Vollrath
Encyclopedia
The Vollrath Company manufactures stainless steel and aluminum small-wares and equipment, deep draw stainless steel
, for commercial foodservice operations including restaurants, hotels/lodging, primary and secondary education, health care, business and institutions, catering, military, grocery and convenience stores, casinos, cruise ships, stadiums and arenas.
, New York
and China
and has been a leader in commercial induction cooktop technology. Vollrath is a global company with sales, service and warehouse support in the United States
, Canada
, Mexico
, Europe
, and China. They also have a large OEM arm, which produces custom stainless steel pieces for various applications. Vollrath offers food preparation, cooking and serving products. They sell their products through two-tier distribution.
The Vollrath Company was started in 1874 in Sheboygan, Wisconsin
by Jacob J. Vollrath. Jacob sold his products from a cart and quickly expanded his business. Vollrath devoted its production facilities to military products during the wars and produced a Polio-Pak during the polio epidemic. It was among the first manufacturing companies in America to integrate computer technology. Today, the company is family owned with Terry J. Kohler
, the great-great grandson of Jacob Vollrath
, serving on the company’s board of directors.
began building farm implements, steam engines, cast iron ranges and cooking utensils in Sheboygan, Wisconsin
. He manufactured porcelain enameled pots, pans, plates, cups and other kitchenware by coating cast iron with ceramic glaze. In 1874 he constructed a plant on 6th Street and Michigan Avenue in Sheboygan to do general foundry work while his son Andrew was in Germany learning porcelain enamelling
. The Sheboygan Cast Steel Company produced railroad frogs (a device that allowed the wheels of a train on one set of tracks to cross over intersecting tracks) and small cast parts for the furniture industry. The company also branched out into the manufacture of cooking ranges and agricultural implements.
In 1876 Andrew returned from Germany and production of enameled ware began. After making a few enameled cast iron
utensils, Jacob went from one community to the next with a cart selling his limited stock. By 1881 Jacob employed 40 men and grossed $50,000 per year. The company flourished and was incorporated in 1884 under the name of Jacob J. Vollrath Manufacturing Company.
By 1886, Jacob’s business had expanded so much that his facility covered an entire block. He purchased 30 acres (121,405.8 m²) of land along Lake Michigan
for a home and a park. The 16 acres (64,749.8 m²) which became Vollrath Park was subsequently donated to the city by his heirs in 1917. In 1887, the Vollrath facility was one of the largest plants in the country devoted to enameled ware.
Jacob’s second son, Carl, originated and patented “Speckled” enamel in 1889, which became quite commonly used. Sheet steel stamped ware was added to the product line in 1892, which increased the range of items considerably. A catalog from that era shows the addition of coffee boilers, dippers, ladles, cake and pie pans, bowls and cups. Already manufacturing enameled cast iron sinks, stove reservoirs, refrigerator tanks, and water cooler tanks, Vollrath added bathtubs to the product line in 1895, though they never made it into a catalog. At the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago
in 1893 Vollrath garnered the Grand Prize for enameled iron ware. Jacob died in May 1898, passing the company on to his children.
In February 1908, the need for a shorter company name was realized and a new corporation, the Vollrath Company, was organized. In order to ensure that Vollrath enameled ware maintained its high quality, a new plant was designed. In 1910 construction of the new facility began at 18th and Michigan Ave in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, which is still the current site of the corporate offices and stainless steel manufacturing plant. A complete unit for the economical handling of the product was built, where each department would be housed in surroundings designed for that particular process. Expansion continued at the Vollrath facility during the late 1900s and throughout the 1920s. In 1918 new additions were added to the south end of the finishing and enameling shops. In 1919 the office building and gate lodge (known at that time as the “watchman’s house) were constructed; in 1920 the power house was built. In 1922 the carton shed was added on to the building that was known as hay storage and the machine shop and annealing room were added in 1923.
