History of Reading Crane & Engineering Co.

The year was 1905. Teddy Roosevelt was in the White House and Reading Chain and Block began operations in a small factory in Reading, Pennsylvania. The new company designed and manufactured hand chain hoists for the emerging industrial market. As the industrial revolution progressed, Reading Chain and Block began manufacturing complete manual and electrically operated overhead cranes for industry throughout North and South America. Many of these cranes are still in use today.

In 1951, with a change in name and location, Reading Chain and Block became Reading Crane and Hoist Company and relocated to a much larger facility in Pottstown, Pennsylvania and continued to produce overhead cranes and hoists. 1962 brought new ownership to the company and the concentration was on engineering, designing and manufacturing massive steel mill duty cranes. In 1974, with the decline of the US steel industry, the Pottstown manufacturing facility was shut down and again the company name was changed. This time to Reading Crane and Engineering Company due to the high concentration on engineering services. These services included crane modernizations, capacity upgrades and runway surveys.

old reading crane

New equipment remained a large part of the business by aligning with numerous original equipment manufacturers as a Dealer or Distributor. In 1990 Reading Crane and Engineering Co. relocated back to Reading, Pennsylvania, built a new facility and again began building overhead cranes. With over a century of experience, we remain the leading privately held full service crane company in the Mid-Atlantic Region.

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What Our Customers Are Saying

“To keep it simple, the two Technicians that your company sent out today were highly professional, courteous, displayed a positive attitude and performed their work in a safe manner. They exemplified what it means to be a service technician. These professionals are welcome here anytime!”

“I wanted to personally thank you and your team for the excellent service we have been receiving. It is a pleasure to work with a group of honest and knowledgeable people such as yourselves. You could have easily recommend a more costly solution to our crane, and I am impressed that you didn’t.”

“I wanted to express my personal thanks for the work you all performed during the alleviator tank project. It was a pleasure working with your team and hope to be involved in many more projects with you guys! Reading Crane goes above and beyond every time you do a project for us.”

Quality Comes First

We Make Sure That Every Minute Detail Is Looked Into While Manufacturing Even The Smallest Product. Our Focus Is 100% On Client Needs And Satisfaction.