GKD was active in South Africa even before establishing GKD Africa in 1994. In the early days, Russell Kaschula represented the company on site. Roy van Blerk, today the Managing Director of GKD South Africa, worked at Buismet, a competitor of GKD. When international sanctions disrupted supply chains, Buismet sought new partnerships. Contact with Dr. Stephan Kufferath in Germany led to a collaboration and the eventual founding of GKD Africa. A new factory was built in 1997, marking the start of the company's growth. GKD Africa expanded from ten to over 200 employees and continuously broadened its offering.
Since 2020, the company has been manufacturing machinery such as linear screens and filter presses, serving as GKD Group’s competence center for mining applications — focusing on gold, copper, platinum, and diamonds.

GKD China was founded in 2000 after Dr. Stephan Kufferath, together with Tom Powley (GKD-USA) and entrepreneur Jing Chen, explored initial market opportunities in China. Partnering with ANDA GmbH, they established the first site in Beijing.
When Beijing's city government mandated that all industrial facilities move out of the urban center, GKD — alongside Jing Chen and then managing director Lucas Tao — selected Qufu for the new location. Since relocating, GKD has benefited from improved manufacturing conditions and a growth-driven environment. In 2022, Stephan Kufferath was honored by the Standing Committee of the 19th People’s Congress of Qufu as its first foreign honorary citizen — a recognition of the successful partnership.
In 2024, Cheng Chang took over as Managing Director from Lucas Tao, who retired. Cheng Chang began his career at GKD in 2012 while studying in Düren.

GKD recognized early the potential for industrial applications in Latin America — especially in juice production, agar-agar, fish farms, and mining, such as in Chile's copper mines. In 2010, Dr. Stephan Kufferath met Enrique Celedón, General Manager of the family-run RIVET company in Santiago. A year later, Stephan and Ingo Kufferath met with Enrique and his father in Düren. Enrique decided to partner with GKD, and GKD LatAm was established with RIVET as a partner and Enrique as a minority shareholder. The new site was set up in RIVET's facilities, a loom was shipped from Germany, and the team received training in Düren.
In 2019, Enrique Celedón acquired RIVET’s shares and became a partner in GKD LatAm. Since then, GKD LatAm has successfully operated in architectural projects, plant engineering, and mining — playing a key role alongside South Africa and North America.

In 2018, GKD‑USA acquired Nextwire — the largest foreign acquisition in the group’s history. Founded in 1963 and based in Star City, Arkansas, Nextwire is a leading supplier to the corrugated cardboard and materials industry in the U.S. The company manufactures high-quality wire mesh on wide looms and is led by Charlie Brown. The acquisition made GKD‑USA the group’s highest-earning international subsidiary.

Founded in 1925 by Josef and Richard Kufferath as a wire-weaving mill in Düren‑Mariaweiler, today the same site hosts the largest facility in the GKD Group — with around 475 employees serving as the global competence center for research, development, administration, and production. The headquarters spans the full product range: from fine fabrics and process belts to cleanroom production and architectural fabrics for international projects.
The site encompasses highly precise technical fabric solutions, filtration systems, and process belts such as the innovative BLUEBACKER, along with complex metal fabrics for building and interior architecture. GKD Düren partners with research institutions like RWTH Aachen and Forschungszentrum Jülich and operates an in-house lab continuously developing new processes — including thermal annealing of fine wires for aerospace shielding.
Today, GKD is a family-owned company in its fourth generation. The executive board — Lara Kufferath (CEO), Dr. Daniel Holstein (CTOO), and Ilonka von Bodman (CFO) — ensures continuity and strategic direction aligned with the vision ``For a healthier, cleaner, safer world.`` Tradition and modern innovation go hand in hand: Already in the 1930s, Düren set standards in wire fabrics; today, GKD ranks among Germany’s ``Top 100 Innovators`` and is the global leader in metal fabrics.
With approximately €130 million in annual revenue (2023), GKD stands among the world’s leading providers of technical fabrics. The Düren site is not only the largest employer in the group but also a critical growth engine and idea hub supporting our subsidiaries in the USA, China, Chile, and South Africa. Düren remains the vibrant heart of GKD — rooted regionally, connected globally, technologically leading, and ready for future challenges.