Kärcher as an employer
Why Kärcher? Good reasons for a career in our company.
As a responsible and trusted family-owned company, Kärcher is one of the most attractive employers in the industry. More than 11,000 employees in 60 countries currently contribute to our success. And there are good reasons why so many people choose a career with us.
Working together as partners
Mutual respect and appreciation create a collegial atmosphere at Kärcher. We foster a leadership style based on partnership and open communication. This unique culture is the basis of your career and our worldwide success.
Individual freedom and autonomy
We challenge and support your independent thinking and actions. At Kärcher, everyone can contribute his or her individual strengths to the success of the company. Initiative combined with eager curiosity can be allowed to flourish.
Combine career and family
Through numerous initiatives, we help you to achieve an even better work-life balance. We even have awards to prove it:
In 2013, Kärcher received the ARBEIT PLUS ("WORK PLUS") employers award for socially sustainable company policy and pioneering employment models. Kärcher has also held the "audit berufundfamilie" ("career and family") certificate since December 2013. The certificate awards companies that are particularly committed to developing family-friendly strategies in the workplace.
Responsible in business
As a family-owned company, we accept our responsibility. With consideration for people, society and the environment, we conduct our business with respect and sustainability in mind. Both our products and our production meet the highest requirements. That's why we, as a responsible employer, support your professional development.
The difference is you
Sites. Where you can find us.
Winnenden site
Winnenden near Stuttgart has been the site of Kärcher's headquarters since the end of the 1930s. As well as being home to the corporate headquarters and central divisions, research and development for all product groups is also located here, covering an area of around 150,000 m². This includes the world's most modern test track for floor cleaning machines, state-of-the-art test beds, a sound laboratory and a virtual reality facility. The Winnenden factory also produces commercial high-pressure cleaners, scrubber driers and sweepers, which are used all over the world in numerous industries.
Winnenden in the Rems-Murr district lies just a few kilometres north-east of Stuttgart. In a region with a strong economy, where KÄRCHER is the biggest employer, many other factors contribute to the high quality of life offered by the town: surrounded by vineyards, orchards and forest, the town of Winnenden offers its citizens a wide range of cultural, sporting and leisure activities. The family-friendly town, which has a good reputation for education and healthcare, has recently seen the opening of the Rems-Murr Hospital, making it even more attractive as the region's central healthcare site.
Obersontheim site
Obersontheim site
Our Obersontheim site, established in 1961, is attractively situated, surrounded by the cities of Schwäbisch Hall, Crailsheim and Ellwangen. Professional sweepers are manufactured here. The production facility also specialises in metal processing and supplies other Kärcher sites with metal components. Machines and systems by Kärcher's subsidiary Futuretech, which focuses exclusively on the requirements of public-sector clients, including civil protection and disaster response organisations, are also manufactured here. Kärcher's cleaning agents are produced a few kilometres away in Sulzdorf, an extension of the Obersontheim site.
Obersontheim logistics centre
The ultra-modern logistics centre in Obersontheim sends accessories and spare parts all over the world. During peak periods, up to 14,000 delivery note items are processed here every day and up to 4,500 packages dispatched. The logistics centre also receives all of the orders from Kärcher's foreign subsidiaries, which are managed centrally from here.
Bühlertal site
The Bühlertal site near Schwäbisch Hall manufactures products primarily for the Home & Garden range. Several million pressure washers, vacuum cleaners, steam cleaners and accessories leave the production halls every year. There are 28 production lines, some of which are highly automated. The Bühlertal site is the largest and most modern Kärcher production facility in the world.
With around 5,000 residents, the town of Obersontheim in the Schwäbisch Hall district offers family-friendly residential areas and an extensive infrastructure, making it an ideal place to live. The unspoilt countryside and varied cultural landscapes make Bühlertal unique.
Illingen site
The Illingen site in the Enz district was established in 1983. Activities here are focused on low-volume production runs and custom orders, like washing bays for cars and commercial vehicles, dry ice blasters, stationary high-pressure cleaners and water dispensers. Control cabinets and cable harnesses are also produced here.
The town of Illingen on the edge of the North Black Forest region is characterised by forests, vineyards and the idyllic monastery lakes (Klosterseen). Its history dates back many centuries: in the Middle Ages, Illingen belonged to Maulbronn Monastery, which is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. As part of a popular local recreational area, with numerous cycling and hiking routes and beautifully restored half-timbered houses, Illingen is a great place to live and work.
Service Center Gissigheim
Kärcher has been running its service centre in Gissigheim in the Main-Tauber district since 1992. Consumer machines as well as smaller commercial products from all over central Europe are serviced and repaired here. The latest computerised procedures are used throughout the entire repairs process to reduce the administrative workload and throughput times.
Gissigheim in the town of Königheim lies in the idyllic Brehmbach Valley near Tauberbischofsheim. Viticulture has been part of the town's heritage for over 900 years. Annual wine festivals mark the importance of wine to the area and the tradition associated with it. Königheim's many historic buildings give the town a unique flair and contribute to the high quality of life it offers.
