KUKA AG

History

Year	Detail
1898	KUKA AG was founded as Keller and Knappich GmbH by Johann Josef Keller and Jakob Knappich and established their first acetylene gas plant in Augsburg, Germany.
1905	Keller and Knappich GmbH extended its production to a new invention called oxyacetylene welding.
1920	The company started manufacturing large containers and superstructures for vehicles.
1939	Keller and Knappich GmbH expands its portfolio and constructs the first electrical spot welding system in Germany.
1949	Launched the compact “Princess” portable typewriter and The Selecta circular knitting machine, which enables faster, more flexible production in the textile industry.
1956	Keller and Knappich GmbH launched The first automatic welding system for refrigerators and washing machines in market, also delivers the first multi-spot welding transfer line to Volkswagen AG.
1966	Keller and Knappich GmbH have established a new welding technology, friction welding, short-cycle welding, and defined-angle friction welding.
1971	The company built Europe’s first robot-operated welding transfer line for Daimler-Benz.
1989	Keller and Knappich GmbH expanded to international countries by founding a plant in North America.
1996	The company Launched the first robot manufacturer to risk the paradigm shift to the PC-based robot controller.
2001	KUKA robots are used in the world’s first robot-controlled radiation surgery system – the “Cyberknife.” The system enables the treatment of inoperable, surgically complex tumors.
2006	KUKA establishes KUKA Toledo Production Operations in North America for the integrated production of the body of the Jeep Wrangler.
2013	The company LBR iiwa is the world’s first series-produced sensitive robot approved for direct human-robot collaboration (HRC).
2014	KUKA AG merges with Swisslog Holding AG. Through Swisslog, KUKA gains access to growth markets in the logistics and healthcare sectors.