History

• 1939 – Founding of the Willi Glapiak turning shop in Hamburg
• 1978 – Change of legal form into a GmbH (limited liability company)
• 1983 – Merger of Willi Glapiak GmbH and ATEK Ingenieurbüro f. Antriebstechnik to today’s ATEK Antriebstechnik Willi Glapiak GmbH and relocation to Rellingen
• 1985 – Concentration on single-stage bevel and worm gearboxes (series s and V)
• 1995 – Inclusion of servo gearboxes (VC and SC series) in the product portfolio
• 1997 – Relocation to Prisdorf and expansion of production capacities for bevel and worm gear units
• 2002 – Internationalization: Development and expansion of foreign markets
• 2009 – Inclusion of miniature gear units (L series) in the product portfolio
• 2012 – Hypoid gear units (HC series) added to the product portfolio
• 2013 – Relocation to Rellingen with further expansion of production capacities
• 2015 – Entry into the whitepaper business: customers can have gear units developed for their application and to their target price
• 2017 – Addition of stainless steel gear units (HDV series) to the product portfolio
• 2018 – Addition of a miniature servo gearhead with a product weight of around 0.3 kg (LC series)
• 2019 – Acquisition of ATEK by the Obermark Group. The former authorized signatory, Sebastian Sturm, becomes the new managing director
• 2020 – Angular planetary gearheads (BPCE series) and planetary gearheads (PCE series) are added to the product portfolio
• 2020 – Inclusion of a motor incremental encoder (MIG series) in the product portfolio
• 2021 – Inclusion of high-ratio servo gear units with ratios of up to 400:1 (VCE series) in the product portfolio
• 2022 – Development of integrated gearmotors (BPCE-M and PCE-M series)

The history of ATEK begins in 1939: Willi Glapiak founds a contract turning shop in Hamburg. His daughter Margrit keeps the cash book by hand. After the death of her father, she then managed the company together with her later husband, master craftsman Hans-Jochen Sahling, also for many years.

In 1983, things got a little complicated: Willi Glapiak GmbH, which in the meantime had been converted into the legal form of a GmbH (limited liability company) and was managed by Margrit Glapiak-Sahling and her husband Hans-Jochen Sahling, and ATEK Ingenieurbüro für Antriebstechnik, managed by Siegfried Knorr, merge to form ATEK Antriebstechnik Willi Glapiak GmbH. The shareholders of the new company are the Knorr and Sahling families. Hans-Jochen Sahling and Siegfried Knorr take over the management of the company.

At this time, the turning shop also carries out simple assembly work for customers such as the coffee roaster Tchibo. Through these orders, the employees come into contact with angular gearboxes – the product with which the company is successful worldwide today.

In the mid-1980s, ATEK launches the first angular gearboxes it produces itself. They quickly find customers all over the world. In 2002, the owner families withdraw from the operative business and appoint Christoph Loch as the new managing director. In 2006, long-time sales manager and authorized signatory Axel Brügmann is appointed second managing director.

At the end of 2012, Mr. Brügmann and Mr. Loch acquire the shares of ATEK Antriebstechnik Willi Glapiak GmbH as shareholders of B&L Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH, which has been founded in the meantime. Meanwhile, the location in Prisdorf becomes too small for the fast-growing gearbox specialist. In 2013, ATEK moves to Rellingen.

On April 30, 2019, Mr. Loch and Mr. Brügmann sell ATEK to the Obermark Group and resign from their positions. Sebastian Sturm, an authorized signatory who has been with the company since 2011 and most recently acted as overall sales manager, becomes the new managing director.

Since then, the company has consistently continued its growth course. ATEK is committed to its long tradition, but remains young and modern. ATEK is regarded as a digital pioneer in the industry – and that in the interest of our customers: Since 2021, the product configurator on our website has allowed gearbox solutions to be created and commissioned quickly and efficiently. Since 2022, ATEK has also established a powerful direct sales organization.

Gearbox solutions from ATEK are now available without any detours – directly from the manufacturer.