Our company history:
resistance since 1970

Foundation of the M. KRAH Elektrotechnische Fabrik GmbH & Co.KG as a „Management Buy-Out“ by Mr. Theodor Hermann and Mr. Rainer Fiala. Start of the production of wire-wound resistors for the industry.

Employees: 20

Turnover: 600.000 DM

With the plant in Italy the sales activities within Europe could be widened.

Eckhard Hermann joins KRAH 1976 as a managing partner.

from left to right: Eckhard Hermann, Rainer Fiala, Theodor Hermann

In 1980 the first development project for the Golf A1 was successfully realized with Volkswagen, followed by further major projects with our customer Bosch for Holden Motors and the Golf A2.
With the development of this new market segment, a rapid growth in turnover began.

In 1983, Widap AG Switzerland was founded for the production and trade of resistors and resistor assemblies.

In the same year, the wire resistor production was taken over by RWI (Rheinisch-Westfälische Isolatorenwerke) in Siegburg and RWI-Bauelemente GmbH + Co. KG was founded. Later, this became KRAH-RWI Elektronische Bauelemente GmbH, based in Drolshagen. This was the foundation stone for the further development into the KRAH group of companies.

In 1990, about 250 employees and 1,000 home workers were employed in the production in Drolshagen. With the commissioning of the first automatic assembly line, the automation process also began this year - a structural change which was followed 10 years later by a fully automated production.

Foundation of WITEC Widerstandstechnik GmbH & Co. KG in Dömitz, Mecklenburg-West Pomerania. Acquisition of a part of a nationally-owned enterprise with 60 employees. Production of resistors for the industry.

Foundation of Resistec UPR d.o.o. & Co. k.d. by taking over the production of the company Iskra. Start of production in Ljubljana.

KRAH is a founding member of the Association of Innovative Automotive Suppliers in the South Westphalia region, VIA for short. The association assumes tasks for the shareholder companies that are not part of the core business and bundles various competencies, for example in the divisions VIA Surface Technology and VIA Consult

1999 was an eventful year for the KRAH group of companies. On 01.01.it took over the main share of the company Holzschuh GmbH & Co. KG and thus the production of cable rewinding systems with locations in Germany and Slovenia. The remaining shares were acquired in 2005.
KRAH-ICE-BRASIL Ind. e Com. de Comp. Eletrônicos Ltda. in Timbo, Brazil was founded, as was the first joint venture in Shanghai China KRAH Electronics (SKE) with a Chinese partner.

Due to the expansions, as of 1999, the KRAH Group has over 1,000 permanent employees.

In 2001 Mr. Thomas Klein, who previously worked as head of sales in the company, joins the management board.

Foundation of Athos Elektrosysteme GmbH as a merger of the cable-rewinder divisions of the companies Holzschuh and Atlanta. Worldwide production and sales of cable rewinders. For more information: Website ATHOS

KRAH Elektrotechnische Fabrik GmbH+Co.KG opens a new plant in Knittlingen, Baden-Würtemberg. 

Employees: 20

Through VIA, KRAH is a founding member of the supporting association Automotive Center Südwestfalen e. V. The ACS Innovations competence centre was founded to meet challenges in the automotive industry ranging from materials research to e-mobility. The objective is to establish itself as one of the leading project partners of the entire automotive industry for economic and innovative research and development.

Since 2010, more than 1,500 permanent employees have been part of the KRAH Group and the turnover has risen to over 100 million €.

Since 2012, Mr. Christian Hermann has strengthened the company's management.

In the same year, the first joint venture in India was founded with Woory (Korea) for the production of resistors for automotive applications in India.

Foundation of a Joint-Venture with the companies KSI and WIDAP for the production of resistors for the Indian market. 

Acquisition of Hightech in Limeira, Sao Paolo. Expansion of the product portfolio with spark-plug connectors. 

Foundation of the Widap electronic components in Munich as distributor for electronic components. 

Since 2015, the KRAH Group has had a turnover of over € 150 million.

Acquisition of WIKO in Klötze, Saxony-Anhalt for the expansion of the production of suppressors. 

On 01.03.2017 Mrs. Katarina Brück takes over the technical management of the group of companies within the board of management.

Foundation of HKR Automotive GmbH through takeover of HKR Seuffer Automotive GmbH & Co. KG together with the South Korean partner HyoSeong. HKR Automotive develops and produces complex controllers for air conditioning in vehicles.