The Manitowoc Company, Inc. designs, manufactures, supports, and markets mobile telescopic cranes, tower cranes, boom trucks under the Grove, and lattice-boom crawler cranes. Additionally, the organization offers repairs and spare parts services. The corporation is a developer of ice machines and sizeable commercial refrigeration equipment for convenience stores, health, and foodservice industries. In 2021, the company was ranked as the world’s most celebrated developer of crawler cranes. The company was founded in 1902 by Charles West and Elias Gunnell in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, as a shipbuilding and ship repair firm under the name Manitowoc Shipbuilding company. Subsequently, it developed and diversified its offerings by entering the lattice-boom sector and refrigeration equipment by the 1920s. Manitowoc’s contraction with the US Navy allowed the organization to design and manufacture 28 submarines during the First World War. This venture earned the company significant success and growth. Its progress was enhanced by launching the Manitowoc Ice Dispenser in 1967, which rapidly became popular in the hospital and lodging industries across North America. In 1967, Manitowoc purchased Sturgeon Bay Shipbuilding and DryDock companies to increase its resources and earned significant contracts in the 1970s. Later, the manufacturer became the first developer to use T-1 high-strength steel to design a controlled-torque converter for crane applications. Such innovations earned the company significant success in the late 20th century. In 2021, Manitowoc acquired Aspen Equipment, a crane dealer and purpose-built truck uplifter, for about $51 million. The take-over was aimed at bolstering its growth in the subsequent years by offering new machine perspectives and expanding its direct-to-customer strategy. Manitowoc became publicly traded in 1971 and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange with the trading symbol MTW.
With such a rich history, it’s no wonder the company has so many products out there, from new to used. Finding the right documentation can be difficult, especially in the English language. This is the reason why we opened up a section dedicated to Manitowoc User Manuals, where you can view or download each PDF.