| Type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1916 |
| Headquarters | Grand Blanc, Michigan, USA |
| Parent | General Motors |
| Website | ACDelco.com |
ACDelco is an American automotive parts company. Over its long history it has been known by various names such as United Motors Corporation, United Motors Service, United Delco, merged with AC Spark Plug and known as AC-Delco.
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United Motors Corporation was formed by William C. Durant in 1916 as an automotive component and accessory holding company. Durant was the owner of Buick and founder of General Motors in 1908. After he lost control of General Motors in 1910, he subsequently founded Chevrolet in 1911 with Louis Chevrolet and the profits from this permitted him to regain control of GM in 1916. At approximately the same time, he assembled United Motors.
Durant's founding of United Motors has parallels in his earlier experience in the horse-drawn carriage industry in Michigan. In the late 19th century he was co-owner of the Durant-Dort Carriage Company, one of the nation's leading carriage manufacturers. Concerned that they could not source components and raw materials at affordable prices or in sufficient quantities, Durant-Dort created a vertically-integrated operation owning hardwood forests and manufacturing its own bodies, wheels, axles, upholstery, springs, varnish and whips.[1]
United Motors initially included Alfred P. Sloan's Hyatt Roller Bearing Company (antifriction roller bearings), New Departure Manufacturing Company (ball bearings), Remy Electric Company (electrical starting, lighting, and ignition equipment), Charles Kettering and Edward A. Deeds' Dayton Engineering Laboratories Company (electrical equipment), and the Perlman Rim Corporation.
Durant appointed Alfred P. Sloan, who had been president of Hyatt, as president of United Motors. In the next two years, Sloan bought the Harrison Radiator Corporation (radiators), Lovell-McConnell Manufacturing Company (renamed Klaxon company to make Klaxon horns) in September 1916,[2] and organized United Motors Service to sell and service the entire line of products nationwide.
United Motors was originally independent of General Motors, selling to all manufacturers until 1918, when the company was acquired by General Motors for $45 million (three quarters debentures and one quarter common shares)[3] and integrated into GM on December 31, 1918.[3]
United Motors became United Motors Service and continued to operate essentially as it had before. However, all of its production was now devoted to GM's brands. Alfred P. Sloan continued as the division manager, which carried with it a GM vice-president title and a position on the GM board. In 1923 he became President of General Motors and was Chairman when he retired in 1956.[4] Charles Kettering, co-founder of Delco, was head of research at General Motors for 27 years. Herbert C. Harrison was President of Harrison Radiator until his death in 1927.[5] William C. Durant lost control of GM for the final time in 1920.
United Motors Service would become a fully integrated division of General Motors in 1944.[6]
In 1971, the division’s name was changed to United Delco. With the Delco name becoming more well-know with consumers, the “Delco” name was incorporated into all of the divisions branches (Delco Remy, Delco Harrison, Delco Packard (Packard Electric), Delco Moraine).[7]
In 1899 Albert Champion, a champion bicyclist, formed the Champion Ignition Co. By 1905, Albert Champion had lost control of his company and in 1908 he partnered with William C. Durant of the Buick Motor Co. to form the AC Spark Plug Division of General Motors.[7]
In 1974, in an effort to streamline its operations and marketing, General Motors merged the AC Spark Plug with United Delco, which for years had been selling to the same customers, to create the new AC-Delco.[7][6]
By the mid 1990's there were further changes to the division. In 1994, Delco-Remy, part of the division since 1916, was spun off to private investors and is now known as Remy International, Inc. Also in 1994, GM created Automotive Components Group to run Delco Electronics. ACG was later renamed Delphi and spun off from GM in 1999. 1995 saw a rebranding of AC-Delco. The hyphen was dropped and ACDelco received a new logo and marketing initiative.