Coinciding with the opening weekend of AISTech 2019, the event was held at Alliance, Ohio, landmark Glamorgan Castle, which was built by the late Col. William Henry Morgan. Morgan was the son of company founder Thomas Rees Morgan, a Welsh-born machinist and engineer who immigrated to the United States in the 1860s. 

“For any company, celebrating 150 years in business is a huge accomplishment,” said Morgan Engineering chief executive Mark Fedor. “Especially given the state of manufacturing in our region, we are incredibly proud of the legacy we continue to build upon.”

Thomas Rees Morgan, a Welsh-born machinist and engineer, started the company in 1868, and its first products included steam hammers and riveters. But Morgan is perhaps best known as a pioneering designer and builder of traveling overhead electric cranes, and its history is inextricably linked with the steel industry, having built the cranes that enabled Big Steel’s operating scale and efficiencies.

The company continues to make cranes, but it also designs transfer cars, ladles, scrap buckets, presses, and manipulators, among other things, and serves a variety of industries. 

Speaking during the event, Fedor said he believes the company’s longevity -- and its future success -- is based in part on its staff. 

“The strength of our company is our people,” Fedor said. “The knowledge and dedication of our people is, in my opinion, rare. Our team members are well-trained, well-educated and experts in their respective fields. Frankly, we hire very intelligent people who also have strong personal character. That combination is unstoppable.” 

He also said the company thrives on innovation.

“Throughout its history, Morgan has embraced innovation. We seek ‘the new.’ We’ve always pushed the envelope,” he said. 

“Morgan was a founding company in the first industrial revolution. We now are leading into the fourth industrial revolution. That is in direct relation to our core desire to innovate and lead.”

Looking ahead, Fedor told AIST Steel News that the company, as a leader in the first industrial revolution, is blazing a new trail in the digital revolution.  

“As many have observed, I believe we’re in the midst of another industrial revolution, or ‘Industry 4.0.’ Our vision of integrating big data, augmented reality and AI solutions into our equipment is one that has clearly resonated with some of the nation’s largest steelmakers. Our current workload reflects that,” he said.