Standard Motor Products

Not to be confused with Standard Motor Company.
Standard Motor Products, Inc.
Company typePublic
NYSE: SMP
S&P 600 component
IndustryAutomobile
Founded1919 (1919)
FounderElias Fife,
Ralph Van Allen
Headquarters
Long Island City, New York
,
U.S.
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
  • Eric P. Sills (Chairman, President & CEO)
  • James J. Burke (Director & Chief Operating Officer)
  • Nathan Iles (Chief Financial Officer)[1]
Revenue$1.5 billion (2024)
Number of employees
6,100 (includes JVs)
Websitesmpcorp.com

Standard Motor Products, Inc. (NYSE: SMP) is a manufacturer and distributor of automotive parts in the automotive aftermarket industry. The company was founded in 1919 as a partnership by Elias Fife and Ralph Van Allen and incorporated by Fife in 1926. It is headquartered in Long Island City, New York, and trades on the New York Stock Exchange. SMP includes four operational segments: Vehicle Control, Temperature Control, Engineered Solutions and Nissens. SMP’s Vehicle Control and Temperature Control divisions supply automotive aftermarket components to major retailers and distributors across North America. Engineered Solutions offers a wide range of custom-designed products to vehicle and equipment manufacturers across diverse global end markets, including both on-highway and off-highway. Nissens is a European aftermarket supplier and Europe’s aftermarket leader in a wide range of air conditioning, engine cooling and emission control components, serving on- and off-highway vehicles.

SMP is a major supplier to NAPA, AutoZone, O’Reilly, Federated and more, selling its products to warehouse distributors and auto parts retail chains around the world under its own brand names such as Standard®, Blue Streak®, Echlin®, BWD®, and Four Seasons®, as well as under private label brands for key customers.

SMP has a diverse manufacturing footprint with 21 manufacturing facilities and 15 design and development centers. SMP also has a global network of distribution facilities with warehouses across North America and Europe.

Four Generations of Leadership

  • In 1919, Elias Fife helped establish Standard Motor Products (SMP) in New York City, specializing in ignition and electrical products
  • In 1947, Nathanial Sills, Elias Fife's son-in-law, joins the company, continuing the Sills legacy
  • In 1967, Larry Sills, grandson of Elias Fife and a member of the family's third generation, begins his SMP apprenticeship
  • In 1991, current CEO Eric Sills, great-grandson of Elias Fife and a member of the family's fourth generation, begins his tenure at SMP

History

Standard Motor Products was founded in Manhattan in 1919 as a partnership between Elias Fife, a Jewish immigrant from Lithuania,[2] and Ralph Van Allen[3] to specialize in ignition and electrical parts.[4] In 1920, Van Allen opened a Standard Motor Products branch in Seattle, and the following year, the company moved to the Long Island City section of Queens. After the partnership dissolved in 1925, the company was incorporated with Fife as the sole proprietor in 1926. Van Allen operated a separate company in Los Angeles under the same name and logo until selling it to Fife in 1936,[3] the same year SMP moved into the Art Deco building where it remains headquartered today.[2]

Key Timeline Dates[5]

  • 1934 - Blue Streak® line of premium ignition parts was introduced
  • 1947 - Standard acquired Hygrade Products Co. and expanded the product line to include speedometer cables, carburetor repair parts, shock-absorber parts, and fuel pumps
  • 1947 – Nathanial Sills, Elias Fife’s son-in-law, joined SMP
  • 1960 - Standard Motor Products had its initial public offering
  • 1977 – SMP was listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)
  • 1997 – SMP exchanged its brake business for Cooper Industries' temperature control business[6]
  • 2000 - Larry Sills took over as Chairman and CEO
  • 2003 - Echlin®, a leading manufacturer of engine management components, was acquired by SMP  
  • 2009 - Chairman Sills rang the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange to celebrate the company's 90th anniversary.
  • 2015 - Eric Sills, great-grandson of founder Elias Fife and son of CEO Lawrence Sills, was appointed President of the company
  • 2016 - Eric Sills became the fourth CEO in SMP’s history and was appointed to the Board of Directors
  • 2017 - SMP acquired General Cable, expanding its already extensive ignition wire offering
  • 2019 - SMP celebrated its 100-year anniversary and to commemorate, SMP rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange
  • 2020 - SMP acquired assets of MK Company Ltd., a plastic injector molder in London, Ontario, that became known as Unimotor Plastics Department
  • 2021 - SMP purchased Stoneridge’s Particulate Matter Sensor business and acquired Trombetta and Stabil
  • 2021 - Eric Sills, spoke before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce. Sills was one of only four to testify on supply chain reliance and American competitiveness
  • 2022 – SMP acquired Kade Trading GmbH
  • 2023 - SMP introduced their new Engineered Solutions segment focusing on non-aftermarket end markets, including both on-highway (commercial and light vehicles) and off-highway (construction, agriculture, power sports, and other) applications[7]
  • 2024 - SMP completed the acquisition of European aftermarket supplier Nissens Automotive, Europe’s aftermarket leader in air conditioning products and engine cooling[8]

