In 1913, Ludwig Schunk founded the carbon brush factory Schunk & Ebe OHG in Fulda together with the technician Karl Ebe. Despite the early death of Karl Ebe just one year after the company was founded, Schunk continued to run the company and moved it to Heuchelheim near Giessen in 1918. There, on the site of the former ‘Windhof’ restaurant, he laid the foundations for what was to become a respected company in the years to come.
Ludwig Schunk was a man with vision. Although he remained childless and his wife, who assisted him in building up the company, died young, he ensured the future well-being of his employees in a will as early as 1938. In a supplementary will in 1943, he designated the Gefolgschafts-Unterstützungseinrichtung e.V. (Succession Support Organisation), which he had founded, as his heir.
When Ludwig Schunk died in 1947 after suffering a stroke, his will came into effect. The company assets of Schunk & Ebe were transferred to the support organisation, which continues to exist today as the Ludwig Schunk Foundation. This foundation, originally established as ‘Ludwig-Schunk-Gedächtnisverein e.V.’, has been called ‘Ludwig-Schunk-Stiftung e.V.’ since 1989 and preserves his entrepreneurial legacy in the interests of his employees and the entire Schunk Group.
