History of Wulf Johannsen

  • 1932

    Mr. Wulf Johannsen founded the company of the same name. The company's first head office was Herzog-Friedrich-Straße in Kiel. Even then, the company's main focus was on precision services for engines: Cylinder shafts and crankshafts were ground - at that time mainly for maritime drives.

  • 1934

    The good business development enabled the first expansion step only 2 years later: 2 larger rented halls at Walkerdamm in Kiel became the new home of Wulf Johannsen.

  • 1938

    Wulf Johannsen lays the foundation for its first own production site in 1938: The company acquires a 6,000 m² factory site in Kieler Straße in Kronshagen and begins construction of office and workshop buildings. During this time, however, the business operations continue to run from the rented premises in Kiel.

  • 1940

    The new company headquarters is ready for occupancy in 1940. The cylinder and crankshaft grinding shop can now move into the new premises. From Kronshagen, Wulf Johannsen will now provide services for 63 years.

  • 1948

    Wulf Johannsen survived the turmoil of the Second World War largely unscathed. In 1948 the company is transformed into a limited liability company.

  • 1950

    In 1950, the range of services was expanded from machining the engine components "crankshafts" and "cylinders" to the maintenance and repair of entire marine diesel engines. This step laid the foundation for today's comprehensive range of services: Maintenance and repair services for engines and drives.

  • 1962

    29 years after the foundation of his company, Mr Wulf Johannsen dies. The company is continued by his widow and later by his daughter.

  • 1972

    Wulf Johannsen is again transformed into a new company form: Wulf Johannsen GmbH becomes a KG GmbH & Co. Wulf Johannsen is thus given the company name that it still has today.

  • 1982

    Wulf Johannsen exists for half a century. Customers of the maritime industry continue to be served above all.

  • 1988

    56 years after its foundation, the company Wulf Johannsen KG GmbH & Co. is sold to Dr. Klaus Storm. As the owner of August Storm GmbH & Co., based in Spelle in Lower Saxony, Dr. Klaus Storm also gives Wulf Johannsen access to promising gas engine technology.

  • 2001

    Industrial engineer Jan-Willem Storm joins the company and thus initiates the upcoming generation change.

  • 2003

    The good business development necessitates another relocation in 2003. After 63 years, Wulf Johannsen moves back to the neighbouring state capital Kiel. The company's headquarters are now located at Marie-Curie-Strasse No. 19, where Wulf Johannsen invests in modern machinery, including an efficient indoor crane. This equipment is the basis for the beginning strong growth of the coming years.

  • 2005

    Jan-Willem Storm becomes sole shareholder and takes over the chairmanship of the management. Thus the generation change also takes place on the shareholder level. Over the next few years, Jan-Willem Storm will take up the opportunities offered by gas engine services, push ahead with internationalisation, especially to Scandinavia and Eastern Europe, and manoeuvre Wulf Johannsen through the shipping crisis, which will become noticeable in 2009, with increasing professionalisation.

  • 2006

    Wulf Johannsen takes over 100% of the Bremen-based diesel engine and components trading company ScanDiesel GmbH. Together with ScanDiesel, Wulf Johannsen can also offer its customers new machines and aggregates as well as technologically leading control elements. In addition, Wulf Johannsen will have even closer access to the technology of modern diesel engines.

  • 2007

    Wulf Johannsen celebrates its 75th anniversary. The company is now combining a three-quarter century of service tradition with a move into new business fields. In particular, the increasingly noticeable bioenergy trend is becoming an increasingly important pillar of business activity.

  • 2008

    The good business development makes it necessary to outsource the small engine department. It moves into an adjacent building in Kiel - Plant II. From now on all engines below 100 kW will be processed here and the associated customer groups will be addressed even more appropriately.

  • 2012

    Wulf Johannsen has now been in business for 80 years - and continues to perform well.

  • 2013

    In spite of the good progress of current business, future challenges are becoming apparent: sales of newly built biogas plants are collapsing, the shipping crisis continues unabated and important customers are withdrawing from northern Germany. Against this backdrop, Jan-Willem Storm begins to think about ways of sustainably carrying business into the future, even in difficult times.

  • 2015

    Continued growth means that the premises moved into in 2006 and the additional premises added in 2008 in Plant II are slowly but surely becoming too small. Wulf Johannsen begins negotiations with the city on the purchase of neighbouring land for an expansion of the plant.

  • 2017

    Wulf Johannsen has now been in existence for 85 years - and continues to perform well. Wulf Johannsen acquires part of the neighboring property and begins planning to expand existing capacities.

  • 2018

    For 30 years, Wulf Johannsen has been a successful part of the STORM Group with currently approx. 500 employees.