History

To facilitate increased (international) expansion of the company, NV Twentsche Kabelfabriek applies to be listed on the stock exchange.

Transfer of TKF shares
In 1980, the acquisition of a number of companies in the Netherlands and Germany leads to the creation of N.V. Twentsche Kabel Holding (TKH). At that point, the holding company included TKF, Elektro-Draad, Elektriciteitswerken J.C. Van der Lof and German company Grenslandkabel. On the foundation of TKH, Mr J.C. van der Lof's son, Mr A.J.M. van der Lof, who was already CEO of TKF, was appointed chief executive of TKH.

In 1984, VMI Group of Epe (the Netherlands) becomes a member of TKH Group. VMI's operations were concentrated primarily on pioneering tire-manufacture systems. In subsequent years, VMI profiled itself as one of the most innovative businesses in the tire manufacturing industry.

TKH begins to concentrate on the growth by means of acquisitions, with which it is able to create a presence on the international market. Acquisitions at this time included TKD Kabel (Germany), EKB Groep (NL), Isolectra (NL, Singapore and Malaysia), C&C Partners (Poland), Ernst & Engbring (Germany). In 1986, VMI Americas was established, starting the period of expansion towards the USA. And in the 1990s, activities in China were expanded via ZTC and VMI.

In 1999, Chinese fibre-optic cable facility TFO was opened, further boosting the international position of TKH in Asia. In 2010, TKH acquired a 12.5% stake in the joint venture with Shin-Etsu (Japan) and Fasten (China) for the production of optical fibre preforms in Jiangyin (China). The strategic interest in the joint venture strengthens TKH’s position in the supply chain for optical fibre preforms and is TKH been able to benefit directly from the technological lead that its partner Shin-Etsu enjoys in the production of preforms.

TKH goes through a transformation to a leading player in the market for innovative total solutions in the Telecom, Building and Industrial Solutions with focus on the growth markets communications, healthcare, security and efficiency. In 2005 the name was changed to TKH Group NV. Acquisitions included Capable (NL), EFB Elektronik (Germany), Texim Europe (NL), CAE Groupe (France), KC Industries (Italy), Keyprocessor (NL), NET (Germany), Pantaflex (NL), Schneider Intercom (Germany), Schrade (Germany) and VDG Security (NL).

From 2011, the mutual synergy was further boosted by forming a cluster of TKH companies with overlapping operational areas and portfolio and in which R&D, marketing and communications, sales-support activities are bundled. This strategy also ensured consistency in branding and customer approach, while positioning in a number of specific vertical markets was realised by means of the combined strength. The acquisition of what is now Siqura (formerly Optelecom NKF, with offices in the USA and NL) in 2011 saw the creation of a security cluster with a.o. VDG and Keyprocessor.

From June 2012, TKH shares were included in the Midkap Index (AMX) of Euronext. Important criteria for inclusion in the AMX index is sales volume. August 2013 saw the start of trading in TKH Group share options on the Amsterdam NYSE Liffe options exchange, the European derivatives arm of NYSE Euronext. TKH has a rich history in relation to its equity listing on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange, which goes back all the way to 1953. The new listing in share options has created a significant new milestone to this history.

Innovative technology is currently the centrepiece of the TKH portfolio: four core technologies, vision & security, mission-critical communications, connectivity and smart manufacturing are combined to form innovative total solutions. Acquisitions that have made an important contribution to technology development include LMI Technologies (Canada) and Allied Vision (Germany), Park Assist (USA) and Commend Group (Austria). These acquisitions also provide access to other end-user markets. We focus on the development of in-house technology to maintain a position at the cutting-edge of technology.