Danbury AeroSpace
| Corporate Office 9503 Middlex San Antonio, TX 78217 Email: solutions@danbury.aero |
Phone: (210) 820-2400 |
Danbury AeroSpace History
Danbury AeroSpace is the new name for a 65-year old company that traces its roots back to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. There it was founded by several fraternity brothers who graduated from the University of Wisconsin with degrees in Chemical Engineering. The time was the middle of World War II so the founders' knowledge of chemistry led them to open a factory for the chromium plating process which was in much demand by the military.
From the humble beginning of an entrepreneurial commercial plating company, what does it take to remain privately owned, stay in business for 65 years and transform into a successful aerospace company? Long term success of any company lies in the ability of the company to reinvent itself so it remains relevant to its environment.
It is difficult, if not impossible, to identify any successful 65 year old company that hasn’t undergone significant changes in its structure, product lines and way of doing business. Danbury AeroSpace is no exception.
To stay in business over the span of three generations businesses must have a thorough understanding of their market, recognize new market trends as they develop and have the energy to refocus the business in order to stay competitive. Danbury AeroSpace is the current structure of the original commercial plating company that has undergone frequent refocusing, not by chance but by necessity. The following chronological history records the changes that have occurred in aviation and Danbury’s management response to these events:
Year |
Industry Event |
Refocusing Response |
1943 |
Military demand for chromium plating |
Electro-Coatings, Inc. is founded in Milwaukee, WI |
1958
|
Ex-military personnel use GI Bill to get private pilots license. GA airplane population increases exponentially. |
Acquisition of Pennington Channelcromium in San Antonio, TX. Serves both the military (Kelly Field) and emerging GA market. Obtain FAA certificated repair station for repair of engine components |
1967
|
Customers demand faster turn-around on repaired cylinders. Air freight becomes popular but San Antonio location requires transfer in Dallas for destinations outside of Texas. |
San Antonio factory is closed and moved to Grapevine, TX. |
Late 1960’s
|
General aviation becomes more sophisticated. Industry demands higher quality and reliability |
Split commercial chromium plating from aviation. Engine Components, Inc. (ECi) adopted for name of aviation business unit to create brand franchise in general aviation. The Pennington name is dropped but the word “Channelcromium” is continued as a trademark. |
Mid 1970’s |
Engine overhaul customers become price conscious. OEM replacement parts are too expensive. Market for PMA replacement parts emerges. |
ECi obtains PMA approval and makes piston rings as its first product line. |
1980
|
Price competition forces consolidation in the industry to gain economies of scale and reduce costs. |
ECi acquires the assets of Chrome Plate, Inc. Due to excess capacity at the Chrome Plate factory in San Antonio, the Grapevine facility is closed and the assets are moved to the Chrome Plate facility. |
1982
|
Cylinder barrels can only be plated a limited number of times. There is existing technology for re-barreling of cylinders which is a cost effective way of extending the useful life of a cylinder. |
ECi acquires the assets of Airmotive Engineering Corp. (AEC) Besides re-barreling approvals, AEC had a an extensive list of PMA approvals for engine parts, especially for radial engines. |
1984
|
Customer base expresses interest in “one stop shopping”. Vertical integration is pursued in order to meet customer expectations. |
ECi acquires the assets of Daily Tubbs Aero. Daily Tubbs assets included equipment and approvals for regrinding of camshafts, crankshafts and cam followers plus an extensive list of PMA approvals. |
1989 |
Break-in of Channelcromium has always been marginal and as a result, market acceptance has never been universal. More predictable break-in is pursued. |
ECi obtains a license from Laystall Engineering in England for a patented process that impregnates chromium with silicon carbide particles. The Cermicrome™ process is FAA approved and introduced to the industry. |
| 1991 | Customers express need for better durability of a weld repaired cylinder head. |
ECi receives FAA approval and begins proprietary cylinder repair process called Improved Fatigue Resistance™ (IFR™). |
1992 |
OSHA classifies the chromium plating process as a serious health risk to process performers |
ECi engineering evaluates environmentally friendly alternative processes to replace the chromium plating process. |
1994
|
Nikasil® or nickel plated bores achieve wide acceptance in automotive and other piston engine applications. |
ECi obtains FAA approval for the proprietary CermiNil™ repair process that compares favorably with the Nikasil process and begins commercial production. |
1997 |
Market widely accepts the CermiNil repair process as an improvement over the Channelcrome and Cermicrome processes. |
ECi discontinues chromium plating process after 54 years of continuous operation. |
2001
|
Market awareness of ECi's extensive line of PMA parts is low. |
ECi introduces the TITAN® brand for its product line consisting of over 1,500 PMA parts, including the TITAN KitEngine™. |
2002
|
The ISO 9001:2000 international quality standard gains recognition in the US as a quality management system that enhances customer satisfaction. |
ECi hires a consultant to facilitate the company’s desire to meet the requirements of the ISO 9001:2000 standard. Registration was successfully accomplished. |
2005
|
The emerging kit plane market creates a demand for an experimental kit engine. |
ECi introduces the TITAN® EXP™ brand product line including the TITAN® EXP™ KitEngine. (EXP = ECi Xperimental Products) |
2008
|
Complexities of managing a vertically and horizontally integrated business continue to increase with the result that focus is hard to maintain. Increasing customer demand for service requires immediate management attention. |
Refocusing the business into well defined business units simplifies management and improves customer satisfaction. Four business units are created under a holding company named Danbury AeroSpace: |
