Manchester Tank & Equipment Co.History

Manchester Tank was established in 1945 in Los Angles, California as Manchester Welding and Fabrication Company. In 1946 Julius Diamond and Edward Reifschneider purchased the company, manufacturing 5 gallon propane and butane storage tanks. In the first year of operation, Manchester Tank employed seven people and produced approximately 200 tanks per week.

In late 1946, Edward Reifschneider became the sole owner of Manchester Tank, acquiring Mr Diamond's interest. When Edward died the following year, his wife, Mollie, continued the operation.

With Manchester Tank being incorporated in 1953 and Mrs. Reifscheider acting as President, the company continued to prosper, expanding its sales nation-wide, incorporating forklift cylinders, motor fuel tanks and air receivers into their product range. Along the way Manchester Tank built and aquired several new manufacturing plants across the United States, including our plant in Elkhart, Indiana.

he oil crisis of the late 1970's and early 1980's saw Manchester Tank build a manufacturing facility in Tillsonburg, Canada after a heavy promotion for alternative fuels from the Canadian government. By the end of the decade, two more plants were now producing Manchester products, one in Hannibal, Missouri and the other in Peterburg, Virginia.

In January 1990, Manchester Tank acquired Buckeye Boiler Company, a producer of industrial air receivers and pressure vessels, thus becoming the dominant leader in the OEM air tank business. In February, a stock merger with their biggest competitor, General Processing Corporation (GPC), a manufacturer supplying a full line of propane cylinders and water heaters saw Manchester Tank gain valuable customers and acquired the GPC manufacturing plant in Crossville, Tennesee. 1992 saw the closure of the Lynwood, California plant and the Head Office move to Brentwood, Tennessee.

In November 1995 a company in Echuca, Australia was acquired. The company had been formed in the 1950s to assemble air compressors, later entering into the LPG cylinder business. With this new aquisition, Manchester Tank became the leading manufacturer of LP gas cylinders in Australia.

In October 1999, McWane, Inc., a family business based in Birmingham, Alabama with iron foundries across the United States and Canada acquired Manchester Tank. Under McWane's leadership, Manchester Tank is positioned to remain the industry's leading manufacturer for low-pressure vessels. It continues to supply a quality product efficiently and cost effectively, provide service levels that exceed our customers expectations, invest in our operations, and improve processes as we pursue new opportunities.

In 2000 Manchester Tank made two significant acquisitions including our plants in Bedford, Indiana and Quincy, Illinois. In November 2003, Manchester Tank moved its corporate offices to a neighbouring city, Franklin, Tennessee.

Today Manchester Tank has consolidated several production facilities and opened distribution centres becoming even more efficient and cost-effective, while maintaining the same standard of quality and reliability its customers have depended on since 1946.

While looking forward to a promising future, Manchester Tank takes great pride in its past accomplishments. We appreciate our loyal customers and look forward to developing new relationships as we continue building for the future.

For further information regarding the history of Manchester Tank, please go to www.mantank.com/about/index.htm