Howmet Aerospace

In 1886 Charles Martin Hall discovered how to produce aluminum by electrolysis, drastically cutting its cost. In 1888, backed by investors led by Alfred E. Hunt, he founded The Pittsburgh Reduction Company in Pittsburgh. From 1907 it was officially The Aluminum Company of America.⁠[1]

Effective January 1, 1999, the company’s name changed from Aluminum Company of America to Alcoa Inc.⁠[2]

On May 3, 2000, Alcoa completed its merger with Reynolds Metals. In May it bought Cordant Technologies for $57 per share in cash, and in June the rest of Howmet International, 85% owned by Cordant; the two deals totaled about $3.3 billion.⁠[2]

The company completed the acquisition of the Firth Rixson business in November 2014, of TITAL in March 2015 and of RTI International Metals in July 2015.⁠[3]

An amendment to the company’s articles changing its name to Arconic Inc. took effect at 11:59 p.m. on October 31, 2016. On November 1 the company completed the separation, distributing 80.1% of the outstanding common stock of Alcoa Corporation to shareholders. Arconic’s common stock was listed on the New York Stock Exchange under “ARNC,” and Alcoa Corporation’s under “AA.”⁠[4]

After the separation, the new Alcoa Corporation kept the mining, refining, smelting and power businesses, while the fabrication businesses became Arconic.⁠[1]

Arconic Inc. was the new name for Alcoa Inc. and remained a Pennsylvania corporation with its principal office in New York. At the end of 2016 it had about 41,500 employees in 25 countries.⁠[3]

On April 17, 2017, Klaus Kleinfeld stepped down as chair and CEO by mutual agreement after sending, without board authorization, a letter to a senior officer of Elliott Management that the board determined “showed poor judgment.” Director David P. Hess became interim CEO and Patricia F. Russo interim chair.⁠[5]

On December 31, 2017, Arconic Inc. changed its jurisdiction of incorporation from Pennsylvania to Delaware.⁠[6]

Chip Blankenship became CEO in January 2018.⁠[7]

On February 5, 2018, the company announced that it would relocate its global headquarters out of New York City to a more cost-effective location in 2018, expecting to complete the move by year-end.⁠[8]

On February 6, 2019, Chairman John C. Plant succeeded Blankenship as CEO and director Elmer L. Doty became chief operating officer, effective immediately. The two were to oversee the ongoing strategy and portfolio review.⁠[9]

Arconic had earlier pulled out of advanced sale talks with ApolloApolloApollo (Apollo Global Management, Inc.) is an asset management and retirement services group founded in 1990 and listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker APO. Its investment business spans credit, equity, and real assets; after its 2022 merger with Athene, asset management and retirement services were brought under the same listed parent company. At the end of June 2026, the group reported assets under management of about $1.047 trillion.Open the full entry Global Management, saying “no offers served the best interest of shareholders.”⁠[7]

On April 1, 2020, the company completed its separation: Arconic Corporation took the Global Rolled Products businesses, with one Arconic Corporation share distributed for every four company shares. The company was renamed Howmet Aerospace Inc. Tolga Oal became co-CEO, and John C. Plant became co-CEO while remaining executive chairman.⁠[10]

The company retained the Engineered Products and Forgings businesses, comprising engine products, fastening systems, engineered structures and forged wheels, and its shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “HWM.”⁠[11]

On October 14, 2021, co-CEO Tolga Oal left the company and the board, and John C. Plant became sole CEO while continuing as executive chairman.⁠[12]

Sales in 2025 were $8,252 million, up 11% from 2024, and net income was $1,508 million, up 31%. Employees numbered about 25,430 at year-end.⁠[13]

On April 6, 2026, the company completed its stock purchase of Consolidated Aerospace Manufacturing, LLC (CAM) for a cash price of about $1.8 billion.⁠[14]

Third-quarter 2026 sales were $2,703 million, up 29% from $2,089 million a year earlier, and GAAP net income was $567 million, compared with $385 million. The company raised its full-year 2026 guidance. CEO John C. Plant said, “Howmet’s performance was solid in all dimensions.”⁠[15]