The Garrett name ties back to Honeywell’s turbo origins in the 1950s. At that time, entrepreneur and engineer Cliff Garrett led a project team to develop a turbocharger for a Caterpillar D9 crawler tractor that launched in 1954, marking the beginning of the turbocharged era for the automotive industry. Since then, Transportation Systems technologies and innovations have been used by nearly every major global auto maker, resulting in approximately 100 million vehicles with our products and an average launch rate of 100 new applications annually spanning, gas, diesel, natural gas, electric and fuel cell powertrains.
Honeywell Transportation Systems has been using the Garrett name to brand its current portfolio of aftermarket replacement and performance upgrade turbochargers for gasoline and diesel passenger and commercial vehicles. The decision was made to name the new company Garrett to acknowledge its long history of innovation while adding the tag line “Advancing Motion” to embrace the future and the broader portfolio of differentiated products and services that Transportation Systems offers its global customers.
The new Garrett company is well-positioned to be a global leader in turbocharger technologies with best-in-class engineering capabilities for a broad range of engine types across automobile, truck and other vehicle markets. It will build upon its established track record as an industry leader by providing innovative solutions helping auto makers develop electrified powertrains with our eBoosting solutions and connected vehicles that use our software for safe and secure performance.
“There is a strong emotional attachment to the Garrett name, which has stood for pioneering turbo technology for more than 60 years and has made an indelible mark on the driving habits of millions of vehicle owners as well as the history of automotive engine performance,” said Transportation Systems President and CEO Olivier Rabiller. “Moving forward, the Garrett name will continue to be synonymous with turbocharging technologies and also support the tangible progress and investments we have made in electric products, software and connected vehicles, and the future growth we see reshaping our industry.”
“We believe the next generation of vehicles will require a complementary mix of high-performance technologies to meet more stringent global environmental standards and demands for safer and more reliable electrified powertrains and connected cars,” said Rabiller. “We see our role as an enabler for redefining and advancing how technology will move people and goods. Garrett Advancing Motion captures both our traditional automotive domain experience as well as our capability for applying cross-industry excellence to solve problems.”
On Oct. 10, 2017, Honeywell announced its intention to spin off its Transportation Systems business as well as its Honeywell Homes product portfolio and ADI global distribution business into two standalone, publicly traded companies. Garrett Motion Inc will be the legal entity name of the publicly-traded company upon successful completion of the spin off (www.GarrettMotion.com). The Homes spin off is expected to close by the end of the year.