[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 132 (Tuesday, September 15, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6647-S6648]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       RECOGNIZING THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF ALLISON TRANSMISSION

  Mr. DONNELLY. Mr. President, today I recognize the 100th anniversary 
of Allison Transmission, a company that traces its history back to the 
founding of the Indianapolis Speedway Team Co. in 1915. As a co-founder 
of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and part owner of several racing 
teams, James A. Allison established a machine shop on Main Street in 
Speedway, IN. Allison's initial focus was racing. However, in 1917 when 
the United States entered World War I, Allison shifted focus to produce 
parts and tooling for Liberty engines used by many Allied airplanes in 
the war.
  After a brief return to racing at the war's end in late 1918 and a 
win at the

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1919 Indianapolis 500, Allison continued to focus on engineering 
aircraft and marine products. When James Allison died in 1928, General 
Motors bought the company. Shortly before the start of World War II, 
aircraft engines became the Allison Division's focus. Later, as part of 
GM, Allison Transmission developed the first cross-drive hydraulic unit 
for the M-41 Patton tank. Since then the company has made transmissions 
for most of the U.S. military's armored and tactical wheeled vehicles.
  Further development of transmissions for buses, automatics for trucks 
and buses, hydraulically controlled trucks and buses, and transmissions 
with electronic controls were developed by Allison from the 1950s 
through the 1990s. GM sold Allison Transmission in 2007 to a pair of 
private equity firms, and in March 2012, Allison Transmission Holdings 
Inc. became a public company with its shares trading on the New York 
Stock Exchange.
  Today, Allison Transmission, a company founded on the values of 
innovation and Hoosier hard work, continues to deliver quality products 
and reliable services with a current focus on fuel economy. 
Headquartered in Indianapolis, Allison Transmission is the world's 
largest manufacturer of fully automatic commercial-duty transmissions 
and a leader in hybrid-propulsion systems. Today, vehicles powered by 
an Allison fully automatic transmission can be found on every continent 
doing everything from transporting school children, fighting fires, and 
unlocking oil beneath the earth's surface. Allison Transmission 
currently has approximately 2,700 employees and a presence in more than 
80 countries, including manufacturing facilities in the United States, 
Hungary, and India.
  On behalf of the citizens of Indiana, I would like to congratulate 
Allison Transmission on 100 years of success. As a multinational 
company that grew out of a humble machine shop in Speedway, IN, Allison 
Transmission has served as an economic and community anchor for the 
greater Indianapolis area and beyond.
  On this special occasion, we congratulate Allison Transmission on 100 
years of excellence in innovation and service, and honor the 
generations of Hoosiers who have devoted their careers to manufacturing 
excellence under the Allison Transmission brand. We are proud that 
Allison Transmission calls Indiana home, and we wish them continued 
success for many years to come.

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