In 1919 steam table pans and equipment were first featured in the Vollrath catalog. The pans were sold only to bona fide steam table manufacturers and were produced in sixteen sizes. The heaviest, a meat panel, weighing in at a hefty 35 pounds, featured the meat platter as an integral part of the pan. Vollrath Ware was approved by the Good Housekeeping Institute, and earned the distinction of being a “Star Product” in 1919.
In 1928, Vollrath was still expanding physically and increasing the product range. It made another addition to its warehouse and there were over 800 items in the complete product line catalog. Jean C. Vollrath became president of the Vollrath Company in 1932 after the death of his father. The Board Chairman was Walter J. Kohler, Sr.
, Jacob’s grandson who served as governor of Wisconsin from 1929 to 1931.
and under the guidance of President J.C. Vollrath, the company continued its entrepreneurial practices. By the late 1930s Vollrath had begun replacing some enamelware with stainless steel. Vollrath’s field sales force numbered nineteen in 1938.
With war imminent, Vollrath gradually converted to war production in late 1941, increasing the government supplies monthly until August 1, 1942. At that time Vollrath was working 100% on defense work, which continued throughout the war. By September 1943 Vollrath’s price list of porcelain enamelware permitted for civilian use was strictly limited to a few dozen necessary items such as coffee pots, boilers, and percolators, vegetable insets, bain maries, double boilers, dish pans, ladles, pails, hotel pans, sauce pans, and stock pots for kitchen use.
On June 28, 1945 Vollrath was awarded the Army-Navy “E” Flag for Vollrath’s record in the production of materials needed in the war effort. Vollrath produced more than 12 million canteens during the war, along with many other products for military use, such as mess trays, meat cans, irrigators, and basins. Lapel pins were given to 764 Vollrath employees in recognition of this accomplishment.
, Jacob’s great-grandson, joined the Vollrath Company Board of Directors in 1939 upon his father’s death, and became the Vollrath Company’s fifth president in 1947 after acquiring a controlling interest in the firm, succeeding his uncle Jean C. Vollrath. After joining the Vollrath Company, Walter became a delegate-at-large to the Republican National Convention
. He had some political experience as a young man, having assisted his father, Walter J. Kohler, Sr.
, in his successful Wisconsin gubernatorial campaign in the late 1920s. Walter J. Kohler, Jr. became one of the very few three-term governors in the state’s history. His terms as governor of Wisconsin ran from 1951 through 1957, and he was heavily involved with the presidential campaign of Dwight D. Eisenhower
in the 1952 election.
In 1970 Vollrath began molding medical plastics in Sheboygan. The plastic operation was subsequently moved to Gallaway, Tennessee
in 1975. In early 1974, Vollrath leased a property in Clarksville, Tennessee
, moving the cookware finishing from Sheboygan to that location. Later that same year Vollrath also purchased the hollowware and related assets of the Admiral Craft Corporation of New York. The newly acquired products were dubbed Century Ware by Vollrath, to commemorate Vollrath’s 100th year in business.
Vollrath entered the foodservice plastic marketplace in 1976 with the purchase of the Bolta line of about 800 different plastic containers, trays, racks and other foodservice items from the chemical and plastics division of the General Tire and Rubber Company. Construction of a 24000 square feet (2,229.7 m²) addition to the south end of the original office building was begun in June, 1977.
By 1981 Vollrath purchased the business of Dyna International Corp. from Peters & Company of Boston, Massachusetts. Vollrath eventually sold the line of self-leveling dispensers, dish and utility carts in 1986 to Servolift of Boston. In 1982 Vollrath sold its sink line to Keyline Sales of Elkhart, Indiana
. That same year Vollrath constructed an addition to the foundry for investment casting. That portion of the foundry business was in operation until 1985.
