North America

With the takeover of majority holdings in the Canadian automotive supplier Van-Rob Stampings, Inc. in 2011, KIRCHHOFF Automotive took a decisive step towards expanding its global presence; it emerged as a Tier 1 supplier with worldwide reach. This has provided our customers with logistical advantages as well as technological ones, with innovative developments. Van-Rob, as well as KIRCHHOFF Automotive, have provided manufacturers of complex body metal structures with expertise in laser welding and CNC swing folding.

Van-Rob was founded in 1979 in Toronto, Canada by the tool-maker Peter van Schaik, in partnership with Rob Simpson (A.G. Simpson). In 1988 Peter van Schaik became the sole owner of Van-Rob. Since the beginning of the 1980s, the company supplied General Motors and the Ford Motor Company with small stampings. In 1992, Van-Rob received the GM Supplier of the Year (SOY) award for the first time. This award is presented yearly for outstanding performance, exceeding expectations in the areas of quality, service, and costs.

The close collaboration between KIRCHHOFF Automotive and Van-Rob first began in the 1990s with the founding of a joint venture in Querétaro, Mexico. By the end of 2016, KIRCHHOFF Automotive took over the remaining shares of the Canadian company Van-Rob Inc. from the founder and shareholder, Peter van Schaik. The integration into the global company network of KIRCHHOFF Automotive that originally began in 2011 has since been completed. Worldwide competencies are now executed even more effectively and efficiently.