Irrigation Manufacturer Marks 30 Years in Business

K-Rain Manufacturing is celebrating a business landmark: 30 years of operation.

Offering gear-driven rotors, sprinklers, sprays, controllers and valves for the irrigation industry, K-Rain is the second largest manufacturer of half-inch and three quarter-inch gear driven rotors. With headquarters in Riviera Beach, Fla., the company manufactures products for the professional and consumer marketplace.

CEO Carl Kah founded K-Rain in 1974, beginning with the design of an automatic irrigation control system for his home. “I started in my garage tinkering around with a lathe on the weekends,” Kah recalls. “It’s not exciting, but the truth is I desired a level of functionality from my home sprinkler system that I couldn’t buy off the shelf. So I set out to build the ‘mousetrap.’”

Today, Kah has more than 50 patents specific to the irrigation industry – and he is motivated each day by desires to improve his products. Notable patents include the reversing mechanism and K-Rain’s arc set indicator, which allows the operator to preset the spray pattern of the sprinkler before installation.

The rocket scientist began his professional career developing ideas in rocket propulsion and laser technology. Later, he served as deputy program manager for the Air Force’s reusable rocket engine – predecessor to the engine in NASA space shuttles.

Once a one-man show, K-Rain currently employs a diverse workforce of more than 200 people. The company is a family operation with Carl’s son, Chip, serving as president, focusing on sales, financial and manufacturing operations.

In addition to the company’s Florida manufacturing facility, K-Rain recently added an operations and manufacturing hub in the Dominican Republic. The move will allow the company to keep pace with a growing production demand.  “We’ve got a great group of people here and they undoubtedly are the essential element in our success,” observes Chip Kah. “Their perseverance and commitment to the customers we serve is the reason for our continued success.”