In 1949, Dr. Josef and Herbert Krautkrämer developed the first German ultrasonic flaw detector. Krautkrämer established offices in Belgium and France as early as 1951 and by 1953 had developed devices for weld testing and quantitative flaw location, as well as the first testing machines for rails, tubes, and plates. In 1972, Branson Instruments merged with Krautkrämer GmbH of Köln, West Germany, now operating in Hürth on the outskirts of Köln, establishing Krautkramer Branson as the world’s largest manufacturer of ultrasonic testing equipment.