Founder of specialist warewasher company marks landmark birthday
Winterhalter glass and dishwashers are renowned for their rugged construction, efficiency and sustainability, not to mention their good looks. But now one Winterhalter has set new benchmarks, especially in terms of a long service life. Karl Winterhalter, the founder of the German-based warewasher manufacturer, is 100 years old on November 24 2011. And he’s still working.
Karl founded Winterhalter GmbH in 1947, in Friedrichshafen, the town famous for Zeppelins. Today, Jürgen and Ralph Winterhalter, son and grandson of the founder, are in charge of the family business. However, Karl still comes to the office once or twice a week and provides valuable expertise and unrivalled business experience.
In 1957 the company showed its first warewasher at the Cologne Spring Fair and by 1960 it was specialising in dish and glasswashers. Today Winterhalter’s portfolio of machines ranges from undercounter warewashers up to multi-tank flight-type and rack conveyor machines.
Appropriately, given the longevity of the founder, Winterhalter leads the industry in developing sustainable, resource-saving warewashing technologies. For example, it has won international acclaim for its Energy+ pass-through hood machines, including awards from the FCSI, Hotelympia (UK), Good Design (Japan) and Europain (Paris).
Winterhalter currently has approximately 1,000 employees around the world, with sales offices and distribution partners in seventy countries. The company manufactures in three locations, at Meckenbeuren and Endingen, both in Germany, and at Rüthi in Switzerland. Exports account for around seventy percent of production.
Celebrations for Karl Winterhalter’s milestone birthday will be fairly low key – but he expects to pop into the office.