AKG Group was founded in 1919 in Dortmund, Germany and began as a repair shop for replacement heat exchangers in the automotive industry. Over the past 100 years, we have grown from a small production facility into a worldwide manufacturer.

1919

  • Autokühler Gesellschaft mbH (AKG) founded in Dortmund as a specialty company for the repair and manufacture of replacement coolers.

1920

  • Walter Pietzcker becomes majority shareholder.

1925

  • Hans Pietzcker, (grandfather of present managing partner Hans Pietzcker ) – at that time working in Osaka – buys the shares off his uncle Walter Pietzcker and becomes majority shareholder.

1946

  • Establishment of the current headquarters in Hofgeismar (near Kassel).

1949

  • Development and production of the first standard cooler for the original equipment in the automotive industry.

1955

  • High proportion of exports and construction of manufacturing centers in India.

1962

  • Began manufacturing aluminum, high-pressure heat exchangers 

1967 -1972

  • Under the lead­er­ship of Dirk Piet­zcker the com­pany achieves the break­through that makes it into one of the lead­ing man­u­fac­tur­ers of heat ex­chang­ers in Eu­rope.

1976

  • Signing of Joint Ventures in Yugoslavia.

 

1977

  • Mr. Dirk Pietzcker took over the company as managing director.

1981

  • AKG of America, Inc. is founded in Mebane, North Carolina

1985

  • Founding of the AKG Thermotechnik GmbH & Co. KG in Hofgeismar. Start of production in 1986.

1986

  • Expansion of production capacity in Hofgeismar
  • Construction of a Research and Development Center

1989

  • After eight years of business in North America, AKG invests in its first of many expansions in Mebane, NC.

1997

  • To focus on standard cooling products for the industrial, mobile and compressed air markets; AKG Thermal Systems is founded.

2004

  • To handle the continued growth in North America, a new administration building is added to the Mebane, NC operations center.

2005

  • Mr. Hartwig Pietzcker takes over the AKG Group as managing partner
  • Ground-breaking ceremony at AKG Midwest Inc. in Mitchell, USA on May 1st, 2005. Start of production in October 2005

2010

  • AKG Ther­mal Sys­tems adds 15,000 square feet of space for ware­hous­ing, as­sem­bly and test­ing.

2011

  • AKG of America (Mebane, NC) cel­e­brates 30 years of ser­vice.

2012

  • Mebane Op­er­a­tions adds an­other 42,000 square feet to in­crease as­sem­bly ca­pac­ity and through­put ef­fi­ciency, total man­u­fac­tur­ing space reaches 170,000 square feet.

2013

  • AKG North American Operations, Inc. in Mitchell expands the plant.

2015

  • AKG Thermal Systems in Mebane completes construction of the new office building.
  • AKG North American Operations in Mitchell celebrates 10 years of service

2017

  • CATERPILLAR honors AKG Thermotechnik Latvia with the platinum plaque of the CATERPILLAR Supplier Quality Excellence Program.

2018

  • Opening of the AKG North American Research & Development Center in Mebane, North Carolina.
  • CATERPILLAR honours AKG India Private Ltd. with the platinum plaque of the CATERPILLAR Supplier Quality Excellence Program.

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