Vileda's ancestor was introduced in 1948

Carl Johann Freudenberg (1819-1898)

Vileda's brand history dates back to 1849. On this date, Carl Johann Freudenberg takes over the Heintze und Sammet Leather Tannery in Weinheim, Germany. The high quality leather products it produces make this tannery with only 50 employees one of the most important tanneries in Europe in a short time.

The 1929 Depression affected Heintze und Sammet as well as the entire European economy. The company, which attaches great importance to international trade from the very first days of its activities, made a large part of its exports to the USA, England and France. Therefore, it ran into major financial problems in the 1930s. In this period, access to raw materials was limited and the demand for leather came to a standstill. Moreover, the needs of the market began to change and the interest in leather products decreased. In order to survive the crisis, the company had to find a new alternative.

The year 1936 marked a major turning point in the company's history. chemist Carl Ludwig Nottebohm developed a new procedure that enables the use of synthetic leather. Nottebohm, who has been working on this subject for many years, wanted to find a solution for the company's leather needs. The synthetic latex faux leather he developed was a kind of replacement material for bags and suitcases, and it was called Viledon. This fabric type was also the basic component of the new brand that the company will introduce to the market in the future. The name is derived from the German word wieLeder, which means "like leather".

Dr. Carl Ludwig Nottebohm (1870-1945)

Dr. Synthetic latex artificial leather developed by Carl Ludwig Nottebohm has produced successful results in both existing product groups and newly developed product groups. The first window cloths, introduced to the market in 1948, consisted of a mixture of dry fiber and synthetic latex, providing great convenience in window cleaning. After the window cloth, came the Glitzi sponge and floor mop. The company, which achieved great success in both product groups in a short time, started to expand outside of Germany after the Second World War.

The first Vileda window cloths, 1948.

In the meantime, the company has made many innovations in the FMCG group and strengthened its position in the world market. The non-woven fabrics, mops and apparatus used for the house cleaning group shortened the time spent on cleaning and facilitated cleaning. In this respect, Vileda not only introduced new product lines to the market, but also changed the cleaning habits.

Following non-woven fabrics, the company invested heavily in developing microfiber technology and developed its market strength. The multi-purpose cloths and flat mats that followed the window cloth managed to reach users from almost every age group. The focus of the company has been to continuously improve the quality of service, as well as to ensure customer satisfaction. Successfully managing its R&D processes with customer feedback and certificates from independent institutes, the company managed to become a world brand in surface cleaning in the 1960s.

Vileda in the World Market

In the 1990s, Vileda increased its brand recognition worldwide, thanks to the ergonomic features it brought to its products, as well as increasing its product range. Adjustable interlocking mop handles played an important role in this increase. Offering a highly creative solution for surface cleaning, this product type offered easy and practical solutions for hygiene. The creative solutions he developed for the wringing equipment provided great convenience for squeezing the water of the mop without bending. Thus, it prevented back pain during surface cleaning and facilitated the reuse of cleaning materials.

Today, managed by Freudenberg Home and Cleaning Solutions GmbH (FHCS), a subsidiary of the Freudenberg Group, Vileda is one of the world leaders in the mechanical cleaning products sector as well as in household cleaning. The company, which has developed its production facilities around the world with various acquisitions, is producing in more than 30 countries as of today. It focuses on solutions suitable for regional needs in its R&D centers opened in different centers of the world. Sub-brands such as O'Cedar, Wettex, Gala and Swash developed in the field of household cleaning products are among the most demanded cleaning products worldwide.