The story of America is one of innovation. For 250 years, inventors, engineers, and manufacturers have transformed ideas into groundbreaking solutions that shape industries, grow businesses, and improve lives. For over 120 years, Nichols Portland, Inc. has carried that same spirit of ingenuity and progress.
As America celebrates its 250th anniversary, we’re taking the opportunity to reflect on Nichol’s Portland’s history and our role in advancing America’s manufacturing. From pioneering gerotor technology to supporting applications across the aerospace, marine, defense, and automotive industries, our history is deeply rooted in the evolution of modern fluid power systems.
Join us as we walk through the milestones, innovations, and achievements that helped shape Nichols Portland’s role in modern manufacturing.
Milestones are a great opportunity to celebrate the past and look toward the future. Watch the video below to reflect on our history and its role in today’s advanced manufacturing.
In 1904, toolmaker William H. Nichols founded the W.H. Nichols Company. At that same time, Myron Hill, the “father of the gerotor,” had been studying and experimenting with gerotor technology for years, later going on to publish the Kinematics of Gerotors.
With Hill’s extensive knowledge of the complex gear shape and Nichols’ skilled engineering, together, they were able to craft the machining that revolutionized gerotor technology. In 1927, Nichols and Hill collaborated to pioneer the world’s first gerotor pump – all on the heels of America’s second industrial revolution.
This technological revolution is what earned the gerotor the Landmark Award by MPIF – a recognition that identifies the gerotor as a landmark in the powder metallurgy industry.
In the 1930s and 1940s, the gerotor truly began shaping some of America’s most impactful industries, starting with the first commercial application of gerotor sets with oil burner pumps. In the 1940s, General Electric reached out to Nichols Portland to create a multi-element gerotor gear that would power GE’s first jet engine.
Before they knew it, Nichols Portland was pioneering emerging technologies in aviation and industrial markets – some of the very markets powering America.
In 1971, the gerotor manufacturing landscape was revolutionized when Nichols Portland secured a patent for an internal gear that helped transform the low-speed, high-torque motor market. Before the patent, gerotor pump application requirements – like flow rate, fluid type, conditions, etc. – would often dictate the component’s design. Now, drive design is completely customizable, meaning gerotor pumps can be manufactured to meet the unique needs of a wide array of industries.
The customizable gerotor design combined with the capabilities of conventional press machinery led to the expansion of positive displacement (PD) pumps in industrial settings. In fact, in 1981, Ford began using the PD pump, marking its first use in the automotive industry.
Innovation comes from solving the most complex engineering challenges, and Nichols Portland has spent over 120 years doing just that. What started as a simple gear design evolved into a custom component and specialized machining that powers some of America’s largest industries, from aviation and defense to energy and agriculture sectors.
Today, that expertise extends far beyond gerotor pumps. Since its inception, Nichols Portland has expanded into a multitude of advanced precision manufacturing solutions, including sintering, additive manufacturing, metal injection molding, and specialty valves.
Nichols Portland’s continued commitment to engineering, quality, and customer-driven solutions has helped some of the largest commercial industries grow as our nation's needs evolve. As people and industries progress, we’re committed to engineering custom solutions that help them move forward.
As we celebrate 250 years of American history full of innovation, perseverance, and ingenuity, we at Nichols Portland reflect on our accomplishments that helped fuel our nation’s growth. Like America, we’re proud of our long-standing reputation for progress – from over a century ago when we helped pioneer the gerotor pump to our numerous industry-leading precision manufacturing capabilities today.
Nichols Portland, Inc. is built in the USA and built for what’s next.
Learn more about Nichols Portland and our mission here.