Warren Buffett has been running Berkshire Hathaway Inc. for over five decades, and the organization has become synonymous with success. So when the 85-year-old billionaire announced at an annual shareholder meet that he was going to buy Precision Castparts Corp, people were up and listening with intent.
He went on to buy the company the Oregon-based company for $37 billion becoming one of his most highly-priced acquisitions. So what was it about this metal dealing company that caught Buffet’s eye? Precision makes parts for the aerospace industry; a greatly untapped market. Thanks to the efforts of CEO Mark Donegan, Precision has grown to become a giant slayer and here’s a look at their remarkable journey.
The Captain of the Ship
Mark Donegan is a 60-year-old, who played football for Villanova University with an eye for detail. This quiet and reserved CEO has made a name for himself, thanks to his great track record and strive for perfection. This is clear by how after heading Precision for 13 years, the company’s stock has grown by over twenty times!
He has also helped Precision quadruple their annual turnover, bringing it up to an astounding $10 billion and has also been a part of several acquisitions. Precision is now a key supplier to industry heavy-weights such as Boeing, Airbus, and General Electric. All these efforts and striving for perfection made him a part of Barron’s list of the best CEOs in 2014. The CEO is a perfectionist who pushes himself as hard as he pushes his employees and even helps managers with their problems at factories.
Humble Beginnings of Precision
Mark Donegan studied accounting at Villanova and started his career at GE under Jack Welch. Precision hired Donegan’s boss Bill McCormick as President in 1985, and he followed soon after. Engineer and MBA graduate Ed Cooley founded and ran Precision in the 1950s. A decade later, the company began supplying to GE via factories in Portland.
McCormick, who became CEO in 1991, stated that on joining Precision, he found it was run like a family-owned enterprise. Under him, the company expanded aggressively by venturing into manufacturing parts for gas turbines.
They also acquired forging company Wyman-Gordon, which had ties to the aerospace industry. Donegan was working his way up the corporate ladder and soon became President. By 2001, McCormick made him Operating Chief and a year later, he became CEO when the former retired.
New Era
Under Donegan, the company began an acquisition spree, buying even more companies that were associated with the aerospace industry. In 2007, Precision bought Cherry Aerospace to further expand their business and as a result became the 568th largest U.S. company.
In 2012, Donegan acquired a titanium supplier for a whopping $2.9 billion, helping to consolidate Precision’s position in the market. His relentless efforts led to the company’s shares hit an all-time high price of $275.09. By 2013, Precision had over 150 factories around the US to help feed its ever-expanding empire.
Growing Interest
The company went through a rough patch during 2014-15 due to plunging oil prices, which led to their shares dropping by 27%. However, this led to Buffett forming an idea for an acquisition. His investment manager, Todd Combs, had amassed about 3% shares in Precision by 2012. In 2015, Buffett led Donegan to know that he wanted to buy Precision and the duo met in Idaho. The offer on which they settled finally, came up to $235 a share, allowing Donegan himself to pocket $51.8 million.
Since the acquisition in 2016, Donegan has captained the ship and increased the company’s stock prices. It is one of the only three Fortune 500 companies to be based in Oregon and ranks 9th with regards to the leaders in Aerospace and Defense.
The company boasts of over 29,600 employees and makes more than 9.6 billion USD annually. It is quite easy to see exactly why Buffett took interest in this industry juggernaut and the stalwart who leads it.
Being a cinephile with a love for all things outdoorsy, Athulya never misses a chance to chase inspiring stories or poke fun at things, even when the subject is herself. Currently pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering, she is someone innately interested in technical and scientific research. Music reviews and op-eds define her as they allow her to explore different perspectives. Though sometimes she thinks she makes more sense playing the guitar than she does while writing.