Kontronik Company Profile

New ideas are usually met with skepticism at first... and eventually taken for granted. Harald Konrath learned this firsthand in 1994 when he introduced a new type of speed controller that no longer required adjustment trimmers. Instead: Move the stick to “full throttle,” wait for the motor beep, then move the stick in the other direction... Today, this tool-free adjustment procedure is familiar to everyone and is the most commonplace feature in the world of model aircraft. But the young engineer was destined to face other challenges during this time: He quit his previously secure job at a Stuttgart-based automotive company and struck out on his own by founding Kontronik GmbH, because demand for the small, sophisticated speed controllers in their signature red shrink-wrap had quickly reached a scale that was no longer compatible with a side job. It soon made sense to offer the matching motors along with the “controllers.” The brushless motor craze that began shortly thereafter came at just the right time: the market needed new motors and controllers. At first, Kontronik purchased these marvels off the shelf, but it soon began to carve out its own niche.

With the development of the new “Tango” motor concept, Harald Konrath once again ventures far out onto the ice and… takes a deep plunge! Not because of the innovative motor—which would later prove to be a brilliant idea and a bestseller—but because the high-speed motor controller required for it couldn’t be delivered. The so-called “component crisis” around the turn of the millennium—the bane of all electronics manufacturers—caught him completely off guard. These were difficult years, marked by internal restructuring, but ultimately leading to consolidation. The Tango is a hit with helicopter pilots and soon wins over impeller fans as well, and the Jazz motor controller developed for it—

For many, the "ler" has become the gold standard.

But the only constant is change. At the beginning of the 21st century, the modeling world seems to be talking exclusively about outrunners. Kontronik stayed out of the fray for a while, but then customer demand prevailed—first with the Dancer series sourced from the Far East, then with in-house developments like the Kora, and later the larger Koratopp, the LRK outrunner, which even fits into the pointed noses of sailboats. Here, too, the company ventures beyond the beaten path in its engineering and design. And, of course, the classic two-pole in-runner motor—usually combined with a gearbox—remains part of the product line. Uncompromising customer focus has become essential in this highly competitive market, where prices have been under pressure from the Far East for years.

Speaking of China, which has long since ceased to be a source of fear in the Mo-

The electronics manufacturing industry. Kontronik specifically sources supplies from this part of the world. Circuit board materials, for example—which are labor-intensive to manufacture—come from China. Kontronik is also using this approach to secure jobs for the 25 employees currently working at the company. The production facility in Rottenburg-Hailfingen, in southern Germany, has already had to be expanded several times, with neighboring buildings added to accommodate the growth.

Since 2004, Dirk Krickmeyer, who holds a degree in business administration, has been handling the company’s commercial affairs, managing procurement, and assessing the profitability of new investments. Michael Franz, alias MotorMike, has devoted himself with enthusiasm from the very beginning to the model aircraft community—a clientele that isn’t always easy to please. Customer service, even in model technology, is a field that isn’t always easy to navigate.

Industrial contracts in related fields of electric drive technology have long served as an additional pillar of the business, one that at times presents

different challenges. Here, too, highly unconventional solutions—the very kind that characterize the creative thinking of

model builders, are held in high regard, even though the work often takes on a completely different character due to the many regulations that must be met.

Born in 1962, Harald Konrath remains an enthusiastic model aviator despite all the ups and downs of entrepreneurial life and continues to exude that drive to create something new, which sets his products apart from the vast array of offerings worldwide. And when the workday is over, he’ll sometimes leave the helicopter on the shelf and hop on his road bike. After all, new ideas—which industry experts have long since stopped scoffing at—don’t just come from sitting at a desk.

*Ludwig Retzbach*