Westfalia was not originally a manufacturer but retailer of all kinds of wood and metal working equipment.

Westfalia was founded in 1923 by the Aschermann family in Schwerte to meet the demand for tools in the centers of industrialization. Five years later, Messrs. Weil and Herlinghaus took over the company with the goal of selling agricultural products by traveling from farm to farm which soon evolved into a mail-order business, one of the first in Germany and later for sure the most well-known one when it comes to tools and machine equipment.
In 1933, the first catalog was published, featuring 984 tools. This catalog included specialized tools for nearly every trade. In addition, everyday household items were added to the product line.

During the war, the mail-order business came to a complete standstill. However, Westfalia tools were in greater demand than ever during the reconstruction period afterwards.
In the 1960s, a new focus has been placed on the broad leisure market which complemented the tool and household product lines: technology, health, fitness, textiles and apparel, gardening, rechargeable and regular batteries, hobbies, automotive and camping.

After a bankruptcy in 2025, Westfalia is today a brand of HAJUS AG.

Not to be mixed up with Westfalia Automotive, the well-known inventor of the tow ball coupling and manufacturer of trailers and recreation vans.

Information Sources:

• Wikipedia entry for website Westfalia