TI Fluid Systems Celebrates Century of Automotive Design and Manufacturing Automation

Summary

Dec. 20, 2022 – TI Fluid Systems (TIFS), a leading global manufacturer and supplier of automotive fluid systems technology, is celebrating its 100-year anniversary.

The company, which began trading as The Harry Bundy Company in December 1922, is holding a series of commemorative events across its global locations, as well as publishing a limited edition centennial book that documents its illustrious history.

It is a history that TI Fluid Systems’ current Executive Committee takes great pride in, and one that serves to inform the attitudes and values of the modern business, as President and CEO, Hans Dieltjens, explained: “Over the last 100 years, TI Fluid Systems has been shaped by five automotive megatrends. The first of these was fuel, the second hydraulic braking, and the third air conditioning. Then came reduced emissions, and today there is the electrification of the vehicle powertrain.

“At every stage of its history, TIFS’ story has been one of ingenuity, innovation and adapting to the times. These qualities still shine through in our modern business and are perhaps most evident in our commitment to Take the Turn. Here’s to the next 100 years”.

TI Fluid Systems – a history in brief

The story of TI Fluid Systems began in 1922, when the company’s founder, Harry Bundy, set out to develop inventive new tubing products for the automotive industry. From humble beginnings, Bundy and his team established a blueprint for success that was built on curiosity and ingenuity. 

In the late 1920s, Bundy pioneered a tube making technology–which would become known as ‘Bundyweld’ – that ensured greater fatigue strength and resistance to corrosion, as well as an enhanced ability to handle increasingly complex bending and torsion. 

Post-war progress

In 1929, mere months before the Wall Street Crash, The Harry Bundy Company was bought by Wendell Anderson and renamed Bundy Tubing company. Despite the setbacks of the financial crisis, the business sold 200 million feet of Bundyweld tubing between 1931 and 1934. Two years later, the company entered its first overseas venture–producing tubes in France and England–and in 1939, it manufactured its second major product, Electricweld. 

Like many American businesses, TIFS experienced a tumultuous time supporting the country’s war effort during World War Two. Its post-war journey, however, brought with it further progress and success. As automotive production took off in the early 1950s, the business saw its sales orders boom. 

Becoming a global business

Throughout the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, the business underwent rapid expansion, opening plants across Europe, and commencing operations in Canada, South America, Australia, and South Africa, with a further facility opening in China in 1985.

In 1988, the company was acquired by TI Group plc, and then in 2001 TI Automotive group was formed as an independent company in England. More acquisitions followed, alongside further international expansion and prestigious industry awards. In 2016, the company moved to a new corporate office in Auburn Hills, Michigan, which it still calls home today. 

In 2017, having been acquired by Bain Capital two years earlier, the company was admitted to the London Stock Exchange under the name TI Fluid Systems, and now forms part of the FTSE 250 index.

 

Take the turn

Take the Turn is TIFS’ overarching strategy for navigating the automotive industry’s shift to electrification. Under this strategy, the business is already enhancing its capacity and capabilities to meet the changing demands of customers all over the world.

Take the Turn is made up of three elements: Technology–focusing on vehicle electrification; Transformation–committing to a more sustainable business; and Talent–investment in people and learning. 

About TI Fluid Systems

TI Fluid Systems is a leading global manufacturer of fluid storage, carrying and delivery systems primarily for the light duty automotive market. With 100 years of automotive fluid systems experience, TI Fluid Systems has manufacturing facilities in 104 locations across 29 countries serving all major global OEMs.