The KINSHOFER GmbH is one of the leading manufacturers of attachments for loader cranes and hydraulic excavators, as well as for rotators, tilt rotators and rotary actuators. The headquarters of the global company is located in the Bavarian village Holzkirchen, Germany. Since 2007 KINSHOFER is part of the Swedish company Lifco AB.
KINSHOFER has been named after its founder. In August 4th 1971, Alfred Kinshofer founded the company KINSHOFER Maschinenbau Miesbach in Miesbach, Bavaria, Germany.
At the beginning the small business had only produced bridge bearings, handrails and accessories for brick factories, such as tunnel kiln trucks or lifting and lowering devices for tile presses.
Two years after the company‘s foundation, the development of the first brick stack grapple began. Just one year later, the construction of a pallet fork and a clamshell bucket followed.
As the capacities of the original factory had been exhausted, a new plant was built in eastern Miesbach in 1975.
Only two years later, this building had grown too small again, so a second building was constructed with additional office buildings.
In 1979, the company‘s first rotator with 360° endless rotation was developed. The company changed its name to KINSHOFER Greiftechnik GmbH in 1980.
The first sales activities in the United Stated and the UK took place.
In 1984, the first foreign sales subsidiary of the company was founded in Stockport, Cheshire, England: KINSHOFER UK Ltd.
Alfred Kinshofer sold his shares in 1987, but kept being a worthy consultant for the company. The same year, KINSHOFER France was founded in Strasbourg, France.
One year later, the planning of the new production plant and office buildings in Marienstein, the current German manufacturing of the company, took shape.
In 1990, the construction was started and in December of the same year, the company moved to its new buildings.
1997 was the year the construction of the factories in the Austrian village of Gmünd and the Czech Ceske Velenice was planned. Just one year later, MARS Greiftechnik was founded and the manufacturing in the new plants began.
In the year 2000, KINSHOFER made the step overseas and acquired the Canadian company Liftall what was to become the subsidiary KINSHOFER North America.
One milestone in the company‘s history: in 2003, KINSHOFER developed the patented HPXdrive that bestowed the if-Silver Award for »Product Design« in the »Industry« branch upon the company.
In 2006, the company finally got its current name: KINSHOFER GmbH
The same year marks the acquisition of the Dutch specialist for demolition and recycling tools Demarec B.V.. The worldwide operating Swedish company Lifco AB acquired KINSHOFER GmbH in 2007.
Another logic consequence was the expansion to the east, and so the company Darda KINSHOFER Construction Machinery Co. Ltd. was founded in 2008 in China's capital Beijing.
The same year marks the foundation of KINSHOFER Aponox Oy in Hämeenlinna, Finland, with the main focus on NOX Tiltrotators.
As the year 2011 came to an end, KINSHOFER acquired the Swedish company RF-System AB, as well as the intellectual property and distribution rights of New Zealand‘s Wedgelock Equipment Ltd. at the beginning of 2012, further broadening the available product range.
In 2013, the new KINSHOFER US-factory opened in Sanborn in the state of New York, mainly constructing and assembling large demolition equipment.
In 2015, KINSHOFER acquired 100% of Auger Torque Europe Ltd. and Auger Torque Australia Pty Ltd. Due to the Auger Torque products, the range of the KINSHOFER Group is now also including a wide variety of earth drills, trenchers and other attachments for truck cranes and excavators, but also for backhoes, skidsteers and telehandlers.
KINSHOFER counts on a high vertical integration. The products are designed in the proper development department, constructed in the manufacturing and finally tested in the in-house test laboratory. Thus the company retains control not only over the production, but also the product itself.
A constant communication and information exchange between the company and its clients results in further developments and innovations that keep the company close to the customer.
In the proper action park at the company‘s headquarters, there is also the possibility for dealers and clients to take part in trainings and tool demonstrations.
In 2017, the American company Solesbee's joined the Kinshofer Group, a manufacturer of attachments for excavators, wheel loaders and dozers from Winston, GA.
In the same year, Kinshofer acquired the company Doherty with offices in New Zealand and Australia. Doherty is best known for its quick couplers.
In 2019, Kinshofer bought the Italian company Hammer, which manufactures demolition hammers and other demolition tools, based in Molfetta.
Also in 2019, Kinshofer GmbH moved its headquarters from Marienstein to Holzkirchen, south of Munich. The production remains in Marienstein.
In 2021, Kinshofer acquires the Italian company Cangini Benne S.r.l.
In 2022, Kinshofer acquires the Italian company Trevi Benne S.p.A.
