K-Tec Marks 25 Years

Rosenort, Manitoba — November 20, 2025

What began as a one-man winter project in a small farm shop has evolved into one of the heavy equipment industry’s most influential earthmoving brands. This year, the K.A. Group is celebrating 25 years of K-Tec and a quarter-century of pushing boundaries in scraper design, manufacturing, and contractor productivity.
In 2000, founder Ken Rempel set out to build a scraper that could handle Manitoba’s sticky clay better than anything on the market. That first hand-built machine tested on his own earthmoving crew, marked the beginning of a company that now ships high-capacity scrapers around the world. Contractors quickly took notice, and by 2004 K-Tec was producing two scrapers a week. While some were skeptical of the oversized pull-pan design, early adopters proved that K-Tec’s capacity and productivity claims were real.

A Company Built Through Grit, Speed, and Service

As demand grew through the mid-2000s, K-Tec expanded quickly from a farmyard operation into a busy manufacturing business spread across several locations around Rosenort. Investments in advanced tooling, engineering talent, and R&D helped the company keep pace while early magazine ads and trade shows expanded its visibility. Ken often recalls how, at the Big Iron Show, two buyers argued over the only unsold unit on display, which demonstrated how quickly interest in the product was spreading.

This momentum set the stage for one of K-Tec’s most important innovations. In 2007, the company began developing the industry’s first ADT scraper concept after recognizing the potential of pairing high-capacity pull-pan scrapers with the power and mobility of articulated dump trucks. That concept made its debut at K-Tec’s first CONEXPO appearance in 2008 and immediately captured the attention of contractors in heavy civil construction.

The years that followed brought both challenges and breakthroughs. Ken reflected on these make-or-break moments, including the difficult period around 2009 and 2010 when the company survived through a combination of grit, hard decisions, and what he described as “a lot of blessing.” Even with economic pressure and facility setbacks including two fires, the team continued to build machines, support customers, and move the product line forward. One of the most significant outcomes of that perseverance was the creation of the K-Tec 1263, launched in 2015 and recognized as the world’s largest pull-type scraper. This steady progress through the formative years helped shape the modern K-Tec.

To recognize the company’s 25-year journey, every scraper leaving the Rosenort facility this year carries a limited-edition 25-Year badge.

People, Place, and Purpose

To further commemorate the anniversary, K-Tec hosted an employee celebration last month in Rosenort, MB. Founder Ken Rempel shared stories of the early days, speaking openly about the challenges, breakthroughs, and persistence that drove K-Tec from a farm shop project to an internationally recognized brand.
“I never dreamed of building a big company. I just wanted a product that worked better.” Rempel said.

Left: Founder Ken Rempel. Right: President & CEO Mat Klassen

His remarks set the stage for others to share their experiences from those early years, including K.A. Group President Mat Klassen, who recalled how a culture of responsiveness helped shape the company’s reputation. In one story shared at the celebration, a contractor urgently required a critical repair. Klassen cut parts until midnight so the service team could hit the road before sunrise. This was one of many similar key efforts that became an internal benchmark for how K-Tec supports its customers.

“Our culture was never about slogans. It was about how we acted. We compete with giants by acting faster, serving harder, and owning the outcome.” Klassen said.

The Customer Perspective

Director of Sales Chris O’Connell offered one of the event’s standout reflections, speaking about the pride contractors and dealers express when running K-Tec scrapers on their jobsites. He emphasized that the strong reputation the brand enjoys in the field is a direct result of the people who build and support the machines.

“We get the compliments, but we know who earns them. The reputation of this company is second to none because of the hard work and pride in this room.” O’Connell said. He went on to describe how often he hears from contractors who notice not only performance gains in the dirt, but also the craftsmanship in every weld. According to O’Connell, it is the combination of product performance and the responsiveness of the K-Tec team that sets the company apart.

“Customers feel the difference immediately,” he said. “They can tell when a machine is built by people who care. That’s why they come back and why they recommend us to others.”

Looking Ahead

As the K.A. Group moves forward, its direction reflects the same principles that shaped its early years: practical invention, fast problem-solving, and a commitment to helping contractors move more material with less effort. New materials, digital tools, and refined engineering are already shaping future generations of scrapers.

“K-Tec became known worldwide by looking for opportunity, listening to operators, and building something better. Having a strong team made all the difference.” Rempel said.

With 25 years behind it, K-Tec is focused on the next 25 and on the belief that progress comes from people who combine ingenuity with purpose.

Milestones Across 25 Years

Comprehensive field studies with multiple heavy-civil contractors demonstrate the 1230’s measurable edge in both self-loading and push-loading conditions:

• 2000 — First K-Tec scraper built and tested in Manitoba clay
• 2001 — First commercial scrapers sold at a the Big Iron trade show
• 2007 — K-Tec pioneers the ADT scraper concept
• 2008 — Exhibiting at ConExpo brings a spotlight onto the K-Tec scraper advantage
• 2013 — Launch of the 1263 ADT, recognized as the world’s largest pull-type scraper
• 2020 — K-Tec and Ashland Industries merge to form the K.A. Group
• 2021 — Metalcraft joins the K.A. Group
• 2024 — Reached full global presence as K-Tec scrapers operate on all 7 continents
• 2025 — Launch of the K-Tec 1230 scraper, K-Tec celebrates 25 years of scraper innovation

For further information, please contact:

Mike Thiessen, Director of Marketing, [email protected], +1 204 746 6435 ext 245