COMPANY·HISTORIES
SIC 3559

Special Industry Machinery Nec

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

18companies1895–1997founding years18still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedGiddings & Lewis, Inc.
1895
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedAktiebolaget Electrolux
1919
FoundedSnap-On, Incorporated
1920
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression spreads worldwide.
FoundedThe Perkin-Elmer Corporation
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedGerber Scientific, Inc.
1948
FoundedSouthwire Company, Inc.
1950
FoundedEssef Corporation
1954
FoundedBandag, Inc.
1957
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedAg-Chem Equipment Company, Inc.
1963
FoundedEsterline Technologies Corp.
1967
FoundedHMI Industries, Inc.
1968
FoundedSamsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
1969
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; currencies float.
FoundedFSI International, Inc.
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
FoundedSemitool, Inc.
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher worldwide.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
FoundedSudbury Inc.
1983
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedRepsol S.A.
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall sharply around the world.
FoundedABB Asea Brown Boveri Ltd.
1988
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.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
FoundedToolex International N.V.
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

Giddings & Lewis, Inc. →
Active · founded 1895
Giddings & Lewis, Inc.
Aktiebolaget Electrolux →
Active · founded 1919 · Sweden
To the average consumer, the name Electrolux says two things: vacuum cleaners and refrigerators.
Snap-On, Incorporated →
Active · founded 1920
Snap-On, Incorporated is one of the largest and most successful manufacturers and marketers of hand tools, power tools,…
The Perkin-Elmer Corporation →
Active · founded 1939
The Perkin-Elmer Corporation is the world's leading producer of analytical instruments used in military operations,…
Gerber Scientific, Inc. →
Active · founded 1948
Gerber Scientific, Inc.
Southwire Company, Inc. →
Active · founded 1950
Southwire Company, Inc., is the largest manufacturer of copper and aluminum rod, wire, and cable in the United States.
Essef Corporation →
Active · founded 1954
A market leader and industry innovator, Essef Corporation designs and manufactures components to move, store, and treat…
Bandag, Inc. →
Active · founded 1957
Bandag, Inc.
Ag-Chem Equipment Company, Inc. →
Active · founded 1963
Ag-Chem Equipment Company, Inc.
Esterline Technologies Corp. →
Active · founded 1967
A diversified manufacturing company divided into three business groups--Automation, Aerospace and Defense, and…
HMI Industries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1968
Known until early 1995 as Health-Mor Inc., HMI Industries has diversified from its core in high-end vacuum cleaners to…
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. →
Active · founded 1969 · South Korea
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., is the chief subsidiary of South Korea's giant Samsung Group and one of the largest…
FSI International, Inc. →
Active · founded 1973
FSI International, Inc., a leading producer of automated equipment used in the manufacture of integrated circuits, has…
Semitool, Inc. →
Active · founded 1979
Semitool, Inc.
Sudbury Inc. →
Active · founded 1983
Sudbury Inc.
Repsol S.A. →
Active · founded 1987 · Spain
Repsol S.A.
ABB Asea Brown Boveri Ltd. →
Active · founded 1988 · Switzerland
Formerly fierce competitors in the heavy-electrical and power-generation fields, Sweden's ASEA AB (which changed its…
Toolex International N.V. →
Active · founded 1997 · The Netherlands
The merger/takeover of The Netherlands' ODME by Sweden's Toolex Alpha in October 1997 created Toolex International…
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