Small in work force, financially successful and market leader in pneumatic unloading systems, Dutch-based Kovako Materials Handling B.V. is a significant player in the FLSmidth Materials Handling Group, which again is part of the FLSmidth Group.

The largest pneumatic ship unloader delivered by Kovako so far has a capacity of 800 tons of cement per hour. This is a considerable increase from the 20 tph unloading system developed in the early 1950's. At that time, however, it was a considerable improvement over the manual unloading procedure which was both time consuming and very wasteful.

Developing, manufacturing and marketing of the pneumatic unloading system was later organized under the name of Kovako, which was founded in 1978.

In 1992, Fuller Company, through its Standard Products Division, acquired Kovako. Also acquired was Kovako's Swedish sister company, H.W.Carlsen AB , which specializes in self-unloading ships and barges. Today H.W.Carlsen do not longer belongs to the FLSmidth Group.