Kuka was first established in Augustburg by Johann Josef Keller and Jakob Knappich in 1898. Initially focused on indoor and urban lighting. But soon after, the company moved into other areas (welding tools and equipment, large containers), becoming the market leader of European municipal vehicles in 1966. And in 1973 the company developed its first industrial robot called FAMULUS. Kuka was owned by Quandt group and the Quandt family withdrew in 1980. A company becomes a listed company . In 1995, Kuka Robotics Technology was set up independently from Kuka Welding and Robotics Co., Ltd., and with Kuka Welding Equipment Co., Ltd.(later Kuka Systems Co., Ltd.), belonging to the Kuka Stock Branch (formerly IWKA Group).
Today Kuka focuses on providing advanced automation solutions to industrial production processes.
Kuka Robotics currently employs 3,150 people worldwide (September 30,2012) and is based in Augsburg, Germany. The company's main customers come from the automotive manufacturing field, but in other industrial areas are also increasingly widely used.