Wacker Neuson SE (formerly: Wacker Construction Equipment AG) with headquarters in
Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...
is a manufacturer of
construction equipment and compact machines for concrete and construction site technology listed on the stock market. The group includes the product brands Wacker Neuson, Kramer and Weidemann. The family business, founded in 1848, employs around 6,000 people worldwide (2021).
History
The company was founded in 1848 by Johann Christian Wacker as a blacksmith’s shop in
Dresden
Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth larg ...
(Germany), trading as ''Wacker''. It started industrial production in 1875. In 1930, the company’s engineers developed a high-frequency technology for internal vibrators.
At the same time, the first electrically powered rammer – an innovation in concrete and soil compaction – was developed and produced. Before the start of World War II, the company had already expanded its product portfolio and created a domestic and international sales and retail organisation. Progress was halted by the destruction of the production facility in Dresden just before the end of the war.
Business operations were resumed in
Kulmbach
Kulmbach () is the capital of the district of Kulmbach in Bavaria in Germany. The town is famous for Plassenburg Castle, which houses the largest tin soldier museum in the world, and for its sausages, or ''Bratwürste''.
Geography
Location
Ku ...
in 1945, and the company moved its headquarters to Munich in 1951. The first foreign affiliate was established in 1957 in Hartford (
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
, USA). In 1986, Hartford operations relocated to
Menomonee Falls
Menomonee Falls is a village in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States, and is part of the Greater Milwaukee area. The population was 35,626 at the 2010 census, making it the most populous village in Wisconsin. It is the fourth largest communi ...
, now home to a production facility and logistics centre. Subsequently, the company stepped up its international presence.
The group changed structure from a limited company (GmbH) to a public limited company, ''Wacker Construction Equipment AG'', in 2002. Until 2005, Wacker only developed, produced, and distributed light construction equipment up to approximately three tonnes in the
concrete
Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wi ...
technology,
soil
Soil, also commonly referred to as earth or dirt, is a mixture of organic matter, minerals, gases, liquids, and organisms that together support life. Some scientific definitions distinguish ''dirt'' from ''soil'' by restricting the former te ...
& asphalt compaction, demolition and utility segments. Following the acquisition of ''
Weidemann GmbH
Weidemann GmbH is a multinational agricultural machinery company based in Diemelsee-Flechtdorf in the district of Waldeck-Frankenberg in Hesse, Germany. It produces Hoftracs, wheel loaders, telescopic wheel loaders and telehandlers, which are pre ...
'' in 2005, the company branched out into compact construction equipment and the agricultural sector. ''Drillfix AG'' (Switzerland) and ''Ground Heaters, Inc.'' (USA) were purchased in 2006.
The company was floated on 15 May 2007, and is listed in the
Prime Standard of the
Frankfurt Stock Exchange
The Frankfurt Stock Exchange (german: link=no, Börse Frankfurt, former German name – FWB) is the world's 12th largest stock exchange by market capitalization. It has operations from 8:00 am to 10:00 pm ( German time).
Organisation
Locat ...
. It was admitted to the SDAX in autumn 2007.
On October 31, 2007, the company merged with ''Neuson Kramer Baumaschinen AG'' (
Linz
Linz ( , ; cs, Linec) is the capital of Upper Austria and third-largest city in Austria. In the north of the country, it is on the Danube south of the Czech border. In 2018, the population was 204,846.
In 2009, it was a European Capital of ...
, Austria), a manufacturer of compact construction equipment including compact excavators, wheel loaders, dumpers and skid steer loaders. ''Neuson Kramer Baumaschinen AG'' itself was the product of a merger between ''Neuson Baumaschinen GmbH'' and the long-established company ''
Kramer-Werke GmbH''. Neuson was established in 1981 as ''Neuson Hydraulik GmbH.'' Based in Linz, the company initially developed hydraulic mini-excavators. ''Neuson Baumaschinen GmbH'' was established in 1990. Dumper manufacturer ''Lifton Ltd.'' (GB) was acquired in 1998, and skid-steer loaders were added to the product range in 2004. ''Neuson'' and ''Kramer'' merged in 2001.
In February 2009, ''Wacker Construction Equipment AG'' underwent a change of legal form and assumed its current name of ''Wacker Neuson SE''.
Between 2011 and 2017, Wacker Neuson produced, in its plant in Hörsching,
mini-excavators for Caterpillar. This resulted in the Austrian subsidiary being awarded distinction in Austria’s Leading Companies in 2015. In 2017, the strategic alliance for the sale of telehandlers and wheel loaders started between Kramer and John Deere. Via John Deere’s independent dealer network, Kramer machines for agriculture are marketed under Kramer’s brand name and design.
In 2022, the Wacker Neuson Group acquired the Spanish company Enarco S.A. Enar is a manufacturer of light construction equipment, specialised in concrete compaction. Alongside a wide range of internal vibrators for concrete, the company’s product portfolio also covers vibratory plates, rammers and walk-behind rollers for soil and asphalt compaction. Enar produces its equipment in Zaragoza, Spain.
