Wyman-Gordon history

From around 1902, it also began filling orders for crankshafts from manufacturers of the recently invented automobile.

In 1944, Wyman-Gordon was chosen to receive an 18,000-ton closed-die hydraulic press, the largest in the United States.

A new plant was built around the press in North Grafton, Massachusetts, completed after the war in 1946.

As part of the same Heavy Press Program that created the Mesta press, the Wyman-Gordon press was designed by the Loewy Construction Company and began operating in October 1955.

Wyman-Gordon India, a joint venture, went public in February 1962.

Stoddard was opposed to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which would make racial discrimination illegal.

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 1983, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers designated the 50,000-ton forging press in North Grafton as a National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark.

Despite financial difficulties, in March 1992, the company announced a joint venture with Pratt & Whitney and Perth, Western Australia-based Western Aerospace to form Western Australian Speciality Alloys.

In May 1999, Precision Castparts Corporation agreed to pay $721 million for Wyman-Gordon, while also assuming $104 million in debt.

The acquisition was completed on 12 January 2000.

In January 2011, it was reported that Wyman-Gordon had expressed interest in a joint venture with Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited to manufacture boiler tubes in India.