"Though it may seem a long step between electric plants and plumbing fixtures... they are similar in that they both administer to the comfort, health and well-being of people." Kohler of Kohler News, 1929

In 1920, Kohler expanded its product line to include generators, the first being the Kohler Automatic Power & Light. This early "electric plant" or generator was aimed at the same farm market the company had supplied since its inception. The electricity it generated supplied power for lights, equipment and for pumping water. With electricity and hot, running water, other conveniences, such as indoor toilets and bathtubs, became a part of farm life.

Unlike other systems of the time, the Kohler Automatic Power & Light did not require massive banks of storage batteries. It used a compact automobile-sized engine. The four-cycle, four-cylinder, water-cooled engine ran smoothly and quietly, supplying twice as much power as other systems on the market. The 1500 watt, 110 volt DC Automatic Power & Light could be started easily by turning on an appliance or wall switch.

Because Kohler Co. held key patents, the Automatic Power & Light was internationally established as synonymous with electric power.

Walter J. Kohler, Sr. and Herbert V. Kohler, Sr. provided major support to Admiral Richard E. Byrd and his exploratory expeditions to Antarctica.

Five Kohler "electric plants" were donated for Byrd's first Antarctic trip in 1929. Two model K units provided power at the base camp of Little America. Although the Kohler generators remained dormant at the camp for five years following that expedition, after merely drying out the spark plugs and priming the engines, they were used to power the second expeditions in 1934.

It was during his second expedition that Byrd spent six months alone at a remote outpost during the Antarctic winter, relying on Kohler generators for his power for heat, light and communications.

In the mid-1940s, post-war generator production focused on expanding kilowatt ranges. By the early-1950s, larger diesel engine-powers generators were manufactured. Today the Kohler generator line ranges from 2.5 to 2000 kW and includes components such as controls, transfer switches, switchgear, uninterruptible power, microturbines and anything else our customers require for emergency, standby and prime power system solutions.