What Warner Electric makes

Warner Electric designs and manufactures electromagnetic clutches and brakes, plus pneumatic, hydraulic, and mechanical clutch/brake products, controls, sensors, and web tension systems. The company describes itself as offering the broadest selection of industrial clutches, brakes, controls, and web tension systems from a single manufacturer, and it markets a global electromagnetic clutch-and-brake line under one brand.

For vehicle and original-equipment applications, the range is specific. Warner Electric builds custom electromagnetic on/off cooling-fan clutches that the company says cut noise, improve fuel economy, and raise engine performance, plus A/C compressor clutches that mount directly to bus air-conditioning compressor shafts as part of automated temperature-control systems. Its power take-off (PTO) bell-housing clutches serve off-highway and marine drivetrains, and its electrically released and stationary-field brakes go into forklifts, aerial lifts, utility vehicles, and construction equipment. Beyond vehicles, the same components run conveyors, packaging and capping machines, elevators, combines, balers, hoists, and material-handling systems.

Warner Electric sits inside the power-transmission family of OEM suppliers: it sells components that other manufacturers design into finished machines and vehicles, the classic tier supplier position. That places it alongside the clutch, brake, and coupling makers a direct-materials buyer evaluates when sourcing motion-control and drivetrain hardware.

Ownership and history

Warner Electric traces to Arthur Pratt Warner, an inventor with more than 100 patents to his name. A. P. Warner developed the automotive speedometer, a variant of which still appears in cars today; Overland was the first car to fit one as standard equipment and Cadillac was second. Warner served as the first official timer of the Indianapolis 500 and, per the company, was the first private person to buy an airplane, in 1909. He organized the Warner Electric Brake Corporation in 1927 around a new brake design that used electricity, and the company states that more than 75 percent of US mobile homes at one point used the Warner electric brake. The first industrial electric brake followed shortly after World War II, and the first industrial electric clutch arrived in 1950.

Today Warner Electric is a brand of Regal Rexnord Corporation (NYSE: RRX). It came into the group through Altra Industrial Motion: Regal Rexnord completed its acquisition of Altra Industrial Motion Corp. on March 27, 2023, folding Warner Electric and sister power-transmission brands such as Stromag, Formsprag Clutch, and Wichita Clutch into Regal Rexnord's portfolio. The brand's logo now reads "A Regal Rexnord Brand." Warner Electric's US operations run from South Beloit, Illinois, with additional US facilities in New Hartford, Connecticut and Columbia City, Indiana, and international plants in St-Barthelemy d'Anjou, France and Shenzhen, China.

Certifications and quality

Warner Electric does not publish a specific ISO 9001 or IATF 16949 certificate on its brand website, so this profile does not claim one. Buyers evaluating the company for a regulated program should request current certificates and scope directly. As a Regal Rexnord power-transmission brand, Warner Electric operates within a group that runs quality-managed manufacturing across its plants, and the company describes long-life design and repeatable performance as core to its clutch and brake products.

Sourcing evidence

Warner Electric's US import footprint is modest and reads as internal group logistics rather than an external sourcing fingerprint. Public bill-of-lading records show about 51 sea shipments to the Warner Electric entity in Columbia City, Indiana, with the most recent recorded on September 24, 2026. The named foreign shippers are largely sister operations, Warner Electric Europe, Altra Industrial Motion's Shenzhen facility, and the Stromag brand, alongside a Chinese machinery supplier. That pattern is consistent with a global brand moving components and tooling between its own plants.

Separate Regal Rexnord clutch and brake entities appear in the same customs data as their own importers, including Formsprag Clutch and Wichita Clutch, which reflects the group's multi-brand structure rather than Warner Electric's own supply base.

Coverage caveats: these are US ocean-freight records only. Air, truck, and rail movements do not appear, some records name freight intermediaries rather than manufacturers, and product categories come from declared manifest codes, which are noisy. Absence of a record is not evidence of absence, and intra-group transfers understate the true production activity of a brand this size.

Frequently asked questions

What does Warner Electric make?

Warner Electric manufactures electromagnetic clutches and brakes, plus pneumatic, hydraulic, and mechanical clutch/brake products, controls, sensors, and web tension systems. For vehicles it builds on/off engine cooling-fan clutches, A/C compressor clutches for buses and trucks, PTO bell-housing clutches, and electrically released brakes for forklifts, lifts, and off-highway equipment.

Who owns Warner Electric?

Warner Electric is a brand of Regal Rexnord Corporation (NYSE: RRX). It joined the group through Altra Industrial Motion; Regal Rexnord completed its acquisition of Altra Industrial Motion Corp. on March 27, 2023. Warner Electric now sits within Regal Rexnord's power-transmission portfolio.

Where is Warner Electric located?

Warner Electric's US headquarters is at 449 Gardner St., South Beloit, Illinois. It also operates US facilities in New Hartford, Connecticut and Columbia City, Indiana, plus international plants in St-Barthelemy d'Anjou, France and Shenzhen, China.

When was Warner Electric founded?

Warner Electric was organized as the Warner Electric Brake Corporation in 1927 by inventor A. P. Warner, who is also credited with developing the automotive speedometer. The company developed the first industrial electric brake after World War II and the first industrial electric clutch in 1950.

What are Warner Electric's automotive and vehicle applications?

Warner Electric supplies engine cooling-fan clutches and A/C compressor clutches for trucks and buses, PTO bell-housing clutches for off-highway and marine drivetrains, and electrically released brakes for forklifts, aerial lifts, utility vehicles, and construction equipment. The company also has deep automotive heritage, from the speedometer to the electric trailer brake.

How large is Warner Electric?

Warner Electric operates as a global brand with plants in the United States, France, and China. Directory estimates put roughly 200 to 500 employees at its US entity. It does not publish standalone financials; its parent, Regal Rexnord, is a multibillion-dollar publicly traded company.

Last verified September 28, 2026. Is this your company? Request a correction.