel-Pro, Wagner, Ferodo, Rancho, Thrush, National, Sealed Power, and others. Motorparts segment operates 16 manufacturing sites, of which 7 facilities are located in North America, 3 in Europe, 3 in South America, and 3 in the Asia Pacific. It also operates 29 distribution centers and warehouses; 6 engineering and technical centers; and 10 various technical training service centers worldwide. Motorparts designs, manufactures, markets, and distributes leading, brand-name products to a diversified and global aftermarket customer base. Within the business, Motorparts has many of the most recognized brands in the automotive industry, including Monroe, Champion, Öhlins, MOOG, Walker, Fel-Pro, Wagner, Ferodo, Rancho, Thrush, National, Sealed Power, and others. Motorparts products are organized across the following seven categories: Shocks and Struts: Includes shock absorbers, strut assemblies, bare strut, coil springs, top mounts, and ride control accessories. Steering and Suspension: Includes control arms, ball joints, tie rod ends, wheel bearings, sway bar links and hub assemblies. Braking: Includes Pads, rotors, drums, and fluids. Sealing: Includes Head gaskets, valve cover gaskets, oil seals, and other gaskets. Engine: Includes Pistons, piston ring set, engine bearings, liners, and pumps. Emissions Control: Includes Catalytic converters, exhaust manifolds, exhaust pipes, and mufflers. Maintenance: Includes spark plugs, air filters, oil filters, cabin air filter, forward lighting, batteries, headlamps, and chemicals. Performance Solutions segment The Performance Solutions segment designs, manufactures, markets, and distributes a variety of products and systems designed to optimize the ride experience to a global OE customer base, including noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) performance materials, advanced suspension technologies (AST), ride control, braking, and systems protection. Performance Solutions is agnostic to powertrain technologies. Performance Solutions segment operates 47 manufacturing facilities worldwide, of which 11 facilities are located in North America, 17 in Europe, 2 in South America, and 17 in the Asia Pacific; and 15 engineering and technical facilities. Within these manufacturing facilities, the company operates 6 joint ventures in which it holds a controlling interest. Performance Solutions shares engineering testing facilities with the company’s Motorparts segment. Performance Solutions designs, manufactures, markets, and distributes a variety of performance solutions and systems to a global OE customer base, including NVH performance materials, AST, ride control, braking, and systems protection. In addition to automotive light vehicles and commercial vehicles, Performance Solutions services a wide range of other mobility markets, such as rail, two-wheelers (which includes motorcycles and mountain bikes), and motorsports. NVH Performance Materials: Includes highly engineered NVH isolation technology and value-added products for light vehicle and commercial vehicle markets. AST: Includes advanced passive and semi-active suspension with tuning support and controls capability for the light vehicle, two-wheel and motorsports markets. Ride Control: Providing conventional shocks, struts, and dampers with value-added tuning solutions for the light vehicle and commercial vehicle markets. Systems Protection: Systems protection products include protection sleeves for wire harness and for oil, and water tubes, as well as acoustic and EMI/RFI shielding, heat and abrasion protection, and safety/crash protection for cables and tubes for engines and cars. Braking: Includes friction materials, such as cutting edge formulations for the light vehicle, commercial vehicle, and rail markets. Clean Air segment The Clean Air segment designs, manufactures, and distributes a variety of products and systems designed to reduce pollution and optimize engine performance, acoustic tuning, and weight on a vehicle for light vehicle, commercial truck, and off-highway OE customers. Clean Air segment operates 65 manufacturing facilities worldwide, of which 16 facilities are located in North America, 21 in Europe, 2 in South America, and 26 in the Asia Pacific; and operates 8 engineering and technical facilities. Within these manufacturing facilities in the Asia Pacific, the company operates 9 joint ventures in which it holds a controlling interest. Clean Air designs, manufactures, markets, and distributes a variety of clean air products and systems designed to reduce pollution and optimize engine performance, acoustic tuning, and weight on a vehicle. Vehicle emission control products and systems play a critical role in safely conveying noxious exhaust gases away from the passenger compartment and reducing the level of pollutants and engine exhaust noise emitted to acceptable levels. Precise engineering of the exhaust system, which extends from the manifold that connects an engine’s exhaust ports to an exhaust pipe, to the catalytic converter that eliminates pollutants from the exhaust, and to the muffler that modulates noise emissions - leads to a pleasantly tuned engine sound, reduced pollutants, and optimized engine performance. Catalytic Converters and Diesel Oxidation Catalysts: Devices consisting of a substrate coated with precious metals enclosed in a steel casing used to reduce harmful gaseous emissions, such as carbon monoxide. Diesel Particulate Filters (DPFs): Devices to capture and regenerate particulate matter emitted