History
Celebrating our 100th Anniversary, Kahle has been a worldwide leader in manufacturing technology and innovations since 1920. Today, Kahle is a global company exclusively focused on the supply of custom automation solutions for the Medical Device and Pharmaceutical Industries. Kahle dedicates 182,500 engineering hours per year designing automation and has the most comprehensive portfolio of technology in the industry.
1916
Machinery Magazine Article
Charles Eisler publishes an article in Machinery Magazine- Tungsten Lamp Manufacture, in Budapest Hungry prior to immigrating to the United States.
1920's
Eisler Engineering Company Opens
On June 13, 1920 Charles Eisler opened Eisler Engineering Company in Newark New Jersey.
Eisler starts shipping equipment to manufacture the first Incandescent lamps using his own designs.
Almost immediately GE (Thomas Edison) RCA and Westinghouse (the Big 3) who up until that time had a monopoly on the market, filed a lawsuit against Charles Eisler.
In addition to the big 3, there was a growing cult of independent manufacturers that had access to the latest technological equipment to manufacture Incandescent lamps. Business was very good for Eisler.
The lawsuit filed by the Big 3 against Eisler were with the intent to stop his operations. Eisler ultimately prevailed, the US District Court on December 21, 1928 ruled the Eisler Sealing-in Machine does not infringe on the patent held by General Electric Company.
Eisler became the champion and major supplier of equipment to manufacture incandescent lamps and radio tubes to all the independent manufactures throughout the world.
1930's
Eisler Manufactures Glass Syringes and Ampules
1930’s Eisler started building equipment for the manufacture of Glass Syringes and Ampules
1936
Founding of Kahle Engineering Company
Kahle Engineering Company is founded in North Bergen, New Jersey by Louis C. Kahle
1937
Kahle Ships First Machine
In October 1937 Kahle ships its first machine, a Single Head Stem and Seal Machine to Western Electric.
In December 1937, Kahle received its first order from GE. Kahle went on to become a major supplier of production equipment for GE, providing hundreds of machines for the manufacturing of various electronic components from radio tubes, to light bulbs and CRT screens. Kahle also went on to supply this equipment to RCA, Westinghouse. As Kahle moved forward the company became a major supplier of manufacturing equipment to Sylvania, Western Union, Raytheon, Western Electric, IBM and Hughes Aircraft to name a few of their customers.
1943
Kahle Receives Letter From General Electric
Kahle receives a letter from General Electric praising its support in provide equipment and support “during war emergency, when such equipment was so vital to the war effort.”
1944
Kahle Becomes Standard for Manufacture of Glass Thermos Bottles.
Kahle received its first order for equipment to form and seal glass Thermos Bottles / Vacuum Flask. Kahle equipment went on to become the standard for manufacturing glass Thermos Bottles.
1947
First Ampule Forming Machine
1947: Kahle sells its first fully automated Ampule Forming Machine.
1948
Eisler Issued Automatic Syringe Tip-Forming Patent
Eisler was issued a patent for automatic syringe tip-forming to shape the tip on the syringe barrel. (US Patent No. 2,446,000)
1950's
Kahle Designs Their Own Proprietary Index Drive
1952
First Equipment for Micro Switch Production
Kahle starts building equipment for the manufacturing of mercury switches for Micro Switch
1954
Kahle Ships First Equipment to Grow Germanium Crystals
With the development of Crystal Grow at Bell Labs in New Jersey, Kahle was able to ship its first equipment to grow Germanium Crystals in 1954. This equipment was first shipped to Delco Radio.
1955
Kahle Ships Equipment to Manufacture Glass Diodes
Kahle will continue to regularly build Diode production equipment. That was the very last glass machine shipped from the U.S. location in 2000.
Kahle Helps to Build High Speed Machines to Seal CRT Tubes
1958
Kahle Builds Automation for Stemware
Kahle starts building automation for the manufacture of Stemware.
1960
The Million Dollar Bend
Charles Eisler publishes his autobiography “The Million Dollar Bend”
1962
First Needle Assembly
Kahle builds its first AUTOMATIC HYPERDERMIC NEEDLE ASSEMBLY MACHINE with an output of 3,500 parts per hour.
Kahle Opens In Caravaggio, Italy
Kahle Engineering opens Kahle Europea S.p.A. in Caravaggio, Italy.
First Plastic Syringe Assembly
Kahle Italy builds its first PLASTIC SYRINGE ASSEMBLY MACHINE
1963
Kahle Ships High Speed Glass Syringe Barrel Forming Machine
1966
Kahle Designs and Builds Kidney Dialysis Machine
Kahle works with Columbia University, designs and builds the First Low-Cost Artificial Kidney Machine (Kidney Dialysis Machine)
Cassette Cartridge Assembly
Kahle starts manufacturing equipment for the Film Cassette Cartridge Assembly Industry
Kahle ships it first fully automatic Scalpel Blade Grinding Machine.
Kahle Italy designs and fabricates their own feeders and elevators for the equipment they build.
1970's
Kahle Installs PLCs on Equipment
With the development of Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC), in the early 1970’s Kahle was an early adapter to installing PLCs on their equipment.
