COMPANY·HISTORIES
SIC 3728

Aircraft Parts and Equipment, Not Elsewhere Classified

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

40companies1892–1989founding years38still active2no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironment
FoundedRexnord Corporation
1892
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedThe Interlake Corporation
1905
1908
TechnologyThe Ford Model T brings the automobile to the middle class.
FoundedGroupe Dassault Aviation SA
1911
FoundedPuritan-Bennett Corporation
1913
EconomyThe Federal Reserve is created.
FoundedFansteel Inc.FoundedSmiths Industries PLC
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedThe Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd.
1917
FoundedParker-Hannifin Corporation
1918
FoundedAlliedSignal Inc.
1920
FoundedSundstrand Corporation
1926
FoundedCessna Aircraft Company
1927
FoundedGrumman Corporation
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression begins.
FoundedBeech Aircraft Corporation
1932
1933
EconomyNew Deal reforms reshape banking and industry.
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
FoundedKaman Corp.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long postwar expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented at Bell Labs.
FoundedMoog Inc.
1951
1956
EconomyThe Interstate Highway program remakes commerce.
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
FoundedKorean Air Lines Co., Ltd.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedLinamar Corporation
1966
FoundedMcDonnell Douglas Corporation
1967
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.
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.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
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
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

Rexnord Corporation →
Active · founded 1892
A wholly owned subsidiary of BTR PLC, an international holding company based in London, England, since 1994, the…
Rexnord Corporation →
Active · founded 1892
A wholly owned subsidiary of BTR PLC, an international holding company based in London, England, since 1994, the…
The Interlake Corporation →
Active · founded 1905
The Interlake Corporation, once a company within the steel industry, is currently engaged in the design, manufacture,…
The Interlake Corporation →
Active · founded 1905
The Interlake Corporation, once a company within the steel industry, is currently engaged in the design, manufacture,…
Groupe Dassault Aviation SA →
Active · founded 1911 · France
One of France's most important developers and producers of military aircraft, including the famed Mirage series and…
Groupe Dassault Aviation SA →
Active · founded 1911 · France
One of France's most important developers and producers of military aircraft, including the famed Mirage series and…
Puritan-Bennett Corporation →
Active · founded 1913
The Puritan-Bennett Corporation, headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas, with research and manufacturing facilities in…
Puritan-Bennett Corporation →
Active · founded 1913
The Puritan-Bennett Corporation, headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas, with research and manufacturing facilities in…
Fansteel Inc. →
Active · founded 1914
Fansteel Inc.
Fansteel Inc. →
Active · founded 1914
Fansteel Inc.
Smiths Industries PLC →
Active · founded 1914 · England
Smiths Industries PLC is a diversified multinational corporation with core businesses in aerospace electronics; medical…
Smiths Industries PLC →
Active · founded 1914 · England
Smiths Industries PLC is a diversified multinational corporation with core businesses in aerospace electronics; medical…
The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. →
Active · founded 1917 · Japan
With an estimated four percent of global tire and rubber sales in the early 1990s, The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd.
The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. →
Active · founded 1917 · Japan
With an estimated four percent of global tire and rubber sales in the early 1990s, The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd.
Parker-Hannifin Corporation →
Active · founded 1918
Motion control through the use of air, liquid, and gas is the principal concern of Parker-Hannifin Corporation.
Parker-Hannifin Corporation →
Active · founded 1918
Motion control through the use of air, liquid, and gas is the principal concern of Parker-Hannifin Corporation.
AlliedSignal Inc. →
Defunct · founded 1920
AlliedSignal Inc., formed from the acquisition of Signal Companies, Inc.
AlliedSignal Inc. →
Defunct · founded 1920
AlliedSignal Inc., formed from the acquisition of Signal Companies, Inc.
General Dynamics Corporation →
Active · founded 1925
General Dynamics' contribution to the defense industry, through the production of nuclear submarines and armored…
General Dynamics Corporation →
Active · founded 1925
General Dynamics' contribution to the defense industry, through the production of nuclear submarines and armored…
Sundstrand Corporation →
Active · founded 1926
Known as a premier supplier of parts for the aircraft industry since the 1940s, Sundstrand Corporation is also a…
Sundstrand Corporation →
Active · founded 1926
Known as a premier supplier of parts for the aircraft industry since the 1940s, Sundstrand Corporation is also a…
Cessna Aircraft Company →
Active · founded 1927
Based in Wichita, Kansas, the aviation capitol of the United States, Cessna Aircraft Company is the world's largest…
Cessna Aircraft Company →
Active · founded 1927
Based in Wichita, Kansas, the aviation capitol of the United States, Cessna Aircraft Company is the world's largest…
Grumman Corporation →
Active · founded 1929
The manufacturer of the U.S.
Grumman Corporation →
Active · founded 1929
The manufacturer of the U.S.
Beech Aircraft Corporation →
Active · founded 1932
Best known for its line of Beechcraft propeller and jet airplanes, Beech Aircraft Corporation is one of several…
Beech Aircraft Corporation →
Active · founded 1932
Best known for its line of Beechcraft propeller and jet airplanes, Beech Aircraft Corporation is one of several…
Kaman Corp. →
Active · founded 1945
Kaman Corp.
Kaman Corp. →
Active · founded 1945
Kaman Corp.
Moog Inc. →
Active · founded 1951
Moog Inc.
Moog Inc. →
Active · founded 1951
Moog Inc.
Korean Air Lines Co., Ltd. →
Active · founded 1962 · Korea
Korean Air Lines Co., Ltd.
Korean Air Lines Co., Ltd. →
Active · founded 1962 · Korea
Korean Air Lines Co., Ltd.
Linamar Corporation →
Active · founded 1966 · N1K 1B2
Canadian-based Linamar Corporation is one of the fastest-growing manufacturers of high precision machined and assembled…
Linamar Corporation →
Active · founded 1966 · N1K 1B2
Canadian-based Linamar Corporation is one of the fastest-growing manufacturers of high precision machined and assembled…
McDonnell Douglas Corporation →
Active · founded 1967
The largest defense contractor in the United States, McDonnell Douglas Corporation is also the world's largest builder…
McDonnell Douglas Corporation →
Active · founded 1967
The largest defense contractor in the United States, McDonnell Douglas Corporation is also the world's largest builder…
Daimler-Benz Aerospace AG →
Active · founded 1989 · Germany
With less than a decade under its belt, Daimler-Benz Aerospace AG has transformed the German aircraft industry from a…
Daimler-Benz Aerospace AG →
Active · founded 1989 · Germany
With less than a decade under its belt, Daimler-Benz Aerospace AG has transformed the German aircraft industry from a…
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