Background
MAN originated from three German predecessor companies, the St. Antony ironworks in Oberhausen, Sander'sche Maschinenfabrik. St. Antony and Eisengießerei Klett & Comp. St. Antony was founded in 1758 and became Gutehoffnungshütte (GHH) in 1873, after several changes in ownership and restructuring. Sander'sche Maschinenfabrik was established in Augsburg in 1840, also underwent multiple mergers and transformations, and was merged with Maschinenbau-Actien-Gesellschaft Nürnberg (formerly Eisengießerei Klett & Comp.) in 1908 to become Maschinenfabrik Augsburg-Nürnberg (MAN).[11]
Between 1893 and 1897, MAN, in collaboration with Rudolf Diesel, developed the first diesel engine, a single-cylinder four-stroke engine, which achieved a specific consumption of 324 g/kWh and produced 17.8 hp (13.1 kW) at 154 rpm. In 1899, following several experiments on the four-stroke engine by Hugo Güldner, the first two-stroke diesel engine was built. After the turn of the century, MAN developed the first diesel engine with an opposed-piston engine design.[12][13]
MAN built the first diesel power plant in Kyiv in 1905. In 1910, MAN, in collaboration with the shipyard Blohm+Voss, began building upright two-stroke marine engines.[12] Two years later, the ocean-going vessel MS Selandia became the first to be powered by diesel engines.[14]
In 1921, Gutehoffnungshütte acquired a majority stake in MAN, creating a conglomerate that encompassed traditional ironworks, modern mechanical engineering, and the production of various commercial vehicles. The conglomerate operated under the abbreviation GHH.[11] From 1926, MAN began designing high-performance two-stroke engines for marine use.[12]
During World War II, several thousand prisoners of war were forced to work for MAN. Among them were Polish, Soviet, French and Dutch forced laborers. According to testimonies, East European workers were treated especially bad. While MAN itself didn't use concentration camp detainees as additionall forced labor, other companies that later after the war joined MAN actually did (Büssing and Steyr-Daimler-Puch).[15]
Developments after World War II
During World War II, the company experienced revenue growth as Gutehoffnungshütte became involved in armament manufacturing. Production primarily included tanks, diesel engines for submarines, and shell casings in support of the Nazi war effort.[11]
After global shipbuilding increasingly shifted to Far East Asia in the 1970s and engine manufacturers' development costs rose, several large diesel engine manufacturers withdrew from the market at the end of the 1970s. MAN took over the ship engine design and building company Burmeister & Wain in 1979/80. Since then, the development of four-stroke engines has been carried out in Augsburg, while two-stroke engines are designed in Copenhagen.[12] The marketing name for the largest two-stroke engines still has "B&W" in it.[16][17]
In 1982, the first two-stroke large diesel engine with over 50% efficiency was built.[12]
From MAN Diesel & Turbo to MAN Energy Solutions
MAN Energy Solutions SE was formed in March 2010 from the merger of the two former MAN companies MAN Diesel and MAN Turbo under the name MAN Diesel & Turbo SE.[19][20] In addition, the Volkswagen Group acquired the majority of the share capital and voting rights of MAN SE in 2011.[11]
In 2013, the company commissioned a methanisation reactor for Europe's first power-to-gas plant in Werlte.[21] Since 2015, the company has been manufacturing marine engines that run on synthetic fuels.[11]
Further Developments and rebrand to Everllence
In 2019, the company ventured into the hydrogen economy sector by acquiring a 40% stake in H-Tec Systems,[27] which was then increased to around 99% by 2021.[28] This acquisition marked the company's entry into the production of hydrogen through power-to-X electrolysers.[21]
In 2021, MAN Energy Solutions began developing a seawater-based heat pump for Esbjerg, Denmark,[29] which utilizes seawater for heat generation.[30] Additionally, the company announced the introduction of a hydrogen configuration for gas-powered four-stroke engines in the same year.[31]
