What Hitchiner does

Hitchiner Manufacturing Co., Inc. is a privately held, family-controlled precision investment casting supplier founded in 1946 and headquartered in Milford, New Hampshire. The company produces complete-to-print, high-volume, complex thin-wall investment castings and fully-finished casting-based subassemblies for the automotive, aerospace, defense, and industrial gas turbine markets, with capabilities spanning wall thicknesses from 0.38mm (0.015 inch) to 15.24cm (6 inches) in stainless steel and reactive alloys.

Hitchiner's competitive position rests on proprietary casting technology developed over decades. Its exclusive countergravity casting process, patented in the 1970s, draws molten metal into molds using vacuum and is regarded as one of the most significant advancements in investment casting. The company has extended this stack with the SLIC (Several Layer Investment Casting) process, which reduces mold-heating energy consumption by over 87% and shell material use by 70%, and with the in-house Horizontal Shell Process brought into production in 2021 (patent pending). A wholly owned R&D subsidiary, Metal Castings Technology, Inc. (MCT), drives ongoing process innovation.

Hitchiner operates through five divisions: Ferrous Automated Casting, Gas Turbine, MCT Inc. (R&D), Hitchiner-France (Bievres, France), and Mexico Operations (Hitchiner S.A. de C.V. / HITSA in Santiago Tianguistenco). Revenue is generated through quote-based, multi-year supply contracts with major OEMs under direct enterprise sales, with regional sales leadership in the US, Mexico, and Europe. Reported revenue exceeded $250 million as of June 2020, when the company was the third-highest-grossing family-owned business in New Hampshire.

Name

Hitchiner

Legal name

Hitchiner Manufacturing Co., Inc.

Website

https://hitchiner.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1946

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Hitchiner Manufacturing, founded 1946 in Milford, NH, is a privately held precision investment casting supplier producing complex thin-wall castings and finished subassemblies for automotive, aerospace, defense, and industrial gas turbine OEMs using proprietary countergravity casting technology.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Milford

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Investment Castings and Components: Hitchiner generates revenue through high-volume production of complete-to-print investment castings and fully-finished casting-based subassemblies and components. Products include thin-wall castings for automotive turbochargers, aerospace turbine components, and defense applications. Revenue is derived from long-term supply contracts with major manufacturers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Hitchiner Manufacturing produces complete-to-print, high-volume, complex thin-wall investment castings and fully-finished casting-based subassemblies and components using proprietary countergravity casting technology. The company supplies precision cast components in stainless steel and reactive alloys (thin walls to 0.38mm, thick walls to 15.24cm) to the automotive, aerospace, defense, and industrial gas turbine markets. Its offerings span raw castings, near-net-shape components, and finished subassemblies ready for customer installation.

Product overview

Hitchiner Manufacturing is a premier supplier of complete-to-print, high-volume, complex thin-wall investment castings and fully-finished casting-based subassemblies and components. The company operates multiple operational divisions including Ferrous Operations, Gas Turbine Operations, MCT, Inc. (R&D), Hitchiner-France, and Mexico Operations. Its core offerings include proprietary countergravity casting services (patented in the 1970s) and the exclusive SLIC (Several Layer Investment Casting) process. These products serve the automotive, aerospace, defense, and industrial gas turbine markets. The company also recently expanded with a new Shared Services Operations facility in Milford, NH.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Investment Castings

