History

We are proud of our long-standing tradition and eventful history as a family business from the heart of the Ruhr region. Today’s Wilo Group traces its roots back to the Louis Opländer copper- and brassware factory founded in Dortmund in 1872. Two principles have always guided us: endurance and adaptability. These values are reflected in our corporate culture, our commitment to taking responsibility for our employees, our dedication to developing resource-efficient technologies for people, our purposeful pioneering spirit and our drive to continuously improve.

Tradition and innovation since 1872

Over five generations, the Wilo brand has grown into a multinational water technology group. Forward-looking decisions have contributed to our long-term strategy and our business success. A significant step towards securing our future was the appointment of Oliver Hermes as the entrepreneurial successor to Dr.-Ing. E.h. Jochen Opländer in 2018. Since 2006, Oliver Hermes has consistently driven the transformation of the Wilo Group in his capacity as President & Global CEO.

Globally connected, locally rooted

Wilo comprises 90 production and sales companies in many countries worldwide and continues to grow. The process of internationalisation began with expansion to Belgium in 1967. Many countries followed, including France, the UK and Italy in the mid-1980s. In 2000, a major step was taken towards tapping into the Asian market with the establishment of the Korean subsidiary Wilo-LG Pumps Ltd.

In 2003, we expanded our product range to include submersible pumps following the acquisition of the EMU Group. Further acquisitions followed in India and the UK. Today, Wilo operates 16 main production sites in various regions around the world. In addition to the Group and European headquarters in Dortmund, two further regional headquarters were opened in Dubai, UAE, and Chicago, USA, in 2025 as part of a reorganisation of the Wilo Group. The ‘region-for-region’ approach is intended to support regional value creation structures and shorter decision-making paths. International, cosmopolitan, down-to-earth – we are a global corporation, yet we remain firmly aware of our roots.

Internationalisation and growth

As CEO, Oliver Hermes strengthened Wilo’s international position by entering the markets of East, West and Central African and Latin American, in addition to reinforcing the company’s presence in Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Under his leadership, new plants were built in India, China, South Korea, Türkiye, the United Arab Emirates and the United States, enabling the group to grow into a billion-euro corporation in recent years.