Kirow Ardelt
German manufacturer of harbour, railway and other heavy-duty cranes.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Kirow Ardelt GmbH is a German heavy-equipment manufacturer based in Eberswalde, Brandenburg. The company’s origins date to 1902, when engineer Robert Ardelt established an engineering business in the industrial town of Eberswalde. Over more than a century, the enterprise developed from a family-owned machinery manufacturer into a major crane producer whose equipment has been supplied to railways, ports and industrial customers in Germany and international markets. Ardelt became particularly associated with large slewing cranes and with its patented double-jib level-luffing principle. In this configuration, the geometry of the two-part jib allows the load hook to remain at a comparatively constant height while the crane changes its outreach or slews. The principle was patented in 1932 and remains central to the company’s engineering identity. The company has manufactured more than 4,700 harbour cranes, alongside single-jib level-luffing cranes, balancer cranes and mobile harbour cranes using a high gantry and double-jib architecture. The business also has a substantial railway and transport-equipment association. Its wider Kirow industrial context includes railway cranes used for track maintenance, recovery and construction work, while the Eberswalde operation has historically produced cranes for ports, yards and heavy material handling. The company’s offerings are therefore positioned around specialist lifting applications where high capacity, controlled movement, reach and operational reliability are more important than mass-market volume. Ardelt’s history was heavily shaped by twentieth-century German political and industrial changes. The company expanded rapidly before the First World War, became known for foundry machinery and cranes, and participated in the construction of the Niederfinow Boat Lift between 1927 and 1934. During the 1930s it also produced locomotives and, after the outbreak of the Second World War, shifted to armaments production. Its workforce exceeded 8,000 during the war, a period that also involved forced labour. After 1945, the Eberswalde works in the Soviet occupation zone were expropriated and dismantled in part as reparations. The site was rebuilt as a state-owned crane enterprise, operating under names including ABUS–Kranbau Eberswalde and VEB Kranbau Eberswalde. It later became part of the East German TAKRAF combine. The plant supplied large numbers of cranes to the Soviet Union and also exported to South America, Africa and Europe. By the late German Democratic Republic period, however, restricted reinvestment and aging equipment left the company poorly prepared for reunification. Following German reunification, the enterprise was converted into a limited liability company and entered a difficult privatization process. It was sold by the Treuhandanstalt to Vulkan Kocks GmbH in 1994, became part of the Vulkan group, and was subsequently acquired by Kirow Leipzig AG after the Vulkan group entered insolvency proceedings. The Eberswalde business was later integrated with Kirow’s rail and port machinery activities. In 2008, it returned to the Ardelt family name and adopted the current name Kirow Ardelt GmbH. Today, the brand represents specialized crane engineering rather than a broad consumer-facing equipment portfolio. Its heritage combines Eberswalde’s historical crane manufacturing base with the Kirow name’s association with railway and transport infrastructure equipment. The company’s principal differentiation is its experience with complex lifting systems, especially double-jib cranes and other machines designed for demanding port, rail and industrial environments.