Quantifiable outcome

• Zero defects for 5+ years supplying Daimler turbocharger castings
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• PROCONcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 26 September 2024PROCON provides integrated design and construction services for Hitchiner's new 57,000-square-foot Shared Services Operations facility at the Elm Street Campus in Milford, NH. The facility houses value-added services across Hitchiner's business units.
• ReVision EnergycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 July 2021Hitchiner partnered with ReVision Energy to install a 510-kilowatt solar array at its Milford, NH manufacturing facility. The $1 million investment produces over 625,000 kilowatt-hours of renewable energy annually at less than $0.04/kWh, saving over $3.5 million over the array's lifespan and reducing carbon footprint by 665,000+ pounds annually. ReVision Energy is New England's most experienced solar company and a Certified B Corporation.
• SolutionHealthcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 January 2021SolutionHealth (parent company of Southern New Hampshire Health in Nashua and Elliot Health System in Manchester) partnered with Hitchiner to provide rapid COVID-19 testing at Hitchiner's on-site Health and Resource Center, complementing existing free primary care and behavioral health services.
• Foundations Medical PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 November 2019Healthcare pod partnership enabling remote employee treatment services at Hitchiner's on-site facility alongside Southern New Hampshire Health.
• Southern New Hampshire HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 September 2019Partnership with Southern New Hampshire Health to provide on-site healthcare services including free medical clinic for employees, spouses, and dependents. Also provides remote healthcare pod treatment services.
• Keene State CollegemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 September 2019Three-year engineering training program in conjunction with Keene State College. Manufacturing Engineering Certificate program available to Hitchiner employees requiring 400 hours of classroom instruction, preparing students for entry-level salaried engineering positions. Company is member of Regional Consortium for Advanced Manufacturing (RCAM).
• Milford High SchoolmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Manufacturing Exploration and Externship program developed jointly with Milford High School's Applied Technology Center. Semester-long program with classroom instruction and two days/week hands-on externship at manufacturing facilities. Students paid $12/hour with opportunity to earn college credits. Up to 20 juniors and seniors per cohort. Won Work-Based Learning Award from Work-Based Learning NH.
• Nashua Community CollegemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Partnership providing manufacturing training programs and tuition assistance for employees. Collaborated with MY TURN for student programs leading to employment at Hitchiner.
• MY TURNmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 May 2018Hitchiner partners with the Manchester nonprofit MY TURN to provide job training for at-risk youth and unemployed/underemployed high school graduates. The MY TURN Manufacturing at Hitchiner program provides classroom instruction and hands-on manufacturing training. First class (9 students) completed in June 2018, with 7 accepting positions at Hitchiner. MY TURN has 30+ years experience working with disadvantaged youth, serving about 500 annually.
• Manchester Community CollegemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Partnership provides tuition assistance for shop floor employees to gain skills for positions requiring programming and operation of robotic equipment. Direct learning partnerships also with Nashua Community College.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Impro Precision Industries: Precision investment castings manufacturer serving automotive, aerospace, and industrial markets globally. Comparable to Hitchiner on high-volume, complex thin-wall castings and shares automotive turbocharger and powertrain component supply exposure.
• Doncasters Group: Global investment casting and hot isostatic pressing supplier focused on aerospace engine, defense, and industrial gas turbine castings - closely overlapping Hitchiner's aerospace and defense business with similar superalloy capabilities and shared blue-chip OEM customers.
• Precision Castparts Corp (PCC): Largest pure-play investment castings supplier globally (Berkshire Hathaway-owned), serving the same aerospace engine, airframe, and industrial gas turbine OEMs (Boeing, GE, Rolls Royce, Pratt & Whitney) with both superalloy investment castings and complex structural components - the closest direct competitor to Hitchiner across aerospace and defense.
• MetalTek International: Nonferrous and corrosion-resistant alloy foundry producing investment castings, sand castings, and centrifugal castings for aerospace, defense, energy, and industrial markets. Comparable to Hitchiner's nonferrous investment casting operations and shares similar end markets in industrial gas turbine components.
• Signicast: Investment casting foundry producing complex, complete-to-print parts in stainless steel, alloy, and reactive metals, serving aerospace, defense, medical, and industrial customers. A direct competitor in the high-mix investment casting space Hitchiner occupies, with overlapping thin-wall precision and aerospace qualifications.
• Howmet Aerospace: Major investment casting supplier for jet engine airfoils, structural castings, and industrial gas turbine components serving the same blue-chip aerospace and power generation customer set as Hitchiner (GE Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney, Rolls Royce, Airbus, Boeing). Directly competes on superalloy casting qualifications and aerospace turbine components.
• Consolidated Metco (ConMet): Manufacturer of cast aluminum and iron components for commercial vehicles, trailers, and powertrain systems serving automotive OEMs. Overlaps with Hitchiner's commercial vehicle and turbocharger casting work (e.g., Daimler Freightliner/Western Star) in the automotive tier-1 supplier landscape.

Broad incumbents

• Alcoa Corporation: Large publicly-traded aluminum producer with aerospace billet, plate, sheet, and primary metal offerings used in the same aerospace engine and airframe applications where Hitchiner's investment castings compete. Broader portfolio than Hitchiner but supplies overlapping aerospace and defense customers.
• Constellium SE: Global aluminum products company serving aerospace (Airbus, Boeing, Dassault), automotive, and packaging markets with rolled and extruded products. A broader incumbent whose aerospace plate and extrusion offerings compete indirectly with Hitchiner on airframe and engine applications.

Others

• Carpenter Technology Corporation: Specialty alloy producer (stainless, nickel, cobalt, titanium) supplying the high-performance alloys Hitchiner casts into turbine, defense, and aerospace components. Not a direct competitor but a critical upstream supplier/adjacent materials partner in the investment casting value chain.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hitchiner