Airline Hydraulics Corporation

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Since its founding in 1949, Airline Hydraulics Corporation has evolved from humble beginnings into a regional powerhouse, employing more than 350 workers and making more than $100 million in sales each year. Originally a family owned business that is now 100 percent employee owned, the company is a technology solutions provider to manufacturers – providing the engineering, manufacturing, and distribution of products custom-designed to meet the individual needs of their customers. Their products range from machinery automation and control systems, to hydraulic power units for electricity-generating turbines.

Many of Airline Hydraulics’ customers export the products they make using Airline Hydraulics technology to countries around the world. For those customers, the Export-Import (Ex-Im) Bank is often a critical tool for securing international deals. If the Ex-Im Bank wasn’t available, Airline Hydraulics’ customers would not be able to stay competitive against foreign corporations that offer alternative products, which could lead them to do less business with Airline Hydraulics as their export opportunities decline. The company estimates a double-digit percentage of its business would be put at risk.

“If the Ex-Im Bank were to disappear, the size of our business and our workforce would certainly shrink,” says Joseph Miceli, President and CEO of Airline Hydraulics. Joseph recently met with Congressional leaders in Washington to share his story firsthand. “The Ex-Im Bank isn’t just about large companies – all of the small businesses that serve as downstream suppliers rely on the kind of big international deals that Ex-Im makes possible. American companies would simply not remain competitive against foreign manufacturers – and keep quality American jobs here at home where they belong – if the Ex-Im Bank wasn’t around to level the playing field.”