Quality products and comprehensive service

From components into systems

The single most important feature of our product portfolio is quality. From good components the trailer manufacturer can build a system in which the end user can be fully satisfied also after years of professional use. Working solutions, good availability of spare parts, technical support and continuous development of operations are key principles at H. Kraatz Oy.

Trendy design and wide range are combined with quality in the products of the tyre and wheel department. We offer a wide variety of alternatives to improve the appearance of a car. Our web site helps the customer to choose the right design to his own car.

One part of Kraatz is Trailcon Oy – a specialised, nationwide spare part retailer for the heavy-duty sector. Trailcon serves our customers ranging from a driver of a single truck to big chains of repair shops. High quality spare parts and equipment coupled with light trailers belong to the product programme. The Estonian daughter company, Gokart AS is situated in Tallinn and serves Estonian customers with the same expertise and with the same quality products as Trailcon Oy.

History

Most companies have a real tale to tell. Successful companies have managed to cope with major changes by finding the right solutions to back up their decision-making. This is true for H. Kraatz Oy as well.

Hans-Peter Kraatz is the third generation head of the company founded by his grandfather, Henry Kraatz in 1922.

One man agency
The history of H. Kraatz Oy began in 1922, a time when people traded in whatever there was to trade. Customers expressed their wishes to people who had foreign contacts. Henry Kraatz started up his business by exporting and importing. He imported among other things electrical goods and exported wooden skis.

First suppliers
The oldest still active principal is Kronprinz AG, this co-operation started already in 1928. The agreement with BPW was signed in 1938.

From an agency to a wholesaler
The company operated as an agency with only a couple of employees at various addresses in the centre Helsinki right up to early 1970s. Activities grew gradually and the company started to stock some products, mainly BPW spare parts and Lindner lamps.

In 1974 a fundamental change in the way the company operated was made when it started to trade from its own stock instead of acting merely as an agent. The market was changing dramatically and customers wanted fast deliveries in small consignments. New facilities were needed because of this change and these were rented in the Eira district in Helsinki. A turnover of 6 million Finnish marks ( about 1 million Euro )  was achieved with a staff of five. At the same time the company was offered the possibility to buy the patent of a Finnish drawbar coupling. Eventually the manufacture of KRZ couplings began in Vilppula . Later production was moved to Viljakkala where to company employed eight people.

In the late 1970s the Helsinki unit moved to Pitäjänmäki district and the product range offered to the heavy-duty trailer industry expanded heavily.

From a family company to a BPW subsidiary
In 1985 the company already employed over 20 people and was growing rapidly. This proved to be the right time to sell out to the German axle manufacturer BPW Bergische Achsen KG. Two years later H. Kraatz Oy moved to a new site that it had bought in Kivenlahti, Espoo and concentrated in importing components for the heavy-duty trailer industry. The severe recession in early 1990s reduced the market by half. The H. Kraatz Oy organisation was changed and operations streamlined. At this point HKM-Osat Oy from Nurmijärvi, specialised in importing components for passenger car trailers, was merged with H. Kraatz Oy. A year later the KRZ drawbar coupling business was sold to a Swedish competitor VBG. As part of the deal Oy Suomen VBG was merged into H. Kraatz Oy in 1992. The company thereby added KRZ and VBG drawbar couplings to its sales programme together with other VBG products.

In 1993 the recession began to let up in the transport industry. This affected immediately also  the operations of H. Kraatz Oy. The turnover began to rise again. The same year a major decision to rapidly expand the tyre and wheel department was made. The company´s operating principle today is to import, sell and market trailer components to the Finnish trailer industry and import and market tyres and wheels to tyre retailers. The turnover of H. Kraatz is about € 36 million and the company employs 48 people.

Daughter companies in Finland and Estonia
H. Kraatz started in retail business in 1996 when it bought the first heavy-duty spare part company, Trailer-Varuste in Malmi district in Helsinki. In 1999 all the Finnish spare part companies were merged under the same roof and today they all operate in different areas under the name Trailcon Oy. In Finland Trailcon Oy has eight outlets and their product portfolio consist of spare parts and accessories to the heavy-duty sector, light trailers and trailer components and spare parts. All Trailcon outlets are important spare part retailers in their respective areas.

Since 1997 H. Kraatz Oy owns in Tallinn a company called Gokart AS, selling components and spare parts to both heavy-duty and light trailer markets. The turnover of Trailcon Oy and Gokart AS is about € 14 million. In total the daughter companies employ 45 people. H. Kraatz Oy is the 100 % owner of both daughter companies.