Goodrich/Universal Propulsion Company's California Operations

Abstract

The present California Operations of Goodrich Corporation/Universal Propulsion Company traces its existence to the independent formation of two companies: Explosive Technology (ET) in California in 1961, and Ordnance Engineering Associates Inc. (OEA) in Illinois in 1957. These two companies were created independently, and both developed into recognized suppliers of quality products for the aerospace industry. The founding of ET and of OEA occurred when several other companies were being created, including Universal Propulsion Company, incorporated in California in 1959. ET and OEA became one company when OEA purchased ET in 1971, operating it as a wholly owned subsidiary. OEA’s moved its main operations from Quincy, Illinois to the Denver, Colorado area in 1975, bringing the two operations physically closer together. The product lines were complementary, with ET making various explosive charges, used for energy transfer, and for separation of missile stages, or the cutting of aircraft canopies. OEA had a comprehensive product line of devices that performed various functions, powered by propellants or explosives. OEA developed a successful airbag initiator product line for automotive applications, and eventually moved the entire aerospace product line to the ET site, renaming the combined activities as OEA Aerospace (OEAA) as a separate operation, but still under OEA/Denver. Consolidation within the energetic materials industry, and other factors, resulted in Autoliv buying the entire OEA organization in order to have the airbag initiator manufacturing capability to support their airbag product line. OEA Aerospace became available, and was acquired by Universal Propulsion Company (UPCO) in December 2000. Just as the product lines of OEA and ET were complementary and made OEAA a strong organization, the product lines of OEAA and UPCO also fit well together with almost no overlap, thereby forming a combined company that is even more capable of continuing to perform the missions of the various founders as suppliers of high quality products to the aerospace industry. The facility is now the California Operations of Universal Propulsion Company, Inc., which is part of Goodrich Corporation.