SIFCO Industries history

The new plant opened in 1928.

Charles Smith, Jr. ("Charlie") was named as the company's president and chief officer at the age of twenty-two, following the sudden death of his father in December 1942.

Only a few short years after the conclusion of World War II, SIFCO became the first company to forge titanium in 1949, harkening back to its pioneering of the forging of the alloy monel before the onset of the war.

In the postwar period, the firm's acquisition of the forging division of Champion Forge Co. in 1954 made Steel Improvement one of the nation's largest commercial forging shops.

Steel Improvement was privately and closely owned until December 1956, when some shareholders sold a portion of their holdings.

Steel Improvement bought Minneapolis-based Custom Tool and Manufacturing Company in 1957, whose machining capabilities extended the new parent company's opportunities for state-of-the-art aerospace engineering.

1958: Brazilian venture is begun.

In 1961, Steel Improvement helped design a large forge in India, earning a two and a half percent holding in Bharat Forge Company, Ltd. as a commission.

A more successful venture, also launched in 1969, was the purchase of an Avon, Ohio plant that would become SIFCO Bearings.

SIFCO built a high volume forge (Presforge) in 1979.

1980: New turbine repair center built in Tampa.

Crain's noted that forging had accounted for 75 percent of revenue and 84 percent of operating income in 1982; four years later, it accounted for only about 50 percent of revenue and just 3 percent of profits.

Jeffrey P. Gotschall, a grandson of the company founder, was named president in 1989, and CEO the next year upon Kevin O'Donnell's retirement.

SIFCO launched a new forging joint venture with the People's Republic of China in January 1990.

In 1995, SIFCO took over some forgings work from Wyman-Gordon Co., which was closing an outdated plant in Massachusetts.

In 1996, sales reached $85.4 million as Boeing and other major customers increased demand for the company's products.

In 2011, SIFCO acquired Quality Aluminum Forge based in Orange, California.