RUDOLF GEHLEN GMBH & CO KG

Peter and Wilhelm Gehlen founded the company Gebr. Gehlen in 1882, specializing in stair construction. Among other projects, they manufactured the current church benches in the Protestant church between 1893 and 1895. This was followed by a relocation to the Obermühle, on the island of the Kottmann mill. Here, the main production was of brushes and broom handles. After a major fire, the company moved to its current production site at Oberstr. 92. Here, the production of household goods was also initiated. In January 1919, the sons Dietrich and Friederich Gehlen took over the company. In 1936, they set up the first band saw to produce boards and planks themselves. During World War II, up to 65 employees were partially employed. After the war, huge poplar beams were cut for emergency bridges for the American occupying forces. To meet the high demand for construction timber, an expansion of the sawmill began in 1950 on the opposite side. Even back then, a timber trade was operated for several years. At the beginning of 1958, cousins Kurt and Rudolf Gehlen joined the company. On January 1, 1980, the cousins divided the company into Kurt and Rudolf Gehlen. Kurt Gehlen continued the production of vegetable crates for several more years. Rudolf Gehlen discontinued the previous production of gymnastic sandals and began manufacturing boxes and pallets for the industry. Since then, the production of industrial packaging has been established. In 2001, Rolf Gehlen took over the current operation in the 4th generation. The assembly and setup of all products is carried out exclusively by trained professionals. The sale of power tools from the Makita brand, hand tools, paints, and screws of all types and sizes, which can also be sold individually, rounds off the diverse range of products. Since 2016, the sons Kai and Yannik Gehlen, thus the 5th generation, have also been active in the business.