Donsco is located in central Pennsylvania and consists of three foundries, two
pattern shops, and a machine shop. The company has evolved over the years from
a tiny caster of iron hardware, to one of the largest jobbing foundries on the
East Coast.
| 1906 |
Donsco was founded in Wrightsville, PA on the banks of the Susquehanna River
with what becomes known as the Riverside Foundry.
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Initial Investment: $4,500
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Founder: H.K. Smith
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Equipment: Homemade cupola with steam
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Engine: Steam
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Number of Employees: 22
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Daily Pour: 2 to 3 Tons
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Products: Hardware locks, pulleys, hinges
|
| 1925 |
First generation sales peak at $117,000. |
| 1935 |
Great Depression sales plummet to $17,000 threatening to close the
company. |
| 1936 |
Founder's son, Don Smith, institutes a lifelong strategy of
investing in the latest technology; replacing the original steam engine with
electric motors, and converting gated patterns to aluminum matchplates. |
| 1954 |
Shop floor is mechanized with overhead sand and continuous
molding. |
| 1964 |
Donsco purchases the third Hunter automatic molding machine ever
built. |
| 1966 |
Art Mann Sr. joins the company with vision of leading Donsco to
become a major producer of engineered castings. |
| 1968 |
Donsco purchases Gray Iron Casting Co. in Mount Joy, PA. |
| 1971 |
Five-year plan instituted to build a new foundry over the old
Riverside plant, to include a holding furnace, a new cupola and scrubber
system, and new disamatic molding machines. |
| 1973 |
Donsco Incorporates. |
| 1979 |
New foundry built in Mount Joy, PA. |
| 1985 |
Donsco purchases its first CNC horizontal machining center. |
| 1993 |
Donsco aquires a gray and ductile iron foundry in Belleville, PA. |
| 2000 |
Donsco removes cupola at the Wrightsville foundry and converts to
electric melt. |
