Category Archives: General News

SEMA 2016

SEMA is now behind us, everyone made it home intact, everything has been unpacked and all of the pictures collected.  What seems like a fairly simple thing – going to a trade show – takes on a huge level of complexity when the show is one the size of SEMA.  If you happened to come ’round to booth 35197, upstairs in the South Hall, this is what you’d have found:

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We try to bring a cross section of staff to the attend the show, so that our employees can better understand the market – and our customers.  We had staff from sales, manufacturing, engineering as well as quality control with us at the booth.  Everyone brings their own experience and area of expertise, which better allows us to answer questions.  The cut-away display model (center) contained a working, powered Torsen T-2R that really drives home how these devises work.

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During our time at SEMA, we spoke with buyers, media, distributors, chassis builders, installers, and most importantly, end customers.  We spoke with hundreds of people over the course of the week, answered all sorts of questions, and listened to what customers are asking for (9″ Ford anyone? – more to come on that later).  And we took in as much of the show as possible.  Quality Manager Kim conducts a spot check of Torsen performance in the Fox Shox Raptor:

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Rick & Sean nearly disappear into the blue:

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Ford Performance had Torsen differentials on display as well:

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Of course, it wasn’t all business.  The Torsen group at Caesar’s Palace:

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Dessert overload at Serendipity 3:

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Some assorted pictures from the show:

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Seriously, where else can you find such a variety of different types of hot rods, custom cars, race cars, rats, off road monsters, vintage vehicles, and just downright bizarre and unique vehicles all in one place?  SEMA truly is a unique experience.  And a parting shot – leaving Las Vegas behind, till next year:

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Photos: Rick Barnes, Kim Gebo

Mustang FP350S

Indianapolis, IN – Ford Performance announced the next Mustang race car on Thursday, adding to the list of high performance and track cars that use Torsen.  The FP350S was unveiled at the PRI show to a large crowd.  The track-only car replaces the previous Boss 302S as Ford Performance’s turn-key, ready to run race car for SCCA & Trans Am competition.  More information is available at Ford Performance: https://performanceparts.ford.com/PRI/#FP350S

 

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Photo: Rick Barnes

 

Holiday Closure & Ordering

JTEKT Torsen North America will be closed for the week of December 26th, returning on the 3rd of January.  Also, much of the staff will be off for at least part of the week prior to the Christmas holiday.  As such, any orders placed through the website after December 21 will not be processed until we return.  Emails may not be replied to until after the new year as well.  We wish everyone a happy holiday season, and look forward to working with you in the new year.  Cheers!

A Torsen New Year

With 2016 officially on the books, we all like to take a moment to reflect back on what that year brought us.  Here at Torsen Intergalactic, a lot of things took place that were noteworthy.  Most obvious to all of you was that a brand new website was launched, replacing that clunky old frame-based site that looked it was created around 2000 (because it was).  This has given us better ability to hawk our product, tell you why its awesome, communicate to readers (by way of this news page), and of course, has improved your ability to connect with us.  But 2016 also brought us a number of things that you wouldn’t see from your side of the internet.

In 2016, we ramped up to volume production for the Ford Mustang GT350, as well as relaunched the front differential for the F-150 Raptor (now a $500 stand-alone option on Ford’s website).  These, combined with the ongoing Mustang GT differential production have served to significantly increase our OEM sales volume.  That led us to hiring more staff and adding more equipment.  We added a new gear cutter and a new gear inspection machine.  We’ve contracted to have a new assembly line as well.  Inside the Torsen Cosmic Headquarters building, we’ve knocked down several walls, rearranged the machine shop and rejiggered the assembly area to accommodate the new machines in a sensible way.

On another front, we had an excellent turn out and response to our booth at the SEMA show in Las Vegas.  We attended the PRI show for the first time in a long time.  We’ve added several new models to our aftermarket line, and we’ve identified segments of the market that we feel are ripe for new offerings.  Look for additional new models in 2017.

That’s not to say its been all rainbows and unicorns.  There have been issues along the way – some rather significant.  However, it wouldn’t be proper to discuss these in polite company.  Needless to say, said issues have been resolved and the world is now as right as it should be.  So where does that all leave us going forward?  Well, we expect 2017 to build on what we’ve achieved in 2017 and ring in new areas of growth.

For starters, the new assembly line is being installed as we speak, or, at least as I type this.  Another new gear cutting machine is on the horizon, scheduled to land in late spring.  This piece of equipment will have several unique features that will allow us to make gearing components unlike any made by those other helical gear makers, and will allow us to fully produce whatever we need in-house.  That will truly open up our prototype and low-volume manufacturing flexibility.

Also, as mentioned above, we’re planning several new aftermarket models to help round our our product list.  We intend to offer product for segments that are sorely lacking in our current line, while also expanding our motorsport offerings – particularly in off-road racing, as well autocross, track use, etc.  At this time, I think its fair to say that we’ll be back at SEMA in November, but right now that seems a long time away.  Either way, we’re also working to be more responsive to customers, both in terms of listening to what you want, but also in addressing general day to day communications.

All told, 2017 looks potentially quite bright, with projected volume increases, sales expansion and newfound manufacturing capacity that’s coming.  We look forward to working with you in the new year!

Memorial Day closure

Just a heads up – JTEKT Torsen North America, Inc. will closed in observance of Memorial Day on Monday, May 29.  Orders and emails submitted over the weekend will not be processed until the following Tuesday.  There will also not be anyone about the office to answer the phones.  Have a great weekend!

Torsen® at SEMA 2016

Las Vegas, NV – JTEKT Torsen North America, Inc. will be displaying at the SEMA show in Las Vegas this fall. SEMA, the premier trade show for specialty equipment and aftermarket components for vehicles, runs from November 1st through the 4th of this year at the Las Vegas Convention Center. You will be able to find Torsen® Differentials in booth #35197.  We’ll be upstairs in the South Hall, so stop by and see what’s new! More information about the show is available at www.semashow.com.

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New Website Launch

Welcome!

Hey, welcome to the new Torsen® website – the new home of JTEKT Torsen North America, Inc. online.  Thanks for stopping by.  Here, you can find the latest tech information, learn what makes helical gear differentials unique, find out what manufacturers use Torsen during OEM production, and browse aftermarket applications in our store.  Submit technical questions, share pictures of your Torsen-equipped ride with us, and hear about the latest Torsen news.  We plan to update this blog with information about the latest products, technical discussions, updates on where to catch up with us (like at the SEMA show), and whatever else seems helpful.  So take a look around, let us know what you think!

Car & Driver Magazine Compares Center Differentials

The July 2016 issue of Car & Driver Magazine contains a feature article, titled Four on the Floor: All-Wheel-Drive Systems Explained. This article discusses and compares different technologies that are used in AWD system center differentials, in which Torsen® is highlighted and discussed. Author Josh Jaquot consulted with JTEKT Torsen in Rochester prior to writing the piece. The article can also be read on their website.

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