COMPANY·HISTORIES
NAIC 336412

Aircraft Engine and Engine Parts Manufacturing

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

21companies1882–1999founding years21still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedFLSmidth & Co. A/S
1882
FoundedRolls-Royce Group PLC
1884
FoundedGeneral Electric Company
1892
FoundedKawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd.
1896
FoundedGKN plc
1900
FoundedWoodward Governor Company
1902
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedFiat SpA
1906
FoundedDucommun Incorporated
1907
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedAB Volvo
1915
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression spreads worldwide.
FoundedUnited Technologies Corporation
1934
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
FoundedHéroux-Devtek Inc.
1942
FoundedSnecma Group
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedPakistan International Airlines Corporation
1955
FoundedBanner Aerospace, Inc.
1956
FoundedHEICO Corporation
1957
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; currencies float.
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher worldwide.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall sharply around the world.
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
FoundedFirst Aviation Services Inc.FoundedMagellan Aerospace Corporation
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
FoundedL-3 Communications Holdings, Inc.
1997
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2000
EconomyThe dot-com bubble bursts.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2008
EconomyThe global financial crisis freezes credit worldwide.
2010
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

FLSmidth & Co. A/S →
Active · founded 1882 · Denmark
FLSmidth & Co.
Rolls-Royce Group PLC →
Active · founded 1884 · United Kingdom
Rolls-Royce Group PLC is flying high in the 2000s.
General Electric Company →
Active · founded 1892
The history of General Electric Company is a significant part of the history of technology in the United States.
Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. →
Active · founded 1896 · Japan
Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd.
GKN plc →
Active · founded 1900 · United Kingdom
Born out of the early 20th-century mergers of three companies, GKN plc has evolved into a global industrial giant…
Woodward Governor Company →
Active · founded 1902
Woodward Governor Company is the world's oldest and one of the largest manufacturers of energy control systems and…
Ladish Co., Inc. →
Active · founded 1905
Ladish Co., Inc.
Fiat SpA →
Active · founded 1906 · Italy
Fiat SpA, one of Europe's largest companies, is perhaps best known as a manufacturer of automobiles.
Ducommun Incorporated →
Active · founded 1907
California's oldest company, Ducommun Incorporated has gone from repairing watches for prospectors to supplying the…
AB Volvo →
Active · founded 1915 · Sweden
The largest company in Sweden in revenue terms and the biggest employer in that nation's private sector, AB Volvo is…
United Technologies Corporation →
Active · founded 1934
United Technologies Corporation (UTC) is one of the largest conglomerates in the United States and a major military…
Héroux-Devtek Inc. →
Active · founded 1942 · Canada
Héroux-Devtek Inc.
Snecma Group →
Active · founded 1945 · France
Snecma Group is considered the world's oldest manufacturer of aircraft engines.
Safe Flight Instrument Corporation →
Active · founded 1946
Safe Flight Instrument Corporation produces a wide array of devices to make flying safer and more manageable.
Pakistan International Airlines Corporation →
Active · founded 1955 · Pakistan
Pakistan International Airlines Corporation (PIA) is the flag carrier of Pakistan, whose government owns 85 percent of…
Banner Aerospace, Inc. →
Active · founded 1956
Banner Aerospace, Inc.
HEICO Corporation →
Active · founded 1957
HEICO Corporation is a leading supplier of replacement jet engine parts.
First Aviation Services Inc. →
Active · founded 1995
First Aviation Services Inc.
Magellan Aerospace Corporation →
Active · founded 1995 · Canada
Magellan Aerospace Corporation is Canada's largest dedicated manufacturer of aerospace components.
L-3 Communications Holdings, Inc. →
Active · founded 1997
L-3 Communications Holdings, Inc., through its L-3 Communications Corp.
Teledyne Technologies Inc. →
Active · founded 1999
Teledyne Technologies Inc.
Build It Today

Starting a aircraft engine and engine parts manufacturing company now

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