The company was founded in 1948 by Herbert Kannegiesser Dipl. Eng. who worked in the aircraft industry until the end of the war. In a wooden shed near Vlotho he and four employees started the production of ironing machines for the garment industry, which at that time was one of the major industries in East Westphalia. Ironing presses for dress shirts became the speciality of the young company and established its international reputation.

Wherever in the world dress shirts were machine ironed, from Hong Kong to Brazil, from Russia to South Africa, a KANNEGIESSER machine was in operation. Over decades, the company position in this market niche came close to that of a monopoly. Irma Kannegiesser, the wife of the company founder, laid the foundation for the worldwide agency network.

From 1950 specially developed shirt presses swept the laundry market and were confronted with already established brands, such as Kleindienst, Brown, Ajax or Prosperity. The involvement in the garment industry on the one hand, and the laundry businesses on the other have left their imprint on the further development of the company.