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February 2009
To Our Stockholders
BorgWarner has the financial strength, technological focus and skilled workforce
to actively manage through current economic conditions and continue our growth.
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For many companies around the world, including
BorgWarner, 2008 was an extraordinary year that will
long be remembered as a watershed in the history of
economics and business. Despite the daunting
challenges facing the global economy and our industry
in particular, BorgWarner has the financial strength
and management experience necessary to weather this
storm and prepare for a recovery. When the crisis
subsides, the future holds outstanding growth
opportunities for BorgWarner driven by our
technological focus on improved fuel economy and
emissions reduction, and the skills of our worldwide
workforce. I believe that companies like BorgWarner
that survive the current crisis will form the
foundation of a renewed, sustainable, and vital
global auto industry.
A Year of Extremes
We expected 2008 to be a challenge, but could not have
predicted that the first half of the year would be so
markedly different from the second half. We enjoyed
strong demand for our products in the first half of the
year, leading to record sales and earnings. With the
escalation of gasoline prices by mid-year, vehicle
builds in North America contracted. The economic crisis
and loss of consumer confidence that took hold in the
third quarter and accelerated into the fourth quarter,
created a domino effect around the world that brought
auto production to a virtual standstill by year-end.
Throughout this time we were adjusting our production
and workforce levels to cope with daily changes. The
deep declines in North America and the overnight cuts
in European production schedules challenged our
ability to reduce our costs at the same pace. The
robust start to the year was offset by dramatically
reduced demand by year-end, which impacted our
financial performance. The year was not without its
achievements, however:
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Our fuel-efficient technology helped both our
customers and our businesses receive accolades
throughout the year. We were associated with a
record number of awards in
2008, from recognition for technology which helped a
host of vehicles win environmental honors to industry
innovation awards for our turbochargers, all-wheel
drive systems, dual clutch transmission technology,
variable cam timing and ignition systems. |
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Customers continued to adopt our solutions for
improved fuel efficiency with a number of major
launches of our dual clutch transmission
technology, and the turbocharger business award of a major portion of the Ford
six-cylinder EcoBoost engine program. |
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While expansion programs were temporarily
slowed by year-end, we are well positioned for
growth in emerging markets like Eastern Europe,
China and India. |
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In China, we established a joint venture
during the year with a consortium of 12 top
Chinese automakers to produce dual clutch
transmission modules. This significant
collaboration establishes dual clutch
technology as the preferred transmission
solution for Chinas major domestic vehicle
manufacturers. |
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Our dividend was increased by 9%. We have
increased the dividend in each of the last
seven years, and over that period, the dividend
has more than tripled. |
Managing through Global Uncertainty
We proactively approached 2009 prepared to deal with
uncertain industry conditions, especially in North
America and Western Europe, which together represent
about 80% of our revenue. We have successfully managed
through difficult market environments before and
expect to apply that same focus and determination to
the current situation. While industry conditions are
difficult, the strong underlying fundamentals of our
company remain strong and we plan to protect our
foundation for future growth.
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Our underlying strengths include: |
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Powertrain technology leadership that drives our growth. |
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Customer and geographic diversity that
minimizes our exposure to any single customer
or market. |
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An operational focus that actively manages the
size and overhead costs of our business. |
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Financial structure and liquidity that are strong. |
As business conditions continued to worsen in all of
our major selling regions during the fourth quarter of
2008, we took aggressive cost control measures. We
entered 2009 having already undertaken significant
restructuring actions in North America and Europe, and
having implemented three and four week shutdowns at
most of our worldwide operations. We had made the
tough but necessary decisions to reduce our workforce
by about 4,400 people or 24%, and had moved to
four-day work weeks in many European operations.
Each of our business units has focused on adjusting
their operations to the appropriate staffing levels
for the low production volumes that we are predicting
for 2009. Our teams are working aggressively to
respond to ever-changing customer and business needs.
We are reducing inventory and capital spending. At
the same time, we are continuing to spend wisely on
research and development to enhance our future growth
and powertrain technology leadership position.
Against this backdrop of a global recession, we
continue to gain new business. Our net new business of
$2.1 billion over the next three years provides a
good, longer-term view of our expected growth beyond
the current crisis.
Of the total net new business, about 80% is from
engine-related systems and the remainder is
drivetrain-related. From a product perspective, turbochargers and dual
clutch transmission technologies remain our major
growth platforms.
Our growth is tied to issues of global importance
for drivers and manufacturers fuel efficiency
without sacrificing performance, cleaner air and
vehicle stability. We have
powertrain technologies that enhance the driving
experience while conserving energy, whether it is
through technology aimed at clean diesels, advanced
gasoline engines, hybrids or electric vehicles. We
believe that when combined, our products can enable
fuel economy improvements of up to 40% over todays
most common powertrains. We will weather the current
economic downturn with an enhanced focus on
operational efficiency while remaining passionate in
our commitment to powertrain technology leadership.
What do we expect in 2009? As I prepare this letter
in February of 2009, we see depressed levels of auto
production around the world, with a level in North
America that we have not seen in almost 30 years. As
a result, we expect a decline in 2009 sales, but
anticipate that earnings and cash flow will be
positive. Based on our current information, the
foreseeable future remains difficult with no real
industry turnaround predicted until mid-2010. We are
better positioned than most companies however, and we
have the fortitude to endure this downturn and will
emerge leaner and stronger.
We Will Emerge Stronger
The current period of global economic crisis and
dramatic industry schedule reductions has strained
even the best performing companies around the world.
BorgWarner maintains the financial capability to
continue to invest in research and development, as
well as to pursue strategic acquisitions to further
strengthen our competitive position in the
marketplace. We are taking actions to mitigate the
impact of the current global economic situation,
while continuing to position ourselves for the
future.
While the current economic crisis is expected to slow
global car sales in the near-term, BorgWarner remains
at the forefront of global automotive trends. Clean
air and fuel economy are major issues that automakers
around the world must address for many years to come.
The strategic moves that the company has made in
recent years are paying off. We expect to continue to
outpace the growth of the auto industry and to
strengthen our competitive position through our
leading technology and strong focus on cost control.
These are extraordinary times for our company and for
our industry. Despite the external economic environment
that is beyond our control, our employees around the
world will continue to concentrate on effectively
executing our technology driven growth strategy. We
have always been a lean company and are now asking more
from our people than ever before as we proactively
protect the future of BorgWarner during this difficult
period.
We know there is strength in our entrepreneurial
spirit and BorgWarner Pride that will see us
through this recession. When the global economy turns
around, BorgWarner will still be the leading
powertrain supplier to the global auto industry!
Timothy M. Manganello
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
BorgWarner Inc.
World Headquarters
2850 Hamlin Road
Auburn Hills, MI 48326
www.borgwarner.com