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In 1903, Charles W. Borg and Marshall Beck opened a tool company to make machines that would turn out wagon poles, which led to the opportunity to take on work for some of the early automobile manufacturers – thus Borg & Beck’s automotive history began. In 1910 Borg’s son, George, along with the company’s chief machinist, invented and patented the single-plate clutch, which became the coil spring clutch that we know today. George was able to sell his clutch to a small automobile company that was seeking a new clutch for its army trucks. Within a short time, the company was supplying its single-plate clutch to several car manufacturers. By 1918, George had replaced his father as president of the company, and Borg & Beck had produced 200,000 clutches, making it the leading US clutch manufacturer. In that same year, the decision was made to move the business from Moline, Illinois to Chicago.