In 2006 the top 100 suppliers were dominated by companies in Germany, Japan, and the United States; both Japan and the United States had twenty-seven top 100 companies and Germany twenty-three. The largest auto parts builder in the world in 2006 was Germany's Robert Bosch, GmbH, noted primarily for fuel injection systems, chassis systems, energy and body systems, and automotive multimedia and electronics.
Bosch
Bosch was established in 1886 when Robert Bosch opened the Workshop for Precision Mechanics and Electrical Engineering in Stuttgart, Germany. While its first projects were electrical equipment, including telephone systems, the business took off when Bosch produced his first magneto and adapted it to ignite an internal combustion engine, “solving one of the greatest technical problems faced by the automotive industry in its formative years,” according to “Bosch History At A Glance” on the company's Web site.
The company has since evolved into its present preeminent position in the automotive world, producing not only an array of auto parts but providing diagnostic and other car service systems and advanced automotive technology developments as well. Corporate-wide, it operates in more than fifty countries with some 260,000 employees. Bosch has been number one since 2004 when it supplanted the Delphi Corporation, the U.S.-based auto parts giant that was spun off from General Motors in 1999, for the lead.
Delphi Corporation
Delphi, broadly based as a supplier of steering, chassis, energy, engine management, thermal management, interior, electronic systems and in-vehicle entertainment systems, had dropped to fourth in global sales by 2005 but regained second place in 2006 as it struggled to recover from Chapter 11 bankruptcy, for which it filed in 2005. The corporation has approximately 170,000 employees, including 17,000 engineers, and operates thirty-three technical centers and 162 wholly owned manufacturing sites in thirty-four countries. Since losing the top spot Delphi has been in an ongoing seesaw scramble with Denso Corporation of Japan and Magna International of Canada for the second, third, and fourth positions in the auto parts manufacturing industry.
Visteon Corporation
This company, which was the second largest auto parts producer in the world when it was spun off from Ford in 2000 and still ranked fourth globally as recently as 2004, had dropped to fourteenth by 2006. Visteon, like Delphi, is a broadly based supplier with an extensive array of products, notably chassis systems, climate controls, powertrain controls, electronics, lighting, engine management and fuel systems, exterior/interior systems, and cockpits. Visteon had sales revenue of $11.4 billion in 2006 and employed 43,000 people.
Denso Corporation
Japan's largest auto parts producer and another supplier with an extensive product portfolio, Denso has shown steady growth over the years, challenging Delphi as the number two global supplier and eventually Robert Bosch for number one. Should growth trends established in the first five years of the twenty-first century continue, Denso will be well-placed to continue growing.
Magna International, Inc.
This Canadian auto parts leader is noted for interiors, exteriors, body and chassis systems, seats, mirrors, closures, electronics, engines, transmissions and drivetrains. Magna was also one of the first major suppliers to manufacture entire vehicles for customers. In 2007, for example, Magna assembled the BMW X3, and Chrysler 300, 300C, and Jeep Commander.
