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KOHL is a family-run company in its fourth generation and can already look back on more than 100 years of company history.
Since our founding in 1921, we have stood for safety, reliability and extensive expertise in the fields of paint and material processing, marking technology and traffic engineering.
Since the company was founded, eight family members have held leading positions in the business. Today, the company is run by Ralf Kohl, Bettina Kohl and Max Kohl.
KOHL was among the very first marking companies in Germany to have a self-propelled, mechanical marking machine in its fleet.
On 5 June 1969, the newspaper reported on this under the headline: „More expensive than a Mercedes: the line-marking machine“. At the time, Heinz-Gerd Kohl invested in the latest technology from the Hofmann company in Hamburg. The Hofmann H33 line-marking machine, costing 36,000 marks, was a groundbreaking innovation and featured the most advanced technical capabilities of its time. This investment set the course for the future of the road marking business.
Nothing works properly without a first-class team. We are proud that the majority of our employees have enjoyed long careers with the company.
Team spirit is what counts for us: thanks to flat hierarchies, we give everyone the opportunity to contribute, to develop and to enjoy their work.
That is why we would like to thank all current and former employees for their many years of loyalty and reliability – it is their strength and experience that made this exciting company history possible in the first place.
Fritz Kohl, a master painter and varnisher, founded the KOHL company on 19 February 1921 on Krummenweger Strasse, on the edge of Ratingen’s municipal forest. KOHL trained painter journeymen and was regarded at the time as a specialist firm for elaborate restorations as well as painting and varnishing work.
The original building is still used by KOHL today as offices for the finance department. Since then, the office has been extended with additions, and a machine hall, a paint store, a workshop, staff rooms and a shared conservatory for all employees have been newly built on the neighbouring property.
As Fritz Kohl’s wife, she took over the company in 1945 after her husband’s death and continued to run it together with an employed journeyman. She kept the business going until her son Heinz Kohl took it over in 1949, with the support of his sister Hannelore Kohl, and continued it in its original spirit.
As a trained master painter and varnisher, it was Heinz-Gerd Kohl who recognised the potential in marking. Through the first marking contract – a commission from the city to mark curve areas by hand – the market for marking services was discovered for the KOHL company.
He then founded a new business division: road marking. From then on, the roads in the surrounding region were to be equipped with markings by KOHL.
He passed on the knowledge he had gained to his son Ralf Kohl early on, frequently letting him ride along on the marking machines at a young age.
Perhaps the most defining virtue that Heinz Kohl instilled in the company was his understanding that the community within the company always comes first – a set of values that remains highly regarded to this day.
As Heinz Kohl’s sister, she stood faithfully by her brother’s side in business for many years, until his early death, after which she took over the operational management together with Ralf Kohl.
As a trained clerk and a tough businesswoman for her time, she took care of the company’s financial administration. Nevertheless, she was not afraid to occasionally go out with the marking machine herself and support her people.
Even after Ralf Kohl took over and she entered retirement, maintaining the company culture and the wellbeing of the family business remained particularly close to her heart. With her 46 years of active service and, most recently, her advanced age of 96, she always had the most exciting stories from the old days to tell.
After the early death of her husband, Renate Kohl continued to run the company together with her son Ralf Kohl until he took it over completely in 1992.
Born in Cologne, celebrating was in her blood – which is why Renate Kohl was responsible for KOHL’s company parties for over 50 years. She impressed not only with her good cooking, but also for many years as a dedicated employee with strong skills in the company’s administration.
At just 18 years of age, after the early death of his father Heinz Kohl, Ralf Kohl took over the management of his father’s business together with his mother Renate Kohl and his aunt Hannelore Kohl. In 1992, he assumed sole management and Renate Kohl withdrew completely from the family business. He has been running the company with passion ever since – for over 30 years.
As a master painter and varnisher, a journeyman with a certificate for the year’s best performance, a certified road marking specialist and a business administrator in the skilled trades, he stands for the company’s capability and competence. He has extensive expertise in a wide range of areas, including paint and material processing, machine and marking technology, and traffic engineering.
On 7 February 2015, the Düsseldorf Chamber of Skilled Crafts awarded him the silver master craftsman’s certificate for his 25th master anniversary. During his time as Managing Director, Ralf Kohl established long-standing business partnerships with leading corporations from the automotive, warehousing and industrial sectors and continuously developed the company further.
For over 30 years, Bettina Kohl has managed the company’s finance, real estate and personnel administration. She joined the family business in 1992, at the same time as her husband took over the company. Her capability and expertise as a trained financial accountant and certified tax clerk give her the necessary know-how when it comes to important questions of accounting, taxes or complex financial processes.
His commitment began long before he officially joined the family business. Even during his school years, he used the holidays to learn more about his father’s business and marking technology. Alongside administrative tasks, he was happy to help out on marking projects at a young age in order to better understand the complex processes.
Max Kohl officially joined the family business in 2014 and, after only a short time, took on his first own customer appointments with regular clients of the Ratingen-based specialist marking company.
With his versatile technical understanding and his certification as a road marking specialist, he improved the company’s work and production processes in collaboration with Ralf Kohl – with the aim of making operations not only more modern but also more efficient.
He is also the driving force behind innovation, research and company development. With his instinct for the latest technologies and the digital world of tomorrow, he pursues the goal of keeping the company at the cutting edge and leading it safely into the next generation. Digitalised processes, future-oriented technology and a family-like working atmosphere – while preserving valuable traditions – are the result of cross-generational teamwork.
In 2023, the KOHL GROUP acquired KESELING from Düsseldorf, a company that had been a partner for over 40 years. It is now led by Max Kohl and expands the group’s range of services with signage, guidance systems & film technology, offering the group’s customers an even better all-round service. To find out more, click here.
