Manufacturers

Arrow Dynamics: The Manufacturer That Invented Steel Coasters

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tz

/ August 29, 2026

Arrow Dynamics was an American roller coaster manufacturer whose engineering breakthroughs defined the modern steel coaster industry. Tracing its roots to Arrow Development, founded in Mountain View, California in 1946 by Ed Morgan and Karl Bacon, the company reorganized under the Arrow Dynamics name in…

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Zierer: The German Family Behind Europe’s Family Coasters

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tz

/ August 29, 2026

Zierer Karussell- und Spezialmaschinenbau GmbH & Co. KG is a German amusement ride manufacturer headquartered in Deggendorf, Bavaria. Founded in 1930, the company began by building wooden living wagons and market stalls for traveling showmen before evolving into one of Europe’s most prolific coaster builders.

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Anton Schwarzkopf: The Engineer Who Reinvented the Loop

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tz

/ August 29, 2026

Anton Schwarzkopf was a German engineer who took over his family’s business in 1960 and turned it into Schwarzkopf Industries GmbH, one of the most influential roller coaster manufacturers of the 20th century. Based in Münsterhausen, Bavaria, the company built rides that traveled with European…

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Maurer Rides: The German Innovators Behind Spinning Coasters

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tz

/ August 29, 2026

Maurer Rides traces its roots to 1876, when the Maurer family began operating a steel construction business in Munich, Germany. That steelworking expertise carried the company into bridges, industrial buildings, and eventually amusement rides, culminating in the 1993 acquisition of the roller coaster division from…

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Gerstlauer: The German Manufacturer Behind the Euro-Fighter

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tz

/ August 29, 2026

Gerstlauer Amusement Rides GmbH is a German manufacturer of roller coasters and amusement rides headquartered in Münsterhausen, Bavaria. Founded in 1982 by Hubert Gerstlauer, a former employee of the legendary Schwarzkopf Industries, the company began as an electrical and pneumatic supplier before pivoting to full…

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Vekoma: The Dutch Manufacturer Behind the Boomerang Coaster

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tz

/ August 29, 2026

Vekoma Rides Manufacturing traces its roots to 1926, when Hendrik op het Veld founded a machine factory in the Netherlands originally called Veld Koning Machinefabriek, the source of the company’s abbreviated name. The business built farm equipment and later steel structures for the Dutch coal…

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Intamin: The Manufacturer Behind the World’s Tallest Coasters

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tz

/ August 29, 2026

Intamin is a Swiss-founded, Liechtenstein-headquartered ride manufacturer that has spent nearly six decades pushing roller coasters to new physical extremes. Founded in 1967 in Bern, Switzerland by Robert Spieldiener, Reinhold Spieldiener, and Alfons Saiko, the company’s name is a syllabic abbreviation of “international amusement installations.”…

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