Our History

1941

Kewaunee Ship Building and Engineering was established by a group of seven investors.

1941-1945

The company built and launched 80 vessels for the army.

1942

Various ships manufactured at Kewaunee were christened from 1941-1945.

1944

The launch of the FS-344.

1945

The company was privately owned by Fred J. Peterson until 1985. In 1945, Fred renamed the company Kewaunee Engineering Corporation.

1956

Kewaunee Fabrications and its employees in 1956.

1965

A fire destroys Kewaunee Engineering Corporation

1966

The new facility was completed.

1979

“King Post” for the 300′ cargo ship crane of 216 capacity shipped from the port of Kewaunee.

1985

Kewaunee Engineering, as it was known, was purchased by Gerald and Allen Lamer of Marine Travelift.

1993

This year continued with a diverse workload including; construction equipment, Timbco Feiler Buncher frames, and aerial ladders for Pierce.

1999

Over the decades shipbuilding gave way to other types of fabrication work, including development and manufacture of equipment handling trailers and work for major construction names. In 1999, Kewaunee Fabrications became a subsidiary of Oshkosh Corporation, one of the fastest growing companies in the United States.

2019

Today, Kewaunee Fabrications is a resource for some of the world’s leading Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), such as Oshkosh Defense, Pierce Manufacturing and JLG Industries. These industrial giants rely on us for the best in heavy fabrications.