From rally to concrete cutting

Anders Johnsen, leader of the Tractive/Pentruder development team started making his own transmissions already 1974. He started his working career at a company which manufactured gears. A rally driver of his own, he saw a potential for better drive trains and soon had his own small business making gear trains for rally and racing.

There was a demand for a gearbox for concrete drilling machines and Anders was asked if he could make one. With very small ressources, a well functioning core drill gear box was built and Anders soon realized that there was a need for more efficient and user friendly concrete cutting machines. This was the start of a very innovative period which led to a change in the way concrete cutting machines were designed and built.  

Tractive motorsport transmission

In the 80:ies the concrete cutting business of the company took most of the time and the motorsport side of the business had to step back. In 1991 Anders and his wife Ingrid sold their concrete cutting business started a new company, Tractive AB, with focus on developing gearboxes for rally and racing cars.

Pentruder - a new start in the concrete cutting business

After some years, the demand for new concepts for concrete cutting machines was big, the ideas and the production equipment were there, and so in 1996 the first Pentruder wall saw was introduced to the market. 

The Pentruder 6-16, a 25 kW hydraulic wall saw was the first machine to be introduced to the market. High power and innovative features such as a very light weight and user friendly track system and a time saving quick disconnect coupling for the blade made it an instant success. Since then the innovation has continued, and in 2004 the first high frequency machines were ready to hit the market. Today, the high frequency machines are spread all over the world, bringing high productivity to their owners. 

Ingrid and Anders Johnsen have been joined by their children who now run the daily operation at Tractive which leaves a bit more time for rallying again. Ingrid and Anders are now rallying again together in the European Historic Sporting Rally Championship, with great success!