The Manitowoc Company, Inc

Rating Overview

The Manitowoc Company, Inc is Lower Risk.

The Manitowoc Company, Inc. is Lower Risk. The company does not yield to political activism in shaping corporate governance, preventing initiatives that potentially alienate consumers, divide employees, and harm shareholders. The company implements race and identity-based policies that replace merit, excellence, and integrity with preferential treatment and outcomes. Overall, the company does not embrace corporate initiatives that redirect its central focus from business goals to partisan policies and divisive issues. This approach protects free exercise, free speech, and free enterprise.

Rating Criteria

Corporate Weaponization Risk Levels
Criteria	Risk Level
Cancellations	Medium Risk
Discriminatory Philanthropy	Lower Risk
Employment Protection	High Risk

Corporate Weaponization ⓘ

Corporate Governance and Public Policy Risk Levels
Criteria	Risk Level
Advocacy Bias	Medium Risk
Funding	Lower Risk
Political Actions	No Data

Corporate Governance and Public Policy ⓘ

Rating Criteria Detail

Criteria Risk Level Rationale

Corporate Weaponization

Criteria:

Has canceled customers, suppliers, or vendors due to their political views or religious beliefs OR corporately boycotts, divests, or sanctions regions, people groups, or industries.

Risk Level:

Medium

Rationale:

Manitowoc promotes divisive sex and gender policies. Its Supplier Code of Conduct requires international vendors to include sexual orientation in their nondiscrimination policy (1). However, it has not canceled customers, suppliers, or vendors based on political views or religious beliefs (2).

Criteria:

Charitable giving (including employee matching programs) policies or practices discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or religious beliefs.

Risk Level:

Lower

Rationale:

Manitowoc does not appear to discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or beliefs (1).

Criteria:

Employment policies fail to protect against viewpoint or other discrimination and/or are ideological in nature.

Risk Level:

High

Rationale:

Manitowoc offers DEI training to its employees (1). The company appears to prioritize diversity over merit in its mentorship program. From its 2022 CSR Report: “As stewards of our diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, our leadership team takes a proactive approach to build and develop a diverse pipeline of talent. The Manitowoc Mentorship Program is designed to partner our high-performing and diverse talent with senior leadership team members” (2). Manitowoc appears to prioritize diversity over merit in its business structure through the establishment of gender targets for its hiring. The company states “In 2022, to increase gender diversity at all levels within our Company, the global human resources team prioritized inclusion of at least one qualified female candidate through the final interview stages. We have implemented diverse interview panels to ensure we have a representative group of candidates” (3). However, in January 2024, the company removed DEI and DEI training language from its 2024 Annual and CSR Reports. To date, the company has not publicly addressed these changes, leaving shareholders without clarity regarding the company’s reasoning or future direction (4). The company is an affirmative action employer. “The Manitowoc Company is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer” (5). The Company does not provide viewpoint protections for its employees (6).

Corporate Governance and Public Policy

Criteria:

Uses corporate reputation to support causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level:

Medium

Rationale:

Manitowoc supports DEI within its business practices. From its 2023 Annual Report: “At Manitowoc, we remain fully committed to building a culture of inclusion and expanding the diversity of our workforce. We strive to create a diverse and inclusive workplace where all of our team members can perform to their full potential” (1). However, in January 2024, the company removed DEI language from its 2024 Annual Report. To date, the company has not publicly addressed this change, leaving shareholders without clarity regarding the company’s reasoning or future direction (2).

Criteria:

Uses corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level:

Lower

Rationale:

Manitowoc has not used corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies (1).

Criteria:

Uses corporate political actions and/or financial contributions for ideological, non-business purposes.

Risk Level:

N/A

Rationale:

Manitowoc’s PAC has been defunct since 2016 and it does not report on its lobbying at this time (1)(2)(3).