Above left (from left): President Jörn Wahl-Schwentker, managing director of IHK Ostwestfalen zu Bielefeld, presents Heiner Wemhöner with the certificate of honour
Above right: Full house at Alter Güterbahnhof Herford (former freight depot), the location for the100th anniversary celebrations on May 1, 2025 Father and son recognised the trend
towards series furniture production and chipboard as a base material. The reconstruction of Germany contributed to an upswing in demand. A patent application was made for a through-feed press with tray belt feeding system in 1960 and the première of a fully interlinked machine line in 1964 laid the foundations for the company’s later market leadership.
A Russian deal signed in 1970 was another
milestone for the company, seeing machines ordered for 50 new furniture factories – resulting in export sales of DM100m. The third generation of the Wemhöner
family took over responsibility in the 1980s with grandson Heiner Wemhöner, who was born in 1950.
The first press for the Asian market – the
“gate opener” – was also manufactured during this time. Exports accounted for 90% of the business at the time, which justified the establishment of the company’s own Chinese production facility in Changzhou from 2005. Shortly afterwards, Heiner took over
overall responsibility for the family business, which then had a turnover of over €90m. Thanks to his leadership and the
commitment of the 500 employees, the financial crisis in 2008 was overcome, albeit with some pain. Another plant in China was connected to the grid in 2018 and total sales are now at around €200m. Wemhöner says its values have remained unchanged for 100 years – describing its ethos as being solid and reliable, setting maximum quality standards, driving innovation and ideas wherever possible, seeing challenges as opportunities and always remaining confident. At the anniversary celebration speeches, this “mission statement” also accompanied all the speeches at the big family party on May 1. The guests celebrated Wemhöner’s
100th birthday at the headquarters’ open house in Planckstrasse and at Alter Güterbahnhof Herford. Well over 100 employees, some with their children, had travelled all the way from China. The Wemhöner family, including Heiner
Wemhöner, his wife Elke and their children Kathleen and Philipp, organised a party full of enjoyment and fun: ice cream, popcorn, grilled treats, beer, and cocktails, with several bands, including two employee bands.
The guests of honour were Herford’s
mayor Tim Kähler, Wemhöner Works Council chairman Jan Dingerdissen and Changzhou’s vice-mayor Hang Hongwei, emphasising Heiner Wemhöner’s extraordinary commitment as an employer and a driving force for the industry. Heiner Wemhöner, who has been with
the company for 46 years – 38 of which as managing partner – and his CEO for the Chinese branches, Xufeng He, thanked both
the employees entrusted to them and their customers in Europe, Asia and overseas, some of whom have been loyal for decades. The Chamber of Industry and Commerce and the East Westphalia Chamber of Crafts in Bielefeld presented certificates of honour for the anniversary celebrations. Three weeks later, on May 24, the second
company party for the same occasion delighted a large number of customers and interested parties, particularly from Asia. The focus here was on a visit to the “open factory” in Planckstrasse and the Wemhöner collection currently on display in the Marta Museum in Herford under the title “Other People Think”. The collection currently comprises around 1,800 works by 400 artists. A film about the company’s 100-year
history was shown to guests, and the upcoming fourth generation of the Wemhöner family was highlighted – soon to take over the operational responsibility of company. ●
Above left: Guest of honour Tim Kähler, Mayor of the Hanseatic City of Herford, paid tribute to the outstanding position of Wemhöner Surface Technologies Above right: Xufeng He is CEO of both plants of Wemhoener (Changzhou) Machinery in China together with company boss Heiner Wemhöner
www.wbpionline.com | June/July 2025 | WBPI
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