Wyman-Gordon is a company that designs and manufactures complex metal components. Founded in 1883 as a manufacturer of crankshafts for looms, it has a long history of making forged metal components, particularly for the aerospace industry. Wyman-Gordon is now a subsidiary of
Precision Castparts Corp.
Precision Castparts Corp. is an American industrial goods and metal fabrication company that manufactures investment castings, forged components, and airfoil castings for use in the aerospace, industrial gas turbine, and defense industries. In ...
, and is based in
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
,
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
. It has 13 plants in five countries, and employed about 2,500 people as of 2012.
[
]
History
Early years
The Worcester Drop Forge Works was founded in Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the second-List of cities i ...
in 1883 by Horace Wyman and Lyman Gordon. It was later renamed the Wyman-Gordon Company.[
The company began with eight people in a small wooden factory building, ]forging
Forging is a manufacturing process involving the shaping of metal using localized compressive forces. The blows are delivered with a hammer (often a power hammer) or a die. Forging is often classified according to the temperature at which i ...
crankshafts for loom
A loom is a device used to weave cloth and tapestry. The basic purpose of any loom is to hold the warp threads under tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads. The precise shape of the loom and its mechanics may vary, but th ...
s. A 50-horsepower steam engine provided power for the drop hammers and other equipment.
The fathers of the founders were both managers at the Crompton Loom Works and helped their sons' business win contracts for the crankshaft
A crankshaft is a mechanical component used in a piston engine to convert the reciprocating motion into rotational motion. The crankshaft is a rotating shaft containing one or more crankpins, that are driven by the pistons via the connecting ...
s and for pistol and micrometer components.[
The company won contracts from railroads for automatic couplers and from bicycle manufacturers for ]sprocket
A sprocket, sprocket-wheel or chainwheel is a profiled wheel with teeth that mesh with a chain, track or other perforated or indented material. The name 'sprocket' applies generally to any wheel upon which radial projections engage a chain passi ...
s, spindles, and pedals, having gained a reputation for the high quality of its early work.
From around 1902, it also began filling orders for crankshafts from manufacturers of the recently invented automobile.[
Horace Wyman died in 1905 and Lyman Gordon in 1914; ]George F. Fuller
George Freeman Fuller (1869–1962) was a 20th-century industrialist in Worcester, Massachusetts, United States who became president of the Wyman-Gordon company.
He was also famous for his philanthropic foundation.
Life
Fuller was born in Grafton ...
(1869–1962) succeeded to the company presidency upon Gordon's death.
Fuller had joined the company as an accountant, but had invented several ways to improve the quality of the forged metal components.
The company grew steadily under his leadership.[
]
Growth with the aerospace industry
When World War I broke out, the U.S. government contracted with Wyman-Gordon to supply forgings for the 90-horsepower engines of Curtis Jenny biplanes. This was followed by contracts to produce airframe and engine forgings for almost all U.S. military aircraft. Wyman-Gordon maintained a close relationship with manufacturers of commercial and military airplanes after the war, making growing numbers of parts for engines, crankshafts, propellers, airframes, and landing gear. The company expanded the Worcester factory and opened a new plant in Harvey, Illinois.[
During World War II (1939–1945) the company expanded again to supply many types of forged components to airplane manufacturers. Every American plane in combat service included Wyman-Gordon components.][
]
In 1944, Wyman-Gordon was chosen to receive an 18,000-ton closed-die hydraulic press, the largest in the United States. The War Production Board
The War Production Board (WPB) was an agency of the United States government that supervised war production during World War II. President Franklin D. Roosevelt established it in January 1942, with Executive Order 9024. The WPB replaced the Sup ...
had found from captured airplanes that Germany had larger presses than U.S. engineers had thought practical, and was using that equipment to forge large aircraft components from lightweight magnesium
Magnesium is a chemical element with the symbol Mg and atomic number 12. It is a shiny gray metal having a low density, low melting point and high chemical reactivity. Like the other alkaline earth metals (group 2 of the periodic ta ...
