What Klocke Pharma-Service does

KLOCKE Pharma-Service GmbH is a German family-owned pharmaceutical contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) that specializes in the production of solid oral dosage forms — including granules, tablets (including bi-layer and tri-layer tablets), film-coated tablets, sugar-coated dragées, hard capsules, and pharmaceutical sachets (filling volumes from 500 mg to 100 g), with particular documented expertise in macrogol-containing laxatives. Manufacturing is centered at the company's Appenweier-Urloffen site in Baden-Württemberg, which spans more than 4,500 m² of production area following a 2021 capacity expansion, and is supported by an in-house laboratory offering analytics, microbiology, stability studies, and method validation/transfer services. Process technology includes fluid-bed granulation (bottom-spray, 20–400 kg batches), modern rotary tablet presses (50,000–250,000 tablets/hour), aqueous and solvent-based film coating (up to 500 kg batches including enteric coating), and a CAD-driven in-house tooling facility with more than 3,000 tool sets enabling short lead times on customer projects.

The commercial packaging arm, KLOCKE Verpackungs-Service GmbH, operates from Weingarten with over 20 redundant blister packaging lines producing 500+ million blisters per year and handling cold-formed and thermoformed blisters, cans, bottles, secondary packaging, tamper-evident closures, and serialization/aggregation using integrated OCS hardware and ARVATO CSDB software to meet the EU Falsified Medicines Directive. KLOCKE generates revenue through three B2B service streams — contract manufacturing (Lohnherstellung), contract packaging (Lohnverpackung), and laboratory/analytical services — priced on a custom quote basis against customer specifications and volumes rather than via published pricing. The group sells directly via enterprise sales teams to Big Pharma and medium-sized pharmaceutical manufacturers (also serving medical-products and dietary-supplement producers), with wholly-owned sales entities in Strasbourg (KLOCKE France EURL, est. 1990) and the United States (KLOCKE of America Inc., est. 1998) providing regional proximity. KLOCKE holds EU-GMP, EAEU-GMP, and ANVISA certifications supporting international market access for its customers' products.

KLOCKE is organized under KLOCKE Holding GmbH (founded 2007) and remains 100% family-owned, with ownership transferred in 2014 from founder Hartmut Klocke to sons Carsten and Stefan Klocke. The group reported approximately €140 million in revenue in FY2022 across all entities and now employs on the order of 750 people worldwide. In 2024 the group sold majority control of its biologics CDMO subsidiary IDT Biologika GmbH to South Korea's SK Bioscience Ltd., retaining a 40% minority stake, and has formally stated an intent since 2025 to concentrate on its core solid-dosage-form manufacturing and packaging operations. Two large logistics centers — at Weingarten (Nov 2023, ~€20M investment, 9,000+ pallets) and at Willstätt adjacent to Appenweier (Q1 2024, 16,500 pallets) — materially expanded the group's storage and throughput capability over a 12-month window.

Name

Klocke Pharma-Service

Legal name

Klocke Pharma-Service GmbH

Website

https://klocke.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1963

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

KLOCKE Pharma-Service GmbH is a German family-owned pharmaceutical CDMO specializing in contract manufacturing and packaging of solid oral dosage forms — granules, tablets, capsules, sachets, and blisters — serving Big Pharma and medium-sized pharmaceutical companies across European and international markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pharmaceutical Contract Manufacturing (CDMO)

NAICS

Pharmaceutical Preparation Manufacturing (325412), Packaging and Labeling Services (56191)

SIC

Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834)

akta.pro primary industry

Small-Molecule Drug Product (Solid/Oral/Parenteral) CDMO (HLAGABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Packaging, Labeling & Serialization (Clinical/Commercial) CDMO (HLAGABAJ), Clinical Trial Material (CTM) Manufacturing & Supply CDMO (HLAGABAK)

Keywords

• Pharmaceutical contract manufacturing
• Contract packaging services
• Solid dosage forms
• CDMO services
• Pharmaceutical packaging

