About us - History

Today’s divisions Koellmann Gear and Koellmann Airtec of the Thielenhaus Group trace back to “Zahnräderfabrik Köllmann GmbH”, which was founded in Leipzig in 1904/1907.
In the beginning they manufactured precision gearwheels and specialized in bevel wheels. In 1907 Köllmann was the first special plant to manufacture rear axels and change speed gearboxes for the automotive industry. Köllman built all the tools necessary for manufacturing the tooths themselves.
Besides manufacturing gearwheels and tools in Leipzig, Köllmann built plano-milling machines in Langenberg. After the end of WWII, the gearwheels production was moved first to Langenberg and then, in 1951, to Düsseldorf-Heerdt.
In 1955 Maschinenfabrik Ernst Thielenhaus took over Köllmann renaming it „Zahnradwerk Köllmann GmbH“.

In 1964 Thielenhaus combined the manufacturing of compressors and machines as well as the production of gear boxes in one large plant in Wuppertal.
In the course of the restructuring of the Thielenhaus Group Zahnradwerk Köllmann GmbH was integrated under the divisions Koellmann Gear and Koellmann Airtec into Thielenhaus Technologies GmbH in October 2002

Since 1974 the subsidiary Koellmann Gear Corporation has been operating successfully from Waldwick (New Jersey/USA). With an R&D department, a manufacturing floor as well as a service team Koellmann Gear Corporation is offering the complete product and service range for the north American market.

Since the opening of the Chinese production plant Thielenhaus Machinery Shanghai at the end of 2007, Koellmann products are also offered and sold throughout Asia – especially, of course, in China. This strategically important step ensured Koellmann an entrance into the Asian market.