Kohler Co., founded in 1873 by John Michael Kohler, is an American manufacturing company based in Kohler, Wisconsin. Kohler is best known for its plumbing products, but the company also manufactures furniture, cabinetry, tile, engines, and generators. Destination Kohler also owns various hospitality establishments in the United States and Scotland. In February 2017, Kohler Co. acquired UK-based Clarke Energy from the management team and ECI Partners, a multinational specialist in the engineering, construction, installation and maintenance of engine-based power plants and is an authorised distributor of GE’s reciprocating engines in 19 countries worldwide.
Some Kohler History
Kohler Co. was co-founded in 1873 by Austrian immigrant John Michael Kohler and Charles Silberzahn with the purchase of the Sheboygan Union Iron and Steel Foundry from Kohler’s father-in-law, Jacob Vollrath, for $5000. Early products included cast iron and steel farm implements, castings for furniture factories, and ornamental iron pieces including cemetery crosses and settees. A breakthrough came in 1883 when John Michael applied enamel to a cast-iron horse trough to create the company’s first bathtub. The company has been primarily in the plumbing business ever since and is known for its plumbing fixtures.
In the early 20th century, Kohler made drinking fountains with a “bubbling valve”, from which water shot vertically. Eventually, the entire fountain came to be known as a “bubbler” in the area in which Kohler products were sold. The term bubbler is still used in a few areas of Wisconsin and some other areas of the United States. In1934 and 1954, Kohler Strikes took place. A third strike took place in 1983 and lasted only a few weeks. On November 15, 2015, workers voted for the 2015 Kohler Strike, making it the fourth strike in the company’s history.
