Kraft Werks

What Kraft Werks does

Kraft Werks is a privately held American custom engineered-to-order capital equipment manufacturer headquartered in Medina, Ohio, organized under three operating sub-brands — Kraft Werks Engineering, Kraft Werks Construction Services, and Kraft Werks Thermal Solutions — and operating under the Ridgecrest Ventures investment platform since the January 2025 merger with Rafter Equipment Corporation. The company's core technology is the Gýrol® Fluid Drive, an 80+ year-old hydraulic variable-speed power transmission system that uses an oil vortex between an impeller (driver) and runner (load) to deliver stepless speed control with 5:1 turndown on variable torque loads and 4:1 on constant torque loads, with the technology documented as operating continuously 24/7 in demanding industrial environments. Complementary product lines include TLT-ASH Handling Systems (submerged chain conveyors and ash extractors for coal-fired and waste-to-energy plants), industrial furnace and combustion equipment under Thermal Solutions, large precision machining and fabrication (CNC boring up to 246-inch diameter, 70-ton cranes), and — post-Rafter — tube and pipe ERW, roll forming, hydrostatic testing, and finishing line equipment.

The company serves enterprise customers across power generation, steel, pipe and tube manufacturing, petrochemical, mining, cement, pulp & paper, oil & gas, and waste-to-energy via direct enterprise field sales with project-based, quote-driven pricing tied to custom specifications, supported by turnkey installation supervision, commissioning, technical support, and performance upgrade/retrofit services. Revenue is generated primarily from one-time engineered equipment sales plus ongoing service, spare parts, and retrofit work, with named customers including Big Rivers Electric Corporation (a fluid drive coupling repair completed in 23 days vs. an estimated 6–8 weeks), McWane Ductile (a $50M capital annealing oven project), utility coal-fired power plants, and municipal solid waste incinerator operators. Distribution is direct-to-enterprise with no channel partners; international reach is global in claim but operationally concentrated in North America.

The company was founded in 2018 when Kris Klingmann acquired the Medina facility and two product lines (Gýrol Fluid Drives and TLT-ASH Handling) from Howden North America, saving 40 co-worker jobs; the underlying product lines trace their roots to 1930. In December 2024 Kraft Werks opened a Birmingham, Alabama office focused on thermal process solutions, and in January 2025 the firm merged with Rafter Equipment under Ridgecrest Ventures, materially expanding the product portfolio into tube and pipe finishing. Financials are not publicly disclosed; the company is privately held by founder Klingmann, executive director Brian Lombardi (former CEO of Fives Bronx Inc.), and Ridgecrest Ventures.

Name

Kraft Werks

Legal name

Kraft Werks Group

Website

https://kraftwerks.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kraft Werks is a privately held, PE-backed custom engineered-to-order industrial capital equipment manufacturer in Medina, Ohio, producing Gýrol fluid drives, ash handling systems, thermal solutions, large fabrications, and tube & pipe finishing equipment for power generation, steel, and heavy industry customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Medina, Ohio

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Custom Capital Equipment Manufacturing: Engineered-to-order capital equipment including Gýrol Fluid Drives, ash handling systems, thermal solutions, large fabrications and precision machining. Revenue is project-based and typically involves long sales cycles with custom specifications for each order.
2. Installation and Project Management Services: Turnkey installation services including supervision and contracted labor at customer facilities. Covers commissioning, site support, and process optimization during equipment installation.
3. Technical Support and Spare Parts: Technical support services including troubleshooting, cycle time optimization, shutdown supervision, consulting and training. Spare parts supply for OEM brands including Kraft Werks, TLT-ASH Handling Systems, and TLT-Babcock Ash Handling Systems.
4. Performance Upgrades and Retrofits: Upgrade and retrofit solutions including reverse engineering, re-design for optimization, repair and improvement services, and mechanical and electrical controls upgrades.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Kraft Werks is a custom engineered-to-order capital equipment manufacturer that designs, fabricates, and services industrial machinery for heavy industries. Core offerings include Gýrol® Fluid Drives for variable-speed power transmission, TLT-ASH Handling Systems for power plants and waste-to-energy facilities, Thermal Solutions (furnaces, kilns, burners, refractory), Large & Complex Fabrications/Machining, and Tube & Pipe Finishing equipment. The company also provides turnkey installation, technical support, and performance upgrade/retrofit services with all manufacturing performed in-house at its Medina, Ohio facility.

