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History


Company foundation and milestones

Krampe Elektro was founded by August Krampe in 1918 and quickly made a name for itself. In 1949, the company sold its first Fahr Tractor, followed by the foundation of Krampe OHG in 1955. Ernst Krampe took over the reins of the company in 1968 and expanded the business by selling John Deere tractors and manufacturing the first trailer.

  • 1918

    Foundation of the company Krampe Elektro by August Krampe, a great-uncle of today’s managing director Robin Krampe

  • 1949

    Sales of the first Fahr Tractor (12 hp). Farmers were taught how to drive a tractor. A pump with a 3000-litre tank was available to supply diesel fuel to farmers and the Lette Fire Brigade.

  • 1955

    Foundation of Krampe OHG

  • 1968

    Ernst Krampe took over at the helm of the company. Besides the smithery and agricultural machinery business, his wife Maria Krampe worked in the shop next door selling household goods and hardware

  • 1972

    John Deere tractors were sold (20 series), around 20 units a year

  • 1981

    The first trailer was manufactured from old truck components


The next generation

In the 1980s, August Krampe took over the smithy and built the first innovative body tippers. The company consolidated its position with a successful presence at the DLG exhibition in 1984 and the construction of a new production hall in 1986.

  • 1982

    The first body tippers with a mechanically operated tailgate came off the production line

  • 1983

    August Krampe took over his parents’ village smithy on a lease basis. Some four employees made up the workforce, with turnover of around DM 240,000 a year.

  • 1984

    A single-axle body tipper made its debut at the DLG exhibition. It was the first major agricultural exhibition for Krampe

  • 1986

    The first PC was acquired (256 computer, operating system DOS)


Focus on vehicle manufacturing

1988 saw the foundation of Krampe Landtechnik und Metallbau GmbH, with the company focussing on vehicle manufacturing. In 1990, the repair and sale of agricultural machinery was discontinued to focus entirely on building hook-lift trailers.

  • 1988

    Krampe Landtechnik und Metallbau GmbH was founded.

  • 1990

    The repair and sale of agricultural machinery was discontinued; the existing space and human resources dedicated entirely to vehicle construction.

  • 1992

    The first hook-lift trailers for transporting roll-off containers were fabricated

  • 1993

    The shop selling household goods and hardware shut its doors. Maria Krampe took her well-earned retirement.

  • 1995

    Another production hall with a footprint of 970 m² was built, another 300 m² were added to the existing hall to create space for a paint booth and a brake test rig.


Expansion of the product range

In the 1990s, Krampe extended its product range. In 1996, the first tridem body tippers were delivered, followed by sand and gravel tippers in 1999. In 2003, Krampe showcased its BigBody tippers at Agritechnica.

  • 1996

    The first tridem body tippers were delivered

  • 2000

    The first sand and gravel tippers and halfpipe tippers for use with tractors were produced

  • 2003

    The first tippers in the BigBody series made their debut at the Agritechnica trade fair in Hanover

  • 2005

    Presentation of the first semi-trailer with hook-lift ​​roll-off tipper for truck use

  • 2007

    The first two-way tippers in the BigBody series were manufactured

  • 2009

    Relocation to the maintenance area of the former military base in Coesfeld-​​Flamschen, Germany; the company premises there covered just under 100,000 m², of which 26,000 m² were covered with a roof

String of innovations

In 2009, the company relocated to the former military base in Coesfeld, presenting its innovative conveyor belt trailer “Bandit”. 2010 saw the first conveyor belt trailer as a semi-trailer scoop an industry award.

  • 2009

    Presentation of the conveyor belt trailer “Bandit”. Krampe was singled out for this innovation with the DLG Silver Medal

  • 2010

    At the IAA Commercial Vehicles in Hanover, the first conveyor belt trailer was presented as a semi-trailer (“semi-​​Bandit”), scooping the coveted industry prize “Trailer Innovation 2010” in the “Concept” category.

  • The old series of the sand and gravel tippers was replaced with all-new vehicles with the big-body look on the market.


Sustainability

From 2010, Krampe increasingly embraced sustainability, installed a photovoltaic system and built a biogas plant. The company received several accolades for innovative products.