History
Kirow Ardelt’s roots lie in Eberswalde, where engineer Robert Ardelt founded an engineering firm in 1902. By 1904 it was operating as Robert Ardelt & Söhne Maschinenfabrik, reflecting the involvement of Ardelt family members. The business expanded its site during the following decade and became particularly recognized for foundry machinery, including a pipe-ramming machine patented in 1907. Cranes remained a major product category. In 1912 the factory at its later principal location was inaugurated, and in 1913 the four Ardelt sons became equal partners as the company adopted the name Ardeltwerke GmbH. The company employed approximately 2,350 people in 1918. A dedicated crane-construction department was established in 1921, formalizing an activity that would become the company’s defining business. From 1927 to 1934, Ardelt contributed to construction of the Niederfinow Boat Lift. In 1932 it developed and patented its double-jib system for slewing cranes. The system was designed so that the hook could maintain a constant height as the crane changed direction or outreach, giving it a distinctive operational advantage for port and industrial lifting. Ardelt also produced locomotives during the 1930s. Under the National Socialist regime and during the Second World War, the company became involved in armaments production. Its workforce was about 4,000 in 1935 and grew to more than 8,000 during the war, with forced labour forming part of the wartime labor system. This is an important and difficult part of the company’s industrial history. After the war, the Eberswalde works were expropriated in the Soviet occupation zone. Machinery and equipment were dismantled and transported to the Soviet Union as reparations. The Ardelt family established new operations in West Germany, including plants in Wilhelmshaven and Osnabrück. Those businesses were acquired by Friedrich Krupp AG in 1953 and became Krupp-Ardelt GmbH; after the death of Rudolf Ardelt Jr., the West German company was renamed Krupp-Kranbau in 1964. The Eberswalde site resumed crane production as a state-owned enterprise in 1948 with the name ABUS–Kranbau Eberswalde VEB and a workforce of 37. It had produced approximately 13 cranes by 1949. In 1951 it became VEB Kranbau Eberswalde. The enterprise delivered around 1,500 cranes by 1967 and its 2,500th crane in 1974. It was subsequently incorporated into TAKRAF, the East German combine of state-owned industrial enterprises. Until 1989, its main export destination was the Soviet Union, although cranes were also supplied to customers in South America, Africa and Europe. In 1989, more than 3,000 employees and approximately 450 trainees worked at the enterprise. The planned-economy system enabled the Eberswalde factory to generate export earnings, but limited access to retained profits and reinvestment contributed to obsolete machinery and equipment by the end of the German Democratic Republic. After the political transition, the enterprise was converted into a GmbH under the post-1990 framework for transforming East German state-owned combines. It initially continued as Kranbau Eberswalde GmbH. The product range was expanded in 1991 with container-loading equipment and in 1992 with hydraulically operated balancer cranes. In 1994, the Treuhandanstalt sold Kranbau Eberswalde GmbH to Vulkan Kocks GmbH. The business became part of Bremen-based Vulkan AG and was renamed Vulkan Kranbau Eberswalde GmbH. Its workforce had fallen to 239 by 1996. Following Vulkan AG’s insolvency in 1996, Vulkan Kocks was taken over by Kirow Leipzig AG in 1997, and the Eberswalde company became Kirow Leipzig KE Kranbau Eberswalde GmbH. In 2000, Kranbau Eberswalde was merged with Kirow Leipzig Rail & Port AG’s mechanical-engineering activities and continued as KE Kranbau Eberswalde AG. That year, the company received the Berlin-Brandenburg Innovation Prize for developing the feeder server, described as the world’s first mobile container bridge. The enterprise marked its centenary in 2002. In 2008 it restored the historical Ardelt name and became Kirow Ardelt GmbH. The modern company continues to be associated with specialist harbour and railway lifting equipment and with the double-jib technology that has defined the Ardelt engineering tradition since the early twentieth century.
- 2008
Current Kirow Ardelt name adopted
[1]The business restored the historical Ardelt name and became Kirow Ardelt GmbH.
- 2000
Merged with Kirow rail and port activities
[1]Kranbau Eberswalde was merged with Kirow Leipzig Rail & Port AG’s mechanical-engineering activities and received the Berlin-Brandenburg Innovation Prize for its feeder server mobile container bridge.
- 1997
Acquired by Kirow Leipzig
[1]After the Vulkan group’s insolvency, Vulkan Kocks was taken over by Kirow Leipzig AG and the Eberswalde company adopted a Kirow-linked name.
- 1994
Privatized to Vulkan Kocks
[1]The Treuhandanstalt sold Kranbau Eberswalde GmbH to Vulkan Kocks GmbH.
- 1992
Balancer cranes added
[1]The company added hydraulically operated balancer cranes to its product range.
- 1991
Container-loading equipment added
[1]Following reunification, the product range was extended to include container-loading equipment.
- 1974
2,500th crane produced
[1]The Eberswalde plant completed its 2,500th crane during its period as a major East German state enterprise.
- 1951
Renamed VEB Kranbau Eberswalde
[1]The state-owned enterprise adopted the VEB Kranbau Eberswalde name and expanded its crane-production role.
