E. W. Bliss Company

E. W. Bliss Company. Founded in 1857 by Eliphalet Williams Bliss in Brooklyn, the company grew from a small press shop into a major multinational industrial corporation. It became a pivotal manufacturer of heavy machinery, artillery shells, and naval torpedoes, playing a critical role in American industrial and military history. The firm's innovations in metal stamping and forging technology influenced numerous manufacturing sectors worldwide before its eventual dissolution in the late 20th century.

History

The company's origins trace to a partnership between Eliphalet Williams Bliss and his brother, Sidney Bliss, initially focused on producing stove parts and decorative hardware. Following the American Civil War, the firm expanded rapidly, acquiring the Press Works in Brooklyn and pioneering the mass production of tinplate containers. During World War I, it became a leading contractor for the United States Department of War, manufacturing millions of artillery shells and fuses. The Great Depression prompted diversification, and the subsequent demands of World War II saw the company operating numerous ordnance plants across the United States, including major facilities for the United States Navy. Post-war, the company shifted focus to commercial machinery but faced increasing competition, leading to a series of corporate divestitures and the eventual closure of its last divisions by Gulf+Western in the 1990s.

Products and innovations

The company was renowned for its rolling mills and powerful mechanical presses used for stamping automobile bodies, appliances, and coin blanks. Its ordnance division produced the Mark 14 torpedo and the Mark 15 torpedo for the United States Navy, though these were initially plagued by technical issues. In the aerospace sector, it manufactured critical components for programs like the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress and the Saturn V rocket. The firm held foundational patents in progressive die stamping and developed the first successful high-speed press for tin can production, revolutionizing the packaging industry. Other significant products included hydraulic presses, rolling mill equipment for steel mills, and specialized machinery for the printing press and textile industries.

Facilities and operations

Primary manufacturing was long centered at the sprawling Brooklyn Navy Yard-adjacent complex in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. During World War II, the company operated federally-funded plants such as the Chrysler-managed Detroit Arsenal Tank Plant and the enormous Kansas City Ordnance Plant in Missouri. It also established a major presence in Salem, Ohio, focusing on heavy press construction, and had facilities in Hastings-on-Hudson and Pawtucket, Rhode Island. International operations included subsidiaries in England (E. W. Bliss Company Ltd. of Derby) and France, which manufactured presses and munitions. The Cold War era saw continued operation of its defense plants under contract with the United States Department of Defense and NASA.

Corporate affairs and legacy

The company was publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange for much of the 20th century. It underwent significant restructuring in the 1960s, selling its pressworks division to Gulf+Western in 1967. Subsequent owners included Lear Siegler and The Carlyle Group, who managed remaining defense contracts. The company's dissolution was finalized in 1995. Its engineering legacy endures through its foundational contributions to mass production techniques, which were studied by industrialists like Henry Ford. The Bliss classification system for library materials was created by Henry Evelyn Bliss, a descendant of the founder. Many of its historic presses remain in operation globally, and its corporate records are held by the Hagley Museum and Library.

Notable projects and contracts

Major wartime contracts included producing shells for the French Army during World War I and manufacturing the entire output of 3-inch anti-tank guns during World War II. The company built the giant presses used to form aluminum fuselage sections for the Boeing B-29 Superfortress. For the United States Atomic Energy Commission, it fabricated components for Project Plowshare and nuclear reactors. In the commercial realm, it supplied the U.S. Mint with coinage presses and provided the massive forging presses for the Japanese National Railways Shinkansen program. Its presses were also integral to the production lines of major automakers like General Motors and Chrysler.

Category:Manufacturing companies of the United States Category:Defense companies of the United States Category:Companies based in Brooklyn Category:Companies established in 1857 Category:Companies disestablished in 1995