Kobelt Manufacturing

Kobelt Manufacturing Co. Ltd. was founded in 1962 by Jack Kobelt in a Vancouver garage. It is now based in a vertically integrated plant in Surrey, British Columbia, with an automated bronze foundry, CNC machining and assembly. Twin Disc acquired the company in 2024. Kobelt sells its products in more than 150 countries.

Kobelt started with mechanical and pneumatic marine controls, including actuators, control heads and air cylinders, and introduced push-pull controls in the 1970s. Hydraulic steering followed in the 1980s, the 6535 electronic system for multi-station vessels in the 1990s, and the microprocessor-based Mighty Mariner propulsion control in the 2000s. The current range covers electronic, push-pull and pneumatic engine and propulsion controls, marine steering systems and Accu-Steer components, thruster and stabilizer controls, auxiliary get-home drives and disc and caliper brakes.

The electronic controls scale from one to eight stations. Kobelt control heads are made mainly from bronze and other corrosion-resistant materials rather than plastic or aluminium. The company serves workboats, ferries and fishing vessels, and supplies brakes to industrial and oil-and-gas customers.