from diesel engines. Burner Systems: Devices, which actively combust fuel and air inside the exhaust system to create extra heat for DPF regeneration, or to improve the efficiency of selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems. Lean NOx Traps: Devices, which reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from diesel powertrains using capture and store technology. Hydrocarbon Vaporizers and Injectors: Devices to add fuel to a diesel exhaust system in order to regenerate particulate filters or Lean NOx traps. SCR Systems: Devices, which reduce NOx emissions from diesel powertrains using urea mixers and injected reductants, such as Verband der Automobil industrie e.V.’s AdBlue or Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF). SCR-Coated Diesel Particulate Filters (SDPF) Systems: Lightweight and compact devices combining the SCR catalyst and the particulate filter onto the same substrate for reducing NOx and particulate matter emissions. Urea Dosing Systems: Systems consists of a urea injector, pump, and control unit, among other parts, that dose liquid urea onto SCR catalysts. Four-Way Catalysts: Devices that combine a three-way catalyst and a particulate filter onto a single device by having the catalyst coating of a converter directly applied onto a particulate filter. Alternative NOx Reduction Technologies: Devices, which reduce NOx emissions from diesel powertrains, by using, for example, alternative reductants, such as diesel fuel, E85 (85% ethanol, 15% gasoline), or solid forms of ammonia. Mufflers and Resonators: Devices to provide noise elimination and acoustic tuning. Fabricated Exhaust Manifolds: Components that collect gases from individual cylinders of a vehicle’s engine and direct them into a single exhaust pipe. Fabricated manifolds can form the core of an emissions module that includes an integrated catalytic converter (maniverter) and/or turbocharger. Pipes: Utilized to connect various parts of both the hot and cold ends of an exhaust system. Hydroformed Assemblies: Forms in various geometric shapes, such as Y-pipes or T-pipes, which provide optimization in both design and installation as compared to conventional pipes. Elastomeric Hangers and Isolators: Used for system installation and elimination of noise and vibration, and for the improvement of useful life. Aftertreatment Control Units: Computerized electronic devices that utilize embedded software to regulate the performance of active aftertreatment systems, including the control of sensors, injectors, vaporizers, pumps, heaters, valves, actuators, wiring harnesses, relays and other mechatronic components. For the catalytic converters, SCR systems, and other substrate-based devices the company sells, it needs to procure substrates coated with precious metals or purchase the complete systems in the case of catalytic converter systems. The company obtains these components and systems from third parties, often at the OE manufacturer’s direction, or directly from OE vehicle and engine manufacturers. Powertrain segment The Powertrain segment designs, manufactures, and distributes a variety of OE powertrain products for light vehicle, commercial truck, off-highway, and industrial applications to OE customers for use in new vehicle production and OES parts to support their service and distribution channels. Powertrain Segment operates 68 manufacturing sites worldwide, of which 19 facilities are located in North America, 28 are located in Europe, 4 are located in South America, and 17 in the Asia Pacific; and operates 9 engineering and technical facilities. Within these manufacturing facilities, the company operates 17 joint ventures in which it holds a controlling interest. Powertrain has also invested globally in nonconsolidated affiliates that have multiple manufacturing sites, primarily in China, Turkey, and the United States (U.S.). Powertrain designs, manufactures, markets, and distributes a variety of powertrain products and systems. Powertrain offers its customers a diverse array of market-leading products for OE applications, including pistons, piston rings, piston pins, cylinder liners, valvetrain products, valve seats and guides, ignition products, dynamic seals, bonded piston seals, combustion and exhaust gaskets, static gaskets and seals, engine bearings, industrial bearings, and bushings and washers. In addition, Powertrain supplies OES parts to OE customers to support their service and distribution channels. Pistons: Pistons convert the energy created by the combustion event into mechanical energy to drive a car; Pistons can be made from aluminum or steel, both casted and forged; Highly efficient engines impose high demands on pistons in terms of rigidity and temperature resistance. Piston Rings: Piston rings are mounted on the piston to seal the combustion chamber while the piston is moving up and down; Modern rings need to resist high temperature and very abrasive environments without significant wear; Rings are critical for low oil consumptions. Cylinder Liners: Cylinder liners, or sleeves, are specially engineered where surfaces formed within the engine block, working in tandem with the piston and ring, as the chamber in which the thermal energy of the combustion process is converted into mechanical energy. Valve Seats and Guides: Valve seats and guides are produced from powdered metal based on sophisticated metal-ceramic structures to meet extreme requirements for hardness. Bearings: Bearings provide the low-friction