Our History

A voyage of vision

The Manitowoc Company began in 1902 as the Manitowoc Dry Dock Company, a small shipbuilding and ship repair firm. Founders Elias Gunnell, Charles West, and Lynford Geer set up shop in the lakeshore community of Manitowoc, Wisconsin, USA.

In the century and more that has passed, Manitowoc has grown into a global, multi-industry success story. The Manitowoc Speedcrane developed in 1925 is today's Manitowoc Cranes, a global combination of the world's leading cranes and crane support systems; and Manitowoc Equipment Works formed after World War II is now Manitowoc Foodservice, a name synonymous throughout the world with quality and performance in hot and cold foodservice and food retail equipment.

While our legacy business, Manitowoc Marine, is no longer part of our company, we continue our commitment to the core values that were founded by Marine – Integrity, Commitment to Stakeholders, and Passion for Excellence.

Now, we're looking for the best of the best to continue our legacy into the future. If you think you're up to the challenge, if you think you're ready to build something real, we're ready to give you the opportunity to build something great for yourself . . . a REAL future.