In April 1983 the Vollrath Company decentralized. Nine divisions were formed: food service, management systems, refrigeration, information network, management services, management consulting and education, consumer products, health care and international. Each division functioned under the corporate umbrella but had its own president. In 1984 Vollrath installed a new IBM
3038-EX computer. The computer, its generator and its cooling system weighed more than six tons. The $1.6 million electronic equipment was lifted by crane to the second floor computer room. It was the first of the new IBM EX series to be installed in Wisconsin, and the fourth “generation” of IBM computer equipment ordered by Vollrath, considered to be a pioneer in the extensive use of such equipment in business and service. Vollrath completed decentralization in January 1989.
is the third generation of Kohlers to serve at Vollrath, joining the firm in 1962 after more than eight years in the United States Air Force
and at MIT. He is the great-great grandson of Jacob J. Vollrath. A graduate of MIT, his undergraduate degree was in mechanical engineering and industrial management, with an MBA in Industrial Management from the MIT Sloan School of Management
. He has served as president, CEO, and chairman of the board. His thesis and research were in the area of business application of large scale digital computers in smaller companies. Upon joining Vollrath, Terry pushed the integration of computers into manufacturing, installing the first computer (an IMB 1440 system) in 1964, thereby launching Vollrath to the forefront of the industry in control of inventories, production management, and manufacturing scheduling. He was responsible for the installation of the series of IBM computers, and allowed the company to serve as “guinea pig” for computer development. He also orchestrated the decentralization of the company in 1983 and negotiated the purchase of North Sails in 1984.
. Purchase of the Kewaunee, Wisconsin
manufacturing facility gave Vollrath greater control in supplying commercial aluminum cookware rather than relying on a foreign manufacturer to produce the goods. On December 15, 1992 Vollrath reached the landmark position of $100 million in sales for that year. The accomplishment was celebrated with a company-wide brat fry.
In May 1994 Vollrath acquired a line of food warmers and accessories with the purchase of Idea/Medalie Division, Rogers, Minnesota
. Production of the warmers was moved to Vollrath’s Kewaunee, Wisconsin plant.
On September 30, 1996 the Vollrath Company, Inc. entered into a restructuring agreement and became the Vollrath Company, L.L.C. Vollrath has purchased Luitink Manufacturing Co. of Menomonee Falls
, and Oconomowoc, Wisconsin
in May 1999 to give the company new flexibility for precision created smallwares. In 2004 Vollrath acquired Corsair Display Systems in Canandaigua, New York, expanding their equipment capabilities and allowing for the introduction of mobile carts to the Vollrath catalog and expanding their customizing capabilities. In 2009, Vollrath acquired three companies:
in September 2009.
Stainless steel
In metallurgy, stainless steel, also known as inox steel or inox from French "inoxydable", is defined as a steel alloy with a minimum of 10.5 or 11% chromium content by mass....
, for commercial foodservice operations including restaurants, hotels/lodging, primary and secondary education, health care, business and institutions, catering, military, grocery and convenience stores, casinos, cruise ships, stadiums and arenas.
Overview
Vollrath specializes in the manufacturing of equipment and supplies for the commercial foodservice industry. Their equipment offering includes mixers, slicers, induction ranges, countertop griddles and charbroilers, warmers, merchandisers, mobile serving units, merchandising carts and kiosks. Their supply offering (also known as smallwares) includes steam table pans, cookware, kitchen utensils, tabletop accessories, and buffet serving ware. Vollrath operates six manufacturing plants with locations in WisconsinWisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and has been a leader in commercial induction cooktop technology. Vollrath is a global company with sales, service and warehouse support in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, and China. They also have a large OEM arm, which produces custom stainless steel pieces for various applications. Vollrath offers food preparation, cooking and serving products. They sell their products through two-tier distribution.
The Vollrath Company was started in 1874 in Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Sheboygan, Wisconsin
-Airport:Sheboygan is served by the Sheboygan County Memorial Airport, which is located several miles from the city.-Roads:Interstate 43 is the primary north-south transportation route into Sheboygan, and forms the west boundary of the city. U.S...
by Jacob J. Vollrath. Jacob sold his products from a cart and quickly expanded his business. Vollrath devoted its production facilities to military products during the wars and produced a Polio-Pak during the polio epidemic. It was among the first manufacturing companies in America to integrate computer technology. Today, the company is family owned with Terry J. Kohler
Terry Jodok Kohler
Terry Jodok Kohler is a prominent American businessman, Wisconsin Republican Party leader, sportsman, philanthropist, and conservationist. He is known internationally in part because of his lifetime dedication to the sport of sailing....
