MAN DWE

MAN DWE — historically Deggendorfer Werft und Eisenbau GmbH (DWE) — is a German heavy-engineering company based in Deggendorf, Bavaria, with roots dating to 1924. Founded as a subsidiary of the Oberhausen-based Gutehoffnungshütte (GHH), the company began as a shipyard and iron-construction works on the Danube, building passenger ships, ferries, barges and tugs, and pioneering innovations such as Europe's first push-boat convoy and Voith-Schneider-propelled tugs from 1927. After World War II, during which the site was bombed and shipbuilding was temporarily banned, DWE sustained itself through iron construction and the repair of war-damaged Danube bridges between Regensburg and Passau. From 1955 DWE entered the reactor and apparatus business for the chemical industry, which gradually became its core. It developed salt-bath-cooled tubular reactors for phthalic anhydride (PSA) production, achieving several world firsts: the world's first high-temperature salt-bath tubular reactor in 1984, the world's largest salt-bath tubular reactor in 1988, and the first pressure-resistant salt-bath tubular reactor in 1994. It also built two FCC reactors for the world's largest refinery. Following GHH's takeover by M.A.N. in 1969 and the merger of the two companies in 1986, DWE became part of the MAN group. In 2001 the company concentrated on reactor, apparatus and plant construction and abandoned shipbuilding. DWE expanded into heavy-apparatus construction in 1990 and physical plant construction in 1996, producing high-profile scientific and research hardware: a vacuum chamber for the Very Large Telescope's mirror coating at ESO, magnet rings for CERN's CMS detector in 1998, the test stand for Ariane 5 rocket-engine testing in 2002, the plasma and outer vessel for the Wendelstein 7-X experimental reactor, and in 2006 the vacuum tank for the KATRIN main spectrometer, which had to be transported roughly 8,600 km by water because of its size. On 26 August 2009 the merger of MAN DWE GmbH into MAN Turbo AG was announced, effective 1 September 2009; MAN Turbo in turn merged into MAN Diesel & Turbo SE on 1 January 2010. The former shipyard site continued as a production location with 428 employees as of 2012. The business was renamed Everllence on 3 June 2025, with 98 jobs to be cut by the end of 2025 while the Deggendorf site is to be retained. From 24 October 2025 the company operates as the independent subsidiary DWE GmbH of Everllence SE. Today DWE describes itself as a vertically integrated, end-to-end engineering and manufacturing partner for reactor and large-apparatus systems, covering engineering, design, fabrication, testing and documentation at a single Deggendorf site. Its four business fields span chemistry, petrochemistry, Power-to-X and special solutions in defence and nuclear, serving transitions such as the energy transition and modern refinery processes. It manufactures custom tube-bundle reactors and process apparatus with up to 60,000 reaction tubes, shell diameters over 10 metres and empty weights up to 1,800 tonnes, and offers turnaround and revamp services for refineries, drawing on more than 130 completed turnarounds and revamp projects.

Deggendorfer Werft und Eisenbau GmbH (DWE) was founded in 1924 as a subsidiary of the Oberhausen-based Gutehoffnungshütte (GHH). In its early years, shipyard operations and shipbuilding were the most important business areas. DWE built a wide range of vessels — passenger ships, ferries, barges, tugs and more — for shipping operators on the Danube and far beyond, for inland and coastal navigation. The company was a driving force for shipbuilding innovations: in its first operating years it built Europe's first push-boat convoy, and from 1927 it offered tugs with Voith-Schneider propulsion. During World War II DWE received armaments contracts, which led to targeted bombing of the company site toward the end of the war and, after the war, to a ban on shipbuilding activity. In the early post-war years the business was sustained through iron construction, especially the repair and restoration of war-damaged or destroyed Danube bridges between Regensburg and Passau. After the ban was lifted, the shipyard facilities were rebuilt and expanded in 1949. Alongside the construction and repair of urgently needed workboats, DWE developed special barges and floating dredgers. In 1958 these development efforts culminated in the construction of the world's first longitudinally split workboats, and in 1983 DWE offered the first seaworthy hopper dredger. Four years later, its shipbuilding achievements peaked with the construction of the Mozart, the world's largest river cruise ship. From 1955 DWE entered reactor and apparatus construction for the chemical industry. The development and construction of salt-bath-cooled tubular reactors for phthalic anhydride (PSA) production became an important production pillar, with the world's first high-temperature salt-bath tubular reactor in 1984, the world's largest salt-bath tubular reactor in 1988, and the first pressure-resistant salt-bath tubular reactor in 1994. Besides tubular reactors, the two FCC reactors for the world's largest refinery were also manufactured at DWE. Following GHH's takeover by M.A.N. in 1969 and the merger of the two companies in 1986, DWE belonged to MAN AG. The steady growth in reactor, apparatus and plant construction led in 2001 to a concentration on these areas and, consequently, to the abandonment of shipyard operations. The last 20 years before the shipyard closed were marked by the design of cutterhead dredgers, inland Ro-Ro ships, passenger ships and the passenger catamaran Delphin Queen (1998) for Conti Flussschifffahrts-Gesellschaft. Beyond shipyard operations and reactor/apparatus construction, the profile was broadened with the entry into heavy-apparatus construction in 1990 and into physical plant construction in 1996. This produced a vacuum chamber for the mirror coating of the ESO's Very Large Telescope and, in 1998, the magnet rings for CERN's CMS, currently the world's largest magnet. In 2002 DWE built the test stand for Ariane 5 rocket-engine testing, as well as the plasma and outer vessel for the Wendelstein 7-X experimental reactor at the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics in Greifswald. In 2006 the vacuum tank for the KATRIN main spectrometer was manufactured. Because of its enormous dimensions (24 m long, 10 m in diameter), the vacuum tank could not be transported overland to Karlsruhe, about 400 km away, but instead travelled a roughly 8,600 km route via the Danube, Black Sea, Mediterranean, Atlantic, English Channel, North Sea and Rhine. On 26 August 2009 the merger with MAN Turbo AG was announced, effective 1 September 2009; MAN Turbo in turn merged into MAN Diesel & Turbo SE on 1 January 2010. Regardless of the corporate changes, the former shipyard continued to be operated as a production site with 428 employees as of 2012. On 3 June 2025 the company was renamed Everllence. By the end of 2025, 98 jobs are to be cut, while the site is to be retained. From 24 October 2025 the company operates as the independent subsidiary DWE GmbH of Everllence SE. Today DWE presents itself as a vertically integrated engineering and manufacturing partner for reactor and large-apparatus systems, with engineering, design, fabrication, testing and documentation at one Deggendorf location. Its four business fields cover chemistry, petrochemistry, Power-to-X and special solutions in defence and nuclear. In chemistry it manufactures custom tube-bundle reactors and process apparatus for exothermic and endothermic processes, with solutions built in Deggendorf since 1955 and today featuring up to 60,000 reaction tubes, shell diameters over 10 metres and empty weights up to 1,800 tonnes. In petrochemistry it supplies critical large apparatus for refinery and FCC units as an experienced OEM. It also offers turnaround services for refinery shutdowns, drawing on more than 130 successfully completed turnarounds and revamp projects on critical refinery units, and provides R&D, engineering and services covering thermal, process-engineering and mechanical design, CFD, temperature and stress analyses, and fabrication-oriented construction.

