Precision Castparts Corp.

About PCC

Precision Castparts Corp. is a worldwide, diversified manufacturer of complex metal components and products. It serves the aerospace, power, and general industrial markets.

PCC is the market leader in manufacturing large, complex structural investment castings, airfoil castings, forged components, aerostructures and highly engineered, critical fasteners for aerospace applications.

In addition, the Company is the leading producer of airfoil castings for the industrial gas turbine market.

PCC also manufactures extruded seamless pipe, fittings, forgings, and clad products for power generation and oil & gas applications; commercial and military airframe aerostructures; and metal alloys and other materials to the casting and forging industries.

Airframe Products

Operating Structure

Investment Cast
Products
Forged
Products
Metals
Products
Airframe
Products
PCC Structurals Wyman-Gordon
Turbine, Rings, Energy
Special Metals Corp.
(SMC)
PCC Fasteners
PCC Airfoils Wyman-Gordon
Structural Forgings
Titanium Metals Corp.
(TIMET)
PCC Aerostructures
    PCC Energy Group PCC Engineered Products

Precision Castparts Corp. Leadership

Over the course of the company’s history, PCC has been led by just three people: Ed Cooley, Bill McCormick, and current Chief Executive Officer Mark Donegan.

Each made significant contributions during his tenure to make PCC one of the foremost manufacturing companies in the world. PCC was acquired by Berkshire Hathaway in 2016.

PCC History

The Beginning

The story of PCC begins in Portland, Oregon in 1947 with Joseph B. Cox, the founder and president of Oregon Chain Saw Manufacturing Co. — known today as Blount International, Inc. You may recognize the OREGON name as a current brand of chainsaw equipment.

Oregon Chain Saw


Joseph B. Cox

The Inspiration

Cox observed how effectively timber beetle larvae, the size of a man’s forefinger, were easily chewing their way through timber. He thought replicating the larva’s alternating C-shaped jaw with a metal chain saw cutter would improve the saw chain type at the time.

Timber Beetle

Timber Worker

The result… a revolutionary new product

Mr. Cox needed to affordably cast his new cutter, so the investment casting side of the business was born.

The Cox Chipper Chain is still considered the biggest influence in the history of timber cutting.

Cox Chipper Chain

  • 1947

    Cox Chipper Chain

    Cox Chipper Chain

    Small investment casting operation is established with 10 employees. PCC produces more than 10 million saw chain cutters before the product line is dropped in favor of larger, more complex castings.

  • 1952

    Founder Ed Cooley

    Ed Cooley

    Ed Cooley begins running the investment casting operation.

  • 1953

    SE 13th Avenue, Portland, OR

    First Location

    Precision Castparts is formed with Joseph Cox as owner and president; Cooley is GM with 20 employees. The original building is located on SE 13th, Portland, OR

  • 1955

    PCC at SE Johnson Creek

    SE Johnson Creek

    PCC moves to its Johnson Creek facility (still in operation today) and grows to 40 employees.

  • 1957

    PCC Purchased

    Ed Cooley and partners purchase PCC

    Cooley becomes PCC's first CEO and has 90 employees.

  • 1959

    Hand Dipped Shell System

    Hand-Dipped Shell System

    PCC experiences a major breakthrough when it develops a new investment casting technology that allows for larger castings.

  • 1965

    TF-39 Jet Engine

    General Electric Launches TF-39 Jet Engine
    GE provides a 40,000-pound thrust engine for the C-5A Transport. The engine was the TF-39; it was 3-times the size of the largest engine previously built in production.

  • 1967

    PCC stock listed for $12/share.

  • 1969

    CF6-50

    PCC combines 11 small castings into a single part for GE's CF6-50 engine; led to replacing multiple fabrications with one piece castings.

  • 1980

    Small Structural

    PCC builds a plant to specialize in small to mid-size castings and make room for growth of newly designed large parts.

  • 1981

    PW2037

    Pratt-Whitney begins using PCC castings on their PW2037 engine for the Boeing 757.

  • 1982

    GE CF6-80C

    GE CF6-80C engine for Boeing 747 and 767 launches with PCC turbine rear frame and compressor rear frame. PCC breaks ground on a plant to support the world's largest, high-volume titanium casting, the GE CF6-80C fan frame.

  • 1986

    PCC Airfoils

    Formerly a division of TRW, Cooley bets the company on a business that is losing money; PCC Airfoils becomes profitable in its first year; employment grows to 2,000.

  • 1987-1998

    Initiated plants in Oregon and Ohio to serve the industrial gas turbine market; Rolls Royce joins GE and P&W by incorporating large, complex castings into their engine designs; PCC employs 7,500 people.

  • 1999

    Wyman-Gordon

    PCC acquires Wyman-Gordon

    Wyman-Gordon is a forging business with locations in MA, TX, and Scotland; also owns several small casting companies.

  • 2003

    SPS Technologies

    PCC acquires SPS Technologies

    SPS makes critical fasteners for the aerospace industry; the acquisition establishes a new Fasteners platform to which PCC adds several more businesses.

  • 2006

    Special Metals

    PCC acquires Special Metals

    Special Metals, the world leader in high nickel alloys, has invented and patented over 70 industry-leading alloys, many engineered for the most brutal, mission-critical services in aerospace and other industries.

  • 2011

    Primus

    PCC acquires Primus Intl.

    The Primus acquisition creates an Aerostructures platform and is the springboard for many related acquisitions.

  •  

    2013

    TIMET

    PCC acquires TIMET

    TIMET has led the industry in titanium products since 1950, supplying nearly 1/5 of the world's titanium demand; PCC becomes the largest titanium sponge producer and melter in North America.

    Permaswage

    PCC acquires Permaswage

    Permaswage designs and manufactures permanent fittings used in fluid conveyance systems for airframe applications, as well as installation tooling.

  • 2015

    Noranco

    PCC acquires Noranco

    Noranco is a premier supplier of complex machined and fabricated components for aero-engine, landing gear and airframe applications.

  •  

    2006

    Berkshire Hathaway

    PCC aquired by Berkshire Hathaway

    On January 29, Berkshire Hathaway completed its acquisition of Precision Castparts Corp. for $37.2 billion.