What Zeller + Gmelin does

Zeller+Gmelin GmbH & Co. KG is a privately held German industrial chemicals company founded in 1866 and headquartered in Eislingen/Fils, Germany. The company operates three core divisions: Schmierstoffe (Lubricants) marketed under the Divinol brand covering e-mobility, powertrain, wire drawing, automotive aftersales, construction, forestry, medical technology, and textile processing applications; Druckfarben (Printing Inks) serving narrow web, packaging, metal decoration, commercial, rigid plastic, and digital print markets; and Prozesschemie (Process Chemicals) including water treatment, flushing solvents, and maintenance products for industrial coatings. Application-specific chemical formulations, proprietary product lines such as Multidraw CU SY wire-drawing lubricants and Zubora water-miscible cooling lubricants, and CO2-optimized sustainable formulations form the core technology portfolio.

The company generates revenue through B2B direct sales from its Eislingen headquarters and a global distribution network of 173 locations and distributors covering over 100 countries, supplemented by wholly-owned subsidiaries in the USA (Richmond, VA), China (Suzhou), and Italy (Peschiera Borromeo). Pricing is quote-based for industrial customers and not publicly disclosed. Key customer segments include automotive and e-mobility manufacturers, printing and packaging converters, industrial metalworking operations, and emerging medical technology manufacturers. Notable customers include Aerumtec, an international copper wire manufacturer that partnered with Zeller+Gmelin for multi-wire drawing lubricant solutions.

The go-to-market combines field sales with dedicated sales forces for each division, on-site technical consultation, and multi-territory distributors. Marketing channels include major industry trade fairs (AMB, Automechanika, Labelexpo), a YouTube channel with animated training content, a digital knowledge portal for cooling lubricant management, and active social media presence. The company employs 501-1000 people globally and celebrated its 160th anniversary in 2026 with an open house event at its Eislingen headquarters.

Name

Zeller + Gmelin

Legal name

Zeller+Gmelin GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://zeller-gmelin.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1866

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Zeller+Gmelin is a German industrial chemicals company founded in 1866 that develops and manufactures application-specific lubricants, printing inks, and process chemicals for automotive, packaging, metalworking, and industrial manufacturing customers worldwide through a global distributor network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Eislingen-fils

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Revenue model

1. Lubricants (Divinol Brand): Sale of application-specific lubricants for industry, vehicles, and machines, including Divinol motor oils, gear oils, wire-drawing lubricants, cooling lubricants, and specialty industrial lubricants. Revenue generated through direct sales and global distribution network.
2. Printing Inks: Production and sale of printing inks for narrow web, packaging, metal decoration, commercial print, rigid plastic, and digital printing applications. Includes inks for food packaging applications.
3. Process Chemistry (Prozesschemie): Chemical products including flushing solvents, water treatment chemicals, and maintenance/care products for industrial production processes, developed in close collaboration with automotive, plastics, and coating manufacturers.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Zeller+Gmelin develops and manufactures application-specific industrial chemicals organized in three core divisions: Schmierstoffe (lubricants) under the Divinol brand covering E-Mobility, Powertrain, Wire, Medical Technology, Construction, Forestry, and Woodpanel applications; Druckfarben (printing inks) for food packaging, narrow web labels, metal decoration, rigid plastic, commercial, and digital print; and Prozesschemie (process chemicals) including flushing solvents, water treatment, and maintenance products. The company also provides Fluidmanagement services for cooling lubricants and offers specialized product lines such as Multidraw CU SY wire-drawing lubricants and Zubora water-miscible cooling lubricants, supported by a digital knowledge portal for application training.

Product overview

Zeller+Gmelin is a German industrial chemistry company (established 1866) offering three core product divisions: Schmierstoffe (Lubricants), Druckfarben (Printing Inks), and Prozesschemie (Process Chemicals), plus Fluidmanagement services. The Lubricants division centers on the Divinol brand covering industry-specific applications including E-Mobility, Powertrain, Car Body, Medical Technology, Wire, Automotive Aftersales, Construction, Forestry + Biograde, Woodpanel, and Textile Processing. The Printing Inks division serves Narrow Web, Packaging, Metal Deco, Commercial, Rigid Plastic, and Digital Print markets. Process Chemicals includes PCH Coating and maintenance products. Key product lines include Multidraw CU SY wire drawing lubricants and Zubora water-mixed cooling lubricants.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Divinol: Brand for motor and gear oils, automotive lubricants, and industrial lubricant products.