. Seeking to replicate this capability in the U.S., the War Production Board contracted with the Mesta Machine Co. of Pittsburgh to fabricate a new large press to be operated by Wyman-Gordon. A new plant was built around the press in North Grafton, Massachusetts, completed after the war in 1946.[
The introduction of ]jet engine
A jet engine is a type of reaction engine discharging a fast-moving jet of heated gas (usually air) that generates thrust by jet propulsion. While this broad definition can include rocket, Pump-jet, water jet, and hybrid propulsion, the term ...
s in the years after World War II caused a drastic switch in requirements, demanding fewer forgings, but forgings that were larger, lighter, stronger and more tolerant of heat than anything made so far. The new components produced by Wyman-Gordon were of much greater value, compensating for their decreased number.[
The ]Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
stimulated demand for new airplanes, requiring even larger components than could be built by the North Grafton press. In 1951, construction began on a plant that opened in 1955 with two presses, one with 35,000 tons of force and the other 50,000 tons. The 50,000-ton press was the largest machine in the world at the time, 10 stories
Story or stories may refer to:
Common uses
* Story, a narrative (an account of imaginary or real people and events)
** Short story, a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting
* Story (American English), or storey (British ...
high and with foundations extending into bedrock. In 1983, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) is an American professional association that, in its own words, "promotes the art, science, and practice of multidisciplinary engineering and allied sciences around the globe" via "continuing ...
designated the 50,000-ton forging press in North Grafton as a National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark.[
Wyman-Gordon was a pioneer in forging titanium, with the first main use being for compressor disks in ]Pratt & Whitney
Pratt & Whitney is an American aerospace manufacturer with global service operations. It is a subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies. Pratt & Whitney's aircraft engines are widely used in both civil aviation (especially airlines) and military aviat ...
engines. Westinghouse and General Electric
General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable energ ...
also used the company's titanium forgings, and its products were used in building the engine of the LGM-30 Minuteman
The LGM-30 Minuteman is an American land-based intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in service with the Air Force Global Strike Command. , the LGM-30G Minuteman III version is the only land-based ICBM in service in the United States and r ...
missile. Demand continued to grow during the 1960s and 1970s, with military demand due to the Vietnam war and growing demand from commercial civilian airplane manufacturers. The support beam for the Boeing 747
The Boeing 747 is a large, long-range wide-body airliner designed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes in the United States between 1968 and 2022.
After introducing the 707 in October 1958, Pan Am wanted a jet times its size, t ...
landing gear was larger than any closed-die titanium forging that had ever been made in the past.[
In 1980, Wyman-Gordon was hit by a severe shortage of titanium that hurt its ability to fulfil orders for hundreds of types of aircraft. In the early 1980s, the company bought International Titanium, a company based in Moses Lake, Washington, built a state-of-the-art facility for International Titanium to produce titanium sponge, and built a new facility in Millbury, Massachusetts, to alloy the sponge with other metals. Because the company now had complete control of its supply chain, customers were more certain of Wyman-Gordon's delivery capability, leading to increased orders.][
]
Other aspects
Harry G. Stoddard
Harry Galpin Stoddard (September 13, 1873 – May 21, 1969) was an American businessman who became president of Wyman & Gordon, a major industrial concern, in Worcester, Massachusetts, United States. He was also part owner of the ''Worcester Tel ...
became a vice president of Wyman-Gordon in 1911 and was appointed President in 1931. He also had interests in banking and was part owner of the '' Worcester Telegram''.
His son Robert Waring Stoddard
Robert Waring Stoddard (January 22, 1906 – December 14, 1984) was President of Wyman-Gordon, a major industrial enterprise, and one of the founders of the anticommunist John Birch Society.
Early years
The Stoddard family was one of the oldest a ...
joined the company in 1929 and succeeded Harry G. Stoddard as president in 1955, holding that position until being elected chairman in 1967. He was one of the founders of the right-wing and anticommunist John Birch Society
The John Birch Society (JBS) is an American right-wing political advocacy group. Founded in 1958, it is anti-communist, supports social conservatism, and is associated with ultraconservative, radical right, far-right, or libertarian ideas.
T ...
.
Stoddard was opposed to the Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 () is a landmark civil rights and United States labor law, labor law in the United States that outlaws discrimination based on Race (human categorization), race, Person of color, color, religion, sex, and nationa ...
, which would make racial discrimination illegal. In 1964, the company employed black workers only as janitors. Abbie Hoffman
Abbot Howard "Abbie" Hoffman (November 30, 1936 – April 12, 1989) was an American political and social activist who co-founded the Youth International Party ("Yippies") and was a member of the Chicago Seven. He was also a leading proponen ...
was the press officer for a group of civil-rights agitators who targeted the Worcester plant for picketing. Later, they filed petitions with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination and the U.S. Air Force. In July that year the company agreed to change its hiring practices.
As late as the 1970s, Wyman-Gordon was a major player in automotive forging. Due to growth of international competition in this market, the company decided to focus on aerospace.
Wyman-Gordon India, a joint venture, went public in February 1962.
