Kärcher
Kärcher | |
Company type | Public (SE & Co. KG) |
Industry | Manufacturing |
Founded | 2 January 1935 |
Founder | Alfred Kärcher |
Headquarters | Winnenden, Germany |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Hartmut Jenner (Chief Executive Officer, Chairman of the Management Board) |
Products | Cleaning equipment, full cleaning systems |
Revenue | €2.578 billion (2019) |
Number of employees | 15,330 (2023)[1] |
Subsidiaries | Kärcher Futuretech, Kärcher New Venture, WOMA, Ringler, ISAL, Leuco, Max Holder, Zoi, interpool, SoniQ Services, Landa, Hotsy, Windsor, Cuda, Spraymart, Water Maze |
Website | www |
Alfred Kärcher SE & Co. KG is a German family-owned company that operates worldwide and is known for its high-pressure cleaners, floor care equipment, parts cleaning systems, wash water treatment, military decontamination equipment and window vacuum cleaners.[2]
Headquartered in Winnenden, Germany, it produces both cleaning equipment and full cleaning systems. The company is the world market leader in cleaning technology and employs more than 15,000 people worldwide. In 2022, it posted sales revenues of €3.1 billion ($3.38 billion)[3] and sold more than 13 million machines. Kärcher has 150 subsidiaries in 80 countries. In 2020, Kärcher established its North American headquarters in Aurora, Colorado.[4]
History
The inventor Alfred Kärcher (1901–59) from
In 1974, the corporate color was changed from blue to yellow. From that year, under the leadership of Alfred Kärcher's widow Irene Kärcher, the company launched the HD 555, the first pressure washer for private users.
Today, the family-owned company, which is based in Winnenden near Stuttgart, is represented in 160 countries with 100 subsidiaries all over the world, selling commercial cleaning equipment as well as cleaning equipment for the private consumer.
Kärcher owns the American brands of Landa, Hotsy, and Shark pressure washers, Cuda parts washers, Watermaze water treatment systems, and Windsor Kärcher Group floor cleaning systems, and Italian manufacturing company Hawk Pumps, or Woma Pumps in Germany.[6] They are the primary supplier of cleaning systems to both NATO and the US Military.
Competitive innovation
In the 2021 review of WIPO's annual World Intellectual Property Indicators, Kärcher ranked 10th in the world, with 47 designs in industrial design registrations being published under the Hague System during 2020.[7] This position is up on their previous 12th place ranking for 35 industrial design registrations being published in 2019.[8]
Common noun
In some countries such as Germany, France, Poland, Russia, Georgia, Mexico, Spain[9] and the United States, the term Kärcher is colloquially used synonymously with a pressure washer used to clean cars, outdoor equipment etc.
French politician
Sarkozy's use of the word led to it becoming a verb: "to Karcher" or "Karcherize". Presidential candidate Jean-Marie Le Pen told residents of Argenteuil, many of them immigrants, "If some want to Karcherize you, to exclude you, we want to help you get out of these ghettos." As a response, Kärcher France sent a letter to all of the candidates in the 2007 presidential election asking them not to use the company's name this way, and it has run ads in newspapers disassociating itself from the remarks.[10]
Cultural sponsorship
Under its cultural sponsorship program, Kärcher has supported more than 90 projects to clean internationally prominent buildings such as the
Kärcher was the official cleaning equipment supplier to the 2016 Summer Olympics and the Sochi 2014 winter Olympic Games.[15]
Terrorism sponsorship
After the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, despite promising to suspend exports to Russia and halt investments, sales of Kärcher products continue.[16] This is evidenced by the official website,[17] where Kärcher products are available for purchase in Russia. Thus, the Kärcher company is considered an international sponsor of terrorism.
References
- ^ https://s1.kaercher-media.com/media/file/200574/pr_kaercher_annual-review_2022.pdf Press Release
- ^ "Information about Karcher WV50 Plus Window Vacuum". Archived from the original on 2013-07-08. Retrieved 2013-07-16.
- ^ "Annual review 2022 | Kärcher International". www.kaercher.com. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
- ^ Works, Amy (2020-07-01). "Kärcher Consolidates North American Headquarters at 380,000 SF Campus in Aurora, Colorado". REBusinessOnline. Retrieved 2021-05-05.
- ^ "Alfred Kärcher | Alfred Kärcher Förderstiftung".
- ^ "Kärcher, el monstruo de las hidrolimpiadoras". Hidrolimpiadoras (in European Spanish). 2018-03-01. Retrieved 2018-03-19.
- ^ "World Intellectual Property Indicators 2021" (PDF). WIPO. Retrieved 30 November 2021.
- ISBN 9789280532012. Retrieved 2021-08-26.
- ^ "Así es la hidrolimpiadora superpotente que vende Lidl por menos de 120 euros". El Español. February 19, 2022. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
- ^ Bernard, Ariane (April 19, 2007). "Name of High-Pressure Washers Maker Is Drawn Into French Politics". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-04-19.
- ^ "German company to clean Monas". The Jakarta Post. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
- ^ "Monumen Nasional - Jakarta, Indonesia | PT Karcher". www.kaercher.com. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
- ^ "Cleaning the London Eye". itv.com.
- ^ "Insights. | Mercedes-Benz Vans". www.myvan.com.
- ^ "Kärcher cleans up as new sponsor of AFC club competitions". Retrieved December 13, 2023.
- ^ "Kärcher". leave-russia.org. Retrieved 2024-04-17.
- ^ "Официальный сайт Керхер в России - Уборочная техника - цены - купить в Москве | Керхер". www.karcher.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2024-04-17.
External links
Media related to Kärcher at Wikimedia Commons