Product overview

Kraft Werks is an American-based capital equipment manufacturer serving power generation, petrochemical, oil & gas distribution, steel, pulp & paper, cement, mining, and waste-to-energy industries. The company operates a portfolio-based model with multiple product lines: Gýrol® Fluid Drives (variable speed power transmission with 80+ year heritage), TLT-ASH Handling Systems (ash handling for coal-fired and waste-to-energy plants since 1979), and Kraft Werks Thermal Solutions (industrial furnaces and combustion equipment). These core products are supported by Large & Complex Fabrications/Machining services (60,000 sq ft facility with up to 70-ton crane capacity and CNC equipment for parts up to 246 inches diameter) and Tube & Pipe Finishing solutions (powered by Rafter Equipment following 2025 merger). Kraft Werks also provides installation, technical support, and performance upgrade/retrofit services. Founded in 2018 through acquisition of product lines with roots dating to 1930, the company joined Ridgecrest Ventures family in 2025 through merger with Rafter Equipment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GÝROL Fluid Drives: Fluid drives that transmit power through a vortex of oil, providing smooth and continuous power flow with variable speed control for over 80 years.
• TLT-ASH Handling Systems
• TLT-Babcock Ash Handling Systems

Products and services

• Gýrol® Fluid Drives

Quantifiable outcome

• 80+ years of continuous 24/7 operation of Gýrol Fluid Drives in demanding industrial environments
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and strategic.

• Rafter Equipment CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Effective January 1, 2025, Kraft Werks Group merged with Rafter Equipment Corporation, a Strongsville, Ohio-based capital equipment manufacturer of tube & pipe ERW and roll forming equipment. The merger combines complementary products and services, with Rafter now offering a broad range of tube and pipe mill and roll forming equipment including cut-off machines and handling/finishing equipment. Kraft Werks' expertise in large scale capital equipment installations and project management enables both companies to provide complete turn-key solutions under one roof in the USA.
• SET Sustainable Energy Technologies GmbHstrategicTechnology or Integration · 4 October 2023Partnership agreement allowing Kraft Werks Engineering to support sales and service activities in North America and introduce SETCON® (electro-mechanical variable-speed gearbox) to exclusively selected customers. This marks SET's expansion to a third territory after EMEA and Asia. SETCON is designed to control speed of large pumps and compressors with high efficiency, reliability and durability.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Renold plc: Manufacturer of power transmission products including fluid couplings, chains, and gearboxes. Competes with Kraft Werks' variable-speed drive and industrial power transmission offerings.
• Voith Turbo: Manufacturer of hydrodynamic fluid drives, turbo couplings, and power-transmission equipment for industrial applications. Closest direct competitor to Gýrol Fluid Drives in variable-speed drive technology.
• Rafter Equipment Corporation: Tube & pipe ERW and roll forming equipment manufacturer; merged with Kraft Werks in Jan 2025 under Ridgecrest Ventures. Now a sister company under common ownership with significant product and customer overlap.
• Clyde Bergemann (BWXT): Specializes in ash-handling and material-handling systems for coal-fired and waste-to-energy power plants. Directly competes with TLT-ASH Handling product line in utility and waste-to-energy verticals.

Broad incumbents

• Howden (Chart Industries): Global industrial fan and rotary equipment company; was Kraft Werks' predecessor owner (Howden North America) and is the original manufacturer of the Gýrol and TLT-ASH product lines. Direct overlap in fluid drives, fans, and ash handling.
• Fives Group: Global industrial equipment group serving steel, aluminum, cement and tube/pipe. Brian Lombardi, Kraft Werks' Executive Director, was previously CEO of Fives Bronx Inc., making this a direct comparability reference for both product overlap and management pedigree.
• Sumitomo Heavy Industries (Drive Technologies): Global manufacturer of industrial machinery, gear drives, and power transmission equipment. Comparable to Kraft Werks' industrial drive and large fabrication offerings at a larger, publicly-traded scale.
• Danieli & C. Global supplier of equipment and plants for the metals industry, including large-scale fabrication, machining, and processing lines. Comparable to Kraft Werks' steel-mill fabrication and large machining services.
• Babcock & Wilcox: Provider of steam-generation and ash-handling systems for power generation and waste-to-energy plants. Directly comparable in TLT-ASH Handling retrofit applications and coal-fired utility customers.

Emerging players

• Thermal Transfer Corp. Manufacturer of industrial heat-processing and thermal equipment for steel, forging, and foundry applications. Comparable to Kraft Werks Thermal Solutions furnace and burner product line.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kraft Werks