environment for rotating components like crankshafts and camshafts; Modern bearings are able to deal with very low viscosity oil even in highly repetitive motions like in stop/start-conditions. Valvetrain Products: Valvetrain products include mainly engine valves but also retainers, rotators, cotters, and tappets for use in both diesel and gas engines; the most demanding applications require sodium-filled hollow valves for fast heat dissipation. Seals and Gaskets: Cylinder-head gaskets and other hot and cold gaskets are sealing engines and engine components; dynamic and static seals protecting rotating engine and transmission components against oil and gas leakages. Such seals and gaskets are made from high-alloyed steel, as well as from sophisticated rubber and polymers. Business The company supplies OE parts to vehicle manufacturers for use in light vehicles, commercial vehicles, and other mobility markets; and the global aftermarket with replacement parts that are sold to wholesalers, retailers, and installers, as well as OES parts to OE customers to support their service channels. The company’s portfolio of the industry’s most well-respected, enduring brands includes Monroe, Champion, Öhlins ( Öhlins Intressenter AB), MOOG, Walker, Fel-Pro, Wagner, Ferodo, Rancho, Thrush, National, and Sealed Power; and others. The company effectively manages the life cycle of a broad range of products to a diverse customer base. The company sources various raw materials and component parts for use in its manufacturing processes through the global supply chain. As a Tier 1 parts supplier, the company produces individual component parts for vehicles, as well as groups of components that are combined as modules or systems within vehicles. The company’s business is also directly affected by commercial vehicle sales and production levels. The company strives to develop long-standing business relationships with its customers around the world. The company’s OE customers consist of automotive, and commercial vehicle manufacturers, as well as agricultural, off-highway, two-wheel, marine, railroad, aerospace, high performance, and power generation and industrial application manufacturers. The company has well-established relationships with substantially all major American, European, and Asian automotive OE manufacturers. The company’s customers include General Motors Company and Ford Motor Company. The company’s aftermarket customers include a wide range of distributors that redistribute products to local parts suppliers, distributors, engine rebuilders, retail parts stores, e-commerce retailers, mass merchants, and service chains. The company has a large and diverse aftermarket customer base. Seasonality The company’s businesses are somewhat seasonal. OE production is historically higher in the first half of the year (year ended December 31, 2021) compared to the second half. It typically decreases in the third quarter due to OE plant shutdowns for model changeovers and European holidays; and softens further in the fourth quarter due to reduced production during the end-of-year holiday season in North America and Europe. The company’s aftermarket operations experience relatively higher demand during the spring as vehicle owners prepare for the summer driving season. Sales, Marketing and Distribution The company has separate and distinct sales and marketing efforts for its OE and aftermarket customers. For OE sales, the company’s sales and marketing team is an integrated group of sales professionals, including skilled engineers and program managers, who are organized globally by customer business unit and product type (e.g., Performance Solutions, Clean Air, and Powertrain). For aftermarket sales and marketing, the company’s sales force is generally organized by region and customer and covers multiple product lines. The company sells aftermarket products through five primary channels of distribution, such as traditional three-step distribution system of full-line warehouse distributors, jobbers, and service providers; two-step distribution system of warehouse distributors that distribute directly to the service providers; direct sales to retailers; direct sales to service provider chains; and direct sales through e-commerce channels. The company’s aftermarket sales and marketing representatives cover all levels of the distribution channel, stimulating interest in its products and helping its products move through the distribution system. Business Strategy The company’s strategy focuses on addressing the evolving needs of its OE and aftermarket customers around the world to drive growth. The key components of the company’s business strategy are to pursue focused transactional opportunities; maintain technological leadership to drive further growth from current market trends; invest in applications that benefit from global light vehicle battery electric vehicle (BEV) adoption; leverage the strength of its global aftermarket leading brand positions, product portfolio and range, marketing and selling expertise, and distribution and logistics capabilities for global growth; continue to strengthen its aftermarket capabilities and product offerings in mature markets, including North America and Europe; and increase aftermarket position in high-growth regions, notably in the Asia Pacific. History The company was founded in 1996. It was incorporated in Delaware in 1996. The company was formerly known as Tenneco Automotive Inc. and changed its name to Tenneco Inc. in 2005.