"MAN – German Industrial History“

In 1758, St. Antony's Ironworks began operating in Germany's Ruhr region. Cooking-pots and frying-pans were its first products. In 2008, the company, now the MAN Group and one of Europe's largest manufacturers of engines and trucks, is celebrating its 250th anniversary. Significant events in German industrial history form part of the MAN story. From the beginnings of industrialisation in Germany to the invention of the diesel engine, construction of the first refrigerator, mergers and acquisitions, the break-up of the coal, iron and steel industries and finally a modern engineering enterprise. Over a period of two years, the company's history has been researched and brought to paper by a team of historians headed by Dr. Johannes Bähr. "MAN - German Industrial Industry" ("Die MAN - eine deutsche Industriegeschichte") is the title of an historical work due to be published C.H. Beck on 22 July. "MAN's history has been shaped by technical innovation and its ability to constantly adapt to customer needs. The authors have succeeded in drawing a realistic picture of the very diverse epochs of our corporate history in an exciting way," said MAN's Executive Board Chairman, Håkan Samuelsson, while presenting the book in Munich.

Based on extensive archive material, the authors describe how MAN and its predecessor company Gutehoffnungshütte changed and repeatedly reorientated in the course of time. It becomes clear how much MAN has influenced the development of modern technology in sectors such as bridge construction and shipbuilding, printing technology and diesel engine construction. Gutehoffnungshütte in Oberhausen made a vital contribution to the rise of industry in the Ruhr area, while the MAN works in Augsburg and Nuremberg played a major part in the industrialisation of Bavaria. The authors deal in detail with the role of the MAN Group and its leading players during the NS era, as well as outlining the changes undergone by the Group in recent years.

Dr. Johannes Bähr emphasised the fact that, "MAN has experienced a more chequered history than other large companies. Ultimately, those responsible steered the right course at the right time, otherwise the company would have long ceased to exist. The only companies in the engineering, engine and vehicle construction industries able to perform successfully over a longer period of time were the ones functioning as pacesetters for technological progress." In retrospect, even the forced break-up after the Second World War, which involved hiving off its coal, iron and steel activities, turned out to be good for the company, as it subsequently remained unaffected by the crises in these sectors.

Today, MAN produces in Germany, Europe, Asia and South Africa, its range including state-of-the-art trucks and buses, huge marine engines and turbines destined for every continent in the world. A global enterprise with more than 250 years of experience.

Its history is on sale in bookstores from 29 July. "Die MAN - eine deutsche Industriegeschichte" by Johannes Bähr, Ralf Banken, Thomas Flemming, 2008. Approx. 624 pages with 50 photos (of which 19 in colour), 50 tables and 28 illustrations. Linen bound, C.H. Beck ISBN 978-3-406-57762-8.

Further information is available on our internet website at www.250-jahre-man.eu.