What aerospace parts manufacturer did Berkshire Hathaway acquire for $37.2 billion in 2015?

Berkshire Hathaway acquired aerospace-parts manufacturer Precision Castparts for $37.2 billion in 2015.

Berkshire announced the purchase of Precision Castparts in August 2015 and completed the transaction in January 2016. The $37.2 billion figure included the purchase price for the Portland, Oregon-based company, making it one of Berkshire's largest acquisitions. Precision Castparts had been publicly traded under the ticker symbol PCP before becoming a wholly owned Berkshire subsidiary.

The manufacturer produced investment castings, forged components, airfoil castings, and fasteners used in aerospace, defense, and industrial gas turbines. Its specialized products appealed to Berkshire because they served demanding markets and were often embedded in long-term industrial supply chains.

The deal is sometimes confused with Berkshire purchases of Johns Manville, Duracell, or Lubrizol. Those were also notable acquisitions, but they belong to different industries: building materials, consumer batteries, and chemicals. Precision Castparts was the aerospace-focused acquisition and was led by CEO Mark Donegan at the time.