Sites worldwide
With over 11,000 employees in 100 companies, every day we are working in 60 countries to consolidate our market position. Our cleaning machines are manufactured in Germany, Italy, Romania, China, Brazil, Mexico and the USA.
With over 50,000 customer service points, Kärcher provides comprehensive support to its customers all over the world.
Production and logistics sites
- USA:
3 production sites
3 logistics centres - Mexico:
1 production site - Brazil:
1 production site - Germany:
8 production sites
1 logistics centre - Italy:
4 production sites - Romania:
1 production site - China:
1 production site
Discover what we can offer. Develop your skills with us.
An entrepreneurial, performance-oriented culture that inspires, challenges and nurtures our employees is essential to our company's success. That's why we invest a great deal in qualifying, training and supporting our employees and managers.
Continued development guaranteed. Make the most of the opportunities that await you.
As a leading global innovator, we are always one step ahead. This is also true when it comes to the qualification, support and development of our employees. Moreover, we offer a full spectrum of training and further education opportunities which will allow you to expand your knowledge and expertise and strengthen your individual skills.
Our employees spend an average of 3.8 days in training every year. In addition to technical, methodological and social skills training, we offer seminars in health management as well as numerous language courses. We also encourage lifelong learning through the Kärcher Scholarship. Whether you are aiming for a professional qualification, entrance qualification to a university of applied science ("Fachhochschulreife"), technical qualification, a qualification in the skilled trades, a Bachelor's or Master's degree – we support in-service upskilling of our employees both financially and with time.
As part of our "International Management Development Programme" we offer employees in our 60 foreign subsidiaries a wide range of training opportunities. These include orientation weeks for new employees, seminars for both prospective and experienced managers, as well as training in specific areas like "entrepreneurship" and "opportunity management".
Enhancing expertise and leadership skills. Help to shape Kärcher's future.
Do you have leadership potential? At Kärcher, you will be challenged and encouraged according to your individual strengths and talents based on our competence model. We invest in the long-term development of our management team by offering guidance for the specific challenges that await them in future. The result: at Vice President and Head level, at least three quarters of all managerial positions nationally are filled by internal candidates.
As a global, family-owned company, we are also committed to an open corporate culture and value-based management. Our "International Management Development Programme" incorporates these values.
Employee benefits: discover what we can offer.
Our employees are our most valuable asset: they contribute to our company's success by working with the utmost commitment every day. But top-class performance is only possible when your professional and personal circumstances are conducive to this, which is why we support our employees with a wide range of attractive benefits, both day-to-day and at every stage of life. Discover what we can offer:
Career and family
The compatibility of work and family is extremely important to us. We help our employees, for example, by providing financial assistance in the form of maternity and marriage benefits or with individual arrangements for childcare and care of relatives.
Work-Life-Cycle
We offer a high level of freedom and flexibility in your personal and professional life, for instance, with flexible working hours or the option to work from home, allowing you to strike the perfect balance between work and family.
Health
The health of our employees is crucial for long-term performance and well-being. We take extensive measures to maintain and improve the health of every individual, not just by offering healthy food in the canteen, but with information events, courses and seminars covering specific themes.
Sport and leisure
An active lifestyle not only keeps you fit, it also increases your happiness and commitment. That's why we offer our employees a wide range of activities, from sports activities in the Winnenden sports club to our photo club for photography enthusiasts and musical opportunities with the Irene Kärcher Choir and the Kärcher Singers.
Pension
We offer attractive options to build up your pension and increase the value of your assets so that you can look to the future feeling happy and secure. Our workplace pensions, for instance, ideally complement your statutory pension insurance. We also offer our employees the option to take out direct insurance.
Mobility
We are making our employees mobile: whether it is by subsidising travel costs for public transport (the train station in Winnenden is just 350 metres away) or with low-priced vehicle leasing initiatives. This way all of our employees are guaranteed a smooth ride. You are also sure to find a parking space for your vehicle in our employee car parks. And of course, as a bicycle-friendly company, we also have modern bicycle parking facilities.
Further education and training
Lifelong learning is essential for achieving top performance. We will support your career – from trainee to manager – with a wealth of further education and training programmes. These include special training events, the Kärcher scholarship and a wide range of programmes for young talent as well as leadership development.
Appreciation
At Kärcher, every employee counts. We support you from day one and throughout every stage of your career, and reward your service and loyalty at anniversaries with financial contributions and special leave. We also hold regular events for our retired employees.
Top performance
At Kärcher, performance is rewarded. Our employees contribute to the company's success. Kärcher ideas management rewards suggestions that contribute to improving our competitiveness.
Job security
Our aim is to expand Kärcher over the long term. For many years we have guaranteed to preserve our German sites and prevent redundancies.
Employee commitment
As a family-owned company, commitment to society and social responsibility are very important to us. We support our employees in their activities, whether it is with sports gear for runners in the Bühlerzell winter race or sponsorship for the endangered yellow-bellied toad.
Tradition
Fantastic annual events, like the Christmas carol concert and Kärcher family days, are part of the Kärcher tradition, bringing our employees together and strengthening our sense of identity.
