Woodward, Inc. is the world's oldest and largest independent designer, manufacturer, and service provider of control systems and control system components for aircraft engines, industrialengines and turbines, power generation and mobile industrial equipment. Woodward, Inc. was founded as The Woodward Governor Company by Amos Woodward in 1870. Initially, the company made controls for waterwheels, and then moved to hydro turbines. In the 1920s and 1930s, Woodward began designing controls for diesel and other reciprocating engines and for industrial turbines. Also in the 1930s, Woodward developed a governor for variable-pitch aircraft propellers. Woodward parts were notably used in the GE engine on United States military's first turbine-powered aircraft. Starting in the 1950s, Woodward began designing electronic controls, first analog and then digital units.
Historical information
The company was founded in Rockford, Illinois, in 1870 with Amos W. Woodward's invention of a non compensating mechanical waterwheel governor. Thirty years later, his son Elmer patented the first successful mechanical compensating governor for hydraulic turbines. In 1933, the company expanded its product line to include diesel engine controls and aircraft propeller governors. Woodward governors followed the rapid advancement of diesel engine applications for railroads, maritime and electrical generation in many fields. The advent of gas turbine engines for aircraft and industrial uses offered still more opportunities for Woodward designed fuel controls. And, of course, the science of electronics has added impetus to this industry. Elmer E. Woodward conceived, designed, and developed the first successful propeller control in 1933. This model PW-34 propeller governor is on display at the Udvar-Hazy annex of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.
Modern day company
As of 2007, Woodward Governor Company became a billion-dollar company with establishments worldwide, including Japan, China, and Europe. On January 26, 2011, the company announced that shareholders had approved the name change to Woodward, Inc. A growing number of general aviation and commuter aircraft rely on Woodward AES overspeed governors, synchronizers and synchophasers for turboshaft, turboprop, and reciprocating engines., approximately 34% of the company's sales were to the defense market, including parts for the V-22 Osprey and the F/A-18. The engines that are controlled by Woodward Aircraft engines systems include those from Honeywell, General Electric, Pratt & Whitney Canada, Raytheon, Vans, and Rotax Corporations. On January 12, 2020, the company announced an intent to merge with Hexcel, according to the Wall Street Journal. On April 20, it was announced the merger was called off, resulting from the health crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
