Everything about United Technologies totally explained
United Technologies Corporation (UTC) is an
American multinational conglomerate based in
Hartford,
Connecticut and is the 20th largest U.S. manufacturer. It researches, develops, and manufactures high-technology products in numerous areas, including
aircraft engines,
helicopters, heating and cooling,
fuel cells,
elevators and
escalators, fire and
security, building systems, and industrial products, among others. UTC is also a large military contractor, producing missile systems and military helicopters, most notably the
UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter. In 2005, it received over 5 billion dollars in military contracts.
Louis R. Chênevert is the current CEO.
History
The core group of United Technologies companies was founded in 1929 as
United Aircraft and Transport Corporation, by the merger of
Boeing,
Chance Vought,
Hamilton Standard,
Pratt & Whitney, and
Sikorsky Aircraft. As a result of the
Air Mail Act in 1934, United Aircraft and Transport broke up into three independent companies: Boeing, United Aircraft, and
United Airlines. Vought was spun off as an independent business in 1954, but otherwise, United Aircraft maintained its original corporate structure and concentration in the aerospace and defense industries well into the 1970s.
United Aircraft changed its name to United Technologies in 1975, and the next year acquired
Otis Elevator. In 1979,
Carrier Refrigeration and
Mostek were acquired; Mostek was sold in 1985 to the French electronics company
Thomson. United Technologies acquired
Sundstrand Corporation in 1999, and merged it into UTC's Hamilton Standard unit to form
Hamilton Sundstrand. Two years later, UTC entered the fire and security business by purchasing
Chubb Security, which was followed in 2005 by
Kidde. Also in 2005, United Technologies acquired Boeing's
Rocketdyne division, which was merged into the Pratt & Whitney business unit.
In 2004, UTC acquired the
Schweizer Aircraft Corporation which will operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary under their Sikorsky Aircraft division. In 2007, UTC opened the Hawk Works, a Rapid Prototyping and Military Derivatives Completion Center (RPMDCC) located west of the
Elmira-Corning Regional Airport in
Big Flats, NY.
In March 2008 UTC announced it had made a $2.63 billion bid to acquire
Diebold, a
Canton, Ohio based manufacturer of banking and voting machines.
Political contributions
During the
2004 election cycle, UTC was the sixth largest defense industry donor to political campaigns, contributing a total of $789,561. 64% of UTC's 2004 contributions went to Republicans. UTC was also the sixth largest donor in to federal candidates and political parties in the 2006 election cycle. 35% of those contributions went to Democrats; 53% of the funds were contributed to Republicans. Several prominent politicians have served on the board of directors for UTC, including: former Sen.
Howard H. Baker, Jr. (R-TN), Antonia H. Chayes, former Undersecretary of the
Air Force,
Charles Duncan, Jr., former
Secretary of Energy, Jamie S. Gorelick, former
Deputy United States Attorney General,
William J. Perry, former
Secretary of Defense, and
Christine Todd Whitman, former
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
In
2005, United Technologies was among 53 entities that contributed the maximum of $250,000 to the second inauguration of President
George W. Bush.
Environmental record
Researchers at the
University of Massachusetts Amherst have identified UTC as the 43rd-largest corporate producer of
air pollution in the United States, with roughly 430,000 pounds of toxic chemicals released annually into the air. Major pollutants indicated by the study include
manganese,
chromium,
nickel, and related compounds.
The
Environmental Protection Agency has named UTC as
a potentially responsible party for at least 23
Superfund toxic waste sites.
UTC has made a major commitment to environmental health and safety for over 15 years. They are currently embarked on a four-year program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 12 percent, water consumption by 10 percent and non-recyclable waste by 30 percent globally. UTC was a founding member of the Pew Center on Global Climate Change Business Environmental Leadership Council (BELC) and has been an EPA Climate Leader since 2003. In 2006, they joined the Chicago Climate Exchange as a Phase 1 and Phase 2 member.
Business units
- Carrier: A maker of heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration systems.
- Hamilton Sundstrand: Designs and manufactures aerospace systems for commercial, regional, corporate and military aircraft; a major supplier for international space programs. Provides industrial products for the hydrocarbon, chemical, and food processing industries, construction and mining companies.
- Otis: Manufacturer, installer, and servicer of elevators, escalators, and moving walkways.
- Pratt & Whitney: Designs and builds aircraft engines, gas turbines, and rockets.
- Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation: Maker of helicopters for commercial, industrial, and military uses.
- UTC Fire & Security: Makes fire detection and suppression systems, access control systems, and security alarm systems; provides security system integration and monitoring services.
- UTC Power: Manufacturer of distributed power generation systems and fuel cells for commercial, transportation, and space and defense applications.
- United Technologies Research Center (UTRC)
: A centralized research facility that supports all UTC business units in developing new technologies and processes.
United Technologies' headquarters operations are located in the United Technologies Building in
Hartford, Connecticut. The United Technologies Building is known locally as the "Gold Building" due to its gold-tinted glass-mirror exterior.
Former businesses
Like many conglomerates, UTC has dabbled in many areas. Some of these companies included:
Hamilton Test Systems, an Arizona-based developer of vehicle emission test equipment, which was sold to Georgetown Partners in December 1990, who renamed it Envirotest. It is now part of the ESP Remote Sensing company.
Inmont paint and resins, which was later sold to BASF
Mostek semiconductor - from 1979 to 1985
Norden Systems - a corporation that manufactures electronics systems for military use, now a part of Northrop Grumman.
UT Automotive - Now, a division of Lear Corporation
Chance Vought aircraft - from 1928 to 1954
Further Information
Get more info on 'United Technologies'.
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