  • 2010

    A photovoltaic plant producing around 500 kWh was installed on the roofs of the production halls.

  • 2011

    A hydraulically foldable silage extension joined the product range.

  • The first weight-optimised aluminium body was produced for the Bandit conveyor belt trailer. These were sold as agricultural versions or semi-trailers.

  • A new addition to the conveyor belt trailer line-up was the turntable trailer Bandit – mainly developed for motorways.

  • Expansion stage 3 saw the photovoltaic plant increased to 918 kWp

  • Next to the Krampe company site, three farmers started constructing a biogas plant producing 900 kW.

  • Krampe received the German Industry Innovation Award 2011 for its conveyor belt trailer product.


Quality prevails

In 2012, Krampe introduced electronic positive steering for trailers and joined the German Engineering Federation (VDMA). In 2013, the company was singled out as Training Company of the Year and presented new models such as the BigBody 790.

  • 2012

    Electronic positive steering for tandem and tridem trailers was rolled out.

  • Krampe joined the German Engineering Federation (VDMA).

  • Premiere of the large-volume semi-trailer SB 30/90 at the IAA 2012!

  • 2013

    Krampe employed around 100 staff.

  • Krampe vehicle builder apprentice Marius Wolfers won a national award.

  • 2014

    Krampe became Training Company of the Year.

  • With the release of price list number 43, the new BigBody 790 and the Carrier series were unveiled.


Innovative flair as powerhouse for a successful future

In 2015, Krampe rolled out its own app and celebrated the 20th anniversary of its tridem body tipper in 2016. New products and a three-​​year warranty were introduced.

  • 2015

    The new Krampe app made it easier to obtain information and was available for download in the App Store.

  • 2016

    The Krampe tridem body tipper celebrated its 20th anniversary.

  • Presentation of the new “potato tipper” BigBody 740.

  • New: the three-​​year warranty

  • At the EuroTier 2016 in Hanover, Krampe presented an interchangeable system comprising body tipper​​ and slurry tanker with a capacity of 256,000 litres.

  • A lightweight aluminium version of the successful KS 900 followed: the KS 950 offroad tipping semi-trailer.


Lots of reason to celebrate

Robin Krampe became the fourth generation to take over as managing director in 2017. In 2018, the company celebrated several anniversaries and launched a limited trailer series on the market.

  • 2017

    The oldest son of August Krampe, Robin Krampe became the fourth generation to take over as managing director of the company.

  • 2018

    Three good reasons to celebrate: Managing director August Krampe turned 60, the company marked 10 years at its new location in the former Coesfeld military base and the company celebrated its centenary. To celebrate this special occasion, a limited edition of 100 trailers with special black paintwork and safety package were manufactured.

  • 2019

    With the new tridem BigBody 980 tipper, Krampe Fahrzeugbau extended its tried-and-trusted BigBody ​​series. With an inner wall length of 9.80 m, the BigBody 980 provides a transport volume of over 50 m³.

  • The new Krampe semi-trailer Bandit SB II lost weight compared with its predecessor. Among other things, eliminating the unloading blade made for a substantial weight saving of over 800 kg.


Continual growth

In 2019, Krampe presented new products such as the BigBody 980, with turnover totalling over EUR 30 million. The company bolstered its sales team and unveiled a new generation: the Bandit.2 conveyor belt trailer

  • 2019

    Tipping semi-trailer meets walking floor - The new SKS 950 Alu concept study was unveiled on the press day.

  • Company turnover grew to more than EUR 30 million.

  • To provide the growing dealer network and client base with professional advice, four new experienced employees joined the sales team.

  • The new-generation conveyor belt trailer Bandit.2 with wider conveyor belt, modified drivetrain and steeper side panels was unveiled.

  • 3 in 1: A year after the presentation of the SKS concept study, the Krampe SKS walking floor ​​tipping semi-trailers were ready for delivery in two versions as a pilot series: The SKS 20/950 offroad as an offroad twin-axle semi-trailer and the SKS 30/1050 road as a weight-optimised triple-axle road-going version.


