In 1854, aged 22, James Howden set up his own consulting engineering business in Glasgow, Scotland, competing against professional engineers of greater age and experience.
James Howden commences the design and supply of boilers and steam engines for the marine industry.
James Howden patents a method of preheating combustion air.
James Howden introduces a furnace mechanical draught system which uses a steam turbine driven axial flow fan.
BF Sturtevant Co pioneers the use of mechanical draught fans for ventilation in the marine industry when its fans are fitted on the USS Alliance.
Bryan Donkin Co pioneers the use of gas boosting at Beckton Gas Works in UK.
Buffalo Forge Co pioneers the use of centralised heated air circulation for building ventilation.
Buffalo Forge Co becomes known as “The Birthplace of Air Conditioning” when it designs the first practical cooling system for the Auditorium Hotel in Chicago.
Samuel Davidson invents the forward bladed centrifugal fan - the 'Sirocco' fan.
Howden commences manufacture of steam turbines for use in the power generation industry.
The Wallsend-Howden oil fired burner is developed to work in combination with the company's forced draught system.
Bryan Donkin Co commences manufacture of turbo-exhausters and blowers based on the Rateau principle.
Howden designs and supplies water tube boilers for the marine propulsion industry.
The largest turbo-generator running in the UK (a 15MW unit for Manchester Corporation) is supplied by James Howden & Co.
Buffalo Forge publishes the first edition of 'Fan Engineering', the industry-standard reference work on air and gas movement.
The metal diaphragm compressor is invented by H Corblin.
BF Sturtevant invents the backward-inclined bladed centrifugal fan.
The Davidson mechanical dust collector is patented.
In conjunction with ICI, Howden develops a flue gas desulphurisation (FGD ) system for use in power stations.
James Howden & Co Ltd licences the screw compressor from SRM in Sweden and is the first company to commercialise the technology.
Stork brothers develops the aerofoil bladed centrifugal fan. Joint development work with Howden raises the efficiency of centrifugal fans to 90%.
Howden supplies the main blowers for the world's first two large nuclear reactors at Windscale, UK.
Nordisk Ventoliator Co. supplies the world’s first variable pitch axial flow fan in the power generation industry.
James Howden & Co receives the order for the world's first submerged gas circulators for the UK AGR programme.
Howden Canada supplies the turbo-generators to the world's first large CANDU nuclear power station, the 4x514MW Pickering A station near Toronto.
Howden supplies the first wind turbine in the utility industry in the United Kingdom.
Howden supplies 26MW of wind turbine capacity to Altamont Pass, California.
Howden designs and launches an ultra low noise cooling fan.
Large centrifugal fan impellers which are tolerant of dynamic excitation under off-load duties are introduced by Howden.
Large centrifugal boster fans with rotors designed to run above their critical speed supplied to Howden customers.
Howden develops a fully submerged gas circulator running on magnetic bearings for handling helium as a nuclear reactor core coolant.
Introduction of super-high pressure blading for modern single and two-stage axial fans.
Howden, in partnership with Microsoft and PTC, launches Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) digital solution Howden Uptime.
James Howden sets up business working as a consulting engineer in Glasgow.
BF Sturtevant builds the largest fan manufacturing plant in the world at that time.
Samuel Davidson sets up business in Belfast, UK
Negotiations with A/B Ljungströms Angeturbin (ALA) result in the formation of a joint venture company – Howden Ljungström Preheaters (Land) Limited based in Glasgow and Wellsville to develop and manufacture the rotary air preheater.
Holdings in the Howden-Ljungstrom joint ventures are exchanged and James Howden & Company and the Ljungstrom Company take full control of the UK and the US organisations respectively
The Joy Manufacturing Company enters the fan business by purchasing LADEL Mfg., a fan maker located in New Philadelphia, OH.
S T Westerholz forms the Nordisk Ventilator Company to produce the “Variax” variable pitch axial flow fan.
James Howden Australia Pty Limited is formed.
James Howden & Company Africa (Pty) is formed.
