What KSR International makes

KSR International designs, engineers, and manufactures driver interface systems for automotive OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers. The core product is the pedal: electronic throttle control (ETC) accelerator pedals in dash-mount and floor-mount configurations, brake pedals and pedal modules, clutch pedals, adjustable and retractable pedals, and pedal release systems designed for crash safety. KSR describes its ETC accelerator pedal as a longstanding industry standard, and its work in fixed and adjustable pedal systems goes back to 1957.

The second product family is electronic sensors. KSR builds programmable, non-contacting automotive sensors on common platforms, split between patented inductive and magneto-inductive designs (height and suspension, linear, steering angle and torque, and motor position) and Hall effect sensors (pedal angle, transfer case, gear select), plus capacitive fluid-level, temperature, and current sensors. The inductive sensors use ratio-metric technology the company says is robust across the full range of automotive operating conditions.

A newer line is the company's e-systems: an e-brake pedal (brake-by-wire) and an e-clutch pedal (clutch-by-wire), both developed to the ISO 26262 functional-safety standard and aimed at electric vehicles. The e-brake communicates driver input to electro-hydraulic and electro-mechanical brake systems without a traditional hydraulic circuit, while preserving pedal feel through a mechanical force-feedback device. KSR also produces electronic power modules, a capability broadened by its 2014 acquisition of Electronic Motion Systems, a Wales-based maker of MOSFET power modules and EPS and EHPS steering electronics.

Engineering and technology

KSR holds over 50 US patents and runs engineering across multiple regions, which the company says lets it provide 24-hour support to customers. In-house testing supports development in advanced composite and lightweight materials, crash safety systems, haptics, sensing for autonomous vehicles, and sense-and-force emulation for its e-systems. The engineering emphasis on proprietary non-contacting sensor technology is what ties the pedal and sensor lines together: the same sensing approach that reads pedal angle also underpins the standalone sensor catalog.

Ownership and history

KSR started in 1948 when founder A.J. Sales began making locks for Ford-built cars and trucks out of a garage in Ridgetown, Ontario. The company expanded through the following decades, redefined the fixed-pedal business in 1957, and shifted its focus toward electronics in the early 2000s. It grew into a global business with manufacturing and engineering sites in Ridgetown and Rodney, Ontario, Southfield, Michigan, Mexico, England, Germany, the Czech Republic (Opava), and China.

On July 2, 2025, KSR was acquired by Angstrom Automotive Group, a metal-manufacturing group based in Southfield, Michigan and founded in 1999. Financial terms were not disclosed. Coverage in Automotive News described the combination as creating a supplier with more than $1 billion in annual revenue and about 4,500 employees globally. A letter to staff at the time stated there were no immediate changes to roles or responsibilities. Angstrom's own operations center on tubular forming, die-casting, forging, and stamping across Ontario, the United States, Mexico, Brazil, Hungary, and Germany, so KSR's pedal, sensor, and power-electronics lines extend the group into driver-interface electronics.

Day-to-day leadership, per the company's own materials: Chris Wenaas, CEO, who joined KSR in February 2024 and brings more than 40 years in automotive parts manufacturing from The Woodbridge Group; and Shane Keenan, CFO, who joined in June 2021 after senior finance roles at Quantum Fuel Systems and The Woodbridge Group.

Certifications and quality

KSR states in its quality policy that it operates in compliance with IATF 16949, VDA, and ISO 9001 standards, and that it audits its global quality management system and its external providers against them. These are described as commitments in the company's published policy rather than as a dated certificate posted on the site, so they are reported here as claims. The company also publishes health-and-safety and environmental policies and a separate information-security policy for its Opava, Czech Republic operation. On the customer-quality record, KSR Mexico has won the General Motors Quality Excellence Award twice, per the company's own news.

Known customers

KSR serves Tier 1 OEM programs broadly and does not publish a full customer list, which is normal for a pedal and sensor supplier. One relationship is on the public record.

Sourcing evidence

KSR's US import record reads like a component buyer's, not a reseller's: 241 sea shipments since January 2015, running at roughly two TEU per month, with activity continuing to a shipment on September 20, 2026. The goods are the inputs a pedal and sensor maker consumes. Bills of lading name fasteners, pedal-mechanism parts such as leadscrews and clevis shafts, electronic switches, printed circuit boards, and bearings.

By origin, the flow is 74.7% Asia and 23.7% Europe: China (106 shipments), Taiwan (61), Germany (22), Belgium (20), and Italy (8), with smaller lanes from the Czech Republic, South Korea, Indonesia, and Hong Kong. The German and Belgian volume, including Hella switch shipments, reflects the electronics side of the business rather than commodity hardware. By HS chapter the mix leads with iron and steel articles (fasteners), automotive parts and accessories, precision instruments, and machinery, consistent with building pedals and sensors from imported sub-components.

Coverage caveats: these are US ocean-freight records only, and KSR is a Canadian-headquartered company, so shipments moving directly into its Canadian and overseas plants, plus any air, truck, or rail freight, do not appear here. Some records name freight intermediaries rather than manufacturers, and product categories come from declared manifest codes, which are noisy. Absence of a record is not evidence of absence. For buyers weighing tariff exposure and nearshoring, the relevant fact is the breadth of the component base across Asia and Europe feeding North American assembly.

Frequently asked questions

What does KSR International make?

KSR International makes automotive driver interface systems: electronic throttle control (ETC) accelerator pedals, brake and clutch pedal modules, adjustable and crash-safety pedals, and brake-by-wire and clutch-by-wire e-systems for EVs. It also makes patented inductive and Hall effect automotive sensors and electronic power modules. The company holds over 50 US patents.

Who owns KSR International?

KSR International has been owned by Angstrom Automotive Group, a Southfield, Michigan metal-manufacturing group, since July 2, 2025. Financial terms were not disclosed. The combined group is described as a supplier with more than $1 billion in annual revenue and about 4,500 employees globally. KSR was privately held before the acquisition.

Where is KSR International located?

KSR International is headquartered at 95 Erie Street South in Ridgetown, Ontario, Canada, where it was founded in 1948. It operates manufacturing and engineering facilities in Rodney, Ontario; Southfield, Michigan; Mexico; England; Germany; Opava, Czech Republic; and China.

Who are KSR International's customers?

KSR serves automotive OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers with pedal and sensor programs. It does not publish a full customer list. One documented relationship is General Motors, at whose programs KSR Mexico has twice won the GM Quality Excellence Award.

What certifications does KSR International hold?

KSR states in its published quality policy that it operates in compliance with IATF 16949, VDA, and ISO 9001 standards and audits its global quality management system against them. These are published as policy commitments rather than as a dated certificate on the company's site, so they are reported as claims.

When was KSR International founded?

KSR was founded in 1948 by A.J. Sales, who started by making locks for Ford-built cars and trucks in a garage in Ridgetown, Ontario. The company redefined the fixed-pedal business in 1957 and moved its focus to electronics in the early 2000s.

Last verified September 27, 2026. Is this your company? Request a correction.