Tag Archives: aircraft

Houdaille Industries

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Not a huge library of information on Houdaille Industries, but here is what I’ve found out in my many searches on Google thus far…

Houdaille was founded in 1925 by Maurice Houdaille, who invented the double-action rotary shock absorber. By the 1970’s the company was a sizable conglomerate with sales in the 400$ million range. Houdaille produced shock absorbers and other auto parts, machine tools, and other steel products. The plant in Buffalo NY was a member of the hydraulics division. During WWII, the plant was likely converted over to aircraft production to assist in the American war effort (in tandem with Curtiss-Wright down the street?). By 1978, the company was running into some financial trouble and a stock purchase takeover scheme by the Jacobs family of Buffalo failed when the Goldman-Sachs brokerage firm arranged the sale of Houdaille to Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Company

Sources:

  • http://www.sjsu.edu/faculty/watkins/kkr.htm
  • http://www.reocities.com/MotorCity/Garage/1205/hhist.html
  • http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-28636859.html
  • http://www.flickr.com/photos/fixbuffalo/3094089614/

rsz_houdaille_3363

Niagara Machine & Tool / Curtiss-Wright Aircraft Factory

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Unfortunately, I have not been able to find out a whole lot about this place. Its full of good pictures though. I was here with a group, and we only managed to explore about a third of the buildings here. At some point I hope to get back and visit the rest of the plant.

UPDATE 2012-08-31: Phrenzee, A contact of mine from Flickr, was able to send me some information about this place that I somehow completely missed. So this plant originally built aircraft during WWII! A good write up here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/35963591@N00/sets/72157622864527612/

And Phrenzee’s set here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/phrenzee/sets/72157626222656170/with/5509197410/