Company History

In 1942, Arnold Stock with 5 employees started Stock’s Machine Company. October 1, 1947, Stock’s Machine Company incorporated as A. H. Stock Manufacturing Corp. Little did Arnold realize when he first started making aircraft parts for the Navy in 1943 the many changes that would take place over the years -- from having a watch tower for spotting planes during the Korean War to housing the Newton Fire Department from 1947 to 1963. Most of the original equipment for the fire department was manufactured here and in 1957 when a new fire truck was necessary A. H. Stock Manufacturing met that need. Because of that association with the fire department, the company remains very involved with fire apparatus and equipment today, and still has the capacity to empty a 2,500 gallon tanker filled with water in less than 2 minutes.

We at A. H. Stock are proud of our many accomplishments over the past 56 years, of the quality products we have produced and the many fine employees who have given us their support. This fine support has allowed us to continue to grow, to meet changing demands and to explore new areas of interest.

Company Timeline and Progress Report

1945 - MIRRO-MATIC GAUGE - At the end of the war, the company began manufacturing the Mirro-Matic Gauge. At that time there were a number of manufacturers of this gauge. For the last 25 plus years, however, A. H. Stock has been the only company in the country still making them.

1946 - THE NEWTON MOWER - The Newton Mowers were the first 3-point hookups for tractors. The demand for these mowers at that time was such the company employed over 75 people.

1949 - FIRE ALARM SYSTEMS – A. H. Stock was one of the early manufacturers of fire alarm systems. It was discovered that some of the original systems were still in operation in the late 1970’s as evidenced by a phone call requesting parts.

1952 - MOBILE HOMES – The corporation was a pioneer in the production of quality Mobile Homes, but could not compete with the large manufacturers that began springing up.

1953 - MANITOWOC CRANE COMPANY - The company’s association with this company began in 1953 and, although there have been many ups and downs through the years, Manitowoc Crane Company has become A. H. Stock’s largest sub-contracting customer today.

1957 - PORTABLE MOTEL UNITS - Manufacture of Portable Motel Units began in 1957. Such units were produced in plant and were then moved to location where they were assembled. The Travelers Motel just outside Manitowoc is an example of A. H. Stock production.

1958 - FORMICA KITCHEN TOPS - The need by a number of area contractors for quality Formica kitchen tops became evident in 1958. The demand for Stock’s manufacture of these tops constantly grew through the mid 1980’s. At this time large production fabricators made it hard to compete. The company continued to produce specialty tops until it was determined that the age of the equipment and the competitive market made it impossible for the line to continue in 1992.

1963 - NEW YORK WORLD’S FAIR - The company proudly displayed its Cocktail Bar and Stereo System at the 1963 New York World’s Fair.

1967 - GIDDINGS & LEWIS - As less work was contracted for Manitowoc Cranes, the company commenced fabrication of steel parts for the machine tool industry which association steadily increased for the next 20 to 25 years. A. H. Stock Manufacturing has been very fortunate that when one company is down the other is up as has been the case over the years with Giddings & Lewis and Manitowoc Cranes among others.

1967 - MARINE TRAVELIFT CORP. - During 1967 a number of lift parts for mobile marine lifts were manufactured. Over the years this relationship has grown to include the manufacture of numerous parts for their boat lifts, industrial lifts, carrydeck small boom cranes, and their heavy duty forklifts. Many of these parts are stocked in inventory to be shipped in kit form as required for each unit.

1967 - KAUFMAN MANUFACTURING - In order to allow A. H. Stock to supply the above company’s with a more complete product, the company established a relationship with Kaufman Manufacturing. Kaufman supplies A. H. Stock with any machining required on parts supplied to its vendors, and in turn A. H. Stock gains Kaufman as a customer for some weldments that require machining.

1970 - NEWTON KWIK-DUMP WATER VALVE - Designed by one of our employees and developed by A. H. Stock Mfg., this item began as a service to our local fire fighting industry, which has continued to expand into many variations and has grown to become the cornerstone of the company.

1972 - AMERICAN FURNITURE MART – The Cocktail Bar and Stereo Systems were also displayed at the American Furniture Mart for 3 years. Unfortunately, production was discontinued since the company’s quality standards made the price prohibitive.

1975 - FIRST ADDITION TO MAIN FACILITY - Approximately 11,000 square foot addition to the main facility. The addition replaced part of the existing facility and increased the total square feet of the facility to approximately 29,500 sq. ft.

1978 - FIRE TRUCK - The company completed building its first fire truck for St. Nazianz Fire Department and has developed a quality and unique custom design which has allowed A. H. Stock to supply most of the surrounding counties rural departments with fire trucks and equipment.

1988 - ARMSTRONG - BLUM - In a continued effort to diversify the business we began supplying sheet metal parts to Armstrong-Blum of Oshkosh for their band saws.

1991 - SECOND ADDITION TO MAIN FACILITY - A 10,800 square foot addition was made to the main facility to the west, which roughly doubled the size of the main fabrication facility.

1994 - WEST MANITOWOC INC. - A separate division of Manitowoc Engineering was developed for their small model cranes, 111 and 222 models, which A. H. Stock supplies several parts for including the counterweights. Later this division was dissolved by Manitowoc Crane Company, but the crane models were retained.

1994 - MAGNUM PRODUCTS - In order to further expand the sheet metal fabrication of the company prototype parts were supplied for Magnum Products’ light tower and generator units and later production parts for both lines.

1997 - THIRD ADDITION TO MAIN FACILITY - Again 10,800 square feet was added to the main facility for shipping and receiving, assembly and staging of parts. The major purpose of this addition was to add a state of the art down draft paint booth with a curing cycle, which allowed us to satisfy the increasing demand to supply a more complete product to our customers including assembly and finish painting. This addition expanded the companies overall facility to over 65,000 square feet.

1999 - COUNTERWIEGHT FACILITY – Added a separate 2400 square foot facility dedicated to the staging and filling of the counterweights for the Manitowoc Cranes 111 & 222 model cranes. The facility includes a fifteen ton hoist, a 50,000 ton scale, and a loading dock. The company has just recently begun supplying counterweights for several other models of Manitowoc Crane Companies cranes, which this facility is being used for.