Garrett Motion Inc., previously known as Honeywell Transportation Systems and Honeywell Turbo Technologies, is an American company that mainly designs, creates, and builds turbochargers and related forced induction systems for ground vehicles, including small passenger cars, large trucks, and industrial equipment. The company began in 1954 as part of Garrett AiResearch's Industrial Division in Phoenix, Arizona. That same year, it signed a contract to supply 5,000 turbochargers for Caterpillar mining vehicles. It later produced turbochargers for railroads and commercial trucks. In 2021, the company generated about $3.6 billion in revenue. Garrett Motion also provides turbochargers and related equipment to racing teams and automobile racing events. In 2004, the business became part of Honeywell International, Inc., as their Transportation Systems division. In 2018, it separated from Honeywell to become an independent company named Garrett Motion, with its headquarters in Rolle, Switzerland.
History
John Clifford "Cliff" Garrett started the Aircraft Tool and Supply Company in a small office in Los Angeles in 1936. In 1938, the company changed its name to Garrett Corporation, combining several businesses into one with three departments. The company made aircraft turbochargers for use during World War II, along with avionics, environmental controls, and other products.
In the 1950s, cities like Los Angeles and others began using turbochargers in sewage treatment systems. By 1952, 20,000 turbocharged engines were in use across the United States. To study how turbochargers could work with diesel engines, Garrett separated the turbocharger group from the gas turbine group on September 27, 1954, to create the AiResearch Industrial Division (AID).
The first T-15 Turbocharger was sent to the Caterpillar Company in 1955. This was followed by an order for 5,000 units to be used in Caterpillar D9 tractors. The industrial division produced turbochargers for construction equipment, trains, tractors, ships, power plants, and oil pipeline stations.
The T11 automotive turbocharger, developed in 1960, expanded the use of turbochargers to commercial vehicles, including heavy trucks made by Mack Trucks, Volvo, and Scania. The first turbocharged passenger cars were the Chevrolet Corvair Monza and the Oldsmobile Jetfire in 1962/1963. In the 1960s, turbochargers were used in race cars and sports cars, becoming linked with racing culture. After Cliff Garrett’s death in 1963, a threat of being taken over by Curtiss-Wright Corporation led Garrett Corporation to merge with Signal Oil and Gas Company in 1964. The combined company became The Signal Companies in 1968 before merging with Allied Corporation to form Allied-Signal Inc.
The oil crisis of the 1970s caused federal regulators to push car makers to reduce exhaust emissions. By 1977, turbocharged cars were introduced in the United States and Europe, such as the second-generation Buick Regal and LeSabre sports coupe, as well as cars from Volvo, Saab, Peugeot, Renault, and Mercedes. In 1978, only eight turbocharged car models existed, and seven used Garrett turbochargers. Garrett created an automotive group in 1980, and by the mid-1980s, over 100 turbocharged models were available. Turbochargers became common in the 1990s.
In 1994, Allied-Signal acquired the Lycoming Turbine Engine Division of Textron. Three years later, the Garrett Aviation Division was sold to General Electric. In 1999, the company acquired Honeywell International Inc. and changed its name to Honeywell. In 2011, Honeywell sold its automotive Consumer Products Group to Rank Group, a New Zealand investment firm, for $950 million. This included brands like Fram Filters, Prestone antifreeze, and Autolite spark plugs.
In the 2000s, Garrett turbochargers were used in cars such as the Chevrolet Sonic, Mercedes S 350, Volkswagen Polo, BMW X6 ActiveHybrid, Ford F-350, Volkswagen Golf, and Jaguar XF. In 2010, the company developed 15 new technologies for 100 new engines, including the first use of ball bearing technology in a mainstream light vehicle diesel engine. Garrett also created the world’s smallest turbo for the Tata Nano and for the 100-liter engine of a Caterpillar mining truck.
On October 1, 2018, Garrett Motion Inc. became an independent publicly traded company by distributing Garrett shares to Honeywell’s stockholders. Each Honeywell stockholder received one Garrett share for every 10 Honeywell shares they owned. About 74 million Garrett shares were given to Honeywell stockholders on October 1, 2018.
On September 21, 2020, Garrett Motion announced plans to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and be acquired by KPS Capital Partners. In April 2021, Garrett completed its restructuring process, confirmed by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York on April 23, 2021. The company raised $1.3 billion in equity during the restructuring.
Turbo racing
The Garrett brand participates in many motorsport series and supports sports car racing, drag racing, rally racing, and open-wheel racing. Racing vehicles using a Garrett turbo include:
Technologies and products
Garrett produces gasoline-powered turbochargers known as wastegate turbos. These are smaller than earlier models, use less fuel, produce more torque, and meet pollution rules. Garrett also makes Variable-geometry turbochargers called VNT. These have nine adjustable vanes, an electrohydraulic actuator, and a proportional solenoid to control airflow across the engine’s power range. This allows the turbo’s air path to change based on engine speed. Over 40 million VNT turbos have been sold since the 1990s. VNT DutyDrive, formerly named Double Axle VNT, uses 12–19 turbine vanes supported by twin axles for use in trucks and buses.
Garrett also provides diesel engine versions of wastegate turbos and VNTs. Dual-stage turbochargers use two smaller turbos arranged side by side or in a sequence. One turbo operates at low speeds, and a valve opens the second turbo as engine speed increases. The dual-stage system in the Audi A6/A7 three-liter V6 engine runs both turbos at lower pressure levels, while some systems use one larger turbo followed by a smaller one. The Dualboost system uses two compressors to function like twin turbos.
Garrett Motion has patented a single-cartridge, dual ball bearing design. This system uses a single sleeve with angular ball bearings at both ends. This rolling mechanism reduces the pressure needed to move air through the turbo.