Headquarters

HQ city

Appenweier

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Contract manufacturing services: Lohnherstellung (toll manufacturing) of pharmaceuticals, medical products, and dietary supplements including granules, tablets, film-coated tablets, dragées, and hard capsules
2. Contract packaging services: Lohnverpackung (contract packaging) of pharmaceuticals in blisters, cans, bottles, and sachets with serialization and aggregation capabilities
3. Laboratory and analytical services: Quality control testing, stability studies, method validation and transfer services complementing manufacturing operations

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Klocke Pharma-Service GmbH operates as a pharmaceutical contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) providing toll manufacturing of solid dosage forms (granules, tablets, film-coated tablets, dragées, hard capsules, sachets) at its Appenweier site. Its sister entity Klocke Verpackungs-Service GmbH provides contract packaging (blisters, cans, bottles, secondary packaging) including serialization, tamper-evidence, and aggregation services from Weingarten. Together the group offers integrated manufacturing-packaging solutions complemented by in-house laboratory analytics, stability studies, and scale-up/transfer services.

Product overview

KLOCKE Gruppe operates as a pharmaceutical Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) consisting of two core subsidiaries: KLOCKE Pharma-Service GmbH (manufacturing) and KLOCKE Verpackungs-Service GmbH (packaging). KLOCKE Pharma-Service specializes in contract manufacturing of solid dosage forms including granules, tablets, film-coated tablets, dragées, hard capsules, and sachets, with particular expertise in pharmaceutical sachet filling and macrogol-containing laxatives. KLOCKE Verpackungs-Service provides contract packaging services for blisters (cold-formed and thermoformed), cans, bottles, and secondary packaging, including serialization and tamper-evident solutions. Together, the companies offer integrated manufacturing and packaging solutions with over 20 redundant blister packaging lines, 10+ sachet filling lines, and comprehensive laboratory and scale-up services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• KLOCKE Pharma-Service Contract Manufacturing Contract manufacturing organization specializing in solid dosage forms including powders, granules, tablets, film-coated tablets, dragées, and hard capsules, with particular expertise in pharmaceutical sachet filling and macrogol-containing laxatives. Serves pharmaceutical companies.
• KLOCKE Verpackungs-Service Contract Packaging Contract packaging organization specializing in pharmaceutical blisters, cans, bottles, and secondary packaging with over 20 redundant blister packaging lines and serialization capabilities for pharmaceutical manufacturers.
• Sachet Filling Services Pharmaceutical sachet filling service for powders and granules with filling volumes from 500 mg up to 100 g, utilizing over 10 redundant vertical and horizontal lines. For pharmaceutical manufacturers needing single-dose packaging.
• Tablet Manufacturing Production of tablets and micro tablets using modern rotary presses with outputs of 50,000-250,000 tablets per hour, including 2- and 3-layer tablet production capabilities for pharmaceutical manufacturers.
• Granules and Powder Processing Mixing, granulation, sieving, and grinding services using container free-fall mixers, compulsory mixers, and fluid bed dryers for batch sizes ranging from 20 kg to 400 kg for pharmaceutical manufacturers.
• Sugar and Film Coating Sugar-coating and film-coating services including enteric coating for batch sizes up to 500 kg, available in aqueous and solvent-based formulations for pharmaceutical manufacturers.
• Hard Capsule Filling Capsule filling services for powders and pellets with 100% weight checking, metal detection, and deduster units for pharmaceutical manufacturers.
• Blister Packaging Cold-formed and thermoformed blister packaging with over 20 redundant blister packaging lines producing over 500 million blisters annually for pharmaceutical manufacturers.
• Serialization Services Serialization and aggregation solutions meeting EU Directive requirements with OCS equipment for serial number printing, product code printing, and 2-D data matrix code application for pharmaceutical manufacturers.
• Laboratory Services Analytics and microbiology services including method establishment, validation, transfer, and stability studies for pharmaceutical products; supports contract manufacturing customers.
• Scale-Up and Transfer Services Technical scale-up services in the technical center and complete product transfer including validation and market release for manufacturing processes for pharmaceutical manufacturers.
• Tamper-Evident Packaging Tamper-evident closure solutions including hot melt sealing and tamper-evident labels for folding cartons for pharmaceutical manufacturers.
• Secondary Packaging Automatic secondary packaging processes including blister insertion, instruction leaflet placement, datamatrix code application, and bundle pack processing for pharmaceutical manufacturers.
• Cans and Bottles Packaging Filling of dry bulk materials by weight (100 g to 1000 g) and counting bulk units into jars or cans with induction sealing and labeling capabilities for pharmaceutical manufacturers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 500 million blisters produced annually
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, former, strategic and supporting.

