Wilhelm Frank

Wilhelm Frank was born in Dainbach, a small town in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. He, who was the only one in his family allowed to study, made a groundbreaking invention in his workshop as a young man: The first tilt-and-turn hardware for windows.

In 1935, he then founded a company - which developed into today's Roto Group. Rooted in the region, but with a head full of ideas, the tinkerer Wilhelm Frank realised early on how important it is to value the regional and yet be cosmopolitan. His interest in the world led to the global success of the company. In the family business, which has grown stably and over the long term, the family members still stand firmly behind the values of regionality and cosmopolitanism today.

With his ideas - such as the first industrially manufactured tilt and turn fitting in 1935 - the company founder Wilhelm Frank became a pioneer. 30 years, many patents and product innovations later, he set another milestone with the first skylight construction for folding.

Today, Roto Frank Dachsystem-Technologie, with 1,200 employees in Europe and as an independent profit centre within the Roto Group, is one of the leading manufacturers of residential roof windows, roof exits and loft ladders.

The businessman and family man loved to travel. Partly alone, partly on business or together with his family - as here on Lake Lugano with one of his children - he enjoyed his time abroad. The company's early global orientation, its exposure to other cultures and the joy of exchange remained his legacy. The foundation aims to preserve this and provide an institutional framework for Wilhelm Frank's vision.