75 years on, Cargotec’s MacGregor range of reliable, innovative technologies continues to provide shipowners and operators with unrivalled expertise and performance in the most demanding marine environments
“This year marks the 75th anniversary of MacGregor, Cargotec’s global market-leading brand in marine cargo handling and offshore load-handling solutions. Although much has changed since its foundation, it continues to provide customer-driven innovations to the marine and offshore markets. Today, half of the world’s oceangoing ships carry MacGregor equipment on board, “ says Pekka Vauramo, Executive Vice President for Marine.
Wooden hatch covers in 1949
The MacGregor name made its first impression on the industry during the 1920s when engineer brothers Joseph and Robert MacGregor developed the first steel hatch cover in Whitley Bay in the north of England, and patented it in 1929. This was a success and MacGregor & Company was founded in 1937 to promote and sell the hatchcovers. Through development, acquisition and merger, the MacGregor product range has grown continuously since then. In 2005 Kone acquired MacGregor International and later in the same year, Kone demerged and Cargotec was listed. Cargotec Corporation is the world’s leading provider of cargo handling solutions and in addition to MacGregor, has two other market-leading brands, Hiab and Kalmar.
Single pull steel hatch covers after conversion in 1963
Some notable MacGregor milestones in the past twelve months include: the introduction of the first fully automatic MacGregor twistlock, the CA8; winning Offshore Support Journal’s innovation of the year award for the MacGregor Chain Wheel Manipulator; establishing a new joint venture company in China, Rainbow-Cargotec Industries Co Ltd (RCI) to grow the company’s offshore MacGregor crane portfolio; and the introduction of a new range of electrically-driven offshore anchor handling/towing winches.
One of the first folding type hatch covers
Electric drives are both economical and commercially competitive, they are also easy to install, monitor and service. Cargotec’s growing electric-drive portfolio includes MacGregor RoRo cargo access equipment such as quarter ramps, internal ramps and cardecks, MacRack side-rolling hatch cover systems, and MacGregor variable frequency drive cranes and winches. Electrically-driven equipment minimises environmental impact by saving energy and eliminating oil leaks that can pollute the sea and damage cargo.
Cargotec’s electric drive technology is part of a broad range of marine and offshore cargo handling equipment.Through its MacGregor brand, Cargotec offers hatch covers, lashing systems, cranes, RoRo cargo and passenger access equipment and self-unloading systems.For ports and terminals, Cargotec delivers MacGregor linkspans, shore ramps and passenger gangways as well as Siwertell bulk handling equipment. And for the offshore industry, its product portfolio includes a broad range of advanced solutions for subsea load handling, anchor handling and towing and mooring operations.
Cargotec believes that the valueof its products and services is not confined to their ability to function well; it extends to their through-life performance, reliability and managed costs, achieved through quality assurance on a global scale.
Break bulk handling in the past
As for the future, Cargotec aims to continue to grow, both in merchant marine and offshore business.
For further information: Heli Malkavaara, Communications Director, Marine, tel: +358 2 4121 252 Email: heli.malkavaara@cargotec.com
Cargotec improves the efficiency of cargo flows on land and at sea – wherever cargo is on the move. Cargotec’s daughter brands, Hiab, Kalmar and MacGregor are recognised leaders in cargo and load handling solutions around the world. Cargotec’s global network is positioned close to customers and offers extensive services that ensure the continuous, reliable and sustainable performance of equipment. Cargotec’s sales totalled EUR 3.1 billion in 2011 and it employs approximately 10, 500 people. Cargotec’s class B shares are quoted on NASDAQ OMX Helsinki under symbol CGCBV. www.cargotec.com
MacGregor is the global market-leading brand in marine cargo handling and offshore load-handling solutions. Customer-drivenMacGregor engineering and service solutions for the maritime transportation industry and the offshore load-handling and naval logistics markets areused on board merchant ships, offshore support vessels, and in ports and terminals.
