In 1959 Dipl.-Ing. Franz Tacke founded Kupplungstechnik GmbH, with its head office in Rheine, as a subsidiary company of F. TACKE KG. The reason was the development of the curved-tooth gear coupling BoWex, accompanied by the central question about the distribution channel of the new coupling generation combining the materials nylon and steel for the first time. Only a few years after its foundation KTR introduced the jaw coupling ROTEX as another milestone – the classical three-part design has since been a synonym for a whole product category.
During the following decades more and more new products were developed by KTR. The product portfolio was growing both in terms of depth and breadth. As a result the company gradually expanded its international activities with the number of foreign subsidiary companies increasing permanently.
Since its foundation the KTR family has grown continuously in almost every field. The significant capacity for innovation and the strong pioneering spirit have since been the stimulation of KTR. Today, the company steeped in tradition and located in Northern Münsterland is operating with more than 850 employees, more than 370 of them at the headquarters in Rheine, as well as 21 subsidiary companies and more than 90 sales partners throughout the world.
As a leading manufacturer, KTR Kupplungstechnik GmbH supplies mechanical couplings, torque limiters and measuring shafts, clamping sets, universal joints, hydraulic and electromechanical brake systems, cooling systems and hydraulic components to the industrial markets of all five continents, always keeping in mind the guiding idea of the company's founder, Franz Tacke: "We always have to be one step ahead of the others."