Celebrating 60 Years of Innovation in Drive Technology

It seems both a short and long time ago that our founder Franz Tacke, set up shop in Rheine, Germany. His willingness to accept new and unconventional technology and persuasiveness in promoting it to customers allowed KTR to become a world-renowned leader in drive technology. As our 60th anniversary year as a manufacturer of flexible couplings for power transmission comes to a close, we look back at a few of the milestones that led our company to where we are today. 1886: Our Story Begins Although KTR was not founded until many years later, our story began in 1886 when millwright and technician Franz Tacke founded his first company F. TACKE KG in Rheine, Germany. Its earliest production involved transmission plants and quickly evolved into a leading manufacturer of large gearboxes for the upcoming transmission technology sector. After dealing with issues of power transmission from the drive (via gearbox) to machine, Franz Tacke’s eldest son, Dipl.-Ing. Albert Tacke created a solution. He developed the curved-tooth gear coupling and propelled the company forward as a supplier of large and powerful steel couplings. During this time, the market for curved-tooth couplings grew alongside advancements in automation. The company recognised an opportunity to expand their coupling offerings beyond the heavy industry. However, in order to adapt to the needs of lower performance levels a new product had to be created. This led to the design of the coupling that would launch KTR, the BoWex. Two types of BoWex couplings were offered: type A, which was entirely made of nylon, and type B which was comprised of both nylon and steel. Interestingly, it wasn’t just a new product that was needed to serve this new sector, but an entirely new distribution channel. Before BoWex, F. TACKE KG operated on a made-to-order basis, with individual or small batched orders. To deal with the much larger distribution needs of the BoWex, Dipl.Ing. Franz Tacke, the grandson of Franze Tacke, founded Kupplungstechnik GmbH (KTR) in 1959. 1959 to 2019: Sixty Years of Growth In our 60 years of business, we’ve had our fair share of trials and triumphs. Our darkest hour was on July 7, 1989, when a fire broke out and destroyed our test field, shipping, and inspection department. Fortunately, no one was injured, but we were forced to deal with a significant amount of property damage and operational setbacks. It was during this time that the collective resilience of KTR employees was realised, as we were able to get back on our feet less than seven months later. By 1999 we celebrated our first subsidiary in China, which paved the way for our decade of growth. Between 2000 and 2017, additional KTR subsidiaries opened in Finland, Sweden, the Netherlands, Poland, Czech Republic, England, Brazil, Korea, Italy, Russia, Spain, Taiwan, Bosporus, Johannesburg, and Santiago de Chile, respectively. In 2014, we also launched our specialised KTR Brake Systems in Germany. On January 1, 2017, we ushered in a new era of change by officially changing our company name from KTR Kupplungstechnik, GmbH to KTR Systems GmbH and appointing a new CEO, Prof. Dr. h. c. Josef Gerstner. We are beyond proud to celebrate our 60th Anniversary here at KTR, but it is a celebration we must share. This anniversary would not be possible without our global teams who have made KTR better with their ingenuity, hard work, and team spirit. Of course, we would also like to thank our loyal customers who have placed their trust in us and pushed us to develop innovative solutions time and time again. Together, we have become a world leader in drive technology, and we could not be prouder to celebrate this momentous occasion.

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