Precision in welding
Quality in the result
Karl Wilhelm

Our Company - Karl Wilhelm

From a small, one-man bicycle repair shop, a long-established family business has grown over the past century. With the construction of the small workshop "In der Habach" in 1948, Karl Wilhelm began manufacturing metal products, recognizing even then the paramount importance of quality and reliability. This conviction remains firmly rooted in our philosophy to this day and has enabled us to build a broad customer base and continuously develop the company over the years.

At Karl Wilhelm, we think long-term and, in addition to the highest quality standards, consider values such as reliability, commitment, and honesty to be essential. As a family business with a long tradition, we feel a special connection to our employees and place great value on their opinions and satisfaction. Our Karl Wilhelm team therefore consists of long-term employees who appreciate a friendly and trusting atmosphere.

Your Karl Wilhelm Team

Our guiding principles

Advantage through quality!

Customers are our partners!

We think in Generations!

We take responsibility for our actions!

We operate as Team Karl Wilhelm!

2026
The future
As a long-established family business, we focus on long-term development and continuous improvement. For over 60 years, Karl Wilhelm has been successfully operating in the field of tank and plant construction, and we will continue to be a reliable partner for our customers, realizing projects and constantly evolving.
2026
3rd generation in responsibility
With the appointment of Kai Eling as managing director, the responsibility of Karl Wilhelm GmbH passes into the third generation.
2018
Third Generation
Since 2018, Kai Eling, representing the third generation, has been working at the Karl Wilhelm company. For the family business, this lays the foundation for continuing its tradition.
2013
New Management A. Eling & S. Schneider
In 2013, after more than 50 years with the company, Friedhelm Vogel decided to step down from the management board. He had already laid the groundwork for the future of the family business early on, together with his two daughters, Sabine Schneider and Petra Eling, who had headed the accounting department since 1998, and his long-time co-managing director, Alfred Eling. Alfred Eling and Sabine Schneider then took over the management of the company.
2002
Largest expansion of the business
By expanding our production with a workshop located in close proximity, we have successfully doubled our production capacity. This growth has enabled us to offer our customers a wider variety of products. Furthermore, the separate processing of carbon steel and stainless steel in the two workshops is now possible, which continues to have a positive impact on the quality of our delivered products. Separating the materials has helped us achieve greater efficiency and better control over the manufacturing process. This allows us to deliver high-quality products to our customers, and we will continue to work on optimizing our production.
This expansion also led to a change in company management. Long-time employee Alfred Eling has been promoted to Co-Managing Director at Karl Wilhelm.
1988-1990
Entry A. Eling & S. Schneider
Sabine Schneider joined the company as a buyer in 1988. A year after the Vogel family took over the company, Alfred Eling was hired as a technician in 1990. In the following years, he assumed responsibility for the technical office.
1989
Acquisition of the company by Friedhelm Vogel
In 1989, company founder Karl Wilhelm passed away at an advanced age. Friedhelm Vogel and his wife Hannelore Vogel assumed sole responsibility for the company. Despite this loss, Friedhelm Vogel successfully guided the company's development. Under his leadership, the company experienced continuous growth and established itself in the market with heat exchangers, pressure vessels, equipment, piping, and steel structures. Karl Wilhelm's experience and expertise were invaluable to the company and contributed significantly to its current success. Today, the company looks back with pride on its successful founding years and is committed to continuing to live up to this legacy.
1980
Foundation of today's Karl Wilhelm GmbH
Over the past few years, the company had steadily expanded, leading Karl Wilhelm to decide to transform it into the GmbH (limited liability company) it is today. This transformation also brought about a change in management, as long-time employee Friedhelm Vogel became an equal partner in the company's leadership and took over production. Further expansions followed in the 1980s, the visual character of which is still evident today at workshop 1.
1960
Entry Friedhelm Vogel
Friedhelm Vogel joined the company in 1960. On November 1st, 1960, in his early twenties, he began working for Karl Wilhelm as a sheet metal worker and welder. Due to his skills, Friedhelm Vogel quickly became an important part of the business – the beginning of today's family-owned company.
1959
Construction of our first container
In 1959, a significant event took place at Karl Wilhelm's company – the first extension was built. This growth also brought about a change in production. From then on, boilers and direct-fired hot water tanks were manufactured and welded in the new hall. For this task, Karl Wilhelm needed several qualified welders, so he initially hired three. The company evolved into a welding operation and adapted to the changing needs of its customers.
1948
Foundation of today's company
The company experienced rapid growth with its two apprentices. It quickly became clear that the premises in the town center were too small and that an expansion of capacity was necessary. Finally, Karl Wilhelm decided to build his own workshop "in Habach"—which remains an integral part of our business to this day. Our pillars of success continue to be determination and a passion for our craft.
Thanks to the significantly larger workshop, we were now able to utilize stamping machines. With these machines, we were able to expand our product range in the following years to include coal wagons and wheels, as well as components for the emerging electrical industry.
1945
Change of offer
After the end of World War II, many companies in Germany had to rethink their strategies and adapt their production. Karl Wilhelm also faced low demand. During this difficult time, he decided to adapt his offerings to the times and shifted his focus to the sale and maintenance of bicycles and motorcycles.
This decision proved to be wise, as the bicycle and motorcycle business grew rapidly. Soon after, he hired the first two apprentices in the company's history, thus ushering in a new era.
1924-1933
The origin
In 1933, after the death of Heinrich Braach, Karl Wilhelm took over the company where he had trained and worked since his apprenticeship in 1924. With the takeover, he expanded the business's range of products and services, which had previously focused on bicycles and sewing machines, to include the production, maintenance, and sale of residential and kitchen stoves. This expansion brought the company new customers and additional sources of income.