Group overview
![Kramer Radlader 8155](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/40/Kramer_Radlader_8155.png)
Wacker Neuson SE organises its activities by region (Europe, America, and Asia-Pacific). The group is divided into three business fields: Light Equipment, Compact Equipment (weighing up to approximately 14 tons), and Services (spare parts, maintenance and repair). The Compact Equipment segment supplies
excavator
Excavators are heavy construction equipment consisting of a boom, dipper (or stick), bucket and cab on a rotating platform known as the "house". The house sits atop an undercarriage with tracks or wheels. They are a natural progression fro ...
s,
wheel loaders,
telescopic handler
A telescopic handler, also called a lull, telehandler, teleporter, reach forklift, or zoom boom, is a machine widely used in agriculture and industry. It is somewhat like a forklift but has a boom (telescopic cylinder), making it more a cra ...
s, skid-steer loaders and
dumper
A dumper or dumper truck (British English) or dump truck (North American English) is a truck designed for carrying bulk material, often on building sites. A dumper has a body which tilts or opens at the back for unloading and is usually an open ...
s. These machines are used in application areas including structural and civil engineering, road construction, agriculture, gardening, landscaping, municipal works, recycling and industrial projects. The group comprises the three brands Wacker Neuson, Weidemann and Kramer as well as affiliates and production plants.
Brands
Under the Wacker Neuson brand, the group sells walk-behind and hand-held construction equipment worldwide. Products here include rammers,
vibratory plates,
hammers, cutting tools,
internal & external vibrators and construction site equipment, as well as compact construction equipment such as compact excavators, wheel loaders, dumpers and
Skid-steer loaders. All-wheel-drive wheel loaders,
telescopic handler
A telescopic handler, also called a lull, telehandler, teleporter, reach forklift, or zoom boom, is a machine widely used in agriculture and industry. It is somewhat like a forklift but has a boom (telescopic cylinder), making it more a cra ...
s and telescopic wheel loaders are sold under the
Kramer brand. The
Weidemann brand mainly produces machines such as articulated wheel loaders, telescopic wheel loaders and telehandlers for the agricultural sector.
Management
Since June 2021, Dr. Karl Tragl has been leading the company. The head of the Supervisory Board is Neuson founder Hans Neunteufel.
Shareholder structure
Status as of December 31, 2019.
*58.0% share pool (families Wacker and Neunteufel)
*42.0% free float
Innovations
Hermann Wacker invented the first vibratory rammer in 1930 and the Hoftrac by Weidemann was created in 1972. The Group is working on further innovations and technologies, for example in the area of alternative drives, driver assistance systems, and the intelligent digital networking of products and services.
Zero emission
The Wacker Neuson Group has been working for several years on emission-free construction machines and equipment. In 2015, the company introduced the first battery-powered vibratory rammer. Meanwhile, entire construction sites can be operated emission-free with the zero emission solutions. The performance is equal to the conventional machines of the same class and the running time is sufficient for an average workday.
Autonomous vibratory plate
At the 2019 Bauma fair, the autonomously controlled vibratory plate DPU110r equipped with compaction control was first introduced as a study. The vibratory plate is controlled by a tablet. The area to be compacted is drawn in on the touchscreen using your finger. Compaction work is seamlessly documented, as the vibratory plate digitally records all steps taken and thus automatically provides a daily report sheet for contractors.
Smart Factory
The Wacker Neuson Group develops “Smart Factory” solutions that contribute to optimising production. This includes, for example, the application of assistance systems in assembly, production and intralogistics, as well as digital malfunction and quality management. Additionally, digital objects and models are being worked on that, as a first step to a “digital twin”, will illustrate reality and should bring about improvements in machine monitoring and time management. The company is now using 3D-printing technology in prototype construction.
Smart processes
In the area of digitalisation, the Wacker Neuson Group is testing the application of Augmented, Virtual and Mixed Reality in the area of “Smart Processes” for an even faster and more efficient working principle. Here, these technologies come into application, for example, in positioning attachments, comparing old and new versions, and testing the 360° visibility of the operator and the movement of objects.
Locations
Group headquarters
* ''Wacker Neuson SE'' Munich, Germany.
Training center Europe
*''Wacker Neuson Academy'' Reichertshofen, Germany.
Production Europe
*''Wacker Neuson SE'' Reichertshofen, Germany.
*''Wacker Neuson Linz GmbH'' Hörsching, Austria.
*''Weidemann GmbH'', Diemelsee-Flechtdorf, Germany.
*''Kramer-Werke GmbH'', Pfullendorf, Germany.
*''Wacker Neuson Kragujevac d.o.o.'' Kragujevac, Serbia.
Production America
*''Wacker Neuson Corporation'' Menomonee Falls (WI), USA.
Production Asia
*''Wacker Neuson Machinery (China) Co., Ltd.'' Pinghu City, Zhejiang Province, China.
References
External links
Wacker Neuson company Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wacker Neuson Se
Construction equipment manufacturers of Germany
Manufacturing companies based in Dresden
Manufacturing companies based in Munich
German brands
Manufacturing companies established in 1848
German companies established in 1848
Multinational companies headquartered in Germany
Pump manufacturers