COMPANY·HISTORIES
SIC 3324

Steel Investment Foundries

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

12companies1903–1956founding years10still active2no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedHowmet Corp.FoundedHowmet Corp.
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedThiokol CorporationFoundedThiokol Corporation
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression spreads worldwide.
FoundedKubota CorporationFoundedKubota Corporation
1930
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
FoundedHitchiner Manufacturing Co., Inc.FoundedHitchiner Manufacturing Co., Inc.
1946
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedSturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.FoundedSturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.
1949
FoundedPrecision Castparts Corp.FoundedPrecision Castparts Corp.
1956
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.
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.
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

Howmet Corp. →
Active · founded 1903
Howmet Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Pechiney International, produces high-technology components used in…
Howmet Corp. →
Active · founded 1903
Howmet Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Pechiney International, produces high-technology components used in…
Thiokol Corporation →
Defunct · founded 1929
Thiokol Corporation is the world's largest producer of solid rocket motors and other parts for the aerospace and…
Thiokol Corporation →
Defunct · founded 1929
Thiokol Corporation is the world's largest producer of solid rocket motors and other parts for the aerospace and…
Kubota Corporation →
Active · founded 1930 · Japan
Kubota Corporation prides itself on being flexible and adjusting as necessary to compete under changing economic…
Kubota Corporation →
Active · founded 1930 · Japan
Kubota Corporation prides itself on being flexible and adjusting as necessary to compete under changing economic…
Hitchiner Manufacturing Co., Inc. →
Active · founded 1946
Hitchiner Manufacturing Co., Inc.
Hitchiner Manufacturing Co., Inc. →
Active · founded 1946
Hitchiner Manufacturing Co., Inc.
Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. →
Active · founded 1949
Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.
Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. →
Active · founded 1949
Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc.
Precision Castparts Corp. →
Active · founded 1956
A leading manufacturer of large, complex structural investment castings for the aerospace industry, Precision Castparts…
Precision Castparts Corp. →
Active · founded 1956
A leading manufacturer of large, complex structural investment castings for the aerospace industry, Precision Castparts…
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