Howmet Aerospace

Howmet Aerospace is a United States-based manufacturer of engineered metal products, with its corporate headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The company supplies components used in commercial and military aircraft, jet engines, space systems, heavy trucks, and selected industrial applications. Its principal product areas include aerospace engine components, aerospace fasteners, titanium structures, and forged aluminum wheels for heavy trucks. The company’s industrial heritage reaches back to Austenal, founded in 1926 by Reiner Erdle and Charles Prange. Austenal initially developed materials and precision castings for dental appliances, helping popularize vitallium as an alternative to gold-based dental alloys. During the 1930s, the company applied its casting expertise to aircraft-engine superchargers and supported General Electric’s wartime manufacturing requirements. This early movement from medical and dental materials into high-temperature and high-precision engineering established capabilities that later became central to Howmet’s aerospace business. Howe Sound Company acquired Austenal in 1958 and purchased Michigan Steel Casting Company, or MISCO, the following year. MISCO contributed the monolithic shell process, a ceramic-shell investment-casting method designed to improve control over solidification and casting quality. Howe Sound adopted the Howmet name in 1965 as the business shifted from its mining-oriented roots toward precision metal manufacturing. Pechiney acquired Howmet in 1975 and expanded its capabilities through the 1989 purchase of the Cercast group, strengthening its position in aluminum casting. Ownership changed again in the 1990s. Pechiney sold Howmet in 1995 to a joint venture involving Thiokol and The Carlyle Group. Thiokol subsequently became Cordant Technologies and consolidated control of Howmet. In 2000, Cordant sold its interest to Alcoa, which integrated Howmet into its industrial components operations. The business was subsequently reorganized several times within Alcoa, including as part of investment-casting and forged-products activities and later as the Alcoa Howmet division of Alcoa Power and Propulsion. The modern Howmet identity emerged from the restructuring of Alcoa and Arconic. In 2016, Alcoa separated its upstream bauxite, alumina, and aluminum businesses into Alcoa Corporation, while the remaining engineered-products business was renamed Arconic. Arconic retained precision castings, aerospace and industrial fasteners, aluminum plate, and related engineered products. In 2019, Arconic announced a further separation: the engineered-products company would become Howmet Aerospace, while a separate Arconic Corporation would focus on rolled aluminum products. The separation became effective on April 1, 2020. Howmet’s competitive position is based on materials expertise, advanced casting and forging, highly regulated production, and long-term relationships with aircraft and engine manufacturers. Its products are generally embedded components rather than consumer-facing goods, so the brand is more visible within industrial supply chains than in the general consumer market. The company operates facilities across North America, Europe, Asia, and Brazil, serving international aerospace and transportation customers. Its aerospace portfolio is associated with structural weight reduction, high-temperature engine performance, fastening reliability, and the production of complex metal geometries. Its non-aerospace activities include forged aluminum wheels for heavy trucks and other engineered industrial products. In 2024, the company became the focus of protests connected to the Gaza war because titanium components made by Howmet are used in Lockheed Martin fighter aircraft sold to Israel. In December 2025, Howmet was reported to have agreed to acquire Consolidated Aerospace Manufacturing, Stanley Black & Decker’s aerospace business, for approximately $1.8 billion in cash, subject to customary closing conditions and an anticipated closing in the first half of 2026.

Howmet Aerospace developed from a sequence of precision-metal businesses whose origins lie in Austenal, founded in 1926 by Reiner Erdle and Charles Prange. Austenal first served the dental-appliance market and became known for investment castings and vitallium dental materials. During the 1930s, it expanded into aircraft-engine superchargers after General Electric sought assistance with wartime production methods. Howe Sound Company acquired Austenal in 1958 and added Michigan Steel Casting Company in 1959. MISCO brought the monolithic shell process, which used a ceramic shell to improve dimensional control and the quality of castings. Howe adopted the Howmet name in 1965, reflecting the company’s transition from a mining-centered parent into a manufacturer of precision metal products. Pechiney purchased Howmet in 1975 and broadened its aluminum-casting capabilities through the acquisition of the Cercast group in 1989. In 1995, Pechiney sold Howmet to a joint venture involving Thiokol and The Carlyle Group. Thiokol later changed its name to Cordant Technologies and increased its ownership. In 2000, Cordant sold Howmet to Alcoa. Under Alcoa, Howmet became part of several reorganizations involving investment casting, forged products, power, propulsion, and industrial components. Alcoa’s 2016 separation created Alcoa Corporation for upstream bauxite, alumina, and aluminum operations, while the remaining engineered-products business became Arconic. Arconic retained precision castings, aerospace fasteners, aluminum plate, and related engineered products. After a further strategic separation announced in 2019, the engineered-products company adopted the Howmet Aerospace name and began operating independently on April 1, 2020. The resulting company focused on aerospace and other engineered products, while the newly separated Arconic Corporation concentrated on rolled aluminum. Howmet’s present business is centered on complex, regulated components rather than finished aircraft or consumer products. Its principal capabilities include investment casting, forging, titanium processing, precision machining, and fastening. The company serves aircraft and engine manufacturers, defense programs, heavy-truck producers, and industrial customers through facilities in North America, Europe, Asia, and Brazil. Its historical development illustrates a progression from dental materials to aerospace castings and ultimately to a diversified engineered-components manufacturer.

