Clark Equipment Company
Clark Equipment Company was an American industrial manufacturer known for material-handling, construction, earthmoving, transportation, and related machinery.
Last updated August 22, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
Clark Equipment Company was an American designer, manufacturer, and seller of industrial and construction machinery. Its historical importance rests on the breadth of its engineering activities and on the role its businesses played in the development of forklift trucks, earthmoving equipment, truck tractors, streetcar components, transmissions, and other heavy-duty industrial products. The company was centered in Buchanan, Michigan, although its operations and markets extended beyond the United States. The business originated with the George R. Rich Manufacturing Company, founded in Chicago in 1903 by executives associated with Illinois Steel. The company moved to Buchanan in 1904 after local officials offered favorable industrial conditions. Eugene B. Clark, then an Illinois Steel employee, became involved after identifying weaknesses in the metallurgy of the company's Celfor rail drill as well as problems in management and operations. He subsequently became an equal partner and helped reorganize the enterprise. Rich Manufacturing was later renamed Celfor Tool, and in 1916 it was combined with Buchanan Electric Steel Company to form Clark Equipment Company. Clark expanded from tools and steel-related manufacturing into vehicle, material-handling, and construction equipment. In 1919 it created Clark Trucktractor Company, a business that became the foundation of the later Clark material-handling operation. The company's products and technologies supported industrial logistics, construction, mining, infrastructure, and transportation. Clark was also involved in the development of the Presidents' Conference Committee streetcar. During the 1930s it produced a substantial share of the bogies used on PCC streetcars and built a distinctive aluminum-bodied PCC car in 1935–1936 for service in Brooklyn and Queens. That vehicle remained in service until 1956 and was later preserved at the Trolley Museum of New York. Acquisitions were a major part of Clark's growth strategy from the 1920s through the 1960s. The company entered large-scale earthmoving equipment through its 1953 purchase of Michigan Power Shovel Company. It later acquired Hancock Manufacturing Company, a producer of scraper bowls, and Melroe Manufacturing Company, which became associated with the Bobcat equipment business. Clark also established a manufacturing presence in Brazil in 1954, opening a Valinhos plant to produce gears and truck transmissions for South American markets; the facility later made lifts and construction machinery and was sold to Eaton Corporation. The company experienced repeated portfolio changes in the second half of the twentieth century. In 1982 it sold its wheel-loader and dozer division to Volvo. In 1995 Clark was acquired by Ingersoll Rand. That transaction was followed by the sale of Clark's mechanical test laboratory, which continued operating as Clark Testing in Buchanan, Michigan. In 1996, two tons of company archives were donated to the Berrien County Historical Association, and the records became associated with the Clark archives repository at the Berrien County 1839 Courthouse Museum. In 2007, Ingersoll Rand sold Clark Equipment Company to Doosan International of South Korea as part of a transaction involving its construction-equipment group. Subsequent corporate changes connected the construction-equipment heritage to Doosan Infracore and, after Hyundai Heavy Industries acquired a controlling stake in Doosan Infracore in 2021, to the Hyundai Genuine group. The supplied references do not establish whether Clark Equipment Company continues as a standalone operating company, a preserved corporate name, or a collection of successor businesses. Its historical product and engineering legacy nevertheless survives in successor material-handling, construction, testing, and machinery operations.
