Sunstrand Corporation

The story begins not with one, but two companies in Rockford, Illinois. In 1905, Levin Faust, Elmer Lutzhoff, and Swan Anderson founded the Rockford Tool Company. Nearby, Oscar Sundstrand and his brother-in-law Edwin Cedarleaf were running the Rockford Milling Machine Company. Recognizing they were on parallel tracks, the two firms merged in 1926 to create the Sundstrand Machine Tool Company. The young company initially focused on machine tools and even a ten-key adding machine developed by David Sundstrand. However, a key shift occurred in the 1930s as they pioneered the use of hydraulics. This expertise became their entry into the aerospace industry, developing crucial components for aircraft. The business eventually split into two major divisions: aerospace and industrial products, making everything from emergency power systems for jets to industrial pumps. By the late 1990s, Sundstrand had established itself as a premier supplier in the aerospace world, with revenues around $2 billion in 1998. This success attracted a major player. In 1999, United Technologies announced it would acquire Sundstrand for approximately $4.3 billion. The deal marked the end of an era for the independent company, as it was merged with United Technologies’ Hamilton Standard division to form a new entity: Hamilton Sundstrand.