Kraft Fluid Systems, Inc. celebrates its 50th anniversary in business in 2022. Collaborative customer relationships, highly skilled employees, and relationships with world-class suppliers have helped Kraft achieve five decades of successful growth. Founded by Bob and Marie Kraft in the spring of 1972, Kraft Fluid Systems was created to address the growing need for technically engineered drive systems and mobile hydraulic systems for Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) off-highway machines.
“Marie and I believed that happy, trained employees would be the basis of developing satisfied customers. With hard work, perseverance, technical competence, and a little luck, we were able to set in motion a company that would offer the personal service and expertise that was desperately needed in the mobile equipment business in our area. As our employee-partners and reputation grew, so did our opportunities. We were able to foster growth by making strategic hires and developing strong relationships with our suppliers, such as Danfoss.” says Bob Kraft, retired founder and CEO.
Contemplating retirement, in 1998 Bob and Marie Kraft added an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) as an employee benefit, and in 2000 Kraft Fluid Systems became 100% employee-owned.
Today, the company conducts business from its headquarters in Strongsville, OH, a suburb of Cleveland. With world-class suppliers, a very experienced engineering team, and highly technical territory managers, the company services hundreds of OEM specialty equipment manufacturers with mobile hydraulics, electronic controls, and electric drive systems.
Satisfying customers is the top priority at Kraft Fluid Systems. The ownership mentality of Kraft’s employee-owners and their commitment to supporting their customers’ success is key to their many long-term customer relationships as well as providing the continued growth of the company. “The strong work ethic, technical expertise, and focus on customer service that Bob Kraft set in motion 50 years ago are still with us today. Over the years, we have continued to develop our technical expertise, strengthen our supplier relationships, and hire and train the best and brightest in our field. The combination of that and our commitment to customer success has been the secret to our growth. We look forward to the next 50 years of helping customers sell more machines,” says Scott Durand, president and CEO of Kraft Fluid Systems.
About Kraft Fluid Systems, Inc.
Kraft Fluid Systems is the leading distributor of mobile hydraulic equipment and electronic controls to 11 Midwest and Mid-Atlantic States as well as electric drive solutions throughout North America. The company sells, services, and inventories products from world-class manufacturers. With 50 years of experience, Kraft is the preferred distributor when seeking hydraulic components, power transmission equipment, electric drive technologies, and electronic controls for mobile OEM integrated solutions.
Kraft Fluid Systems is known for its expertise in mobile systems integration. The employee-owners at Kraft have the technical expertise and knowledge to provide the best custom solutions based on decades of hands-on experience and training like no other in the industry. We have the expertise, integrity, passion, and a relentless focus on providing increased value and helping our customers sell more machines.