The year was 1873 when John Michael Kohler purchased the Sheboygan Union Iron and Steel Foundry, never anticipating the growth of the company that would eventually bear his name. At first, the firm produced cast iron and steel implements for farmers in the area, castings for the city's furniture factories, and ornamental iron pieces that included hitching posts, cemetery crosses, urns and settees.
In 1883, John Michael took a product in his line called a horse trough/hog scalder, heated it up to 1,700 degrees F and sprinkled on some enamel powder. He liked it so much he pictured it in his catalog, calling it "a horse trough/hog scalder, when furnished with four legs will serve as a bathtub." Kohler was in the plumbing business.
Like Kohler, many of the early employees were immigrants. Steeped in a heritage of European craftsmanship, they were eager to achieve success in their new country. Their dedication to excellence helped to forge one of the oldest and largest privately-held companies in the United States; a company that has grown to international stature with more than 20,000 associates worldwide. From potteries in Mexico and China, to showrooms in Japan and France, KOHLER ideas, craftsmanship and technology are at work today leading the way to more gracious living in plumbing products, exquisite furniture, engines and generators, hospitality and real estate.
