Dear Robin, Carpenter Technology has its main phone number at (610) 208-2000. They have some 3,000 people working there and they have an extensive library on technology. The library also holds company history records. They have a web page at: http://www.cartech.com/ Information contact is listed as: webmastr@cartech.com I am curious also! Let me know if you find out anything! John R. Carpenter La Mesa, CA Below is an overview of the company BUILDING ON THE PAST The company was founded on June 7, 1889, as the Carpenter Steel Company in Reading, Pa. James H. Carpenter, a construction engineer whose interest in steel production led him to the study of metallurgy, wanted to test the commercial value of improvements he conceived for the manufacture of steel. He and a small group of investors leased the old Philadelphia and Reading rail mill in Reading and, 11 weeks later, began melting the company’s first order for 3,000 tons of tool steel. One of his patented inventions ­ an air-hardening steel ­ was also used for knives, drills, and projectiles capable of piercing the armor on warships. In fact, Carpenter’s projectiles proved to be a decisive factor in the Spanish-American War, and established the company as a steel pioneer in both the United States and Europe. A Company Set Apart Over the next seven decades, the company found its niche in the area of specialty metals, and by the early 1980s was turning out more than 400 specialty grades of stainless, tool and alloy steels. As the Eighties arrived, so did changes in the U.S. economy. A severe recession lingered for years, and the U.S. steel industry was especially slow to rebound, due in part to increasing competition from foreign imports. Many steel companies faced financial losses for much of that decade. Some closed their doors, sold or downsized their steel operations and/or diversified into other areas. Carpenter, however, remained profitable and kept its sights on the future. The company remained committed then to an 8-year, $400 million capital expansion program. It also set new long-term goals, acquiring companies that were extensions of its core business - specialty metals - and selling those that no longer fit the company’s goals. Carpenter also upgraded its product mix, increasing sales to such high-end markets as the aerospace and chemical industries. By the early Nineties, the company was well positioned to take advantage of a revitalized economy in a global marketplace. As the global marketplace grew, so did competition. Customers demanded not only more sophisticated alloys and higher quality levels, but wanted them in record time. To meet these demands, Carpenter adopted a Continuous Improvement philosophy to improve processes and services; continued to modernize its manufacturing and plant operations; built facilities to house new operations; and acquired new companies that allowed the company to grow faster than a U.S. steel company would otherwise. Robin Carpenter wrote: > > A few days ago I decided to take a visit to the web site for Carpenter > Technology, which is a specialty steel producer in Reading PA. Turns out it > was founded by James Henry Carpenter in the late 1800s. Aside from a > handsome photo of old JHC, there's no further info given on who he was. > Anybody here know James Henry Carpenter? > Robin