Keep On Moving: KUKA Celebrates 125th Birthday

April 12, 2023

Celebrating 125 years of incredible innovation

In 1898, Johann Joseph Keller and Jakob Knappich founded an acetylene gas plant for street lighting, laying the foundation for an international technology group. 125 years later, KUKA is helping to shape the working world of the future worldwide – and is celebrating a special anniversary with customers, partners, and employees.

Circular knitting machines, garbage vehicles, travel typewriters: over the decades, KUKA has repeatedly reinvented itself completely, so that 125 years after its founding, only the telegram abbreviation “Keller und Knappich Augsburg”, or KUKA for short, reminds us of the company’s beginnings in Augsburg. 

Exactly 50 years ago, KUKA made history as a robotics pioneer with the world’s first industrial robot with six electromechanically driven axes – and since then has been making work and production more economical and easier with innovations in automation, digitalization, and robotics. 

Today, 15,000 dedicated KUKA employees around the globe are driving innovations in a wide variety of industries, even outside of the classic industry with intuitive solutions and quick and easy access to robotics and automation. That is our mission for the coming years.”

Peter Mohnen, CEO KUKA Group

Congratulations on the birthday

Timo Boll, world-class table tennis player and KUKA brand ambassador, also gratificates: “I have been a KUKAn for ten years now. Since then, we have had a lot in common: in robotics, as in table tennis, creativity and filigree work are in demand, we both and together like to move on Chinese territory and have been among the world’s best for many years. What has always been important to me, despite my many successes, is to remain a human being.

“And that’s why at KUKA, as a technology freak, it’s not just the robotics that excite me, but especially the people behind them, who, whenever I meet them, approach me with warmth, cordiality, humanity. That’s why I’m a KUKAn by conviction.”

Legendary duel: Timo Boll in a table tennis match against a KUKA robot.

Helping to shape a changing world

Climate change, skills shortages, global megatrends, and events are constantly changing our worldNew technologies and innovation are helping us to master the challenges of a changing world. In keeping with this, KUKA is celebrating its anniversary under the motto “Keep on Moving” with numerous events and activities for employees, customers, partners, and the public.

Source

Related Articles


Changing Scene

  • Wesco Opens State-of-the-Art Facility in Eastern Canada to Support Influx of Megaprojects in the Region

    Wesco Opens State-of-the-Art Facility in Eastern Canada to Support Influx of Megaprojects in the Region

    Wesco International has recently announced the grand opening of a new state-of-the-art facility on Higney Avenue in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada, making this the largest facility of any distributor in the Atlantic region. The new building, facilitated by Touchette Real Estate, a division of Groupe Touchette, will feature Wesco’s comprehensive suite of services and solutions including… Read More…

  • PataBid Nominated for Canadian Choice Award in Software Services

    PataBid Nominated for Canadian Choice Award in Software Services

    PataBid is proud to announce its nomination for a Canadian Choice Award in the Software Services category. This recognition highlights PataBid’s commitment to supporting the electrical contracting community across Canada by providing innovative estimating software solutions that streamline estimating processes and ensure predictable and profitable projects. Read More…


Sponsored Content
The Easy Way to the Industrial IoT

The way to the Industrial IoT does not have to be complicated. Whether access to valuable data is required or new, data-driven services are to be generated, Weidmuller enables its customers to go from data to value the easy way. Weidmuller’s comprehensive and cutting-edge IIoT portfolio applies to greenfield and brownfield applications. Weidmuller offers components and solutions from data acquisition, data pre-processing, data communication and data analysis.

Visit Weidmuller’s Industrial IoT Portfolio.


ADVANCED Motion Controls Takes Servo Drives to New Heights (and Depths) with FlexPro Extended Environment Product Line

Advanced Motion Controls is proud to announce the addition of six new CANopen servo drives with Extended Environment capabilities to their FlexPro line. These new drives join AMC’s existing EtherCAT Extended Environment FlexPro drives, making the FlexPro line the go-to solution for motion control applications in harsh environments.

Many motion control applications take place in conditions that are less than ideal, such as extreme temperatures, high and low pressures, shocks and vibrations, and contamination. Electronics, including servo drives, can malfunction or sustain permanent damage in these conditions.

Read More


Service Wire Co. Announces New Titles for Key Executives

Bruce Kesler and Mark Gatewood have been given new titles and responsibilities for Service Wire Co.

Bruce Kesler has assumed the role of Senior Director – Business Development. Bruce will be responsible for Service Wire’s largest strategic accounts and our growing Strategic Accounts Team.

Mark Gatewood has been promoted to the role of Vice President – Sales & Marketing. In this role, Gatewood will lead the efforts of Service Wire Company’s entire sales and marketing organization in all market verticals.

Read More


Tri-Mach Announces the Purchase of an Additional 45,000 sq ft. Facility

Tri-Mach Elmira Facility

Recently, Tri-Mach Inc. was thrilled to announce the addition of a new 45,000 sq ft. facility. Located at 285 Union St., Elmira, ON, this facility expands Tri-Mach’s capabilities, allowing them to better serve the growing needs of their customers.

Positioning for growth, this additional facility will allow Tri-Mach to continue taking on large-scale projects, enhance product performance testing, and provide equipment storage for their customers. The building will also be the new home to their Skilled Trades Centre of Excellence.

Read More


JMP Parent Company, CONVERGIX Acquires AGR Automation, Expanding Global Reach

Convergix Automation Solutions has completed the acquisition of AGR Automation (“AGR”), a UK-based provider of custom, high-performance automation design and systems integration primarily to the life sciences industry.

Following Convergix’s acquisitions of JMP Solutions in August 2021 and Classic Design in February 2022, AGR marks the third investment in Crestview’s strategy to build Convergix into a diversified automation solutions provider targeting the global $500+ billion market, with a particular focus on the $70 billion global systems integration and connectivity segments. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Read More


Latest Articles

  • How Advanced X-Ray and AI Inspection Technologies Optimize Quality Control and Reduce Costs in SMT Manufacturing

    How Advanced X-Ray and AI Inspection Technologies Optimize Quality Control and Reduce Costs in SMT Manufacturing

    Explore how Omron’s latest X-Ray machines and AI-driven solutions are setting new standards in manufacturing efficiency and quality control. The manufacturing landscape is swiftly evolving, and Omron is at the forefront with its innovative PCB inspection machines. These systems offer profound insights into SMT production process, enhanced quality control, and can significantly reduce labor costs. Advancements… Read More…

  • KUKA Establishes New Software and Digital Business Segment

    KUKA Establishes New Software and Digital Business Segment

    Software is playing an increasingly important role in mechanical engineering. What used to be mostly solved mechanically is now done by electronics and the associated software. “With KUKA Digital, we are expanding our offering in order to position ourselves broadly for a market with strong growth potential. Our customers need products, solutions and consulting approaches to digitalize… Read More…