What Thommen Group does

Thommen Group is a privately held Swiss metal recycling, waste management, and secondary raw materials company founded in 1936 in Basel and headquartered in Zug, Switzerland. The group employs approximately 900 people across more than 30 locations in Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, Italy, and China, operating through three wholly owned brands: Thommen (Swiss domestic disposal and recycling), Metallum (international trading of primary and secondary metals and scrap), and Immark (Swiss market leader in electrical and electronic waste and refrigeration appliance recycling, achieving up to 95% recycling rates). Its core technology base includes shredding machines acquired in 1971 for breaking up composite materials, integrated multi-modal logistics (road, rail, and water via own rail connections and Rheinhafen Basel port access), and specialized e-waste processing lines that exceed the European WEEE Directive recovery standards.

Thommen Group generates revenue through four transaction-based streams: metal recycling services (scrap iron, non-ferrous metals, end-of-life vehicles); trade in secondary raw materials to foundries, smelters, and retailers; container and logistics services spanning small containers through heavy haulage; and disposal and environmental services including decontamination, demolition, and pollutant clean-up. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is tailored per engagement. The company sells exclusively through B2B channels — industrial customers, trade businesses, local authorities, and international exporters — with no consumer-facing digital product, app, or public API.

The group has grown through a sustained acquisition program (Immark 2009, Metallum 2015, Bleiker and Zimmerli 2017, RUAG Environment 2020, Wiederkehr Recycling 2025) and remains under family control, with Dr. Tobias Thommen as majority shareholder. A leadership transition occurred in May 2023 when Pouyan Dardashti was appointed CEO. Sustainability positioning is reinforced by GRI-compliant reporting, EcoVadis certification, and active participation in industry associations including BIR, VDM, BDSV, and VSMR.

Name

Thommen Group

Legal name

Thommen Group AG

Website

https://thommengroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1936

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Thommen Group is a privately held Swiss metal recycling, waste management, and secondary raw materials trader serving industrial customers, trade businesses, and local authorities across Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, Italy, and China via its Thommen, Metallum, and Immark brands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Metal Recycling and Waste Management Services

NAICS

Materials Recovery Facilities (562920), Recyclable Material Merchant Wholesalers (42393), Metal Service Centers and Other Metal Merchant Wholesalers (423510)

SIC

Wholesale-Metals & Minerals (No Petroleum) (5050)

akta.pro primary industry

Scrap Metal Collection, Logistics & Aggregation (Yards, Roll-off, Container Programs) (IMAKAMAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Ferrous Scrap Processing & Brokerage (Steel & Cast Iron) (IMAKAMAA), Non-Ferrous Scrap Processing & Brokerage (Aluminum, Copper, Brass/Bronze, Lead, Zinc, Nickel) (IMAKAMAB), Metals Recovery & Sorting Facilities (Ferrous/Non-Ferrous) (EUAIADAG)

Keywords

• Metal recycling services
• Scrap metal trading
• Electronic waste recycling
• Waste management solutions
• Container logistics services

Headquarters

HQ city

Zug

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Metal Recycling Services: Core revenue from recycling and processing of scrap iron, non-ferrous metals, electrical waste, and end-of-life vehicles. Services include collection, cleaning, sorting, crushing/shredding, and returning materials to production cycle as secondary raw materials.
2. Trade in Secondary Raw Materials: International trade in primary and secondary metals, metallic residues, scrap metal (ferrous and non-ferrous), and electronic waste. Transactions conducted directly with partners and through trading companies to retailers, foundries, and smelters.
3. Logistics and Container Services: Comprehensive logistics solutions including container services from small containers to heavy haulage, over short or long distances by road, rail, or water. Container range covers drums, boxes, skips, and containers in various sizes.
4. Disposal and Environmental Services: Professional decontamination work, pollutant clean-up, demolition services, and comprehensive disposal solutions for industry, trade, and local authorities.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Thommen Group provides integrated metal recycling, waste management, disposal, trading, and logistics services through three brands. Thommen handles domestic Swiss recycling of scrap iron, non-ferrous metals, and electronic waste; Metallum operates international trade in primary and secondary metals and electronic waste; Immark specializes in electronic waste and refrigeration appliance reprocessing. Services encompass collection, sorting, shredding, and returning materials as secondary raw materials, alongside container logistics across road, rail, and water.

