June 2021

A visionary turns 80 - we congratulate Karl Wiedemann on being awarded the Golden Master's Certificate!

It all began in 1974/1975 on a small farm west of Augsburg, when Karl Wiedemann became self-employed as a master mechanical engineer with his wife Carla and his former colleague Rainer Reichhardt in environmental technology.

A visionary early on, entrepreneur Wiedemann saw a central problem in sewer cleaning: Too much valuable drinking water was wasted for work that did not require drinking water quality. Already by 1977 he developed the world's first sewer cleaning vehicle with integrated water recycling system, the SUPER 2000. The service provider Otto Weißenhorn from Augsburg was convinced of the idea, bought the prototype and supported the young entrepreneurs with demonstrations and practical experience. Initially not taken seriously by the competition, the product presented as a world debut at the environmental trade fair in Berlin, gradually established itself and the company then developed into the market leader.

Karl Wiedemann recognized vocational training as a mainstay early on. Supported by his wife Carla, Rainer Reichhardt and the company's trainers, the company has already produced several chamber, state and national winners in the practical performance competition for young craftsmen. Karl Wiedemann was awarded the Silver Badge of Honor in 2018 for his special services in training.

His pioneering spirit motivated Karl Wiedemann to further developments. His tireless efforts have established his name and technology internationally. Karl Wiedemann is the inventor and owner of 87 national and international patents.

For his extraordinary life's work and more than 46 years of commitment to the trade, Karl Wiedemann was honoured on his 80th birthday as the recipient of the Golden Master's Certificate award from the HWK Schwaben.

In 2014, the Wiedemann company entered the second generation, but the credo "Technology and innovation for the sake of the environment" has remained the most important guiding principle. To this day, the company's products are market leaders in the environmental sector.