Our History
75 Years in the Making
For more than 75 years, we have been innovating products that not only enable people to perform their jobs more efficiently and effectively, but also enable businesses to increase profitability.
Ollie Henderson founds Henderson Manufacturing in Cedar Rapids, IA to manufacture agricultural attachments and spreading equipment.
Dean L. Fisher founds Fisher Engineering in Rockland, ME, to manufacture snowplows designed for Willys jeep vehicles, the iconic pre-cursors to the Jeep brand.
Douglas Seaman purchases Western Welding and Manufacturing in 1950 and officially changes the name to Western Products. At the time, the primary business was small, one-off welding jobs for large manufacturers.
As a way to diversify his business, Douglas Seaman begins manufacturing snowplows for light trucks.
Arden “Art” Collins founds Collins Associates in Ohio. It eventually grows into Venco Venturo, a provider of truck-mounted service cranes and dump hoists.
Pete Dejana opens a three-bay service station in Huntington, Long Island and Dejana Truck & Utility Equipment was born.
Growing demand for suburban expansion, light trucks, and snow removal equipment helps drive rapid growth across the snow and ice control industry.
The 1970s brought significant market share growth, and in 1977 Douglas Seaman creates Douglas Dynamics, which became the parent company for Western Products.
Dean Fisher sells Fisher Engineering to Douglas Dynamics, uniting the two premier brands in the snow and ice control industry.
Armco Inc. buys Douglas Dynamics, Inc., now the nation’s largest manufacturer of snowplows for four-wheel-drive pickup trucks and utility vehicles.
TrynEx International is established with the SnowEx® and SweepEx® brands, eventually adding the TurfEx® brand in 2009.
AK Steel acquires Armco, making it one of the largest steelmakers in the United States at the time.
Fisher Engineering opens a new 141,940-square-foot manufacturing facility in Rockland, Maine, expanding capacity for snowplow production. The facility would later be expanded by more than 53,000 square feet.
In April 2004, private equity firms Aurora Capital Group and Ares Private Equity Group acquire Douglas Dynamics from AK Steel.
Seeing an opportunity to be part of an important advancement in the snowplow industry, Douglas Dynamics acquires the Blizzard Corporation, gaining access to industry-changing patents, including the revolutionary “adjustable-wing snowplow.”
Douglas Dynamics expands its Milwaukee footprint with the acquisition of a nearby facility, creating additional capacity to support the growing distribution of parts and accessories.
Douglas Dynamics opens a global sourcing office in Beijing, China, establishing a centralized hub for strategic component sourcing and future procurement efficiencies.
Douglas Dynamics completes an initial public offering (IPO) in May 2010 and today trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “PLOW” (NYSE:PLOW).
Douglas Dynamics acquires TrynEx International, adding a comprehensive line of highly regarded ice control equipment under the SnowEx brand, as well as turf application equipment (TurfEx) and industrial attachment products (SweepEx).
Douglas Dynamics diversifies its offering and expands into the municipal snow and ice control market with the acquisition of Henderson Products.
Douglas Dynamics purchases Dejana Truck and Utility Equipment as part of the strategy to diversify its business outside of snow and ice control.
Douglas Dynamics adds a Milwaukee manufacturing facility to support product innovation and provide flexible manufacturing capacity for new products and emerging business opportunities.
Douglas Dynamics expands manufacturing capabilities by bringing rotational molding operations in-house at its Madison Heights, Michigan facility.
Douglas Dynamics establishes its corporate headquarters in a new building in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Douglas Dynamics purchases Venco Venturo Industries, LLC, adding a well-established and highly-regarded provider of truck-mounted service cranes and dump hoists to work truck attachments portfolio
Douglas Dynamics’ products are manufactured across the Midwest and Eastern seaboard and sold throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. The company employs more than 1,700 employees across multiple locations.