TKH Group

TKH Group N.V. is an international technology company based in Haaksbergen, the Netherlands. The present holding company was established in 1980, after a number of companies in the Netherlands and Germany were brought together. Its corporate history reaches further back: Twentsche Kabelfabriek (TKF), the cable business from which the group’s story began, was established in 1930 by Johannes Cornelis van der Lof and his business partner Jan Derk Odink. TKH describes itself today as a technology company focused on customer-centred systems that combine hardware, software, and artificial intelligence. The company organizes its offering around three systems areas: Smart Vision, Smart Manufacturing, and Smart Connectivity. Its technologies are intended to help customers improve operational efficiency, safety, and sustainability. The company’s strategy emphasizes markets shaped by automation, digitization, and electrification, as well as proprietary hardware, in-house software, AI development, and integrated, plug-and-play solutions. Applications named in the supplied material include tire manufacturing, medical technology, telecommunications, and construction. TKH reports a global presence spanning key regions in Europe, North America, and Asia, and describes its customer proposition as a one-stop-shop approach developed in close partnership with customers. Its stated purpose is to support more efficient and sustainable systems. The company is listed on Euronext Amsterdam. The official site’s supplied material reports 2025 turnover of €1,761.1 million, adjusted EBITA of €189.5 million, and more than 6,500 employees globally; these are company-reported figures for 2025, not estimates of future performance.

TKH Group’s history combines the development of a Dutch cable business with the later formation and expansion of an international technology holding company. The story begins in 1930, when Johannes Cornelis van der Lof and business partner Jan Derk Odink established Twentsche Kabelfabriek (TKF). Van der Lof had previously operated a cable installation and fitting company. TKF grew despite the Great Depression, establishing a manufacturing foundation that would remain part of the group’s historical identity. In 1953, NV Twentsche Kabelfabriek was listed on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange to support international growth. A new corporate structure followed in 1980: N.V. Twentsche Kabel Holding (TKH) was founded after the acquisition of a number of companies in the Netherlands and Germany. A.J.M. van der Lof, son of J.C. van der Lof and then CEO of TKF, was appointed CEO of the holding company. This distinction matters: TKF dates to 1930, while the holding company dates to 1980. TKH expanded through acquisitions and international development. In 1984 it acquired VMI Group, based in Epe, the Netherlands, a company specializing in tire-building systems. The group’s official history describes VMI as a global leader in the tire-manufacturing industry. The company established VMI Americas in 1986 to support growth in the United States. During the 1990s, TKH expanded its presence in China through copper cable manufacturer ZTC and VMI; a Chinese fiber-optic cable facility, TFO, followed in 1999. From 2001 to 2012, TKH developed from a cable-centred group into an international technology group. It described its activities through Telecom, Building, and Industrial Solutions and focused on growth markets including communications, healthcare, security, and efficiency. Over time, its present-day framing has shifted to Smart Vision, Smart Manufacturing, and Smart Connectivity systems. These systems bring together hardware, in-house software, and AI, and are designed for integrated, customer-specific applications. TKH’s current strategy, as stated on its official site, concentrates on markets driven by automation, digitization, and electrification. It aims to build or maintain leading positions through innovation, investment in differentiating technologies, expanded AI and software development, and active portfolio optimization. Its stated ambition is to act as a strategic partner, providing integrated one-stop-shop and plug-and-play systems that help customers operate more efficiently and sustainably. TKH is listed on Euronext Amsterdam and reports operations across key regions in Europe, North America, and Asia. The official site’s supplied material gives 2025 turnover of €1,761.1 million and adjusted EBITA of €189.5 million.

• 2001

  International technology-group development period begins

• 1999

  TFO fiber-optic cable facility launched in China

• 1986

  VMI Americas established

• 1984

  VMI Group acquired

• 1980

  N.V. Twentsche Kabel Holding founded

• 1953

  TKF listed in Amsterdam

• 1930

  Twentsche Kabelfabriek established

A customer-focused technology group offering integrated hardware, in-house software, and AI-enabled systems, with an emphasis on automation, electrification, efficiency, and sustainability.

• Smart Vision systems

  One of TKH’s three named systems areas.

• Smart Manufacturing systems

  One of TKH’s three named systems areas, including technologies for manufacturing applications.

• Smart Connectivity systems

  One of TKH’s three named systems areas.

• VMI tire-manufacturing systems

  Tire-building systems associated with VMI Group, acquired by TKH in 1984.

• Proposed Executive Board changes as a next step in the separation processOther

• 2019.11.01

  Reported2019.11.01

  TKH Group acquires Focalspec[7]TKH Group收购Focalspectech.eu

  TKH Group acquired Finnish deep-tech company Focalspec, which joined TKH-owned LMI Technologies. The article reports the acquisition as completed.

Read more

1. 1TKH Group official homepagetkhgroup.com
2. 2TKH Group historytkhgroup.com
3. 3About TKHtkhgroup.com
4. 4TKH Group strategytkhgroup.com
5. 5TKH Group (German Wikipedia)de.wikipedia.org
6. 6TKH Group (Wikidata)wikidata.org
7. 7TKH Group收购Focalspectech.eu