Wacker Neuson

The company was founded in 1848 by Johann Christian Wacker as a blacksmith’s shop in Dresden , 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 in 1945, and the company moved its headquarters to Munich in 1951. The first foreign affiliate was established in 1957 in Hartford . In 1986, Hartford operations relocated to Menomonee Falls, 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 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 technology, soil & asphalt compaction, demolition and utility segments. Following the acquisition of Weidemann GmbH in 2005, the company branched out into compact construction equipment and the agricultural sector. Drillfix AG and Ground Heaters, Inc. were purchased in 2006.

The company was floated on 15 May 2007, and is listed in the Prime Standard of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. It was admitted to the SDAX in autumn 2007.On October 31, 2007, the company merged with Neuson Kramer Baumaschinen AG , 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. 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.