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Magna International


Magna International
Vehicle Parts Manufacturer

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Official Site: Magna.com
Wikipedia: Magna International

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Headquarters: Aurora, Ontario, Canada

A Canadian manufacturer of auto parts. Founded in 1973 with the merger of Multimatic Investments Ltd. and Magna Electronics.

History

The following section is an excerpt from Wikipedia's Magna International page on 24 January 2017, text available via the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Magna International Inc. is a Canadian global automotive supplier headquartered in Aurora, Ontario, Canada. In 2014 it was the largest automobile parts manufacturer in North America by sales of original equipment parts, and one of Canada's largest companies. Its operating groups include Magna Steyr, Magna Powertrain, Magna Exteriors, Magna Seating, Magna Closures, Magna Mirrors, Magna Electronics and Cosma International.

Magna manufactures auto parts that are primarily supplied to General Motors, Ford Motor Company, and Chrysler LLC. In addition to the Big 3 U.S. automakers, Magna's major customers include Tesla Motors, Volkswagen, BMW and Toyota. In Europe, Magna Steyr holds contracts for the assembly of the Peugeot RCZ and Mini Countryman.

Magna has approximately 152,000 employees in 309 manufacturing operations and 99 product development, engineering and sales centres in 29 countries. Magna operates under a corporate constitution which calls for distribution of profits to employees and shareholders. The terms of this contract are "fair enterprise" according to Frank Stronach, company founder.

Magna’s capabilities include the design, engineering, testing and manufacture of exterior systems, seating systems, closure systems, vision systems, powertrain systems, electronic systems, roof systems, body & chassis systems, hybrid & electric vehicle systems, and vehicle engineering & contract assembly.

The company was founded in 1957 by Frank Stronach as Multimatic Investments Ltd. This company merged with Magna Electronics in 1969, and the combined company became Magna International in 1973.

Magna acquired 80% of New Venture Gear, once a joint venture between General Motors and Chrysler, in September 2004, and combined it into Magna Powertrain. It assumed full ownership in 2007.

Magna purchased CTS Fahrzeug-Dachsysteme, a supplier of convertible roofs, from Porsche in November 2005.

The Sunday Telegraph in London reported January 2007 that Magna International was on a short list of bidders to purchase Aston Martin. Their bid was unsuccessful; the company instead went to a British consortium led by Dave Richards of Prodrive for £479 million.

According to a NPR broadcast on March 23, 2007, Magna showed interest in acquiring the Chrysler division of DaimlerChrysler. However, on 14 May 2007, it was announced that Cerberus Capital Management had won the acquisition bid for $7.4 billion.

In April 2008, Magna's wholly owned subsidiary, Cosma International, announced that they were buying the Ogihara America Corp. stamping plant in Birmingham, Alabama, that makes parts for Mercedes-Benz and other automakers.

In July 2015, Magna bought the German company Getrag, specialized in transmission systems with about 13,500 employees, for 1.9 billion dollars.

Magna has produced a number of first-to-market technologies and manufacturing processes throughout its history. Some of these innovations include the integrated child safety seat, stow-into-floor minivan seats, and plastic, reaction injection moulding (RIM) bumpers.

Magna has also been recognized with several Automotive News PACE Awards for its innovations. Magna technologies that received PACE Awards in recent years include its BlindZone outside mirror (2009), Infinity rearview mirror (2012), laser-welded, hot-stamped door ring (2014, in partnership with Honda and AcelerMittal) and PureView seamless sliding window (2015).

In 2005, Magna began producing automotive rearview cameras at its facility in Holly, Michigan, and in September 2014, Magna produced its 10 millionth rearview camera in Holly.

In 2011, Magna supplied the complete electric drivetrain on the 2012 Ford Focus Electric, Ford’s first full production, all-electric passenger vehicle. The Focus Electric was awarded the 2011 Green Car Vision Award at the 2011 Washington Auto Show.

In June 2014, Magna presented a Multi-Material Lightweight Vehicle (MMLV) concept developed in partnership with Ford Motor Company. The vehicle was based on a 2013 Ford Fusion and represented a 25 percent vehicle weight reduction. The vehicle was cosponsored by the U.S Department of Energy and was praised by numerous industry leaders for its innovative approach to vehicle lightweighting and fuel efficiency.

In 2015, Magna’s SmartLatch, an industry-first, 100 percent electronic door latching system, was named a finalist for the 2016 Automotive News PACE Awards.


Article Index

DateArticleAuthor/Source
29 May 2009Канадски произвођач аутоделова Магна инвестира у Опел Викивести
31 May 2009Канадска Магна купује Опела Викивести
4 June 2009Магна очекује опоравак Опела Викивести





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