History
Clark Equipment Company's roots lay in the George R. Rich Manufacturing Company, established in Chicago in 1903 by executives connected with Illinois Steel. The enterprise relocated to Buchanan, Michigan, in 1904 after Buchanan's chamber of commerce promoted the city as an attractive industrial location with favorable rent and power arrangements. Its principal early product was the Celfor Drill, a rail drill used in railroad work. Eugene B. Clark, an Illinois Steel employee, evaluated the business and concluded that the drill's metallurgy was defective. He also identified deficiencies in management and operating practice. After becoming an equal partner, Clark reorganized the company and helped establish the basis for later growth. The business was subsequently renamed Celfor Tool. In 1916, Celfor Tool was merged with Buchanan Electric Steel Company, an offshoot of the earlier enterprise, creating Clark Equipment Company. Clark diversified rapidly. In 1919 it formed Clark Trucktractor Company, which developed into the company's material-handling lineage and ultimately became associated with Clark Material Handling Company. Across the 1920s through the 1960s, the company used both internal development and acquisitions to enter adjacent industrial markets. Its activities included truck tractors, industrial vehicles, lifting equipment, and machinery for construction and earthmoving. The company also had an important transportation-equipment role. Clark participated in the development of the PCC streetcar during the 1930s and produced roughly 80 percent of the bogies used for this type of trolley car, according to the supplied reference. In 1935–1936 it constructed a unique aluminum-bodied PCC streetcar for operation in Brooklyn and Queens, New York. The vehicle operated until 1956 and was later preserved at the Trolley Museum of New York; it is also listed on the New York State Register of Historic Places. A significant expansion into heavy earthmoving followed the 1953 acquisition of Michigan Power Shovel Company. Clark created a division for large earthmoving equipment, broadening its role in construction and infrastructure machinery. In 1954 it opened a plant in Valinhos, Brazil, manufacturing gears and truck transmissions for the South American market. The Brazilian operation later produced lifts and construction machinery before being sold to Eaton Corporation. Further acquisitions included Hancock Manufacturing Company of Lubbock, Texas, known for scraper bowls, and Melroe Manufacturing Company, whose business became associated with Bobcat equipment. Despite its expansion, Clark underwent major divestitures. In 1982 it sold its wheel-loader and dozer division to Volvo. In 1995 Ingersoll Rand acquired Clark Equipment Company. During the same period, Ingersoll Rand sold Clark's mechanical test laboratory; the laboratory continued independently as Clark Testing in Buchanan. In 1996, approximately two tons of company archives were donated to the Berrien County Historical Association, creating an important institutional record of Clark's local and industrial history. In 2007 Ingersoll Rand sold Clark Equipment Company to Doosan International of South Korea, together with the relevant construction-equipment group. The later corporate history is connected to Doosan Infracore. In July 2021 Hyundai Heavy Industries acquired approximately 30 percent of Doosan Infracore and obtained control, after which Doosan Infracore became part of the Hyundai Genuine group. The available material does not clarify the exact present legal status of Clark Equipment Company as a standalone entity. Its historical businesses and technologies, however, remain significant to the development of American material handling, construction machinery, earthmoving equipment, and industrial manufacturing.
- 2021
Doosan Infracore entered the Hyundai Genuine group
[1]Hyundai Heavy Industries acquired a controlling position in Doosan Infracore, connecting the successor construction-equipment lineage to Hyundai Genuine.
- 2007
Sold to Doosan International
[1]Ingersoll Rand sold Clark Equipment Company to Doosan International in South Korea.
- 1996
Clark archives donated to Berrien County
[1]A large body of Clark's historical records was donated to the Berrien County Historical Association.
- 1995
Acquired by Ingersoll Rand
[1]Ingersoll Rand acquired Clark Equipment Company and subsequently sold its mechanical test laboratory.
- 1982
Wheel-loader and dozer division sold to Volvo
[1]Clark divested major portions of its construction-equipment portfolio to Volvo.
- 1966
Hancock Manufacturing Company acquired
[1]Clark acquired the Texas manufacturer of scraper bowls, strengthening its earthmoving-equipment portfolio.
- 1954
Valinhos, Brazil, plant opened
[1]Clark opened a Brazilian facility producing gears and truck transmissions for South American markets.
- 1953
Michigan Power Shovel Company acquired
[1]The acquisition enabled Clark to establish a division focused on large-scale earthmoving equipment.
- 1935
Unique aluminum-bodied PCC streetcar constructed
[1]Clark built a one-off aluminum-bodied PCC trolley for New York service during 1935–1936.
- 1919
Clark Trucktractor Company established
[1]The new division laid the foundation for Clark's later material-handling and industrial-vehicle businesses.
Products and positioning
Historically positioned as a diversified American heavy-equipment and industrial-engineering company serving factories, warehouses, construction sites, infrastructure projects, transportation systems, and related commercial markets.
Railroad and industrial tools · 1903
Celfor Drill
The Celfor Drill was the principal early product of Clark's predecessor, George R. Rich Manufacturing Company. It was a rail drill intended for railroad work. Eugene B. Clark's criticism of its metallurgy and his subsequent operational reforms helped set the course for the company's reorganization and eventual formation as Clark Equipment Company.
Industrial vehicles and material handling · 1919
Clark Trucktractor
The Clark Trucktractor business was established in 1919 as a dedicated division. It represented Clark's move into industrial vehicles and became the foundation of the company's later material-handling lineage, which continued in successor operations associated with Clark Material Handling Company.
Rail transportation components · 1930
PCC streetcar bogies
Clark participated in the development of the Presidents' Conference Committee streetcar and manufactured a large share of the bogies used on PCC cars. The company's work connected its steel, mechanical, and vehicle-engineering capabilities to urban rail transportation during the 1930s and after.
