Magirus GmbH

Magirus GmbH is a German fire apparatus manufacturer located in Ulm, Germany. The company invented the turntable ladder, cementing its place in firefighting history.

History
Formed in 1853, Magirus began building fire apparatus in 1866, including the award-winning Ulm ladder, the first mobile freestanding firefighting ladder in 1872. Its first motor-driven aerial ladder truck followed in 1904. Magirus also built trucks and buses starting in 1916, introducing their first diesel engine model in 1932. In 1974, Fiat became the majority shareholder in Magirus Deutz, and it became one of the five brands merged to form Iveco. Truck and bus manufacture ended a few years later as Magirus became Iveco's builder of firefighting equipment.

Magirus marketed aerial ladder trucks with some success in North America in the 1920s, but the operation foundered in the Great Depression. Postwar, ladders were sold to a number of departments via North American manufacturers in the 1950s and 1960s.

Production
Today, Magirus continues to build its renowned turntable aerial ladders, as well as pumpers, rescue trucks, airport crash tenders and specialized vehicles. The main plant remains in Ulm, while airport firefighting vehicles are produced at a facility in Brescia, Italy. A factory in Kainbach, Austria builds trucks for Austrian and Eastern European departments.