• 2020

  Howmet Aerospace begins independent operation

  [1]Howmet Aerospaceen.wikipedia.org

  The engineered-products business separates from Arconic and operates as Howmet Aerospace, while Arconic Corporation focuses on rolled aluminum.

• 2016

  Alcoa separates its upstream and engineered-products businesses

  [1]Howmet Aerospaceen.wikipedia.org

  Alcoa Corporation is created for upstream aluminum activities, while the remaining engineered-products business is renamed Arconic.

• 2000

  Alcoa acquires Howmet

  [1]Howmet Aerospaceen.wikipedia.org

  Cordant Technologies sells its interest in Howmet to Alcoa, which places the business within its industrial components operations.

• 1989

  Cercast acquisition expands aluminum casting

  [1]Howmet Aerospaceen.wikipedia.org

  Pechiney acquires the Cercast group, adding further aluminum-casting capabilities to Howmet.

• 1975

  Pechiney acquires Howmet

  [1]Howmet Aerospaceen.wikipedia.org

  French aluminum company Pechiney purchases Howmet.

• 1965

  Howe becomes Howmet

  [1]Howmet Aerospaceen.wikipedia.org

  The business adopts the Howmet name as it shifts toward precision metal products.

• 1959

  MISCO acquisition adds monolithic shell technology

  [1]Howmet Aerospaceen.wikipedia.org

  Howe Sound acquires Michigan Steel Casting Company, bringing a ceramic-shell investment-casting process intended to improve casting control and soundness.

• 1958

  Howe Sound acquires Austenal

  [1]Howmet Aerospaceen.wikipedia.org

  Howe Sound Company acquires Austenal and begins integrating the business into a broader metals and precision-manufacturing portfolio.

• 1930

  Expansion into aircraft-engine castings

  [1]Howmet Aerospaceen.wikipedia.org

  Austenal applies its casting expertise to aircraft-engine superchargers and supports General Electric’s wartime manufacturing requirements.

• 1926

  Austenal is founded

  [1]Howmet Aerospaceen.wikipedia.org

  Reiner Erdle and Charles Prange establish Austenal, initially focused on materials and investment castings for dental appliances.

A specialist supplier of highly engineered, safety-critical metal components, positioned around advanced casting, forging, titanium processing, fastening, and long-term aerospace and transportation supply relationships.

• Aerospace propulsion

  Jet-engine components

  Howmet produces complex cast, forged, and machined components for aircraft engines and related propulsion systems. These parts are designed for demanding temperature, pressure, fatigue, and dimensional requirements. The product area draws on the company’s long history in investment casting and high-performance metal processing and serves both commercial and military aerospace programs.

• Aerospace structures

  Aerospace fasteners

  The company supplies fasteners and fastening systems used to join aircraft structures and engine-related assemblies. Aerospace fasteners must meet stringent requirements for strength, corrosion resistance, repeatability, traceability, and installation performance. Howmet’s fastening activities form part of its broader engineered-products portfolio.

• Aerospace structures

  Titanium aerospace structures

  Howmet manufactures titanium components for aerospace applications. Titanium combines relatively low weight with high strength and corrosion resistance, making it suitable for structural and propulsion environments. These components are supplied into aerospace manufacturing chains rather than marketed as standalone consumer products.

• Heavy transportation

  Forged aluminum wheels

  Howmet produces forged aluminum wheels for heavy trucks. Forging provides a high-strength wheel structure while aluminum helps reduce weight compared with conventional steel alternatives. The business extends Howmet’s engineered-metal expertise beyond aerospace into commercial transportation.

• 2025

  Agreement to acquire Consolidated Aerospace ManufacturingM&A

  Background

  Howmet sought to expand its aerospace-components portfolio through the purchase of Stanley Black & Decker’s aerospace business.

  Action taken

  Howmet agreed to acquire Consolidated Aerospace Manufacturing for approximately $1.8 billion in cash, subject to customary closing conditions.

  Aftermath

  The transaction was expected to close during the first half of 2026; completion was not established in the supplied material.

  Announced purchase price. $1.8 billion (December 2025 announcement)

  Source

• 2019

  Separate engineered products from rolled aluminumStrategy

  Background

  Arconic determined that its engineered-products activities and rolled-aluminum activities should operate as separate companies with more focused strategies.

  Action taken

  The engineered-products business was designated to become Howmet Aerospace, while a newly formed Arconic Corporation would retain the rolled-aluminum operations.

  Aftermath

  The separation became effective on April 1, 2020, establishing Howmet Aerospace as an independent publicly traded engineered-products company.

  Source

1. 1Howmet Aerospaceen.wikipedia.org