Kohler Energy rebrands as Rehlko, marking an evolutionary shift for the company as it paves the way to a future of clean, reliable energy
Formerly known as Kohler Energy, Rehlko has provided energy solutions for businesses, homes and communities for clients in more than 200 countries for over 100 years. The company comprises three businesses – Industrial Energy Systems, Home Energy and Powertrain Technologies – all of which provide energy and power generation services to various areas and applications in the business, home and wider industrial sectors. From fueling the first successful Antarctic expedition to powering the bright lights of Hollywood, Rehlko can do it all.
Embodying its motto ‘Resilience is Reinvention’, the company underwent an exciting rebrand in September 2024 – a symbol of its evolution and continuing innovation and success. Continuing Kohler’s legacy, this rebrand is representative of Rehlko’s commitment to providing reliable, resilient energy solutions as it moves into a bright future. 
To find out more about this rebrand and what it means for the business going forward, Energy, Oil & Gas spoke with Brian Melka, Chief Executive Officer at Rehlko, who shared some valuable insight behind the company’s success.
“Our primary focus is providing energy resilience products when the grid cannot. We power peoples’ homes and businesses – backup power generation, industrial solutions for off-highway equipment, construction sites, and agricultural equipment,” Brian begins. “Our myriad technologies and capabilities keep your businesses operating, the lights on in your home, and your equipment running to get the job done. On any given day, we provide power solutions to millions of people across the world.
“Rebranding allows Rehlko to embrace our future as an independent company and celebrate our legacy and commitment to tackling the most complex energy challenges. Derived from the same six letters as “Kohler,” “Rehlko” reflects our organization’s longstanding and future hallmarks – reliability, resolve, reinvention, and resilience – as we address the marketplace’s ever-evolving distributed energy needs,” he continues. “It’s been seven months since we started operating independently and three months since we unveiled our new brand name, Rehlko. Recently, we held 30 on-site brand activations in ten countries to celebrate, and our rebranding news release garnered significant attention, reaching an estimated 25 million people around the world.”
Reliable power
Alongside this exciting change, Rehlko was proud to install its first hydrogen fuel cell system at Klickitat Valley Health Hospital, located in Goldendale, Washington. Providing a highly efficient, sustainable energy source for businesses, the hydrogen fuel cell systems are able to transform hydrogen – produced using renewable energy – into power without compromising performance. The product’s reliability and resilience make it ideal for use in challenging environments and critical applications, such as in hospitals and data centers – a growing market for Rehlko. Brian sheds some light on this increasing demand.
“Everybody needs data for businesses and financial markets, but what about ventures like AI, which require massive amounts of data? Every data center needs a reliable power supply and backup system to ensure they don’t go down, and these data needs are growing faster than anyone can imagine,” Brian explains. “Most new data centers require 100-to-200 megawatts of power, more than that of a mid-size town. Rehlko is there to make sure the data centers are running 24/7 and that your data never goes down.”
Positioned on a trajectory of continuous innovation, Rehlko maintains an unwavering commitment to sustainability. Amidst the ongoing energy transition and current industry turbulence, the company aims to not only meet its own environmental targets but make a real difference to the wider industry.
“Sustainability is at the forefront of much of the work we do and core to every major decision Rehlko makes,” Brian details. “For over a century, we’ve delivered forward-thinking and reliable energy solutions in the most critical moments. Sustainability also means more power density, higher efficiency, and meeting or exceeding ever-more stringent emissions regulations, which we strive to do in all of our products.
Aftermarket opportunities
“The energy crisis is not something that is in the far off or even near future. In this country alone there have already been more than 24 unique billion-dollar storm related events in 2024. Each of those events has caused not only massive devastation, but rampant and persistent loss of power. Every business leader, every homeowner, every regulator and every power provider needs to face this real challenge and seek a source of trusted energy that provides safety and security. That is where we fit in, and we’re excited to help the world face this challenge with our breadth of reach and our passion for providing an energy resilient world for a better future.”
As the new year dawns, Rehlko is keen to move forward with its fresh new brand, expanding upon its existing legacy to continue to pioneer new clean, reliable energy solutions.
“We are optimistic about the future, especially as we see new aftermarket opportunities and multiple organic growth drivers capitalizing on megatrend tailwinds and continue to gain market share,” Brian shares. “We’re somewhat unique in that energy resilience is all we do. There is a huge demand for reliable power that provides safety and security to homes, telecommunications networks, hospitals, and commercial and industrial complexes. As we transition to a multi-fuel, multi-technology future, Rehlko will lead the way and be known as the premier provider of energy resilience solutions.”
Concluding our conversation, it’s clear to see that Rehlko is a business with a bright future, one that will continue to make a real difference to the global energy sector for years to come. Brian puts it best: “Rehlko means reliability and resilience. We have a proven ability to deliver to our customers with the energy reliability and control that they demand and require, and we have done that since our founding over 100 years ago. We’re building on the success of our new brand, establishing ourselves as an independent company and executing on our strategic priorities.”