What Knauf Industries does

Knauf Industries is a French-headquartered plastic-parts manufacturer and subsidiary of the family-owned Knauf Group, founded in 1986. The company transforms expanded polystyrene (PSE), expanded polypropylene (PPE), polystyrene (PS), polypropylene (PP), PET, and a growing line of circular and bio-based alternatives into custom molded, injected, thermoformed, and cut foam parts. It operates four core processes — foam molding (moulage alvéolaire), plastic injection, extrusion and thermoforming, and foam cutting — across 38 production sites in 8 countries, with 2,000+ employees globally and a French footprint of 196 production lines producing roughly 480 million plastic parts per year. Specialized sites include Dreux (injection, BRC-GS and HACCP certified, 27 presses, 180M+ parts/year), La-Bernerie-en-Retz (thermoforming, 9 lines, 220M food packages/year, 50 specialists), and Ungersheim (ID Lab R&D). It holds an Ecovadis Silver Medal with a score of 75/100.

The company sells exclusively into B2B industrial channels through a sales-led, co-development model built around a 6-step engagement from needs audit through continuous improvement. It does not publish prices; contracts are custom project-based with multi-year commercial relationships. Revenue mechanics combine one-off manufacturing of custom parts with a recurring PSE waste take-back service (Knauf Circular®, launched 2020 in partnership with Knauf Bâtiment, covering France through 15 dedicated sites). It targets twelve verticals, with primary focus on Food & Agriculture, Building & Construction, HVAC, and Automotive & Mobility, and secondary focus on Pharmaceutical/Healthcare, Logistics, Furniture, Appliances, Sports & Leisure, Childcare, Pool & Filtration, and Aviation. Documented customers include FLOWAIR (HVAC), Boehringer Ingelheim (pharma logistics), Profim (office furniture), Socopa (meat packaging), Celtarmor (seafood), Burgbad (bathroom furniture), Awabot (telepresence robotics), ARKEGREEN (eco-lodge construction), and a joint reusable tray program with Florette, Les Crudettes, and Sodebo in the French fresh-food market. Distribution is direct enterprise sales with local production in each served geography, supported by a content-led marketing presence (LinkedIn, YouTube, X, resource library).

Name

Knauf Industries

Legal name

Knauf Industries

Website

https://knauf-industries.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Knauf Industries is a French-headquartered custom plastic-parts manufacturer producing molded foam, injected, thermoformed, and cut parts in PSE, PPE, PP, PET, and circular/bio-based materials for industrial customers across food, construction, HVAC, automotive, pharma, and logistics sectors in 8 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Plastic Manufacturing and Packaging

NAICS

Polystyrene Foam Product Manufacturing (32614), Urethane and Other Foam Product (except Polystyrene) Manufacturing (32615), Plastics Product Manufacturing (3261)

SIC

Plastics Foam Products (3086), Plastics Products, Nec (3089)

akta.pro primary industry

Polypropylene (PP) Foam Manufacturing (IMANAIAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Thermoformed Consumer Products & Housewares (IMANAHAD), Consumer Products Injection Molding (Housewares, Toys, Personal Care) (IMANAFAE), Polyolefins (PE, PP) (IMAEADAD)

Keywords

• Expanded polystyrene molding
• Plastic injection molding
• Thermoformed packaging
• Industrial foam parts
• PSE recycling services

Headquarters

HQ city

Wolfgantzen

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Molded plastic parts manufacturing: Manufacturing and sale of custom molded foam parts (PSE, PPE) for protection, packaging, and insulation applications. Production volume of 480 million plastic parts per year across 196 production lines in France.
2. Plastic injection services: High-precision injection plastic manufacturing at Dreux site with 27 presses producing over 180 million parts annually. Services range from 200,000 to over 20 million pieces per year.
3. Thermoforming services: Thermoforming of plastic packaging primarily for food industry. 9 production lines producing 220 million food packaging annually.
4. PSE recycling services (Knauf Circular®): Collection and recycling service for PSE waste from industrial clients, distributors, construction companies, and municipal waste centers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Knauf Industries manufactures and transforms expanded polystyrene (PSE), expanded polypropylene (PPE), and other plastics into custom molded parts, technical components, and packaging for industrial customers. Operations span four processes — foam molding, plastic injection, extrusion/thermoforming, and foam cutting — across 38 production sites in 8 countries, supported by an in-house R&D center (ID Lab), test laboratory, co-development services, and a dedicated PSE recycling program (Knauf Circular®).

