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100 years iwis

Moving the world

Welcome! Discover 100 years of iwis history in our centenary year. Join us on a journey back in time in five Stages, each of which is unique and eventful in its own way. Climb aboard and allow yourself to be moved ...

  • Getting started
  • Speeding up
  • Getting by
  • Full speed ahead
  • New horizons
Getting started

Getting started

At the end of the 19th century, cycling is a hugely popular activity. Many of the new velocipedes are made by the Wanderer-Werke in Chemnitz. This is where Johann Baptist Winklhofer´s journey begins, but he soon moves on to try his luck with an engineering factory of his own. Some of his early progress is slow and bumpy, but this doesn´t discourage a man who is dedicated to striding ahead ...

Speeding up

Speeding up

The second generation firmly takes the bull by the horns and "the bike by the handlebars". For the new management firmly in the driving seat, steering towards success aided by the JWIS chain and an economic upturn, the future looked bright. But with growing success came many hurdles to overcome and the road ahead was not always so smooth.

Getting by

Getting by

External conditions take a turn for the worse and many obstacles have to be overcome - until the journey comes to an abrupt end. Even people used to striding ahead are forced to pause for thought and even start again from scratch. "Necessity is the mother of invention", and Germany´s post-war economic miracle meant a demand for mobility ... and an opportunity for an invention.

Full speed ahead

Full speed ahead

People who want to stride ahead can never keep still for long. Leaving bicycles and motorcycles behind, iwis finally decides that the future has four wheels rather than two. The company gathers speed, and the industrial chain business expands with it. Gerhard Winklhofer has grand plans. Not only Daimler-Benz has confidence in him.
"Schumi" benefits, too.

New horizons

New horizons

In 1999, Johannes Winklhofer is the next person who strides ahead and takes command. He stays on course for success, which also soon gives him his first taste of international business. There are global market doors to be opened and the automotive industry is not the only sector calling for state-of-the-art
iwis products.