Parker Hannifin Corporation
Cleveland, Ohio
Parker Hannifin began in 1918 with a brake system for trucks, but its true identity was forged in 1933, when Arthur Parker invented the machine that could reliably crimp hydraulic hose fittings — the breakthrough that made hydraulic power practical in industry. Hydraulic systems — using pressurized fluid to move heavy machinery — became the muscles of the 20th century, and Parker became their leading supplier.
The company is now the world's largest maker of motion and control technologies: hydraulic pumps, valves, motors, and cylinders; pneumatic systems; fluid connectors and seals; and the filtration and instrumentation that keep industrial systems running. Its products move the landing gear of commercial jets, the booms of excavators, the arms of robot welders, and the flight controls of fighter aircraft — wherever something heavy must move precisely.
Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, with about 60,000 employees and annual revenue near US$20 billion, Parker has grown through 300+ acquisitions, integrating competitors and adjacent businesses into what it calls the 'Win Strategy'. Its aerospace division is one of the world's largest, and its industrial segment serves virtually every manufacturing sector — the company that makes the machines that make the machines.