, the great-great grandson of Jacob Vollrath
Jacob Vollrath
Jacob Johann Vollrath was an industrialist in the city of Sheboygan, Wisconsin in the United States. He founded the Vollrath Company....
, serving on the company’s board of directors.
Start up
Jacob VollrathJacob Vollrath
Jacob Johann Vollrath was an industrialist in the city of Sheboygan, Wisconsin in the United States. He founded the Vollrath Company....
began building farm implements, steam engines, cast iron ranges and cooking utensils in Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Sheboygan, Wisconsin
-Airport:Sheboygan is served by the Sheboygan County Memorial Airport, which is located several miles from the city.-Roads:Interstate 43 is the primary north-south transportation route into Sheboygan, and forms the west boundary of the city. U.S...
. He manufactured porcelain enameled pots, pans, plates, cups and other kitchenware by coating cast iron with ceramic glaze. In 1874 he constructed a plant on 6th Street and Michigan Avenue in Sheboygan to do general foundry work while his son Andrew was in Germany learning porcelain enamelling
Vitreous enamel
Vitreous enamel, also porcelain enamel in U.S. English, is a material made by fusing powdered glass to a substrate by firing, usually between 750 and 850 °C...
. The Sheboygan Cast Steel Company produced railroad frogs (a device that allowed the wheels of a train on one set of tracks to cross over intersecting tracks) and small cast parts for the furniture industry. The company also branched out into the manufacture of cooking ranges and agricultural implements.
In 1876 Andrew returned from Germany and production of enameled ware began. After making a few enameled cast iron
Cast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
utensils, Jacob went from one community to the next with a cart selling his limited stock. By 1881 Jacob employed 40 men and grossed $50,000 per year. The company flourished and was incorporated in 1884 under the name of Jacob J. Vollrath Manufacturing Company.
By 1886, Jacob’s business had expanded so much that his facility covered an entire block. He purchased 30 acres (121,405.8 m²) of land along Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
for a home and a park. The 16 acres (64,749.8 m²) which became Vollrath Park was subsequently donated to the city by his heirs in 1917. In 1887, the Vollrath facility was one of the largest plants in the country devoted to enameled ware.
Jacob’s second son, Carl, originated and patented “Speckled” enamel in 1889, which became quite commonly used. Sheet steel stamped ware was added to the product line in 1892, which increased the range of items considerably. A catalog from that era shows the addition of coffee boilers, dippers, ladles, cake and pie pans, bowls and cups. Already manufacturing enameled cast iron sinks, stove reservoirs, refrigerator tanks, and water cooler tanks, Vollrath added bathtubs to the product line in 1895, though they never made it into a catalog. At the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
in 1893 Vollrath garnered the Grand Prize for enameled iron ware. Jacob died in May 1898, passing the company on to his children.
Growth and the next generation
In 1900 the company discontinued the manufacture of plumbing goods in order to devote its energies entirely to the cooking utensil field. The management at that time believed that concentration on one product would make possible the manufacturing of a better product. The company continued to grow, opening the first branch office in Chicago in 1900. A New York branch was later built around 1903, and a San Francisco office was built around 1909. In 1904 Vollrath once again earned top honors for “Excellence in the Production of Colored and Plain, Stamped Steel and Cast Iron Enameled Wares”, this time at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis.In February 1908, the need for a shorter company name was realized and a new corporation, the Vollrath Company, was organized. In order to ensure that Vollrath enameled ware maintained its high quality, a new plant was designed. In 1910 construction of the new facility began at 18th and Michigan Ave in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, which is still the current site of the corporate offices and stainless steel manufacturing plant. A complete unit for the economical handling of the product was built, where each department would be housed in surroundings designed for that particular process. Expansion continued at the Vollrath facility during the late 1900s and throughout the 1920s. In 1918 new additions were added to the south end of the finishing and enameling shops. In 1919 the office building and gate lodge (known at that time as the “watchman’s house) were constructed; in 1920 the power house was built. In 1922 the carton shed was added on to the building that was known as hay storage and the machine shop and annealing room were added in 1923.
