WILO AG was founded by Louis Opländer in 1872 as a factory for copper and brass goods, and in 1920, expanded into the heating and sanitary areas. In the following decades, groundbreaking innovations have been brought to the market. It all started in 1928 when the first circulation accelerator was developed and patented. The company’s name was changed to Wilo in 1928 after Wilhelm Opländer, the founder’s son, who took over the company.
Wilo was the first pump manufacturer to introduce completely oil-filled motors for the sewage and other solids-handling applications in diverse industries in 1950.
In 2001, the world’s first submersible motor for wastewater applications with a hermetically sealed cooling circuit was launched. In addition to this, electronics production was established at Wilo headquarters in Dortmund. Since then, the electronic components for all Wilo pump manufacturing facilities (Dortmund, Oschersleben, Aubigny/France, Gim-hae/South Korea) and all brands (Wilo, Salmson, EMB) are produced there.
In 1984, Wilo acquired the French pump manufacturer Pompes Salmson. Wilo continued its international strategy of growth in the new millennium by entering the North American market with the formation of WILO USA LLC, based in Chicago, Wilo Canada Inc., based in Calgary, and WILO EMU LLC in Thomasville, Ga. A new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility opened in Thomasville in September 2007 to support the ever-growing demand for the superior WILO EMU pumps for municipal applications in the U.S. Further international steps included the acquisition of the Korean pump manufacturer LG Pumps in 2000, as well as Mather & Platt Pumps Ltd in 2006. With the acquisition of the EMU Group (Hof, Germany) in 2003, the Wilo Group has strengthened and increased its presence in municipal and industrial water supply as well as wastewater collection and treatment. In the 1980s, submersible motor technology was adapted to a range of high performance, low-maintenance mixers that enhance industrial and municipal wastewater processes.
Currently, the WILO AG group has representative offices in more than 50 countries and employs almost 6,000 people worldwide.