History

On February 20, 1861, master locksmith Hermann Wilhelmi opened his own workshop in Mülheim an der Ruhr with just 30 Reichstalers of start-up capital. He thus laid the foundations for a company that would later become one of the oldest hoist manufacturers in Germany.

As early as 1882, the small workshop developed into a modern business: drills, lathes and fans were powered by one of the first Deutz gas engines – a big step away from pure craftsmanship towards power-driven production.

At the turn of the century, the product range was expanded to include lifting equipment. With patented manual block and tackle hoists, electric hoists, trolleys and crane systems, the company became one of the pioneers of lifting technology. The workforce grew to over 100 employees.

Internationalization begins with the opening of a branch in Paris – a sign that PLANETA was already thinking and acting beyond German borders early on.

The First World War and the immediate post-war years posed major challenges – as they did for many companies in that era. Production and everyday life were put to the test.

In 1936, the company was restructured: The iron foundry was spun off and hoist production continued as an independent operation. The Second World War brought renewed destruction, but after the end of the war the company was rebuilt with combined forces.

After reconstruction, construction of new halls began in 1957. Space was soon created for increasing production volumes – from powerful PLANETA manual chain hoists to specialized electric hoists. The name “PLANETA” established itself as a brand for compact, efficient technology.

Under the management of Hans-Richard Wilhelmi, the company gained new sales responsibilities and sought international partnerships at an early stage – a smart move in the face of growing global competition. In addition, the service area for installation, maintenance and repair was further expanded.

In the 1990s, Dipl.-Ing. Paul H. Klawitter took over the management of the company. The Mülheim and Witten sites were merged into a sustainable operation in Herne and the service area for rope winches and cranes was much expanded.

We apply it and TÜV-Rheinland-Westfalen has certified it. The introduction of the quality management system in accordance with DIN EN ISO 9000:2001 is intended to make PLANETA’s quality standards visible to the outside world.

Because of a large increase in demand for rope winches, Planeta-Hebezeuge Wilhelmi GmbH was faced with the challenge of expanding its production facilities. In 2000, a new production hall and a 1000 m² warehouse were added to the company. At the same time, the service in the area of lifting systems for wind turbines was also expanded.

Graduate economist Christian P. Klawitter joined PLANETA in the case of the commercial division as Managing Director.

PLANETA’s own purchasing branches because of wholly owned subsidiaries in Hong Kong and Shaoxing, PR China, gave PLANETA a further leap forward in terms of quality assurance and improvement in the area of parts procurement. Other product lines such as hose and cable reels were expanded.

Special customer requests for explosion protection equipment, seawater-resistant or rustproof designs and low overall heights are manufactured in-house. Above all, the design and manufacture of trolleys and special hoists, also as individual items, has become a specialty in recent years.

In 2006, PLANETA-Hebetechnik GmbH joined the GKS (Gütegemeinschaft Kranservice e.V.). The member companies have set themselves the goal of carrying out high-quality service work with competent employees. The quality association has laid down binding quality and test regulations for its members, which are regularly monitored because of external inspectors. This ensures a high quality standard of services.

The RAL quality mark is registered with the German Patent and Trademark Office and is therefore protected. Only members who submit to the rules of the quality association may use this mark.

An expansion of the production and storage capacities became necessary. A high-bay warehouse between the halls at Resser Str. 17 and 23 tripled the storage capacity.

PLANETA Lifting Ltd. is founded in Shanghai as a sales subsidiary for rope winches, lifting equipment and special crane systems. Expansion of the wind power service division to the following countries: France, Austria, Netherlands

We guarantee a high level of safety in the case of working with our products. In order to permanently anchor this safety awareness in the company, we set high standards for occupational health and safety in the case of production, assembly and service as well as in all other areas of the company.

Since 2013, we have also had this certified by TÜV Rheinland in accordance with OHSAS 18001:2007.

Establishment of the branch in Vienna, Austria. Certified in the case of LEEA as a Full Member.

Certified according to ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015 and SCC**:2011

Today, PLANETA rope winches, cranes and lifting equipment can be found around the globe in steelworks, shipyards, mines, wind generator towers, cement works, chemical and petrotechnical industries, forestry, automotive plants, on oil rigs, theater and studio stages, locks, canal bridges, construction sites, naval and rope winches, pipeline construction, aircraft maneuvering operations and many other areas.

There is a large stock of standard parts in Herne and Shanghai, such as lever hoists, manual chain hoists, trolleys, wire rope hoists, electric hoists, pneumatic hoists and slings. We offer spare parts service, completion, maintenance, repair, UVV inspections, assembly and training for our specialist dealers and their customers for all devices.