Our story
MacGregor – designed to perform with the sea
Ambition drives us
We shape the marine and offshore industries through the development, supply and support of world-leading cargo and load handling products, services and solutions.
Working together with shipowners, operators and builders, we innovate, design and develop solutions that last for a lifetime. Our work starts from understanding the industry landscape and our customers’ needs. It continues with designing value-creating solutions and providing lifetime support through on-site and remote services focused on maximising safety and operational performance, and minimising unplanned downtime.
MacGregor sets industry standards
We continue to build on our strong foundations to further strengthen our position as an industry leader. We operate in an environment which has always been challenging, and getting where we are today is the result of courageous individuals working together with a shared vision. The sea is powerful, we respect this; it has always been there to provide us with challenges, sparking the energy to develop new solutions. Over time, the global environment has become more demanding with an increasing emphasis on sustainability and the intelligent use of resources. We support our customers through eco-efficient solutions and by continuously developing new ways to improve efficiency.
We are a family of innovators
Our origins are varied, set in different times and places, but we have always been united by a desire to deliver customer-driven solutions. Our founders all started by the sea, in most cases setting up family-owned companies that developed close relationships with shipbuilders and shipowners. They shared the passion that still drives us today; to develop solutions that make the sea more accessible, safer and more manageable for those whose livelihoods depend on its changing conditions.
We deliver tailored products and services for cargo, load handling and mooring applications. For example, we optimise the care and handling of cargo to suit a particular ship type’s profile, increasing its capacity, efficiency and productivity, while also reducing environmental impact and unproductive time in ports.
The bold spirit of our founders lives on in MacGregor’s innovative engineering and an uncompromising drive to solve operational challenges and help customers succeed.
A history of industry-advances
The MacGregor brothers developed the first steel hatch covers in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1929 and founded the company. Our history goes even further back to the 19th century, when Pusnes and Porsgrunn were founded in Norway.
In 1911 Roald Amundsen approached Pusnes to equip his Polar expedition ship, Fram, with an anchor winch that could operate reliably in harsh weather conditions. In 1919, German engineer Max Hatlapa founded an engineering company in northern Germany to start the development of winches, and then later steering gear and compressors. Triplex, established in Norway in 1933 to serve the fishing and anchor-handling industry, earned recognition as a symbol for safety and quality.
Today we deliver that same quality and reliability across the full range of MacGregor products and services.
Our global team of professionals share values and combine cultures
We operate all around the world, wherever ships trade, with our united way of working guided by our shared values every day.
Integrity steers all our thinking, behaviour and the way in which we build strong relationships with our customers, partners and other stakeholders. Quality is valued in our processes, products and services and helps to improve our customers’ performance. Safety is essential in everything we do.
Our values, combined with extensive experience and a proven track record, underpins our position as a market leader within the cargo and load handling industry. These are important factors in continuing to deliver what our customers need to succeed; solutions that are designed to perform with the sea.