Vögele celebrates its 190 th anniversary

Ludwigshafen, 24 June 2026 – Originally founded as a small blacksmith’s forge, Joseph Vögele AG grew to become a road paver manufacturer with the world’s most varied machine portfolio. With finely differentiated machine options, alternative drive concepts and digital solutions, the company continues to write new chapters of its story of success.

Vögele has been shaping the world of road construction since its early days

Mobile material feeders, road pavers and technologies from Vögele are hard at work on a wide range of infrastructure projects around the world. On the occasion of its 190 th anniversary, the company takes a moment to look back at some of the most important milestones over the years. Founded as a forge in the city of Mannheim in 1836, Vögele became an internationally successful railway engineering company, branched out into road construction equipment and then, just under a century ago, presented the first towed spreader – the precursor of today’s road pavers. Since then, innovations from Vögele have changed the face of road construction around the world: the first floating paving screed, the first electric screed heating system, the first spray paver, new technologies and new paving methods were just a few of the milestones along the way that brought about lasting change across the industry. The company also continued to expand during phases of global economic turmoil. In 1996, Vögele joined the Wirtgen Group, which, in 2017, became a part of John Deere. With the Wirtgen Group factories in Brazil, China and India, numerous sales and service organisations and a worldwide network of dealers, Vögele has since established itself with a strong presence in the global marketplace.

The world’s market leader generates new momentum with electrification and automation

In 2010, Vögele moved to Ludwigshafen am Rhein and built one of the world’s most modern factories for the production of road pavers: Today, around 1,200 employees develop and manufacture highly-specialised asphalt construction equipment on the 370,000 m² site. The around 40 different road paver models offer paving widths between 0.25 and 18 m and a variety of configurations and technical modifications designed to meet the specific requirements of a broad spectrum of applications and markets. ‘Vögele combines a pioneering spirit with long-established traditions and has consistently demonstrated an unerring feeling for the signs of the times and the needs of the various markets,’ says Dr. Michael Kulok, who took over the position of CEO in 2024. ‘In addition to our commitment to quality, we are now setting new standards with electrically-powered road pavers and process and automation solutions and are helping our customers around the globeto make the transition to efficient paving with net zero operational emissions.’