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.
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 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.