- 1948
State-owned crane production resumes
[1]The Eberswalde operation resumed production as ABUS–Kranbau Eberswalde VEB.
- 1945
Eberswalde works expropriated
[1]After the Second World War, the Eberswalde plant was expropriated in the Soviet occupation zone and part of its equipment was removed as reparations.
Products and positioning
Specialist German manufacturer of engineered lifting systems for ports, railways and heavy industrial material handling, differentiated by long experience with double-jib crane technology and complex infrastructure applications.
Harbour cranes · 1932
Double-jib level-luffing cranes
These cranes use Ardelt’s patented double-jib geometry. The arrangement is designed to keep the hook at a constant or comparatively stable height while the crane changes direction or outreach, supporting controlled cargo handling in ports and other demanding industrial environments. The double-jib principle has been the company’s signature technical feature since its patenting in 1932.
Harbour and industrial cranes
Single-jib level-luffing cranes
Ardelt also manufactures single-jib level-luffing cranes for lifting and material-handling duties. Compared with the company’s distinctive double-jib designs, single-jib machines provide an alternative configuration for applications where the customer’s capacity, reach, layout or operating requirements favor a more conventional crane architecture.
Specialist lifting equipment · 1992
Balancer cranes
Balancer cranes form part of the company’s specialist range and include hydraulically operated designs. They are intended for applications requiring controlled handling of heavy loads, with the balancing mechanism supporting efficient movement and positioning in industrial or infrastructure settings.
Mobile port equipment
Mobile harbour cranes
The range includes a mobile harbour crane with a high gantry based on the double-jib system. Its mobile format is intended to combine port-side flexibility with the reach and lifting characteristics of Ardelt’s established crane technology.
Railway maintenance and recovery equipment
Railway cranes
Within the broader Kirow industrial portfolio, railway cranes support track construction, maintenance, recovery and other rail-infrastructure tasks. These machines serve specialist operators that require lifting capability directly on railway lines and in constrained infrastructure environments.
Container-handling equipment · 1991
Container-loading equipment
Container-loading equipment was added to the Eberswalde range after German reunification. The expansion reflected the company’s move beyond traditional crane categories toward integrated handling solutions for intermodal and port-related operations.
Brand decisions
2008
Restoration of the Ardelt brand nameStrategyBackground
The business had operated under several state-owned, privatized and Kirow-linked names during the political and corporate changes after 1945.
Action taken
The company restored the historic Ardelt name and adopted the legal name Kirow Ardelt GmbH.
Aftermath
The current name links the Eberswalde company’s long local engineering heritage with the Kirow industrial identity.
2000
Integration with Kirow rail and port engineeringStrategyBackground
Kirow sought to combine the Eberswalde crane operation with its rail and port machinery activities.
Action taken
Kranbau Eberswalde was merged with Kirow Leipzig Rail & Port AG’s mechanical-engineering business and continued as KE Kranbau Eberswalde AG.
Aftermath
The integration broadened the business context from conventional crane manufacturing toward rail, port and intermodal equipment. The company also received the Berlin-Brandenburg Innovation Prize for its feeder server mobile container bridge.
1997
Kirow Leipzig takes over Vulkan KocksM&ABackground
Vulkan AG entered receivership, requiring the future of its crane and engineering assets to be resolved.
Action taken
Kirow Leipzig AG acquired Vulkan Kocks GmbH, after which the Eberswalde operation became Kirow Leipzig KE Kranbau Eberswalde GmbH.
Aftermath
The transaction connected the Eberswalde crane tradition with Kirow’s rail and port engineering activities.
1994
Sale of Kranbau Eberswalde to Vulkan KocksM&ABackground
The post-reunification privatization of East German state-owned enterprises required the Eberswalde crane business to find a private-sector owner.
Action taken
The Treuhandanstalt sold Kranbau Eberswalde GmbH to Vulkan Kocks GmbH, bringing the company into the Vulkan corporate group.
Aftermath
The company became Vulkan Kranbau Eberswalde GmbH, but later faced further ownership changes following the Vulkan group’s insolvency.
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