Nissens Acquisition

In November 2024, SMP completed the acquisition of European aftermarket supplier Nissens Automotive, Europe’s aftermarket leader in air conditioning products and engine cooling.[8] Nissens was founded in 1921 in Denmark as a workshop that offered radiator repair services to local garages. Over time, Nissens grew to manufacture its own radiators and expanded its product portfolio to include multiple climate control, engine cooling and engine efficiency components.

Prior to the acquisition, SMP was already a North American Aftermarket leader for Vehicle and Temperature Control products.[9] The acquisition helped SMP expand its global footprint and strengthened its position in North America across key product categories. It also added to SMP’s expansive product portfolio of powertrain-neutral and electric-vehicle-specific categories.

Nissens operates facilities across Europe, Canada, the United States of America, Mexico and China.[10]

Operations and Products

The company has two operational segments, an Engine Management segment that produces parts for fuel systems, ignition and emissions, ignition wires, and battery cables, and a Temperature Control Segment that manufactures and refurbishes air-conditioning, heating, engine cooling system, and windshield washer parts, air-conditioning compressors, and power window accessories.[11] Its subsidiaries include Four Seasons Europe S.A.R.L. (in France), Marathon Auto Parts and Products, Inc., Motortronics, Inc., SMP Motor Products Limited (in Canada), Standard Motor Products Holdings Limited (in England and Wales), Standard Motor Products (Hong Kong) Limited, and Standard Motor Products de Mexico.[3]

The company sells to automotive stores and wholesalers. It manufactures approximately half of the parts it sells; most of the rest it imports from China.[12]

Some Standard products are sold under private labels, including CARQUEST, Cold Power, Duralast, Duralast Gold, Import Direct, Master Pro, Mileage Plus, Murray, and NAPA (NAPA Belden, NAPA Echlin, NAPA Temp Products). The company's own brands include Standard, BWD/NIEHOFF, Intermotor, OEM, LockSmart, TechSmart, and GP Sorensen for engine management and Four Seasons, Factory Air, EVERCO, ACi, Imperial, COMPRESSORWORKS, TORQFLO, and Hayden for temperature control.[13]

Sales

Consolidated net sales for the twelve months ended December 31, 2024, were $1.46 billion, compared to consolidated net sales of $1.36 billion during the comparable period in 2023.[14]

References

  1. ^ "Standard Motor Products, Inc. Appoints Nathan Iles as Chief Financial Officer". PR Newswire. 16 September 2019. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  2. ^ a b Davidson, Adam (December 20, 2011). "Making It in America". The Atlantic. p. 2.
  3. ^ a b c "Standard Motor Products, Inc. History". Funding Universe. Retrieved 14 March 2014. From International Directory of Company Histories, Vol. 40. St. James, 2001.
  4. ^ "SMP History". Standard Motor Products, Inc. Retrieved March 20, 2014.
  5. ^ "Our History | Standard Motor Products". www.smpcorp.com. Retrieved 2025-07-24.
  6. ^ "History of Standard Motor Products, Inc". FundingUniverse. Retrieved 2025-07-24.
  7. ^ "Standard Motor Products, Inc. Announces Segment Reporting Changes | Newsroom | Standard Motor Products". www.smpcorp.com. Retrieved 2025-07-24.
  8. ^ a b "SMP Completes Acquisition of European Aftermarket Supplier Nissens Automotive | Newsroom | Standard Motor Products". www.smpcorp.com. Retrieved 2025-07-24.
  9. ^ "Nissens Automotive: Complete Solutions Provider". nissens.com. Retrieved 2025-07-24.
  10. ^ "Our Facilities | Standard Motor Products". www.smpcorp.com. Retrieved 2025-07-24.
  11. ^ "Company Information: Standard Motor Products Inc". The New York Times. Retrieved March 17, 2014.
  12. ^ Davidson, Adam (December 20, 2011). "Making It in America". The Atlantic. p. 3.
  13. ^ "Standard Motor Products: Business Summary". Yahoo Finance. Retrieved March 17, 2014.
  14. ^ "SMP Releases Fourth Quarter and 2024 Year-End Results | Newsroom | Standard Motor Products". www.smpcorp.com. Retrieved 2025-07-24.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.