Products and services

• Schmierstoffe (Lubricants) under Divinol brand Application-specific lubricants for industry, vehicles, and machines marketed under the Divinol brand, formulated for diverse industrial manufacturing processes including automotive, E-mobility, wire drawing, construction, forestry, and metalworking applications.
• Druckfarben (Printing Inks) Printing inks for labels, food packaging, metal packaging, commercial printing, rigid plastic, and digital print applications, serving global brand manufacturers and converters with food-safe and industrial-grade formulations.
• Prozesschemie (Process Chemicals) Chemical products including water treatment, surface treatment, flushing solvents (Spüllösemittel), and maintenance/care products for industrial production processes, including PCH Coating solutions co-developed with automotive, plastics, and coatings manufacturers.
• Fluidmanagement Comprehensive service portfolio for cooling lubricants and process security, providing complete fluid management solutions from a single source for industrial manufacturing customers.
• Multidraw CU SY wire-drawing lubricants Specialty wire-drawing lubricants for copper wire production, featuring fully synthetic formulations (such as Multidraw CU SY T) for bare and tinned copper wire that minimize copper soap deposits and provide long-term stability for multi-wire drawing systems.
• Zubora water-miscible cooling lubricants Water-miscible cooling lubricants for machining and metalworking applications, covering concentration management, pH control, water hardness, nitrite/nitrate measurement, and bacteria/fungal protection for industrial cooling systems.

Quantifiable outcome

• Near-complete elimination of copper soap deposits in multi-wire drawing systems, resulting in significantly reduced machine downtime and improved machine availability

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• AerumteccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAerumtec, an international copper wire manufacturer (formerly part of LEONI AG, spun off in 2023) with five production facilities in Germany, UK, and China, partnered with Zeller+Gmelin to optimize its multi-wire drawing production using the Multidraw CU SY lubricant line. The partnership involved extensive testing, on-site field support, and gradual system conversion across production lines, resulting in elimination of copper soap deposits, improved machine availability, and better wire quality. Zeller+Gmelin's product manager Markus Mühleisen and field sales representative Holger Birle provided ongoing technical collaboration.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Fuchs Petrolub SE: World's largest independent manufacturer of specialty lubricants, headquartered in Mannheim, Germany. Closely comparable as a German family-controlled specialty lubricant company with a similar divisional structure (automotive, industrial, food-grade, e-mobility) and a strong distribution footprint — the natural direct peer for Zeller+Gmelin.
• Klüber Lubrication: German specialty lubricant manufacturer (owned by Freudenberg Group) focused on industrial, automotive, and food-grade tribological solutions. Directly comparable product portfolio and end-markets (metalworking, wire drawing, automotive) and the same Mittelstand DNA as Zeller+Gmelin.
• Carl Bechem GmbH: German specialty lubricants manufacturer (part of the Karlheinz Hagen Stifter group) producing metalworking fluids, gear oils, greases, and wire-drawing lubricants. Highly comparable Mittelstand heritage and product overlap with Zeller+Gmelin's lubricants division.
• Quaker Houghton: Global leader in industrial process fluids including metalworking fluids, hydraulic fluids, and specialty greases. Direct overlap on Zeller+Gmelin's core metalworking and industrial fluid management offerings, particularly Zubora-style products.
• Sun Chemical: World's largest producer of printing inks and pigments, serving packaging, commercial, and digital printing. Direct peer for Zeller+Gmelin's Druckfarben division across narrow web, packaging, metal decoration, and digital print.
• Siegwerk: German-headquartered global printing ink specialist focused on packaging and labels. Highly comparable to Zeller+Gmelin's narrow web and packaging ink portfolio with overlapping food-packaging compliance requirements.

Broad incumbents

• Castrol (BP): One of the world's largest lubricant brands, owned by BP, with deep automotive and industrial portfolios. Comparable on the Divinol motor oil and industrial lubricant side, but operates at vastly greater scale and as part of an integrated oil major.
• Shell Lubricants: Global lubricants giant covering automotive, industrial, and metalworking applications. Overlaps with Zeller+Gmelin's portfolio but offers much broader scope and brand spend; serves as a benchmark incumbent competitor in shared accounts.
• Lubrizol (Berkshire Hathaway): Global specialty chemical company and leading supplier of lubricant additives. Comparable on the additive and process chemistry side of Zeller+Gmelin's portfolio, particularly for performance chemical formulations.

Regional players

• Marabu GmbH & Co. KG: German specialty printing inks manufacturer focused on screen, pad, and digital printing inks. Comparable as a German Mittelstand printing ink peer, though concentrated more in graphic/industrial inks than packaging.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCASbQ2VBzKk7tBSgbLpBuCg
• Facebookfacebook.com/ZellerGmelinEislingen
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/10234537/admin/feed/posts
• Instagraminstagram.com/zellergmelin

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries3 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 Zeller + Gmelin