Budd Company

Edward Gowen Budd (1870-1946) founded the Edward G. Budd Manufacturing Company in Philadelphia in 1912. It merged with the subsidiary Budd Wheel Company in 1946 to form The Budd Company. Budd and his company pioneered in the design, fabrication and welding of light steel sheets. Budd's primary products were automobile and truck bodies and parts, but between 1934 and 1983, it was an innovative builder of railroad and transit passenger cars and it also produced some experimental stainless steel airplanes. In 1978, Budd became a subsidiary of Thyssen AG of Germany. The money-losing railroad car operations were first spun off to a separate Thyssen subsidiary, Transit America, Inc., in 1985 and then sold to Bombardier Inc. in 1987. Thyssen concentrated operations in Michigan and closed its last Philadelphia plant in 2002. The surviving company is now named ThyssenKrupp Budd Company.

From the description of Budd Company historical files, 1914-1993 (bulk, 1929-1982). (Hagley Museum & Library). WorldCat record id: 213373813

Best known for the fabrication of stainless steel and automobile components, the Budd Company was originally founded in Philadelphia, Penn., in 1912, by Edward G. Budd, as Edward G. Budd Manufacturing Company. After some success the company merged with its subsidiary, the Budd Wheel Company, founded by Edward G. Budd in Philadelphia in 1916, and became a pioneer in the development of steel car bodies.

In 1925, the Budd Company purchased a manufacturing plant in Detroit, Michigan and also began to explore the European market. Further endeavors lead the company to develop innovations in, not only the automobile industry, but also the railroad, aviation, and plastics industries. In 1972, the Budd Company officially moved its headquarters to Troy, Michigan, and by the 1980s, the company focused solely on the automobile industry.

In 1978 the Budd Company was acquired by Thyssen AG and changed its name to ThyssenKrupp Budd. In 2006 the company was purchased by Martinrea International.

From the guide to the The Budd Company records, 1912-1951, 1920-1923, (Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan)