Oshkosh Corporation has more than a century-long history of delivering products to customers operating in some of the most demanding and severe conditions on the planet. The company has been a Wisconsin mainstay since 1917, when it designed and built its first truck utilizing its own patented improvements to emerging four-wheel drive technology. While Oshkosh has come a long way since then, the same entrepreneurial and innovative spirit continues to drive the company’s growth today.
Throughout Oshkosh, the energy is palpable as the company is pioneering innovations in its vehicles and equipment across electrification, autonomy, active-safety, mobility, advanced analytics and intelligent products — from autonomous, unmanned vehicles to the first electric, zero-emission fire truck in North America.
Today, Oshkosh is a global Fortune 500 company with approximately 15,000 team members at 147 facilities in 22 countries. Oshkosh is designing and implementing new technologies to make the everyday heroes who use its vehicles and equipment — our nation’s military, our firefighters and first responders, our refuse collectors, our construction workers who work at great heights — safer, more effective and more sustainable.
A legacy of “Firsts”
John Pfeifer, the company’s president and CEO since April 2021, has laid out a vision for Oshkosh Corporation that accelerates product innovation, serves customers at every step of the product life cycle, and advances the company into new and adjacent markets.
“I’m as excited as ever for the future of the company,” Pfeifer said. “Oshkosh is a breakthrough innovator that is leveraging technology to advance the world around us. We are providing innovative solutions across our portfolio, serving our customers by putting our everyday heroes at the center of all our products.”
Recent examples include the contract award to develop and manufacture the U.S. Postal Service’s Next Generation Delivery Vehicle (NGDV), which will transform the nation’s largest fleet of last-mile delivery vehicles and connect every home and business across the United States. The NGDV brings Oshkosh Corporation into the last-mile delivery market with two purpose-built options — a zero-emission battery electric vehicle (BEV) and a fuel-efficient low-emission Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicle — as well as safety and ergonomic features that are designed to support the carriers who will depend on these groundbreaking vehicles.
Oshkosh has long been a leader in the development and manufacture of electric vehicles and equipment, starting with the engineering and delivery of its first electric boom lift in 1994. In addition to the NGDV, a recent innovation in electrification is the development of North America’s first front-line duty electric fire truck, the Pierce® Volterra™ pumper. Pierce Manufacturing and Oshkosh Airport Products, both subsidiaries of Oshkosh Corporation, debuted the revolutionary Volterra™ platform of electric vehicles for municipal, airport and fire & emergency markets. The platform is a first for the industry and delivers increased performance, functionality and safety with zero emissions.
How does Oshkosh achieve such advancements? Oshkosh’s spirit of innovation combined with its People First culture inspire team members to operate with unparalleled commitment to those who depend on its products and services to do their work and make a difference every day.
An innovation leader
With 10 leading brands, each with a history of advancing the industries it serves, Oshkosh is uniquely positioned to apply innovation across its portfolio. This technology transfer can be seen throughout the brand portfolio — from its Oshkosh Defense business unit providing active safety innovations to its fire apparatus brand Pierce to its aerial work platform brand JLG Industries transferring telematics technology to its McNeilus concrete placement vehicles.
And these efforts to maximize technology advancements extend beyond Oshkosh’s portfolio into outside partnerships that can exploit new technologies that revolutionize work.
One recent example is a strategic investment and partnership with Carnegie Foundry, a robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) venture studio in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The partnership complements Oshkosh’s ongoing work in autonomous vehicles and allows the company to deliver product advancements at greater speed. By aligning specialized expertise from Carnegie Foundry and Oshkosh’s deep understanding of its unique markets and customers, the two organizations are bringing autonomy, robotics and AI innovations to market at a larger scale.
A people-focused purpose
Oshkosh’s innovation is fueled by its purpose: making a difference in people’s lives by building, serving and protecting communities around the world.
The company’s People First culture is built from that purpose. Oshkosh empowers team members and encourages collaboration, which delivers better solutions and products for its customers. Its People First culture also plays a role in the company being recognized as one that conducts business the right way. For example, in 2021 Oshkosh Corporation was named one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies by Ethisphere Institute for the sixth consecutive year. The company was also named to the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index for the third consecutive year, highlighting its commitment to sustainable business practices.
But its People First culture doesn’t stop when team members are at work; it’s a culture that means building a world outside of Oshkosh that prioritizes people in the communities where team members live and work.
At Oshkosh, you’ll find the company’s teams working hard to give back, championing causes like youth mentorship, supporting local nonprofits and volunteering thousands of hours each year. These causes include Oshkosh’s Good to Give Back Month, which started in 2017 as a weeklong volunteer effort to commemorate Oshkosh’s 100th anniversary. Today, it’s an annual company event that results in team members volunteering for causes around the world, such as helping local food banks, conducting park cleanups and even renovating schools.
This is all part of Oshkosh’s commitment to being a good community partner, particularly to its home in Wisconsin. Along with more than 6,400 employees in the state, the company spent almost $1 billion in the past year with Wisconsin-based supplier partners.
“Our Wisconsin roots are strong, but as a global company, our reach is broad. We know our work is important and makes a difference in the lives of everyday heroes around the world,” Pfeifer said.
1917 Four Wheel Dr. • Oshkosh, WI 54902 • (920) 502-3009 • oshkoshcorp.com