Continuous development

In 2020, Krampe optimised its HP 20 halfpipe model and constructed a new warehouse building. The company consolidated its market position in Scandinavia and introduced new models such as the HD 550.

  • 2020

    The successful Krampe Halfpipe HP 20 model was further optimised to coincide with its 20th anniversary.

  • With the construction of a new warehouse building, the Münsterland-based vehicle builder responded to the slowly yet constantly growing number of vehicles produced as well as to the desire for optimised warehousing and optimised processes using new software and digital hand-held scanners. Construction work got underway in March 2020.

  • Krampe reinforced its market position in Scandinavia with numerous new dealers.

  • To further bolster the flexibility of roll-off containers in combination with an agricultural tractor unit, Krampe launched an agricultural version of its SHL 30 semi-trailer ​hook-lift on the market.


Krampe tippers - #ReadyForFuture

Krampe fitted and optimised the robust pivoting unit of the larger HP 24 halfpipe ​​version with a positively steered axle.

  • 2020

    The new tandem earth-moving tipper Heavy Duty 550 (HD 550) now plugged the gap between the SK series and the halfpipe. With this vehicle model, Krampe met the desire expressed by many customers for a robust earth-moving tipper with a flat floor.

  • After nearly two years that the development team at Krampe spent on the complex preparations, numerous practical tests and the preparation of information documents, the Federal Office for Motor Traffic (KBA)​ issued its approval: From that point on, all Krampe trailers were delivered with EU type approval.

  • In October 2020, Krampe was ready to move into its new central stores, with real-time inventory postings improving processes immediately.


Award-winning trailers

In 2021, Krampe received a patent for the walking floor ​​tipping semi-trailer and began to fit nearly all trailers with BPW axles. A utility patent was also issued for the modular underride guard.

  • 2021

    The German Patent and Trade Mark Office issued the patent for the walking floor tipping semi-trailer to the Münsterland-based vehicle builder Krampe. This was awarded retroactively as of September 2018, with a term of 20 years.

  • Krampe Fahrzeugbau GmbH now equipped virtually all Krampe trailers as standard with BPW axles ex-factory – thus relying on the positive, long-standing collaboration with the German family-run company BPW (Bergische Achsen KG) from Wiehl near Cologne.

  • 2021

    In late 2020, Krampe received the utility patent for the new modular underride guard. This was now used on virtually all vehicles as part of the EU type approval.

Push-off trailer and digital transformation

In 2022, Krampe presented the first push-off trailer RamBody AS750 and increasingly embraced the digital transformation with a 3D coordinate measuring device and a media p​ortal.

  • 2022

    The first Krampe ​​push-off trailer was presented in February in the shape of the RamBody AS750. The new vehicle category combined a sophisticated design, first-class components and was the result of two years of development work. The pilot series of the RamBody AS 750 was handed over to selected dealers in April in Germany and elsewhere.

  • Continued focus on digital transformation: With a 3D coordinate measuring device in goods-in, components were checked to ensure the highest quality and safety standards. The introduction of the Krampe media portal allowed customers and the press to access hundreds of product photos and information.


Generational change

In 2023, Robin Krampe took over at the helm as sole managing director. New halls were completed and numerous innovations presented at Agritechnica. Krampe presented the new ProBody 760 body tipper.

  • 2023

    Generational change at senior management level. Robin Krampe took over at the helm as sole managing director at Krampe Fahrzeugbau.

  • Completion of the two Halls 43+66. Multiple individual workstations and a welding robot were accommodated in Hall 43 on a total of 3,600 m2. The air-conditioned building also featured an integrated warehouse and a 10-tonne crane. Customer service moved into the new Hall 66 which was also home to a modern brake test rig.

  • Krampe presented numerous new products and innovations at Agritechnica. The ISOBUS controller allows numerous functions for safety and efficiency to be controlled, ranging from the EBS system to the electric steering. The THL 20L Carrier was the answer to a popular vehicle specification. Models such as the HP 30 Carrier, the HD 700 and the RamBody AS 900 rounded off the top end of the portfolio.

  • With the ProBody 760, Krampe presented a new generation of body tippers. The two-metre body was built on a new and innovative design of the support beams and offered greater transport volume with less tare weight.