COMPANY·HISTORIES
NAIC 54133

Engineering Services

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

42companies1853–1999founding years36still active6no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironment
FoundedKvaerner ASA
1853
FoundedAtlas Copco AB
1873
FoundedBath Iron Works
1884
FoundedTarmac plc
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedThe Austin Company
1904
1908
TechnologyThe Ford Model T brings the automobile to the middle class.
FoundedEllerbe Becket
1909
1913
EconomyThe Federal Reserve is created.
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedDay & Zimmermann, Inc.
1916
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression begins.
FoundedMorrison Knudsen Corporation
1932
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.
FoundedAntonov Design Bureau
1946
FoundedEG & G IncorporatedFoundedEmpresas ICA Sociedad Controladora, S.A. de C.V.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented at Bell Labs.
FoundedURS Corporation
1950
1956
EconomyThe Interstate Highway program remakes commerce.
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedTetra Tech, Inc.
1966
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.
FoundedParsons Brinckerhoff, Inc.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins with the Altair.
FoundedBufete Industrial, S.A. de C.V.
1977
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.
FoundedAlliant Techsystems Inc.
1990
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
FoundedAavid Thermal Technologies, 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.
FoundedFortum Corporation
1998
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

Kvaerner ASA →
Active · founded 1853 · England
Long known as the largest shipbuilder in Europe, Anglo-Norwegian Kvaerner ASA is redefining itself around three core…
Kvaerner ASA →
Active · founded 1853 · England
Long known as the largest shipbuilder in Europe, Anglo-Norwegian Kvaerner ASA is redefining itself around three core…
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,…
Bath Iron Works →
Active · founded 1884
For more than a century, Bath Iron Works (BIW) has been building ships, chiefly for the U.S.
Bath Iron Works →
Active · founded 1884
For more than a century, Bath Iron Works (BIW) has been building ships, chiefly for the U.S.
Tarmac plc →
Active · founded 1903 · United Kingdom
Tarmac plc is one of the leading heavy building materials and construction services groups in Europe, with additional…
Tarmac plc →
Active · founded 1903 · United Kingdom
Tarmac plc is one of the leading heavy building materials and construction services groups in Europe, with additional…
The Austin Company →
Active · founded 1904
1950s:Company develops specialty practices for television studios and newspaper production plants.
The Austin Company →
Active · founded 1904
1950s:Company develops specialty practices for television studios and newspaper production plants.
Ellerbe Becket →
Active · founded 1909
1940s:A steel-conserving, pine-trussed hangar is developed for Northwest Airlines.
Ellerbe Becket →
Active · founded 1909
1940s:A steel-conserving, pine-trussed hangar is developed for Northwest Airlines.
ICF Kaiser International, Inc. →
Active · founded 1914
ICF Kaiser International, Inc.
ICF Kaiser International, Inc. →
Active · founded 1914
ICF Kaiser International, Inc.
Day & Zimmermann, Inc. →
Active · founded 1916
Day & Zimmermann, Inc., a private, family-run company headquartered in Philadelphia, provides technical, engineering,…
Day & Zimmermann, Inc. →
Active · founded 1916
Day & Zimmermann, Inc., a private, family-run company headquartered in Philadelphia, provides technical, engineering,…
Morrison Knudsen Corporation →
Defunct · founded 1932
Morrison Knudsen Corporation (MK) has long stood as one of the world's largest engineering and construction…
Morrison Knudsen Corporation →
Defunct · founded 1932
Morrison Knudsen Corporation (MK) has long stood as one of the world's largest engineering and construction…
Antonov Design Bureau →
Active · founded 1946 · Ukraine
Ukraine-based Antonov Design Bureau, a scientific and technical complex named after Oleg Konstantinovich (O.K.)…
Antonov Design Bureau →
Active · founded 1946 · Ukraine
Ukraine-based Antonov Design Bureau, a scientific and technical complex named after Oleg Konstantinovich (O.K.)…
EG & G Incorporated →
Active · founded 1947
EG & G Incorporated is a diversified technology company that develops and provides products for public and private…
EG & G Incorporated →
Active · founded 1947
EG & G Incorporated is a diversified technology company that develops and provides products for public and private…
Empresas ICA Sociedad Controladora, S.A. de C.V. →
Active · founded 1947 · Mexico
Empresas ICA Sociedad Controladora, S.A.
Empresas ICA Sociedad Controladora, S.A. de C.V. →
Active · founded 1947 · Mexico
Empresas ICA Sociedad Controladora, S.A.
URS Corporation →
Defunct · founded 1950
Ranked number one on ENR's list of the top U.S.
URS Corporation →
Defunct · founded 1950
Ranked number one on ENR's list of the top U.S.
Roy F. Weston, Inc. →
Active · founded 1957
Roy F.
Roy F. Weston, Inc. →
Active · founded 1957
Roy F.
Tetra Tech, Inc. →
Active · founded 1966
Tetra Tech, Inc.
Tetra Tech, Inc. →
Active · founded 1966
Tetra Tech, Inc.
Parsons Brinckerhoff, Inc. →
Active · founded 1975
Parsons Brinckerhoff, Inc.
Parsons Brinckerhoff, Inc. →
Active · founded 1975
Parsons Brinckerhoff, Inc.
Bufete Industrial, S.A. de C.V. →
Active · founded 1977 · Mexico
Bufete (or Grupo Bufete) Industrial, S.A.
Bufete Industrial, S.A. de C.V. →
Active · founded 1977 · Mexico
Bufete (or Grupo Bufete) Industrial, S.A.
Alliant Techsystems Inc. →
Defunct · founded 1990
In 1990 Honeywell Inc.
Alliant Techsystems Inc. →
Defunct · founded 1990
In 1990 Honeywell Inc.
Aavid Thermal Technologies, Inc. →
Active · founded 1993
Aavid Thermal Technologies, Inc., founded in 1993, is the world's technology and market leader in thermal management.
Aavid Thermal Technologies, Inc. →
Active · founded 1993
Aavid Thermal Technologies, Inc., founded in 1993, is the world's technology and market leader in thermal management.
Fortum Corporation →
Active · founded 1998 · Finland
Fortum Corporation is an international energy group formed from the 1998 merger of two state-owned Finnish firms: Neste…
Fortum Corporation →
Active · founded 1998 · Finland
Fortum Corporation is an international energy group formed from the 1998 merger of two state-owned Finnish firms: Neste…
Thyssen Krupp AG →
Active · founded 1999 · Germany
Thyssen Krupp AG was created in March 1999 from the merger of two of Germany's oldest industrial giants, Thyssen AG and…
Thyssen Krupp AG →
Active · founded 1999 · Germany
Thyssen Krupp AG was created in March 1999 from the merger of two of Germany's oldest industrial giants, Thyssen AG and…
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