Howden takes controlling stake in Holima Ingenieursbureau voor Warmte en Koudetechnick NV which designed and manufactured refrigeration installations.
Sir George Godfrey & Partners is taken over by James Howden & Company to expand activities in the refrigeration and precision engineering fields.
Howden Group is formed as the holding company.
Howden acquires the fan business of Carter in UK.
Howden acquires Airscrew in UK.
At the ending of the agreement with Parsons, Howden becomes a manufacturing associate of Brown Boveri to manufacture steam turbines for the Canadian market.
James Howden America is formed in Hartford, Connecticut, after the acquisition of Aetna Special Manufacturing Corp.
Howden acquires Davidson & Co., which includes Berry, Sturtevant, American Blower, Ventilateurs Neu, Airtech.
Howden acquires Ventilatoren Stork Hengelo.
Howden acquires Turbowerke Meissen in Germany.
Howden acquires the Novenco (formerly Nordisk Ventilator Co.) which includes Sheldon, Engart, Aerex, and Voith Novenco.
Howden acquires The Buffalo Forge Fan Co and Canadian Blowers.
Howden acquires Burton Corblin®, manufacturers of piston and diaphragm compressors.
Howden acquires Joy Green Fans.
Howden acquires Tallares Sanchez Luengo (TSL).
Howden acquires Bryan Donkin Blowers.
Charter plc acquires Howden Group plc.
Carrier Corporation acquires a majority stake in Howden Compressors. Howden Process Compressors, a wholly owned Howden subsidiary is formed to supply package compressor sets.
Howden re-acquires from Carrier Corporation the remaining 51% shareholding in Howden Compressors Ltd, and its affiliated sales company, that it had sold to Carrier in 1998.
Howden Russia is established and opens in Moscow.
Howden India is established, and opens in Delhi in 2008.
Howden acquires Aeolus Industra e Comercio Ltd, a leading Brazilian designer and manufacturer of fans.
Howden Water Technology A/S established in Birkerød, Denmark.
Howden Middle East is established in Dubai.
AustCold Refrigeration Pty Ltd. in NSW, Australia is acquired by Howden.
Howden acquires Thomassen Compression Systems, a leading manufacturer of reciprocating compressors.
Colfax Corporation acquires Howden Group plc.
Howden acquires ČKD Kompresory, a leading supplier of multi-stage centrifugal compressors to the oil and gas, petrochemical, power and steel industries based in Prague.
Fläkt Woods GII Division becomes part of the Howden organisation.
Howden acquires RootsTM Blowers and Compressors from GE Oil & Gas. This includes the Connersville plant where the world famous Roots Blower was invented.
Howden revives world famous brands TurblexTM, HV-TurboTM, and Kühnle, Kopp & KauschTM following acquisition of Siemens Turbomachinery Equipment.
VentSim, PumpSim and CSafe are added to our digital product portfolio with the acquisition of Australian firm Chasm Consulting.
Acquisition of Advanced Combustion and Advanced Fan Systems based in Canada.
Howden becomes a portfolio company of KPS Capital Partners.
Howden completes the acquisition of Rothemühle - a leading global provider of air preheaters, gas-gas heaters and related heat recovery equipment.
UK based Steam Turbine manufacturer Peter Brotherhood is acquired.
Howden acquires Maintenance Partners, an independent provider of aftermarket services headquartered in Belgium.
Howden acquires Fancraft, an independent provider of aftermarket services headquartered in South Africa.
Howden acquires Spencer Turbine an American based manufacturer of high quality engineered blowers and vacuum systems.
Howden acquires Compressor Products International, a leading provider of aftermarket components and services to the global reciprocating compressor market.
Howden is acquired by Chart Industries, Inc., a global leader in engineering and manufacturing of process technology and equipment.
Douglas Hume - A Personal Story : The Howden Heritage is Douglas Hume’s personal story, as told to his brother David H. Hume, and is reproduced with the kind permission of David H. Hume. Any views represented in the book are the author's personal views.