In 1919 steam table pans and equipment were first featured in the Vollrath catalog. The pans were sold only to bona fide steam table manufacturers and were produced in sixteen sizes. The heaviest, a meat panel, weighing in at a hefty 35 pounds, featured the meat platter as an integral part of the pan. Vollrath Ware was approved by the Good Housekeeping Institute, and earned the distinction of being a “Star Product” in 1919.
In 1928, Vollrath was still expanding physically and increasing the product range. It made another addition to its warehouse and there were over 800 items in the complete product line catalog. Jean C. Vollrath became president of the Vollrath Company in 1932 after the death of his father. The Board Chairman was Walter J. Kohler, Sr.
Walter J. Kohler, Sr.
Walter Jodok Kohler, Sr. was an American businessman and politician. He was an innovative and highly successful Wisconsin industrialist. The Kohler Company was founded by his father, John Michael Kohler. Walter Kohler served as the company's president 1905 to 1937...
, Jacob’s grandson who served as governor of Wisconsin from 1929 to 1931.
The Great Depression and World War II
During the years of the Great DepressionGreat Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
and under the guidance of President J.C. Vollrath, the company continued its entrepreneurial practices. By the late 1930s Vollrath had begun replacing some enamelware with stainless steel. Vollrath’s field sales force numbered nineteen in 1938.
With war imminent, Vollrath gradually converted to war production in late 1941, increasing the government supplies monthly until August 1, 1942. At that time Vollrath was working 100% on defense work, which continued throughout the war. By September 1943 Vollrath’s price list of porcelain enamelware permitted for civilian use was strictly limited to a few dozen necessary items such as coffee pots, boilers, and percolators, vegetable insets, bain maries, double boilers, dish pans, ladles, pails, hotel pans, sauce pans, and stock pots for kitchen use.
On June 28, 1945 Vollrath was awarded the Army-Navy “E” Flag for Vollrath’s record in the production of materials needed in the war effort. Vollrath produced more than 12 million canteens during the war, along with many other products for military use, such as mess trays, meat cans, irrigators, and basins. Lapel pins were given to 764 Vollrath employees in recognition of this accomplishment.
The polio epidemic
When the polio epidemic of the late 1940s and early 1950s struck, Vollrath developed the Polio-Pak Heater. Selling for $275, this 37” high stainless steel electrical unit could produce 15 double-thick steam heated woolen packs to administer to patients afflicted with the crippling and often deadly disease. In addition to treating polio victims, the Polio-Pak Heater could also be used for treatment of infections, vascular and muscular congestion, and any physical therapy that required either hot moist or hot dry packs. Vollrath also developed a 20½” high portable size Polio-Pak Heater for visiting nurses to use in patient’s home.Walter J. Kohler, Jr.
Walter J. Kohler, Jr.Walter J. Kohler, Jr.
Walter Jodok Kohler, Jr. was the 33rd Governor of Wisconsin for three terms from 1951 to 1957 and a leading figure in state and national Republican Party activities. His role in the clash between Senator Joseph R. McCarthy and presidential candidate Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1952 has interested...
, Jacob’s great-grandson, joined the Vollrath Company Board of Directors in 1939 upon his father’s death, and became the Vollrath Company’s fifth president in 1947 after acquiring a controlling interest in the firm, succeeding his uncle Jean C. Vollrath. After joining the Vollrath Company, Walter became a delegate-at-large to the Republican National Convention
Republican National Convention
The Republican National Convention is the presidential nominating convention of the Republican Party of the United States. Convened by the Republican National Committee, the stated purpose of the convocation is to nominate an official candidate in an upcoming U.S...
. He had some political experience as a young man, having assisted his father, Walter J. Kohler, Sr.
Walter J. Kohler, Sr.
Walter Jodok Kohler, Sr. was an American businessman and politician. He was an innovative and highly successful Wisconsin industrialist. The Kohler Company was founded by his father, John Michael Kohler. Walter Kohler served as the company's president 1905 to 1937...
