我们的历史

我们的历史

自1982年以来,洛帝牢集团始终致力于为客户提供高品质、安全和创新的螺栓连接解决方案。支持全球客户群是我们的首要任务,您可在欧洲、美洲和亚洲找到我们的销售分支子公司。我们还拥有遍及全球的销售合作伙伴和授权经销商销售网络,即使目前在您所在的地区尚无办事处,仍可提供支持。

洛帝牢集团是由斯德哥尔摩证券交易所上市的Investment AB Latour公司100%控股。Investment AB Latour致力于扩大集团业务,一直不断支持我们为客户提供满意的螺栓连接解决方案。这包括在2011年收购了Superbolt Inc和P&S Vorspannsysteme AG(今日的Nord-Lock AG);2015年收购了领先的液压螺栓拉伸器公司Boltight Limited;以及在2016年收购了针对耳板磨损提供先进解决方案的知名企业Expander System。 

创新而值得信任的螺栓紧固技术是我们业务得以持续拓展的基础。洛帝牢集团的综合竞争力能够确保我们为全球客户的关键应用提供一系列优秀、安全、经济、有效的解决方案。

 

Superbolt

In 1974, Steinbock Machinery received an order from US Steel to design and manufacture a new type of scrap chopper for a pipemill. The previous design required regular maintenance, including several knife changes per day. The old scrap chopper would also completely break down every couple of weeks.

Rolf Steinbock, then President of Steinbock Machinery Corp., succeeded in designing a scrap chopper which minimized these problems. The daily maintenance of changing knives became just a weekly procedure. However, a persistent problem remained. Because of the constant rotation of the machine, bolts became loose and the maintenance team had to tighten them with a sledgehammer on a regular basis.

One day, Rolf Steinbock walked in just when the bolts had become loose again. The idea for a solution came right then: “Why not split up one big torque into a number of small torques!”

He quickly made a sketch of a 2″ bolt with a round head that had eight 5/8″ socket head screws arranged in a circle on the bolthead. He also specified a hardened washer to go under the head so that the socket screws would not damage the housing. US Steel manifactured a set of the bolts based on Rolf’s sketch and installed them. Much to the customer’s satisfaction, the bolts never came loose again.

Rolf expanded on the principle of the jackbolt and patented it under the name Superbolt®. Conventional nuts and bolts could now be replaced by nut-style and bolt-style multi-jackbolt tensioners and eliminate many of the common bolting problems experienced in heavy industries. The company quickly grew as more and more businesses discovered this unique bolting solution. A family owned and operated business, Rolf recruited his sons Robert and Allan into the enterprise, and the company continued to diversify and expand.

After Rolf’s passing in 2001, Robert and Allan continued to expand the business, which tripled in size over the next 10 years.

In 1988, Rolf Steinbock and Gert Ploke founded P&S Vorspannsysteme AG in Rüeterswil, Switzerland. At the beginning the office was based in the house of the Ploke family and was managed by Mrs. Ploke, with the garage acting as the factory.

From this time on, Superbolt products were offered and manufactured with an exclusive license for the European market. Robert Ploke, son of the co-founder and main stockholder Gert Ploke, joined the company shortly afterwards. In 1993, the successful company moved into a new office building in St. Gallenkappel. In order to meet the increasing demand for high-quality multi-jackbolt tensioners, a new building was built in 2005 and expanded again in 2011.

In 2011, the Nord-Lock Group acquired Superbolt Inc. and P&S Vorspannsysteme AG (today Nord-Lock AG). At both locations, Superbolt develops and manufactures high-quality multi-jackbolt tensioners. Thanks to this almost four-decade tradition, Superbolt is well-known for its cost-effective bolting solutions in every major industry, all over the world. And now as part of the Nord-Lock Group, Superbolt's unique combination of innovative technology and expertise enables us to solve the toughest bolting challenges.

Boltight

Boltight was founded in 2001 to produce Hydraulic Bolt Tensioning tools, but the history of the company dates back to the 1970’s when the idea of Hydraulic Bolt Tensioning as a method of offering uniformity and accuracy when tightening bolts was conceived.

 

A standard tensioning range to accommodate ¾” – 4” (M20-M100) bolts with associated ancillary items such as hoses, fittings and pumps was developed and in 2003 Boltight received its first order, a ½” bolt tensioner - a non-standard item. After several additional orders for non-standard items It became apparent that there was a strong global demand for tailored solutions, and that many customers’ requirements were very specialised or ‘application specific’ in nature.

At that time many of Boltight’s competitors were not capable of offering similar solutions and often could not do so in a quick enough timeframe. Therefore, a fast turn-around of specially engineered tools became the company's main focus. Boltight still prides itself on the ability to offer completely unique solutions – from the drawing board to a delivered and commissioned product – in a matter of weeks.

Thanks to this ideology (and by now a rapidly growing customer base), the business continued to grow and in 2004, Boltight moved to its current home in Walsall, UK. Additional product lines were added as other industries became aware of Boltight’s engineering pedigree and speed of service. In 2007, the Typhoon™ range of tooling was introduced, aimed specifically at the Wind market and the Subsea tensioner range was added shortly after.

By now Boltight’s growth was becoming exponential and additional premises were purchased to allow for the expansion of office space, production, stores and distribution.

In 2015, Boltight Limited was acquired by the Nord-Lock Group, who recognised its world-leading expertise and were keen to add hydraulic bolt tensioning to their portfolio. The Nord-Lock Group brings a combination of innovation, technology and expertise to Boltight, securing the future of the business and investing in Boltight’s continued proliferation and success worldwide.

Expander System

A loose pivot pin, a rusty nail and a bright idea is how it all started. Soon the idea became the driving force behind the creation of the perfect pivot - a system totally resistant to lug wear. The concept of this perfect pivot pin is at the core of the Expander System.

 

Founded in 1986, Expander Sweden AB has established a long standing reputation as an innovative and imaginative company with the patented solution to pivot wear. Since then, the company has amassed a wealth of  experience relating to pivot technology. They have successfully carried out over one million installations involving many different types of pivot assemblies for thousands of machine makes and models.

In 1987, the Expander System was honoured with the Alfred Nobel Development Award. In the commendation for the award, the significance of the Expander System was compared to the world famous invention of the ball bearing.

Expander Americas, Inc. was established in 1997. Starting with a sales office in California, it rapidly expanded to a production facility in Arizona in 2006. In an effort to improve access to resources, this facility was relocated to DeWitt Iowa in late 2014. Now in the Heartland of the US, Expander Americas, Inc. has continued to improve its processes and grow with new applications in new markets.

Expander aims to continuously broaden its portfolio as the foremost pivot authority thanks to its world leading design competence, education, field support and high speed production resources for both conventional pivot pins and the Expander System.

Expander Global was acquired by the Nord-Lock Group in July 2016, in order to strengthen our portfolio of secure bolting solutions.