In 1897, MAN built the first diesel engine, and today it is one of the leading manufactures of commercial vehicles, engines and turbo engines. Few people know that its history began in 1758, with the first ironwork in the Ruhr. On the basis of extensive archive material, the authors follow the transformations of this tradition-rich company from the early years of industrialization, through the two world wars, to the globalization of the most recent period. The result is an impressive panorama of the 250-year history of a German industrial enterprise.