A
tlas cranes and excavators was founded in 1919 by Henrich Wyhausen, who began by selling construction and agricultural machinery from his local village near Bremen, Germany. He soon discovered that the machines that his customers needed were not available, so after listening to their requirements he set about building the machines himself to the precise specifications that they required. In this respect the culture at Atlas has never changed and today the company continues to produce tailor-made, robust equipment, which is designed to optimise efficiency and to meet today’s modern market needs. Following its initial success and as the company’s reputation grew, so did its
40 Industry Europe
dealer and service network. Today Atlas Cranes can be found at work not only throughout Europe but also in the growth markets of the Middle East and North America. The company has also established an important subsidiary: Atlas East to cater for the eastern European market and in particular Russia.
Growing market share Being strategically located only a short distance from Bremen Airport and with excellent road and rail connections, the company is able to offer express delivery services to Europe and beyond. In addition, its three state-of-the-art manufacturing plants are all situated within a 50km radius of each other and within a short distance of the airport
and the main container terminal at Bremehaven. This is a big advantage when it comes to achieving short delivery times and competitive pricing structures. Atlas has three modern production plants, two of which are located in Delmenhorst and Vechta. Recently the upgraded Vechta plant took over the production of the company’s “V-boom” cranes in order to relieve the production demands on the Delmenhorst plant and to provide more room for the manufacture of its individual cranes. The increasing global demand for its brick and block cranes also played a part in influencing this strategic decision. Today the Atlas portfolio of cranes and excavators covers a diverse variety of products which range from its small, 1.2 m/t boom