Streetcar · 1935
Aluminum-bodied PCC streetcar
Built in 1935–1936, this one-of-a-kind aluminum-bodied PCC streetcar operated in Brooklyn and Queens until 1956. It was later preserved at the Trolley Museum of New York and placed on the New York State Register of Historic Places.
Construction and earthmoving machinery · 1953
Large earthmoving equipment
Following its 1953 acquisition of Michigan Power Shovel Company, Clark developed a division dedicated to large earthmoving equipment. The portfolio expanded the company beyond industrial vehicles into machinery for major construction, excavation, and infrastructure work.
Powertrain components · 1954
Gears and truck transmissions
Clark's Valinhos, Brazil, plant produced gears and truck transmissions for South American markets beginning in 1954. The facility later expanded into lifts and construction machinery before being sold to Eaton Corporation.
Earthmoving attachments · 1966
Scraper bowls
Scraper bowls entered Clark's portfolio through the acquisition of Hancock Manufacturing Company in 1966. These components complemented Clark's broader earthmoving and construction-equipment activities.
Industrial testing
Mechanical testing services
Clark operated a mechanical test laboratory in Buchanan, Michigan. After Ingersoll Rand acquired Clark, the laboratory was sold and continued as Clark Testing, preserving part of the company's engineering-services heritage outside the main equipment business.
Brand decisions
2021
Hyundai Heavy Industries takes control of Doosan InfracoreM&ABackground
Doosan Infracore was undergoing a change in control within the South Korean heavy-equipment industry.
Action taken
Hyundai Heavy Industries acquired approximately 30 percent of Doosan Infracore and obtained a controlling stake, according to the supplied reference.
Aftermath
Doosan Infracore became a subsidiary of the newly created Hyundai Genuine group, linking part of Clark's successor construction-equipment heritage to Hyundai.
Reported consideration. Approximately USD 722.45 million (2021 transaction)
2007
Sale to Doosan InternationalM&ABackground
Ingersoll Rand was divesting construction-equipment assets and related businesses.
Action taken
Ingersoll Rand sold Clark Equipment Company to Doosan International of South Korea as part of a transaction including its construction-equipment group.
Aftermath
Clark's construction-equipment lineage became associated with Doosan's machinery businesses and later with the Hyundai Genuine group.
1995
Acquisition by Ingersoll RandM&ABackground
Clark's diversified industrial and construction businesses became part of a broader industrial group.
Action taken
Ingersoll Rand acquired Clark Equipment Company.
Aftermath
Clark's mechanical test laboratory was sold separately, while the wider Clark construction-equipment activities later changed ownership again.
1982
Sale of wheel-loader and dozer operationsStrategyBackground
Clark was restructuring its portfolio after decades of expansion in construction and industrial equipment.
Action taken
The company sold its wheel-loader and dozer division to Volvo.
Aftermath
The sale transferred important construction-equipment operations to Volvo and reduced Clark's direct presence in those product categories.
1966
Acquisition of Hancock Manufacturing CompanyM&ABackground
Clark was broadening its earthmoving and construction-equipment portfolio through acquisitions.
Action taken
Clark acquired Hancock Manufacturing Company of Lubbock, Texas, a manufacturer of scraper bowls.
Aftermath
The acquisition added scraper-bowl manufacturing to Clark's construction-equipment activities.
1954
Expansion into South American manufacturingStrategyBackground
Clark sought manufacturing capacity closer to South American customers and markets.
Action taken
The company opened a plant in Valinhos, Brazil, to make gears and truck transmissions.
Aftermath
The site later produced lifts and construction machinery before being sold to Eaton Corporation.
1953
Acquisition of Michigan Power Shovel CompanyM&ABackground
Clark sought to expand beyond its existing industrial and vehicle activities into large-scale earthmoving equipment.
Action taken
Clark acquired Michigan Power Shovel Company and created a division for large earthmoving machinery.
Aftermath
The transaction broadened Clark's construction-equipment capabilities and strengthened its position in heavy excavation and infrastructure machinery.
1916
Consolidation into Clark Equipment CompanyStrategyBackground
Celfor Tool and Buchanan Electric Steel Company were operating as related businesses after the earlier Rich Manufacturing enterprise had been reorganized.
Action taken
The two businesses were merged to form Clark Equipment Company, named after Eugene B. Clark.
Aftermath
The merger created the corporate platform from which Clark expanded into industrial vehicles, material handling, construction machinery, and transportation components.
Sources1 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/clark-equipment-company · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled