Westfalia-Automotive
| Westfalia-Automotive GmbH | |
|---|---|
| legal form | GmbH |
| founding | October 1, 1844 |
| Seat |
Rheda-Wiedenbrück , Germany
|
| management |
|
| Number of employees | 924 |
| sales | 190 million euros (2015) |
| Branch | Automotive supplier |
| Website | www.westfalia-automotive.com |
| As of December 31, 2015 | |
The Westfalia-Automotive GmbH is a supplier of automotive industry based in Rheda-Wiedenbrück in North Rhine-Westphalia . As the inventor of the towbar with ball head in 1934, Westfalia-Automotive is now one of the world's leading manufacturers of towing devices for passenger cars and light commercial vehicles. The delivery program includes fixed, removable and swiveling systems as well as electrical kits. The product portfolio is rounded off by bicycle rack systems for the trailer coupling, roof load racks for commercial use and reinforcement springs.
history
On October 1st, 1844, Johann Bernard Knöbel opened a forge in Wiedenbrück. His two sons Wilhelm and Franz took over their father's business and expanded it into a wagon and saddlery business. Towards the end of the First World War , the two brothers ended their collaboration. Franz Knöbel switched the company to the production of hunting carriages and horse-drawn sleighs and named it Westfalia . With the advent of the motor vehicle in the 1920s, the company entered the automotive business.
In 1932 his first son, Franz Knöbel, developed the trailer coupling with a ball head. The advantages of the system compared to the jaw or hook couplings with eyelets that were common at the time are the small play, the great mobility and the compact design. The patent application for this invention was made on March 14, 1934.
In the decades that followed, Westfalia became known through the expansion of motorhomes and the production of trailers. In 1966, Westfalia was the first manufacturer to bring a detachable trailer coupling to the market with the nut system. The first fully automatically detachable trailer coupling followed in 1987. In order to do justice to the ever increasing electrification of the car, Westfalia decided in the 1980s to establish its own electronics development department. Since then, the electrical kits for the trailer coupling have been developed in close cooperation with the automobile manufacturers.
In 1999 the company converted the three business areas of Westfalia-Werke into three independent legal companies:
- Westfalia-Automotive GmbH & Co. KG (trailer hitches)
- Westfalia Van Conversion GmbH (motorhomes)
- Westfalia Trailer Group GmbH (trailer)
In 2002, Westfalia was the first manufacturer to bring an electrically swiveling trailer coupling onto the market. With the takeover of the towbar manufacturers SIARR (France, 2006) and Monoflex (Sweden, 2007), the company began to significantly expand its international business activities. In 2008 a bicycle rack system expands the product range. In the following years internationalization progressed with sales offices in Great Britain, the USA, Poland, Russia and Italy.
Nowadays, Westfalia-Automotive GmbH develops and produces more than 1,700 different trailer coupling types for almost all makes of vehicles. With 850 employees, the annual production includes 1.3 million towing devices with a total turnover of around 190 million euros. The trade magazine auto motor und sport named Westfalia-Automotive seven times in a row as the “Best Brand” in the “Trailer hitches” area.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ A b Westfalia-Automotive. Retrieved May 28, 2019 .
- ^ Festival magazine of Westfalia-Werke for the 125th anniversary, 1969.