In mind: carpets, of course rethought!
In memory: knowledge from five generations
Our ideas are new, rooted in the present and facing the future. We want to create a real breakthrough by rethinking carpets as natural floor furniture. The pursuit of innovative solutions is what drives us every day.
But no departure is possible without the necessary know-how. Basic knowledge is one thing, being deeply rooted in the industry is another. This is exactly what makes us so unique, because: Philipp is a member of a fifth-generation family that is more closely associated with carpet production than any other. The roots of the family tradition can be traced back to 1887, when Johann Heinrich Schürholz and a partner founded the "Open trading company Stevens & Schürholz for the production of carpets and similar products". From this, the company "Deutsche Kokoswebereien" developed, which is still known today as DEKOWE.
As a child, Philipp played in the production halls, got to know the processes from the ground up and learned a lot about the industry, tips and tricks along the way. With Grundstoff, the Schürholz family is now opening a new chapter in its more than 130-year history.
The story
Foundation
On January 20, 1887, Johann Heinrich Schürholz and Andreas Mathaeus Stevens founded the general partnership Stevens & Schürholz for the production of carpets and similar products.
On the occasion of the twenty-fifth anniversary, the managing directors look back on an extremely successful company development, with an estimated tenfold increase in workforce and sales and expansion to various locations in Germany.
The Stevens family left the joint venture and the resulting company Schürholz & Söhne joined, along with numerous other companies, the advertising and sales organization of the German coconut weaving mills, still known today under the name DEKOWE.
The organization of German coconut weaving mills is broken up by the government, whereupon the company Schürholz & Söhne gives up its location in the city of Mönchengladbach.
During the Second World War, the company at the Dorsten site was kept alive by only a few old weavers, as the young employees were drafted.
After the war, the slow reconstruction of production began, including with those returning from captivity, such as co-owner Hermann Schürholz. The family business Schürholz & Söhne took over the name of the old sales organization and was henceforth called DEKOWE Schürholz Teppichfabrik.
The economic miracle is also noticeable at the Dorsten site, where production will soon be fully up and running again and the portfolio will even be expanded through an investment in sisal looms.
DEKOWE Schürholz can now look back on three decades of innovation, in which new technologies and production processes were developed and brought to market. We are particularly proud of products such as TREPPICH©, of which the ten millionth has just been sold, or Carpetta©, which has been laid at the feet of German parliamentarians.
The company is celebrating its 100th anniversary. For comparison, a photo of the workforce in Dorsten in 1887 and 1987.
DEKOWE founded linea naturale Textildesign GmbH in Dorsten as a division of DEKOWE. The focus is on design and collection creation of floor textiles as well as advertising and sales of natural fiber carpets.
The DEKOWE company had to adapt to the pressure of globalization and give up the factory in Dorsten. It became DEKOWE GmbH & Co. KG, a trading company and brand manufacturer of the Steffel Group, and remained a strong partner of linea naturale Textildesign GmbH. The latter then took over the contract sewing shop, the carpet workshop and the office building at the former factory site in Dorsten.
As a representative of the fifth generation, Philipp Schürholz is moving from the clothing company in Romania to linea naturale in Germany to continue to advance the family business as part of the management team, together with his mother Angelika Schürholz.
Philipp Schürholz takes over the company from his mother and restructures it massively. Linea naturale becomes Grundstoff GmbH. This involves restructuring the small family business.
Special machines are developed to bring the new Purstoff product to market and the company is digitized. On-demand production is perfected and the focus on the e-commerce sector is tightened.
DEKOWE returns home!
The current owner of DEKOWE GmbH & Co. KG is handing the business back to the Schürholz family, at the former home of DEKOWE, Marienstraße 51 in Dorsten, Westphalia. Grundstoff GmbH becomes DEKOWE Schürholz GmbH and the merger of the business areas is gaining momentum.
As a modern and newly positioned company, DEKOWE is becoming more flexible and agile, thus putting itself in an even better and more comprehensive position to offer only the best to its customers.
Back to the now and off to the future!
We do not live in the past but instead focus on a better future with ecologically valuable rugs and carpets. Become part of our success and discover what we can do for you as a reseller.