Parker Meggitt (legally Meggitt Ltd) is a British international company specialising in components and sub-systems for the aerospace, defence and selected energy markets. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index until it was acquired by Parker Hannifin in September 2022. History Origins The company's history spans back to multiple preceding businesses that were originally founded in both the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Meggitt's own official history claims that the company's roots can be traced through to 1850 via the scientific instrumentation business Negretti and Zambra, which had, amongst other innovations, invented the world's first altimeter for the hot air balloon. During 1947, a new business was founded under the trading name Willson Lathes; it operated as a machine tool manufacturer based in Halifax, West Yorkshire.That same year, Willson Lathes became a quoted public company. During 1964, Meggitt, a Dorset-based light engineering business, was wholly acquired by Willson Lathes; subsequently, management decided to change the company's name to Meggitt Holdings. 1980–1999 During 1983, Nigel McCorkell and Ken Coates, together with 3i Group, took control of Meggitt via a management buy-in.The new management team soon embarked on a series of acquisitions, aimed at increasing the business' geographical diversity to become an international engineering company; it focused on speciality sectors within fields such as aerospace, controls, electronics and energy.During 1985, Meggitt Holdings acquired London-based avionics specialist Negretti and Zambra. In 1986, the company bought the engineering interest Bestobell, which had historically focused on aviation air ducting and sealing solutions. Following the appointment of Michael Stacey as the CEO of Meggitt Holdings in 1990,the company was reorganised to focus its efforts around three core markets: aerospace, defence systems and electronics.Further acquisitions were conducted during the 1990s. In 1992, Meggitt acquired sensor specialist firm Endevco, specialists in sensors for test and measurement applications.During 1998, engine diagnostics specialist Vibro-Meter was also acquired to improve the company's portfolio of condition monitoring capabilities. In the following year, Californian aviation aftermarket support firm Whittaker Corporation was also acquired by Meggitt for $380m. During July 1997, Meggitt received their first contract from American commercial airline manufacturer Boeing to provide solid-state clocks for the Boeing 737; separately, it was contracted to provide the secondary flight display system for the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II.That same year Spanish aviation company CASA appointed it to supply the air ducting system for its new C-295 utility transport aircraft. In 1998, Raytheon Aircraft awarded the company a contract to supply solid state altimeters and secondary flight display systems for numerous business aircraft, ...