1973
Kahle Designs and Patents a Glass Tubular Solar Collector
Kahle designs and patents a Glass Tubular Solar Collector and builds the equipment for GE to manufacture the “Evacuated Tube Solar Collector”
Kahle designs and patents the method for automatically forming the Glass Thermometer Bulb
1975
Kahle Builds First Fully Automatic Suction Catheter Assembly System
Kahle builds its first fully automatic Suction Catheter Assembly System with RF tip Forming, forever changing quality and comfort of urinary catheters.
1978
Kahle Italy Builds the First Wing Needle Assembly Machine
1979
Joule Technical Merges Companies
Joule Technical (Mr. E.N. Logothetis) purchases Kahle Engineering and Eisler Engineering and merges them into one company
1980s
1983
Kahle to support the Medical Devices and Pharmaceutical Industries
Kahle announces that moving forward they will be dedicated to manufacturing only equipment to support the Medical Devices and Pharmaceutical Industries.
Kahle Italy works on their technical portfolio of equipment and develops automation technology for Drip Chamber and Injection Site, Flash Chambers and other IV Set components.
Kahle Italy starts building IV Tubing Set Assembly Machines
Kahle builds the first High Speed Continuous Motion Syringe Assembly Machines with a production output of 500 Syringes per minute.
1984
Kahle Patents “Method and the Means for Orienting the Bevel of a Needle”
Kahle earns US Patent 4,436,479 for the “Method and the Means for Orienting the Bevel of a Needle”.
1985
Kahle Patents “Method and Means for Spooling Tubing” & “Bonded Needle to Glass Dose Syringe”
Kahle patents the “Method and Means for spooling Tubing”. Used on the automation of IV Tubing Set Assembly.
Kahle patents the manufacturing process of bonding a “Bonded Needle to Glass Dose Syringe”.
1990's
Kahle Italy Becomes Largest Supplier of Syringe Assembly Machines
Kahle Italy becomes the largest supplier of Syringe Assembly Machines, shipping their High Speed Continuous Motion Machines all over the world.
1994
Kahle Italy Builds its First Safety Syringe Assembly Machine
1995
Kahle Italy Designs its First Fully Automated IV Catheter Assembly Line
1997
Kahle Italy Adds 8600 sq. feet of Manufacturing Space
Kahle Italy added 8,600 sq. ft. of manufacturing space to its Italy factory and new offices.
2000
Kahle phases out manufacturing in the U.S. and shuts down its Orange, New Jersey factory.
Kahle Enters the Smithsonian
The Smithsonian Institute requests ownership of the early Eisler and Kahle files as they tracked the history of early Electronics/Lamp manufacturing.
2002
Kahle Ships First Tubing Set Assembly Machine with Vision Assisted Feeding
Kahle shipped the first Tubing Set Assembly Machine with Vision Assisted Feeding to all for multiple tubing set configurations to be assembled on one machine.
2004
Kahle Forever Changes the Standard for Catheter Quality
Kahle employs Ultrasonic technology for the hole punching in tubing forever changing the standard of catheter quality.
2005
Kahle Management Buys Kahle from Mr. Logothetis
2007
Kahle Italy Expands Manufacturing Space
Kahle Italy expands its manufacturing space to 48,000 sq. ft.
2009
Kahle Patents AccuSpence
Kahle patents AccuSpence its Precision Dispensing Valve for accurate High Speed Dispensing of adhesive and other materials.
2010
Kahle patents EAMON
Kahle patents its EAMON Modular Cam Driven Station.
2011
Kahle Completes First Needle Assembly Machine
Kahle completes its first Needle Assembly Machine that produces 1500 assemblies per minute.
Kahle ships its first UV Needle to Glass Syringe Assembly Machine with a production rate of 160 ppm.
2015
Kahle Invited to “WHO” Meeting on Safety Engineered Syringes
As an industry leader in the area of Syringe Manufacturing and Safety Kahle was invited to attend the World Health Organization “WHO” Meeting on Safety Engineered Syringes
2016
Kahle Develops Glass Barrel Inspection System
Kahle develops an Glass Barrel Inspection System to augment all the work we are doing with Combination Device and Prefilled Syringe automation.
2018
Kahle Ships Fully Integrated IV Tubing Pump Set
Kahle ships a fully integrated IV Tubing Pump Set with an output of 70ppm.
2020's
Kahle Celebrates 100 Year Anniversary
2020
Additional space
Kahle expanded its Caravaggio facility an additonal 3,700 sq. ft.
2022
BBS acquires Kahle
Kahle was acquired by BBS Automation, a Germany based company for production automation (assembly and testing automation).
2023
BBS Automation acquired by Dürr, Germany. Since that day Kahle belongs to Dürr Group with approximately 20.000 employees.
2024
Management change at Kahle USA
John Wuschner, former VP of Engineering and Validation, has taken over the management of Kahle Europea USA, Inc. as President as of July 01, 2024.
Now that Julie Logothetis, the longtime manager of the Morristown, New Jersey location, has begun her well-deserved retirement, her longtime colleague John is stepping into the front row.
John Wuschner has decades of experience in the planning, documentation and project management of highly complex production lines for medical devices. Whenever needles, syringes and glass products are involved, production systems from Kahle Automation are at the top of the list. International customers from the medical and pharmaceutical sectors have been relying on Kahle Automation's technology and experience for decades.
