Twin Disc

Twin Disc, Inc.
Company type	Public
Traded as	Nasdaq: TWIN; Russell 2000 Component
Founded	1918; 106 years ago; Racine, Wisconsin, U.S.
Founder	P.H. Batten, Thomas Fawick, Arthur B. Modine;
Headquarters	Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	John H. Batten (President, Chief Executive Officer) ; David B. Rayburn (Chairman)
Website	http://www.twindisc.com/

Twin Disc, Inc. designs, manufactures and distributes power transmission equipment for a wide range of applications, including marine, off-road vehicle and industrial. The company was founded in 1918 to manufacture clutches for farm tractors.^[2] It is now a worldwide company with subsidiaries or sales offices in Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania, and South America.

History

Founding

In 1915, veteran of the American railroad and manufacturing sector, Percy Haight Batten arrived in Racine, Wisconsin to assist in the running of the newly created Wallis Tractor Company. During his time in Racine, Batten was introduced to Arthur B. Modine, a local engineer and founder of Modine Manufacturing. Through his connection with Modine, Batten became acquainted with inventor and engineer Thomas Fawick. Fawick, who had relocated to southeastern Wisconsin from Sioux Falls, South Dakota and recently designed a revolutionary "twin-disc" clutch for use in tractors and other heavy farm equipment.

After testing Fawick's new clutch design and subsequently encouraging its use in all new Wallis tractors, Batten, Fawick, and Modine incorporated Twin Disc, Inc., in September of 1918 with Fawick serving as President, Batten as Vice-President, and Modine as Secretary and charter director.^[3] Batten officially took over the position of President in 1925.^[4]

Early Years (1920s Agricultural Recession and the Great Depression)

The early years of Twin Disc's existence were defined by intense fluctuations in the American agricultural sector, nearly destroying the company in the process. As a result of the instability in the agricultural world during the 1920s Twin Disc made efforts to diversify, expanding into logging, mining, oil, and other industries where heavy industrial equipment in needed.

United Kingdom

Twin Disc torque converters (formerly made under licence in the United Kingdom which became their only European Division known as the British Twin Disc Company Limited of Stroud in Rochester Kent who specialized in agricultural tractors, forestry skidders and forklift trucks. Later production moved to Rolls-Royce) these were fitted to the British Rail Class 125^[5] diesel multiple units and some export diesel locomotives, e.g. NZR TR class.

References

^ "TwinDisc - Financial Press Releases". Archived from the original on 2010-03-13. Retrieved 2009-11-01.
^ "Twin Disc History". Twin Disc.
^ Twin Disc Clutch Company, First Meeting of Incorporators, September 19, 1918.
^ Twin Disc Clutch Company, Regular Meeting Of the Board of Directors, February 25, 1925.
^ Haresnape, Brian (1985). British Rail Fleet Survey 8: Diesel Multiple-Units - The First Generation. Shepperton: Ian Allan. p. 55. ISBN 0-7110-1495-7.

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[1] "TwinDisc - Financial Press Releases". Archived from the original on 2010-03-13. Retrieved 2009-11-01.

[2] "Twin Disc History". Twin Disc.

[3] Twin Disc Clutch Company, First Meeting of Incorporators, September 19, 1918.

[4] Twin Disc Clutch Company, Regular Meeting Of the Board of Directors, February 25, 1925.

[5] Haresnape, Brian (1985). British Rail Fleet Survey 8: Diesel Multiple-Units - The First Generation. Shepperton: Ian Allan. p. 55. ISBN 0-7110-1495-7.

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