Colmar originated in the Veneto region of Italy shortly after World War II, with one man’s vision to use parts leftover from U.S. Army vehicles to manufacture agricultural machinery. Due to Colmar’s success in the agricultural industry, they established themselves as a manufacturer of reliable and efficient machinery.

Leveraging their success in the agricultural industry, Colmar turned their attention to creating more sophisticated cranes. Colmar soon left agricultural applications behind, focusing instead on the scrap metal recycling segment of the heavy equipment industry.

In 1975, the company added a line of railroad cranes to its equipment offering. As the company’s reputation spread, Colmar’s captured 80 percent of the Italian market and a substantial share of the European market, particularly in the United Kingdom and France.

Leadership changes at Colmar in the 1990s lead the company into new markets. The company expanded to add scrap metal balers to their product array, a natural fit for the yards that already used Colmar’s cranes.

Colmar was not only expanding its line of products, but also growing its international reach. In response to the new demand from markets outside Italy, Colmar built a new production facility next to its old one in the Veneto region in 1999, doubling its production capacity. In 2002, as a result of Colmar’s commitment to the U.S. market, the company created Colmar USA – a fully owned subsidiary of Colmar S.p.A – in Buffalo, N.Y.