The man who gave the foundation its name was a coppersmith journeyman, who in 1872 founded his own copper and brass factory ‘Kupfer- und Messingwarenfabrik Louis Opländer’.
The founding family
Ingenuity, motivation and community spirit – the three principles of life for the Opländer family
The Opländer family of entrepreneurs and philanthropists in Dortmund can look back on more than 140 years of private enterprise – a long tradition that all started with Caspar Ludwig Opländer. WILO SE was recently transferred by its fourth generation leader, Dr.-Ing. h.c. Jochen Opländer and his children, Claudia Reisbeck, Jan Opländer and Felix Opländer (✝), into a family foundation. In doing so, they not only ensured the continuity of WILO SE across the generations but also demonstrated their on-going social responsibility in the areas of science, education, culture and sport and their commitment to preserving and upholding cultural values.
The four generations of the Opländer family