COMPANY·HISTORIES
NAIC 333912

Air and Gas Compressor Manufacturing

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

16companies1873–1993founding years14still active2no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironment
FoundedAtlas Copco ABFoundedAtlas Copco AB
1873
FoundedDaisy Outdoor Products Inc.FoundedDaisy Outdoor Products Inc.
1882
FoundedThe Coleman Company, Inc.FoundedThe Coleman Company, Inc.
1900
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedIngersoll-Rand Company Ltd.FoundedIngersoll-Rand Company Ltd.
1905
1908
TechnologyThe Ford Model T brings the automobile to the middle class.
FoundedThe Black & Decker CorporationFoundedThe Black & Decker Corporation
1910
1913
EconomyThe Federal Reserve is created.
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression begins.
1933
EconomyNew Deal reforms reshape banking and industry.
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long postwar expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented at Bell Labs.
FoundedSpirax-Sarco Engineering plcFoundedSpirax-Sarco Engineering plc
1952
FoundedThomas Industries Inc.FoundedThomas Industries Inc.
1953
1956
EconomyThe Interstate Highway program remakes commerce.
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
1970
EnvironmentThe EPA is founded; environmental regulation expands.
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; Nasdaq opens.
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins with the Altair.
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher.
1980
EnvironmentSuperfund law makes polluters pay for cleanup.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall 22% in a single day.
1989
EnvironmentThe Exxon Valdez spill reshapes energy and shipping rules.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
FoundedGardner Denver, Inc.FoundedGardner Denver, Inc.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2000
EconomyThe dot-com bubble bursts.
2001
EconomyThe September 11 attacks; a recession follows.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 begin to take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2008
EconomyThe global financial crisis freezes credit.
2010
EnvironmentThe Deepwater Horizon spill triggers sweeping energy rules.
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

Atlas Copco AB →
Active · founded 1873 · Sweden
Atlas Copco AB is one of the world's leading producers of compressors, mining and construction equipment, power tools,…
Atlas Copco AB →
Active · founded 1873 · Sweden
Atlas Copco AB is one of the world's leading producers of compressors, mining and construction equipment, power tools,…
Daisy Outdoor Products Inc. →
Active · founded 1882
Daisy Outdoor Products Inc., based in Rogers, Arkansas, is the world's oldest and largest producer of air guns and air…
Daisy Outdoor Products Inc. →
Active · founded 1882
Daisy Outdoor Products Inc., based in Rogers, Arkansas, is the world's oldest and largest producer of air guns and air…
The Coleman Company, Inc. →
Active · founded 1900
The Coleman Company, Inc.
The Coleman Company, Inc. →
Active · founded 1900
The Coleman Company, Inc.
Ingersoll-Rand Company Ltd. →
Active · founded 1905
Ingersoll-Rand Company Ltd.
Ingersoll-Rand Company Ltd. →
Active · founded 1905
Ingersoll-Rand Company Ltd.
The Black & Decker Corporation →
Active · founded 1910
The Black & Decker Corporation is the leading maker of power tools and accessories in the United States--and is the…
The Black & Decker Corporation →
Active · founded 1910
The Black & Decker Corporation is the leading maker of power tools and accessories in the United States--and is the…
Spirax-Sarco Engineering plc →
Active · founded 1952 · United Kingdom
By then, Spirax-Sarco had been forced to overcome a bump in the late 1990s, after the company shut down its Allentown…
Spirax-Sarco Engineering plc →
Active · founded 1952 · United Kingdom
By then, Spirax-Sarco had been forced to overcome a bump in the late 1990s, after the company shut down its Allentown…
Thomas Industries Inc. →
Active · founded 1953
Thomas Industries Inc.
Thomas Industries Inc. →
Active · founded 1953
Thomas Industries Inc.
Gardner Denver, Inc. →
Defunct · founded 1993
Gardner Denver, Inc.
Gardner Denver, Inc. →
Defunct · founded 1993
Gardner Denver, Inc.
Build It Today

Starting a air and gas compressor manufacturing company now

Each week we rebuild one of these stories for today's tools and capital.