- 1929 First MacGregor steel hatch cover patent accepted
- 1937 MacGregor & Company formed
- 1945 Henri Kummerman appointed agent in France
- 1949 MacGregor-Comarainformed
- 1949 First single-pullhatch cover installed
- 1952 First flush tweendeck hatch cover developed
- 1954 First flush weatherdeck hatch cover developed
- 1957 Navire company formed – later to merge with MacGregor
- 1958 First purpose-designedRoRo entered service
- 1958 First hatch cover/ramp designed
- 1959 First hydraulically-operated stern door marked beginning of short-sea ferry RoRo
- 1961 Mechanised portable decks for ferries introduced
- 1967 Mechanised lift and roll covers for cellular container ships installed
- 1968 First quarter ramp fitted
- 1969 Navire CargoGear AB formed
- 1973 Slewing ramps introduced
- 1983 MacGregor merged with Navire to form MacGregor-Navire becoming part of the Kone Corporation
- 1989 Dan-Elevator acquired
- 1993 Conver-OSR acquired
- 1993 Incentive acquired MacGregor-Navire’s shares from the Kone Corporation. Incentive already owned Hägglunds Marine. Company now called the MacGregor Group
- 1995 Partnership with YORK International
- 1997 Hatch cover production cooperation with Nantong Ocean Iron & Steel Co (OISCO) in China
- 1997 First order for StackBeam container concept
- 1998 MacGregor Flexipads won prestigious Innovation award
- 1998 Incentive sold MacGregor to Industri Kapital
- 2000 Linkspan specialist Norent acquired
- 2000 US galley specialist Atlas Marine Services acquired
- 2001 MacGregor centred crane production in China with Nanjing-based Lüzhou Machine Works
- 2001 Otecnor acquired and business activities in the Middle East expanded
- 2002 MacGregor Group AB became majority owner in MacGregor-Kayaba Ltd
- 2004 Fire-extinguishing systems added to the portfolio with Softonex
- 2004 MacGregor Onboard Care service concept introduced to the market
- 2005 Kone Cargotec Corporation acquired MacGregor Group
- 2005 MacGregor’s marine elevator business transferred to KONE
- 2005 AllSet Marine Lashing acquired
- 2006 Company expanded into dry bulk handling by acquiring BMH Marine, now known as Cargotec Sweden Bulk Handling AB
- 2006 Ship hydraulics service company Grampian Hydraulics acquired
- 2007 New joint venture production partnership with Vinashin
- 2007 Company joined forces with Baltic shiprepair specialist BLRT Grupp
- 2007 First MacGregor hopper and blow pump bulk handling system for offshore supply vessels commissioned
- 2007 First MacGregorVFD electric crane prototypes installed on board M/V Pacific Flores
- 2007 Hydramarine, Plimsoll and Vestnorsk Hydraulikkservice acquired to expand offering into offshore sector
- 2008 New off shore equipment factory for MacGregor equipment in Tianjin, China opened
- 2008 US service company Platform Crane Service acquired
- 2008 First contract for a full suite of electrically-driven MacGregor RoRo equipment for PCTCs
- 2009 Innovative MacGregor ultra-deepwater lifting system (UDLS) for offshore cranes introduced
- 2009 MacRack, an electrically-driven MacGregor hatch cover operating system for side-rolling hatch covers, introduced
- 2010 New offshore service centre in Brazil established
- 2011 Offshore load handling competence centre in Kristiansand, Norway established
- 2011 Offshore winch service competence centre in Singapore established
- 2011 Remote-controlled MacGregor Chain Wheel Manipulator (CWM) introduced
- 2011 First fully automatic MacGregor twistlock introduced
- 2012 New offshore service centre in Houston, Texas established
- 2012 Cargotec established a new joint venture company with Jiangsu Rainbow Heavy Industries (RHI) in China, Rainbow-Cargotec Industries Co Ltd (RCI)
- 2012 New range ofelectrically-driven offshore winches introduced
