Henry Harnischfeger

The Panic of 1893 caused demand to fall for the cranes designed and built by Pawling and Harnischfeger who by that time were being referred to as “P&H”.

The partners expanded their product line to include earthmoving machines in order to increase the ability of their business to withstand the next economic downturn.

In 1893 P&H acquired the motors and controls manufacturing assets of the Gibb Electric Company following the acquisition of Gibb by Westinghouse Electric Manufacturing Company, as Pawling and Harnischfeger wanted control over the application of motors applied to their crane line.

[4] By the mid-1920s, the firm had become a large and growing supplier of crawler-mounted shovels and cranes applied to construction and mining operations – all bearing the familiar “P&H” trademark that had become synonymous with exceptional quality and service value established by Pawling & Harnischfeger.

Over the ensuing decades, P&H-trademark shovels and cranes would grow in size, capacity, and drive and control technology.