Every day at Anchor Harvey there are two objectives: manufacture an incredible component and empower an incredible final experience. It was true when Harold B. Harvey founded the Harvey Metal Corporation company in 1923, and it’s just as true today.
Built in the Shadow of War
In 1923, the Harvey Metal Corporation was little more than a startup. During its foundational years immediately following World War I, interest had begun to center in the armaments industry around new commercial technologies for the development of brass and aluminum forgings, and Harold Harvey found his company poised for growth.
The Harvey Metal Corporation quickly moved to reimagine the ordnance forging process, developing a new form of hot press forging that eliminated the porosity and inherent defects in components produced by the methods in use at the time. As Harvey pushed forward, the Harvey Metal Corporation quickly became renowned for producing the first forged components used in the then-burgeoning automotive industry and its pioneering work in the development of aluminum forgings for the aviation market.
Engineered for a Brilliant Future
In 1976 the Harvey Metal Corporation was merged with Anchor Screw Products in Addison, IL, a division of Chicago Extruded Metals (which had acquired the Harvey Metal Corporation in 1950). Recognizing the inherent strengths each brought to the new partnership, the two companies were rechristened under the name it’s known by today; Anchor Harvey.
The Harvey Metal Corporation’s track record of innovation and expertise in the automobile and aviation markets; combined with Chicago Extruded Metals’ masterful knowledge of the defense industry and pathfinding development of the control rods for the Mark I nuclear reactor at the onset of the Atomic Age, would prove to be an invaluable consolidation of skills and set the newly united enterprise up to become a titan of industry.
In 1978, a mere 24 months after the initial merger, Anchor Harvey relocated to a new, 100,000 square foot state-of-the-art forging and machining facility in Freeport, Illinois. Throughout the years that followed, and with a well-earned corporate reputation for never being content to rest on its laurels, Anchor Harvey was spurred into a growth-cycle of adding new presses and expanding existing facilities. This cycle ensured continuity in the supply of quality components and the continued satisfaction of Anchor Harvey customers.
Anchor Harvey would also introduce a series of industry-leading technologies to its facilities while simultaneously earning a string of increasingly intricate and impressive certifications. Anchor Harvey’s implementation of cellular workflows, installation of cutting-edge proprietary process control monitoring technology, and achievement of CQI-9 and ISO:9001 certifications secured the company’s position atop the industry. In 2020, Anchor Harvey achieved its AS9100 certification, beginning the next phase of the company’s ascent for the next 100 years.
About Anchor Harvey
Anchor Harvey is a data-driven aluminum forging company with a century-long legacy in precision manufacturing, engineering, and supply chain management. We’ve modernized the age-old aluminum forging process by introducing sophisticated technology to monitor and control every step of the process, ensuring part consistency from 1 to +1,000,000.