vocabulary:
  name: Tower International
  description: >-
    Vocabulary for Tower International (now Autokiniton), a global manufacturer
    of engineered structural metal components and assemblies for the automotive industry.
  version: 1.0.0
  created: '2026-05-03'
  modified: '2026-05-03'

terms:
  - term: Body-in-White
    definition: >-
      The stage of automotive manufacturing where the car body's sheet metal
      components have been assembled together before painting or moving parts
      are added. Tower International was the second largest BIW supplier in
      North America after the Autokiniton merger.
    domain: Automotive Manufacturing
    tags:
      - Automotive
      - Manufacturing

  - term: Metal Stamping
    definition: >-
      A manufacturing process using dies and presses to transform flat metal
      sheets into specific shapes for automotive body and structural components.
    domain: Manufacturing
    tags:
      - Manufacturing
      - Metal Forming

  - term: Structural Assembly
    definition: >-
      A welded or joined collection of individual metal stampings that together
      form a structural sub-system of a vehicle such as a floor pan, door ring,
      or frame rail.
    domain: Automotive Manufacturing
    tags:
      - Automotive
      - Manufacturing

  - term: OEM
    definition: >-
      Original Equipment Manufacturer: an automotive company (e.g., Ford, GM,
      FCA/Stellantis) that purchases supplier-manufactured components to assemble
      into finished vehicles.
    domain: Automotive Industry
    tags:
      - Automotive

  - term: Tier 1 Supplier
    definition: >-
      A supplier that sells components directly to an OEM vehicle manufacturer.
      Tower International operated as a Tier 1 structural components supplier.
    domain: Automotive Supply Chain
    tags:
      - Automotive
      - Supply Chain

  - term: Frame Rail
    definition: >-
      A longitudinal structural member of a vehicle's ladder or perimeter frame
      that runs front-to-back, forming the primary load-bearing backbone.
    domain: Automotive Components
    tags:
      - Automotive
      - Structural Components

  - term: Autokiniton
    definition: >-
      The parent company that acquired Tower International in 2019 and merged
      it with L&W Group to form the second largest Body-in-White and vehicle
      frame supplier in North America.
    domain: Corporate
    tags:
      - Automotive
      - Corporate History

  - term: Progressive Stamping
    definition: >-
      A metal forming process in which a strip of metal passes through a series
      of stations in a progressive die, each performing different operations
      until the part is complete.
    domain: Manufacturing
    tags:
      - Manufacturing
      - Metal Forming

  - term: Transfer Stamping
    definition: >-
      A stamping process where large individual metal blanks are transferred by
      mechanical or robotic arms between stations in a large press, used for
      larger automotive components like doors and hoods.
    domain: Manufacturing
    tags:
      - Manufacturing
      - Metal Forming

categories:
  - name: Automotive Manufacturing
    description: Core automotive body and structural manufacturing concepts
    terms:
      - Body-in-White
      - Structural Assembly
      - Frame Rail
  - name: Manufacturing Processes
    description: Metal forming and manufacturing methods
    terms:
      - Metal Stamping
      - Progressive Stamping
      - Transfer Stamping
  - name: Automotive Industry
    description: Industry roles and relationships
    terms:
      - OEM
      - Tier 1 Supplier
      - Autokiniton