In 1964, Wyman-Gordon India started mass production of forged steel crankshafts and other components for an Indian-made jeep that Mahindra & Mahindra
Mahindra & Mahindra Limited (M&M) is an Indian multinational automotive manufacturing corporation headquartered in Mumbai. It was established in 1945 as Mahindra & Mohammed and later renamed as Mahindra & Mahindra. Part of the Mahindra Group, ...
was manufacturing. This was the first time crankshafts had been produced in India.
Later the company changed its name to WG Forge & Allied Industries Limited.
In the long run, the company was not successful. It was referred to the Board for Industrial and Financial Reconstruction, which tried to revive it, but without success.
In 1992, it went into liquidation.
Difficulties and acquisition
In the late 1980s, the need for military components was reduced as the Cold War
The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
ended, coupled with a decline in demand for commercial aircraft parts. By 1993, the aerospace industry was just 60% of its size in the mid-1980s. Wyman-Gordon had to lay off employees.
Despite financial difficulties, in March 1992, the company announced a joint venture with Pratt & Whitney and Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...
-based Western Aerospace to form Western Australian Speciality Alloys.[ The new company would process Australian ores into ]nickel
Nickel is a chemical element with symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel is a hard and ductile transition metal. Pure nickel is chemically reactive but large pieces are slow to ...
-based superalloy
A superalloy, or high-performance alloy, is an alloy with the ability to operate at a high fraction of its melting point. Several key characteristics of a superalloy are excellent mechanical strength, resistance to thermal creep deformation, g ...
s at a new plant at Canning Vale, near Perth. These alloys are designed to handle extreme heat (as in jet engines) and are extremely durable.
Wyman-Gordon also acquired PFI investment cast facilities (1988), Arwood investment cast facilities (1990), and Cameron Forge (1994).[
]
In May 1999, Precision Castparts Corporation agreed to pay $721 million for Wyman-Gordon, while also assuming $104 million in debt. The combined company would be able to supply both castings and forgings for airplane engines.
The purchase would have potentially reduced competition in the industry.
To gain approval for the deal from the Federal Trade Commission
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is an independent agency of the United States government whose principal mission is the enforcement of civil (non-criminal) antitrust law and the promotion of consumer protection. The FTC shares jurisdiction ov ...
, PCC was required to divest two of Wyman-Gordon's foundries, one in Albany, Oregon, and the other in Groton, Connecticut.
The acquisition was completed on 12 January 2000.
At least in the short term, it was planned that Wyman-Gordon would retain a separate identity.
Recent years
In April 2000, PCC announced that it was closing Wyman-Gordon's Buffalo, New York, pipe-making plant.
The 12,000-ton extrusion press would be moved to the Wyman-Gordon facility in Houston.
By consolidating production in one plant, the company would cut costs and speed up the production cycle.
Wyman-Gordon purchased the UEF aerospace division of United Engineering Forgings in May 2000 for £22m, calling the new subsidiary Wyman Gordon Lincoln.
The division based in Lincoln, England
Lincoln () is a cathedral city, a non-metropolitan district, and the county town of Lincolnshire, England. In the 2021 Census, the Lincoln district had a population of 103,813. The 2011 census gave the Lincoln Urban Area, urban area of Lincoln, ...
, makes forged engine discs, engine shafts, and components of airframes and landing-gear.
Its main customer is Rolls-Royce.
In 2000, Wyman-Gordon built a manufacturing facility in Plzeň
Plzeň (; German and English: Pilsen, in German ) is a city in the Czech Republic. About west of Prague in western Bohemia, it is the Statutory city (Czech Republic), fourth most populous city in the Czech Republic with about 169,000 inhabita ...
, Czech Republic.
The plant makes titanium, nickel, and steel alloy rotary parts for the power generation and aerospace industries,
using immersion ultrasound to test the products.
In December 2000, Wyman-Gordon acquired the Drop Dies and Forging Company, which had been founded in 1919 by Joseph F. Rice.
In January 2011, it was reported that Wyman-Gordon had expressed interest in a joint venture with Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited
Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) is an Indian central public sector undertaking. It is under the ownership of Ministry of Heavy Industries, Government of India. It is based in New Delhi, India. Established in 1956, BHEL is India' ...
to manufacture boiler tubes in India.
Wyman-Gordon serves the marine, aerospace, power, fuel, and construction industries. It uses forging and extrusion presses that are among the world's largest, including a 35,000-ton press in Houston and a 30,000-ton press in Livingston, coupled with custom-made dies to produce various complex components. Its plants process steel, titanium, and nickel-based materials, among others.
See also
* Heavy Press Program
References
External links
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{{Berkshire Hathaway
Historic American Engineering Record in Massachusetts
Manufacturing companies established in 1883
Manufacturing companies based in Houston
Metal companies of the United States
2000 mergers and acquisitions