Hutchinson SA

In addition to being one of the world's largest players in the rubber market, Hutchinson is also present in the automotive, aerospace, railway, industrial, defense, energy and cycling sectors.^[5]

Hutchinson's global presence spans 25 countries, where it employs more than 38,000 people.^[3] Operations are spread around the world, serving diverse markets and customers.

Hutchinson now has three showrooms^[18][19] in Europe, Asia and North America. They serve as a meeting place for customers, but also as a space where employees can benefit from technology and interaction spaces.^[20]

The Fab House are located in Grand Rapids, U.S^[21]., Suzhou, China,^[22] and Châlette-sur-Loing, France. The latter has an 18th-century building designed by Gustave Eiffel. The Fab Houses are known by the nicknames: 507 Fab House, in Châlette-sur-Loing, as it is the registry number (507) on the French historical places. The 616 Fab House in Grand Rapids, as the 616 is the Grand Rapids area code.

Hutchinson is involved in multi-materials, composites, system characterization, mechatronics and connected systems, and multi-physics modeling. The Group has three research and innovation centers in France, the United States and Singapore.

It also has partnerships with companies, where it develops dynamic wireless charging for electric vehicles.^[23][24] The technology allows vehicles to charge while driving via coils embedded in the roadway.^[25] Electrive explains, “The coils are embedded eight centimetres below the surface, invisible to road users, and only activated when a vehicle drives over them.”^[25] Hutchinson manufactures these coils.^[25][26][27] Electreon participated in a pilot project for the Swedish Transport Administration electric road program where Electreon embedded its technology in a one-mile stretch of road on the island of Gotland.^[26][27] The Group also have partnerships with universities such as the University of Singapore and the University of Michigan.

The Group has a history of creating products to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.^[28] The company participates in European Commission funded research initiatives such as Clean Sky, the goal of which is to reduce the impact of air travel on the environment. Hutchinson is the coordinator of two Clean Sky 2 projects focusing on air treatment and temperature control in aircraft.^[29][30] In 2017, the company hosted a student research competition in the 507 Fab House.^[31][32]

Hutchinson has acquired many companies with varying expertise. In 1974 Hutchinson acquired Paulstra, a company which specializes in vibration and acoustic insulation.  ^[33]

In United States Hutchinson acquired in 1996 the Corduroy Rubber Company in Grand Rapids, MI, calling for many years Paustra CRC and later only Hutchinson. In 1998 acquired the National O-Rings in Downey, CA and Stillman Seal in Carlsbad, CA.

The company made multiple acquisitions in 2019. In January, Hutchinson announced the acquisition of an American parts manufacturer called Midé Technology.^{[34][35][36][37][38]}

In September, Hutchinson acquired a thermal management company called TCSA from Mann+Hummel.^[39] “TCSA is now a joint venture between the two companies, dedicated to thermal management and cooling systems for vehicles, particularly EV and HEV and integrated in Hutchinson’s FMS (Fluid Management Systems) activity.” ^[40]

Later that month, Hutchinson announced its acquisition of German aerospace company, PFW.^{[41][42][43][44][45]} The acquisition was completed in January 2020.^[46]