The P&H Legend | about us

Alonzo Pawling and Henry Harnischfeger

In 1884, two young entrepreneurs, Alonzo Pawling and Henry Harnischfeger, embarked on a business venture in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Originating as a machine and pattern shop for knitting machinery, P&H entered the crane industry in 1887, when it developed a rope-driven traveling crane with three electric motors.

The young company quickly expanded this initial crane product and, by the early 1890s, was producing customized material handling machinery and related equipment for a variety of industrial applications.

P&H Goes Global

In 1917, P&H crossed national borders with an international partnership with one of the largest copper mining companies in Chile. In the 1930s, P&H expanded its product line to include hoists. Throughout its history, P&H has been a leader in both technological and product advancements, contributing to its long-standing reputation as a world-class manufacturer of high-quality, highly-engineered cranes.

Through determination and perseverance, the P&H brand has evolved throughout history, grown with the changes of the material handling industry, and, yet, still maintained the legacy. Today, the P&H trademark can be found on a wide range of equipment including: overhead cranes and hoists, mining excavators, drills and draglines, as well as construction cranes.

In 1998, the overhead crane division of P&H was spun off and Morris Material Handling was adopted as the company name.

In 2006, Morris Material Handling was acquired by, and became an integral part of the world’s largest crane company.

Learn more about Morris Material Handling's commitment to World-Class Service for Life Long Lifting™