, in his successful Wisconsin gubernatorial campaign in the late 1920s. Walter J. Kohler, Jr. became one of the very few three-term governors in the state’s history. His terms as governor of Wisconsin ran from 1951 through 1957, and he was heavily involved with the presidential campaign of Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
in the 1952 election.
Product expansion
Expansion, acquisition, relocation and new product development became Vollrath’s credo. In April 1968 the newly-erected 96000 square feet (8,918.7 m²) fabrication building was dedicated during an open house. The 400 by 240 feet (73.2 m) building was constructed for production of the mobile equipment line and the new line of laboratory animal housing units for primates, dogs, cats, rabbits and rodents. It has since been converted into the shipping center for the company, better utilizing its open high ceiling construction for the efficient distribution of the over 3,000 separate products in finished goods inventory.In 1970 Vollrath began molding medical plastics in Sheboygan. The plastic operation was subsequently moved to Gallaway, Tennessee
Gallaway, Tennessee
Gallaway is a city in Fayette County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 680 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Gallaway is located at ....
in 1975. In early 1974, Vollrath leased a property in Clarksville, Tennessee
Clarksville, Tennessee
Clarksville is a city in and the county seat of Montgomery County, Tennessee, United States, and the fifth largest city in the state. The population was 132,929 in 2010 United States Census...
, moving the cookware finishing from Sheboygan to that location. Later that same year Vollrath also purchased the hollowware and related assets of the Admiral Craft Corporation of New York. The newly acquired products were dubbed Century Ware by Vollrath, to commemorate Vollrath’s 100th year in business.
Vollrath entered the foodservice plastic marketplace in 1976 with the purchase of the Bolta line of about 800 different plastic containers, trays, racks and other foodservice items from the chemical and plastics division of the General Tire and Rubber Company. Construction of a 24000 square feet (2,229.7 m²) addition to the south end of the original office building was begun in June, 1977.
Movement into the new era
In the 1980s, the Vollrath Company acquired and divested itself of several ventures. It consolidated the house wares and direct sales divisions to form a new consumer products division in 1980, and dissolved it at the end of 1984.By 1981 Vollrath purchased the business of Dyna International Corp. from Peters & Company of Boston, Massachusetts. Vollrath eventually sold the line of self-leveling dispensers, dish and utility carts in 1986 to Servolift of Boston. In 1982 Vollrath sold its sink line to Keyline Sales of Elkhart, Indiana
Elkhart, Indiana
Elkhart is a city in Elkhart County, Indiana, United States. The city is located east of South Bend, northwest of Fort Wayne, east of Chicago, and north of Indianapolis...
. That same year Vollrath constructed an addition to the foundry for investment casting. That portion of the foundry business was in operation until 1985.
In April 1983 the Vollrath Company decentralized. Nine divisions were formed: food service, management systems, refrigeration, information network, management services, management consulting and education, consumer products, health care and international. Each division functioned under the corporate umbrella but had its own president. In 1984 Vollrath installed a new IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
3038-EX computer. The computer, its generator and its cooling system weighed more than six tons. The $1.6 million electronic equipment was lifted by crane to the second floor computer room. It was the first of the new IBM EX series to be installed in Wisconsin, and the fourth “generation” of IBM computer equipment ordered by Vollrath, considered to be a pioneer in the extensive use of such equipment in business and service. Vollrath completed decentralization in January 1989.
Terry J. Kohler
Terry Jodok KohlerTerry Jodok Kohler
Terry Jodok Kohler is a prominent American businessman, Wisconsin Republican Party leader, sportsman, philanthropist, and conservationist. He is known internationally in part because of his lifetime dedication to the sport of sailing....
is the third generation of Kohlers to serve at Vollrath, joining the firm in 1962 after more than eight years in the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
and at MIT. He is the great-great grandson of Jacob J. Vollrath. A graduate of MIT, his undergraduate degree was in mechanical engineering and industrial management, with an MBA in Industrial Management from the MIT Sloan School of Management
MIT Sloan School of Management
The MIT Sloan School of Management is the business school of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in Cambridge, Massachusetts....