• 2025

  Company renamed Everllence on 3 June; 98 jobs to be cut by year-end; from 24 October operates as independent subsidiary DWE GmbH of Everllence SE.

• 2012

  Former shipyard continues as a production site with 428 employees.

• 2010

  MAN Turbo merges into MAN Diesel & Turbo SE on 1 January.

• 2009

  Merger of MAN DWE GmbH into MAN Turbo AG announced on 26 August, effective 1 September.

• 2006

  Vacuum tank for the KATRIN main spectrometer manufactured.

• 2002

  Test stand for Ariane 5 rocket-engine testing built; plasma and outer vessel for Wendelstein 7-X built.

• 2001

  Concentration on reactor, apparatus and plant construction; shipyard operations abandoned.

• 1998

  Magnet rings for CERN's CMS detector manufactured; passenger catamaran Delphin Queen built.

• 1996

  Entry into physical plant construction.

• 1994

  First pressure-resistant salt-bath tubular reactor built.

• 1990

  Entry into heavy-apparatus construction.

• 1988

  World's largest salt-bath tubular reactor built.

• 1987

  Construction of the Mozart, the world's largest river cruise ship.

• 1986

  Merger of GHH and M.A.N.; DWE belongs to MAN AG.

• 1984

  World's first high-temperature salt-bath tubular reactor built.

• 1983

  DWE offers the first seaworthy hopper dredger.

• 1969

  GHH is taken over by M.A.N.; DWE becomes part of the MAN group.

• 1958

  Construction of the world's first longitudinally split workboats.

• 1955

  DWE enters reactor and apparatus construction for the chemical industry.

• 1949

  After the post-war ban on shipbuilding is lifted, the shipyard facilities are rebuilt and expanded.

• 1927

  DWE offers tugs with Voith-Schneider propulsion.

• 1924

  Deggendorfer Werft und Eisenbau GmbH (DWE) founded as a subsidiary of Gutehoffnungshütte (GHH).

Vertically integrated, end-to-end engineering and manufacturing partner for highly complex reactor and large-apparatus systems, serving energy transition, Power-to-X, modern refining, defence and nuclear applications.

• Salt-bath tubular reactors

  Reactors for phthalic anhydride (PSA) production; DWE built the world's first high-temperature salt-bath tubular reactor (1984), the world's largest (1988) and the first pressure-resistant one (1994).

• Tube-bundle reactors

  Custom reactors for exothermic and endothermic chemical processes, with up to 60,000 reaction tubes, shell diameters over 10 metres and empty weights up to 1,800 tonnes.

• FCC and refinery reactors

  Critical large apparatus for refinery and FCC units, including two FCC reactors for the world's largest refinery.

• Turnaround and revamp services

  Planning and execution of refinery shutdowns, based on more than 130 completed turnarounds and revamp projects.

• Scientific and research apparatus

  Vacuum chamber for ESO's Very Large Telescope, magnet rings for CERN's CMS, Ariane 5 test stand, Wendelstein 7-X plasma and outer vessel, KATRIN vacuum tank.

• Ships and vessels (historical)

  Passenger ships, ferries, barges, tugs, dredgers and the world's largest river cruise ship Mozart.

1. 1Reaktoren und Großapparatebau aus Deggendorfdwe.de
2. 2R&D, Engineering und Services für Reaktoren - DWE GmbHdwe.de
3. 3Turnaround-Services für Raffinerien - DWE GmbHdwe.de
4. 4MAN DWEwikidata.org
5. 5MAN DWEde.wikipedia.org