Alfred Kärcher SE & Co. KG

Alfred Kärcher SE & Co. KG is a family business founded by Alfred Kärcher in 1935 and the world's leading provider of cleaning technology. Headquartered in Stuttgart-Bad Cannstatt, Germany, the company develops cleaning equipment and solutions for both everyday use and large-scale projects, serving consumer and professional markets. It reported sales of €3.483 billion in 2025 and employs 17,000 people across 170 companies operating in 87 countries.

Engineering is central to the business. Kärcher's technical work spans cleaning technology, cleaning equipment engineering, product design and systems engineering, and research and development. Over 1,000 employees work in research and development, and the company describes its innovation philosophy as "innovation is what benefits people", with a perfectionist approach to rethinking systems and designs and a preference for action over talk.

Kärcher also applies its cleaning technology to cultural heritage restoration. Since 1980 it has restored more than 300 monuments worldwide as part of a cultural sponsorship programme. The company operates in the cleaning technology, consumer cleaning, professional cleaning and cultural heritage restoration segments.