. He has served as president, CEO, and chairman of the board. His thesis and research were in the area of business application of large scale digital computers in smaller companies. Upon joining Vollrath, Terry pushed the integration of computers into manufacturing, installing the first computer (an IMB 1440 system) in 1964, thereby launching Vollrath to the forefront of the industry in control of inventories, production management, and manufacturing scheduling. He was responsible for the installation of the series of IBM computers, and allowed the company to serve as “guinea pig” for computer development. He also orchestrated the decentralization of the company in 1983 and negotiated the purchase of North Sails in 1984.
Modern acquisitions
In late 1989, the Vollrath Company purchased the Leyse commercial aluminum cookware line from General Housewares Corporation, Stamford, ConnecticutStamford, Connecticut
Stamford is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 122,643, making it the fourth largest city in the state and the eighth largest city in New England...
. Purchase of the Kewaunee, Wisconsin
Kewaunee, Wisconsin
Kewaunee is a city in Kewaunee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,806 at the 2000 census. Located on the northwestern shore of Lake Michigan, the city is the county seat of Kewaunee County....
manufacturing facility gave Vollrath greater control in supplying commercial aluminum cookware rather than relying on a foreign manufacturer to produce the goods. On December 15, 1992 Vollrath reached the landmark position of $100 million in sales for that year. The accomplishment was celebrated with a company-wide brat fry.
In May 1994 Vollrath acquired a line of food warmers and accessories with the purchase of Idea/Medalie Division, Rogers, Minnesota
Rogers, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,588 people, 1,195 households, and 982 families residing in the city. The population density was 715.1 people per square mile . There were 1,245 housing units at an average density of 248.1 per square mile...
. Production of the warmers was moved to Vollrath’s Kewaunee, Wisconsin plant.
On September 30, 1996 the Vollrath Company, Inc. entered into a restructuring agreement and became the Vollrath Company, L.L.C. Vollrath has purchased Luitink Manufacturing Co. of Menomonee Falls
Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin
Menomonee Falls is a village in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States, and is part of the Greater Milwaukee area. The population was 35,626 at the 2010 census, making it the most populous village in Wisconsin. It is the fourth largest community in Waukesha County...
, and Oconomowoc, Wisconsin
Oconomowoc, Wisconsin
Oconomowoc is a city in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. The name was derived from Coo-no-mo-wauk, the Potawatomi term for "waterfall." The population was 12,382 at the 2000 census. The city is partially adjacent to the Town of Oconomowoc and near the Village of Oconomowoc...
in May 1999 to give the company new flexibility for precision created smallwares. In 2004 Vollrath acquired Corsair Display Systems in Canandaigua, New York, expanding their equipment capabilities and allowing for the introduction of mobile carts to the Vollrath catalog and expanding their customizing capabilities. In 2009, Vollrath acquired three companies:
- Luxine in Malibu, California to increase their capabilities in the emerging field of induction technology.
- Anvil in Asheville, NC, to branch into countertop cooking equipment.
- Lincoln Smallwares to expand its cookware, bakeware and manual food processor offerings including the Wear-Ever and Redco brands.
Today
Paul Bartelt recently succeeded Tom Belot as President and Chief Executive OfficerChief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
in September 2009.
External links
- http://www.vollrathco.com/profile_history.jsp
- http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=4258125
- http://books.google.com/books?id=IX2jr7xnjJ4C&pg=PA16&lpg=PA16&dq=walter+kohler+II+vollrath&source=bl&ots=vBy2Nlx0SQ&sig=AAnrjO8riemAzfhP0FO4A-U9Hto&hl=en&ei=AXJETPWfC4KKlwfM8Z2DDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBIQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=walter%20kohler%20II%20vollrath&f=false
- http://books.google.com/books?id=O9Z5AAAAMAAJ&q=reeves+kohler&dq=reeves+kohler&hl=en&ei=3nZETK-KCcP7lwffsazEDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CDsQ6AEwAQ