COMPANYHISTORIES
NAIC 23493

Industrial Nonbuilding Structure Construction

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

15companies1875–2000founding years15still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedHochtief AG
1875
FoundedKawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd.
1896
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedICF Kaiser International, Inc.
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedWalbridge Aldinger Co.
1916
FoundedFluor Corporation
1924
FoundedKellogg Brown & Root, Inc.
1929
1931
EconomyThe Empire State Building rises in just over a year.
1937
EconomyThe Golden Gate Bridge opens as the world's longest suspension span.
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
FoundedBalfour Beatty plc
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedGrupo Ferrovial, S.A.
1952
FoundedSime Darby Berhad
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedThe Washington Companies
1964
FoundedOceaneering International, Inc.
1969
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
FoundedBufete Industrial, S.A. de C.V.
1977
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
FoundedOAO Tatneft
1994
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
FoundedVA TECH ELIN EBG GmbH
1997
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
FoundedE.On AG
2000
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

Hochtief AG →
Active · founded 1875 · Germany
Hochtief AG is the German market leader in the construction industry and is among the world's leading international…
Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. →
Active · founded 1896 · Japan
Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd.
ICF Kaiser International, Inc. →
Active · founded 1914
ICF Kaiser International, Inc.
Walbridge Aldinger Co. →
Active · founded 1916
Walbridge Aldinger Co.
Fluor Corporation →
Active · founded 1924
Mid-1980s:Fluor divests all of its oil properties, some gold operations, and all its offshore drilling facilities.
Kellogg Brown & Root, Inc. →
Active · founded 1929
Kellogg Brown & Root, Inc.
Balfour Beatty plc →
Active · founded 1945 · United Kingdom
Late 19th century:Callender's Cable and Construction Co.
Grupo Ferrovial, S.A. →
Active · founded 1952 · Spain
Grupo Ferrovial, S.A.
Sime Darby Berhad →
Active · founded 1958 · Malaysia
Sime Darby Berhad is the largest conglomerate in Malaysia and one of the largest in southeast Asia.
The Washington Companies →
Active · founded 1964
The Washington Companies is an association of distinct business entities owned by Dennis R.
Oceaneering International, Inc. →
Active · founded 1969
Oceaneering International, Inc.
Bufete Industrial, S.A. de C.V. →
Active · founded 1977 · Mexico
Bufete (or Grupo Bufete) Industrial, S.A.
OAO Tatneft →
Active · founded 1994 · Russia
OAO Tatneft produces approximately 8 percent of all oil extracted in Russia, with an annual production of approximately…
VA TECH ELIN EBG GmbH →
Active · founded 1997 · Austria
VA TECH ELIN EBG GmbH (VTEE) is the infrastructure and industrial services arm of Austria's VA Technologie AG.
E.On AG →
Active · founded 2000 · Germany
E.On AG is the largest listed power generation company in Europe.
Build It Today

Starting a industrial nonbuilding structure construction company now

Each week we rebuild one of these stories with today's tools and capital.