KAPP Werkzeugmaschinen GmbH is a manufacturer of machines and tools for finishing of gears and profiles. About a third of the turnover is made in Germany and two-thirds in international operations. The company headquartered in Coburg was founded in 1953.
History
In 1953, Bernhard Kapp, managing director and partner of the company Waldrich Coburg, founded the machine building company KAPP & Co.. The company started its activities with the continuation of the production program of woodworking machines from COMAG, whose assets were purchased. In 1958, the company began the construction of tool grinding machines. Surface and profile grinding as well as milling machines were built. According to the statement of the company, in 1975 the largest hob grinding machine of the world was produced. In 1977 Bernhard Kapp resigned from the Waldrich company and devoted his professional activities only to his own company. Since the 1980s KAPP provides profile grinding machines among others for the aerospace and automotive industry as well as for transmission manufacturers. In 1981, worldwide the first non-dressable profile grinding wheel with CBN technology has been developed. In the 1980s, four subsidiaries were established: KAPP TECHNOLOGIES in the USA, KAPP Technologie in Coburg, KAPP TEC in Brazil and KAPP JAPAN TECHNOLOGIES in Japan. In 1997, the KAPP Group acquired NILES Werkzeugmaschinen GmbH with 80 employees. NILES was founded 1898 in Berlin and had gear grinding machines for large gears in the portfolio. 2006 KAPP ASIA TECHNOLOGIES was established in the People's Republic of China. The family-owned KAPP group produced 150 machines in 2012. Today, the corporate group with its 800 employees worldwide offers a wide range of machine tools for finishing of gears and profiles. External or internal gears for applications in the automotive-, aerospace- and compressor industry, power transmission, energy and wind power, railway, mining and shipbuilding.
Production
The Coburg plant specialised on grinding machines for gears, which are particularly used in the automotive industry.