Product overview

Knauf Industries is a major player in the plastic industry, operating as a manufacturer and transformer of expanded polystyrene (PSE), expanded polypropylene (PPE), and other plastic materials. The company offers four core manufacturing processes: foam molding (moulage alvéolaire), plastic injection, extrusion & thermoforming, and foam cutting. Its portfolio includes raw materials (PSE, PPE, PS, PP, PET, and circular alternative materials like NEOPS, RELOOPP, RELOOPS, CELLOPS, KapLight, R'KAP), finished products (isothermal packaging, food trays, technical parts), and services (ID Lab R&D center, test laboratory, co-development, and industrialization support). The company operates Knauf Circular, a dedicated PSE recycling program launched in 2020 with 15 collection sites across France. Knauf Industries serves diverse industries including food/agriculture, HVAC, automotive, furniture, logistics, construction, pharmaceuticals, and sports/leisure.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Foam Molding (Moulage Alvéolaire) Custom molding service producing lightweight, resistant cellular-structure foam parts (PSE, PPE) for industrial applications, with 12 sites in France operating 160 presses and cutting lines.
• Plastic Injection Molding High-precision injection molding for technical parts and packaging, with capacity from 200,000 to over 20 million pieces per year; Dreux site has 27 presses producing over 180 million parts annually.
• Extrusion and Thermoforming Forming process producing lightweight, functional plastic parts from extruded coils for packaging, protection, and cladding; La-Bernerie-en-Retz site has 9 production lines producing 220 million food packaging pieces annually.
• Foam Cutting (Découpe) Precision foam cutting service for custom packaging and cushioning, using CNC blade, hot wire, press cutting, and digital technologies.
• Knauf Circular® PSE Recycling Service Dedicated service for collecting, recycling, and valorizing expanded polystyrene (PSE) waste from industrial clients, distributors, construction companies, and municipal waste centers; 15 production sites equipped with recycling units across France.
• ID Lab R&D Center Multidisciplinary R&D center offering innovation, eco-design, carbon footprint analysis, and numerical simulation services for client projects.
• Co-development Service Six-step customer engagement covering needs audit, co-development, prototyping, industrialization, and continuous improvement with dedicated Customer Success team.
• Food Industry Packaging Solutions (Agroalimentaire) Food-grade packaging product line for meat, seafood, caterers, cheese, pastry, ice cream, fruits and vegetables, including custom packaging with BRC-GS and HACCP certified manufacturing sites.
• Pharmaceutical & Healthcare Packaging Solutions Pharmaceutical packaging and thermal insulation solutions for temperature-sensitive medical products and medications.
• Isothermal Packaging Solutions Thermal insulation packaging solutions for temperature-sensitive products including standard and custom designs, reusable rotation packaging, maintaining cold chain integrity.
• Thermapool® Pool Insulation Panels High-density expanded polystyrene (PSE) insulating panel for swimming pools, reducing thermal losses and improving energy efficiency of basins.
• Komebac® Rotation Buckets Lightweight plastic rotation buckets optimized for transport and logistics, including Komebac Cool isothermal versions for cold-chain logistics.
• Kary® / Karybox® Food Storage Containers Plastic containers and boxes for food storage and transportation, maintaining product freshness and integrity across cold chain applications.
• Logistics and Distribution Solutions Plastic pallets, plastic containers, and protective packaging solutions for logistics optimization, including reusable systems for industrial customers.
• Frobox® Cold Chain Insulated Boxes Insulated box product line for cold chain logistics applications.

Quantifiable outcome

• Part weight reduced by 15% with Profim furniture components, resulting in 13-40% carbon footprint reduction
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments12 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Knauf BâtimentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Strategic partnership for Knauf Circular® program launched in 2020. Knauf Bâtiment collaborates with Knauf Industries to collect and recycle expanded polystyrene (PSE) waste from post-consumer and pre-consumer sources across France. The partnership enables comprehensive PSE recycling through 15 production sites equipped with dedicated recycling units.
• Persistence Market ResearchminorOthersKnauf Industries identified as a key player in the global freight cars market in Persistence Market Research market analysis report. Not an active partnership but a market research citation.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• JSP Corporation: Japanese global leader in expanded polypropylene (EPP) and other foam materials for automotive, packaging and industrial applications. Most directly comparable to Knauf Industries' PPE foam molding business and overlapping automotive/HVAC/food customer base.
• Pactiv Evergreen: North American food service and food merchandising packaging producer with a large PS foam and rigid plastics portfolio. Directly comparable in food-contact polystyrene foam products and food-grade certifications (BRC, HACCP).
• Sealed Air: Global packaging company specializing in food protective packaging (Cryovac) and cold-chain solutions. Comparable to Knauf's isothermal packaging, food trays, and cold-chain PSE insulated boxes (Frobox, Kary® Cristal) business.
• Pregis: US-based protective packaging manufacturer with a strong foam (EPS, EPP, polyurethane) and paper-based portfolio serving industrial and e-commerce customers. Comparable to Knauf Industries in custom molded protective parts and similar vertical mix.
• Sonoco Products: US-based global packaging manufacturer with significant rigid plastics and thermoformed food packaging operations. Overlaps with Knauf's thermoforming capabilities and food-industry customer base (Socopa, Florette, Sodebo-type customers).
• Huhtamaki: Finnish global food packaging manufacturer with plastic, paper and molded fiber capabilities serving fresh produce, dairy and foodservice. Directly comparable to Knauf's food and agro-industry segment and circular packaging initiatives.
• Storopack: German-headquartered protective packaging specialist producing custom foam (EPS, EPP, PU) and air-cushion solutions for industrial customers. Closely mirrors Knauf's foam-molded protective packaging offering and co-development approach.
• Faerch Group: European rigid plastic packaging manufacturer specializing in APET, CPET and PP food trays with strong circular-economy positioning. Closely mirrors Knauf's food thermoforming line at La-Bernerie-en-Retz and reusable tray initiatives.

Broad incumbents

• BASF: Global chemicals leader and original producer of Styropor® expandable polystyrene. While BASF sits upstream and across multiple plastics/chemicals segments, it is the foundational incumbent whose raw materials and styrenics franchise shape the competitive context for Knauf's PSE business.
• Amcor: Global packaging giant with rigid and flexible plastics portfolios serving food, healthcare and industrial markets. Comparable to Knauf Industries as a broad-competitor across food packaging and pharma/healthcare verticals, though Amcor operates at significantly larger scale and across multiple packaging substrates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/knaufindustries
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCVWGr3y4awTEcyeFGXA3bLg
• LinkedInfr.linkedin.com/company/knauf-industries

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Knauf Industries