• KLOCKE of America InccoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 1998US partner company established to ensure greater proximity to customers and flexibility in the North American market.
• KLOCKE France EURLcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 1990Sales company established in Strasbourg to serve the French cosmetics and pharmaceutical markets. Enables local presence and customer proximity in France.
• IDT Biologika GmbHformerStrategic or Co-development PartnerFormerly owned vaccine production site evolved into leading CDMO for vaccines and biologics. KLOCKE Group retained 40% stake after selling majority to SK Bioscience in 2024.
• OCS (Optical Control Systems)coreTechnology or IntegrationEquipment partner for serialization solutions. OCS stations meet EU Directive requirements with 20-character serial number printing, product code printing (PPN, GTIN, NTIN), and 2-D data matrix code capabilities.
• ARVATO CSDBcoreTechnology or IntegrationSoftware platform used by KLOCKE for processing and generating serialization reports for regulatory compliance.
• SYSTEC & SERVICESstrategicImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartner for software implementation connecting KLOCKE's serialization systems with customers' internal software solutions.
• KLOCKE Holding GmbHcoreOthersFormal holding company established in 2007, holding all KLOCKE Group subsidiaries including KLOCKE Pharma-Service and KLOCKE Verpackungs-Service.
• TEW Technik Energie Wasser Servicegesellschaft mbHsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerSite utility operator integrated into the Group, supplying energy and water services to the Biopharma Park in Dessau-Roßlau.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Recipharm: Swedish-headquartered CDMO with a strong European solid-dose manufacturing footprint serving Big Pharma and mid-sized pharma. Comparable contract-manufacturing offering across multiple dosage forms and packaging.
• Corden Pharma (by International Chemical Investors Group): Full-service CDMO with strong solid-dose and packaging capabilities across European sites, serving comparable Big Pharma customers. Closely matches Klocke's contract manufacturing plus packaging offering.
• Delpharm: France-based CDMO specializing in solid oral dosage forms and sterile fill-finish with multiple European sites. Closely comparable as a mid-to-large European contract manufacturer serving similar Big Pharma and mid-market pharma clients.
• Fareva: French-headquartered pharmaceutical CDMO with European manufacturing and packaging operations including tablets, capsules, and sachets. Directly comparable in integrated CDMO + packaging service model.
• Haupt Pharma: German-headquartered CDMO specializing in sterile injectables and solid dosage forms. Directly comparable as a German/European contract manufacturer serving similar pharma customer base.
• Aenova Group: One of Europe's largest pharmaceutical CDMOs, focused on solid dosage forms (tablets, capsules, softgels) plus packaging. Most directly comparable to Klocke in business model, customer base, and European geographic focus.

Broad incumbents

• Thermo Fisher Scientific (Patheon CDMO): Operates the Patheon CDMO business covering oral solids, sterile, and biologics at global scale. Overlaps with Klocke in solid-dose contract manufacturing and packaging but offers a much broader service menu.
• Siegfried Holding: Swiss-listed CDMO with API and drug-product manufacturing including solid dosage forms. Comparable as a European CDMO serving Big Pharma, though with additional API capabilities Klocke lacks.
• Catalent: Global CDMO incumbent with broad dosage-form coverage including oral solids, softgels, and biologics. Competes with Klocke on pharma outsourcing contracts but at materially larger scale and broader portfolio.

Emerging players

• Glatt Pharmaceutical Services: German CDMO/equipment provider with solid-dose and particle engineering expertise. Comparable in technology and German footprint, though typically serving a more specialized/smaller customer set than Klocke.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/klocke-gruppe

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries6 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 Klocke Pharma-Service