The company's founder, Heinrich Schmitz, began to construct wagons at the family's forge located in Altenberge near Münster.

In April 2013 Schmitz Cargobull announced its plans to open a new production facility in Russia to the south of St Petersburg.

[11] The Harelaw plant was modernised and equipped with flexible production lines for manufacturing box vehicles and curtainsiders.

[12][13] Production ceased in July 2010 as a result of the drastic decrease in turnover in England due to the worldwide financial crisis.

[15] After the end of 2010 and during 2011, in particular, the order situation in Great Britain stabilised and Schmitz Cargobull saw renewed success on the British trailer market.

In 2022, Schmitz Cargobull featured in the October issue of Bulk & Tipper magazine, visiting the Gotha production plant in Germany where their full range of tipping trailers and steel bodies are created.

The primary sales markets consist of Western, Northern, Central and Eastern Europe as well as the Asia-Pacific, Near and Middle East.

The company maintains production sites in Germany in Altenberge, Vreden, Gotha, Berlin and Toddin and also in other European countries in Saragossa (Spain), Panevėžys (Lithuania) and St Petersburg (Russia).