Product overview

Thommen Group is a Swiss-based international recycling company comprising three distinct brands that operate under one unified corporate group. Thommen (the core brand, est. 1936) operates 10 locations in Switzerland specializing in scrap iron, non-ferrous metals, and electronic waste recycling plus pollutant decontamination. Metallum serves as the international trading platform handling primary and secondary metals, scrap metal (ferrous and non-ferrous), and electronic waste processing with facilities in Switzerland, Belgium, Germany, Italy, and China. Immark is the Swiss market leader in electrical and electronic waste reprocessing, disposal, and refrigeration recycling. The group also offers container services (logistics from small containers to heavy haulage via road, rail, and water), trade services for secondary raw materials, and comprehensive recycling solutions for industry, trade, and local authorities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Thommen: Founded in 1936, one of the leading recycling companies in Switzerland operating from 10 locations in Switzerland, offering comprehensive disposal and recycling services.
• Metallum
• Immark

Products and services

• Thommen Recycling Services Domestic Swiss recycling brand operating from 10 locations, offering comprehensive disposal and recycling of scrap iron, non-ferrous metals, and electronic waste, plus professional pollutant decontamination for businesses and private individuals.
• Metallum International Metal Trading International trading platform handling primary and secondary metals, metallic residues, ferrous and non-ferrous scrap metal, and electronic waste processing; sells materials nationally and internationally to retailers, foundries, and smelters.
• Immark Electronic Waste Recycling Swiss market leader in electrical and electronic waste reprocessing, disposal, and refrigeration appliance recycling; develops integrated disposal concepts achieving recycling rates of up to 95%, exceeding European WEEE Directive standards.
• Container Service and Multi-Modal Logistics Comprehensive logistics solutions covering small containers, drums, boxes, skips and containers of various sizes, plus heavy haulage over short or long distances via road, rail, and water; supported by own railway connections and the company's location at Rheinhafen Basel.
• Secondary Raw Materials Trade Trading in secondary raw materials with long-standing market experience, offering transparent and attractive prices with permanent contact to customers and suppliers.
• Professional Decontamination and Demolition Services Professional pollutant clean-up, decontamination work, and demolition services delivered for industrial, trade, and local authority customers, including complex disposal and pollutant remediation solutions.

Quantifiable outcome

• Immark achieves 95% recycling rate for electrical and electronic waste, significantly higher than European WEEE Directive requirements.

Named customers3 records

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

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Metallum GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Acquired in 2015, Metallum Group (formerly Dietiker Group) brought international trading capabilities with facilities in Belgium, Germany, and Italy, positioning Thommen Group for cross-border metal recycling operations.
• Metallum Group (Switzerland) LtdcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSubsidiary acquired in 2015 operating international trade in primary and secondary metals, metallic residues, scrap metal, and electronic waste processing across Switzerland, Belgium, Germany, Italy, and Shanghai.
• Immark AGcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcquired in 2009, Immark is the market leader in Switzerland for electronic waste reprocessing and disposal, achieving 95% recycling rates for refrigeration appliances.
• Georges Bleiker AGminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcquired in 2017, expanding Swiss market presence with locations in Amriswil and Staad.
• Zimmerli AGminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcquired in 2017, expanding Swiss operations with location in Aarwangen.
• RUAG Environment AGminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcquired in 2020, further expanding environmental services capabilities.
• BIR - Bureau of International RecyclingminorOthersInternational recycling industry association for global recycling sector engagement and knowledge sharing.
• VDM - Association of German Metal TradersminorOthersGerman metal trading association providing industry networking and standards representation.
• BDSV - Federal Association of German Steel RecyclingminorOthersFederal association representing German steel recycling and disposal companies.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Befesa SA: Befesa operates salt slag recycling services and electric arc furnace dust recycling, listed on Frankfurt. Comparable to Thommen's specialized industrial recycling services and integrated environmental services offering.
• Sims Metal Management: Sims is a global metal recycling company with ~270 facilities across North America, Australia, and the UK, collecting, processing, and selling ferrous and non-ferrous scrap. Comparable business model and customer base to Thommen, though with significantly larger scale.
• European Metal Recycling (EMR): EMR is one of the largest metal recyclers globally, operating ~150 sites across Europe and North America with ferrous and non-ferrous scrap collection, processing, and trading. Direct competitor to Thommen's scrap metal collection, processing, and Metallum international trading platform.
• TSR Recycling (formerly Scholz Recycling): TSR is a leading European scrap metal recycler with operations across Germany, Eastern Europe, and beyond, focused on ferrous and non-ferrous scrap collection and processing. Comparable in service mix and customer base to Thommen's scrap recycling business.
• Stena Recycling: Stena Recycling operates a large European network of metal recycling facilities and offers end-to-end recycling, logistics, and waste management services. Direct competitor in metal recycling, electronic waste, and integrated industrial recycling solutions.
• Cronimet Holding: Cronimet is a global scrap metal trading and processing group with strong presence in non-ferrous metals and stainless steel. Highly comparable to the Metallum international trading platform and Thommen's non-ferrous scrap processing operations.

Broad incumbents

• Wieland Group: Wieland is a global manufacturer of semi-finished copper and copper alloy products with integrated recycling operations. Overlaps with Thommen's non-ferrous metal recycling and trading business as both a customer and adjacent incumbent.
• Aurubis AG: Aurubis is one of the world's largest copper recyclers and producers, with smelting and refining operations across Europe. Downstream buyer of scrap processed by Thommen/Metallum and competitor in the broader non-ferrous metal value chain.
• PreZero (Schwarz Group): PreZero is the environmental and recycling division of the Schwarz Group, operating integrated waste management and recycling services across Europe. Comparable as a broad recycling services provider, though with a wider scope than Thommen's metals focus.

Emerging players

• Duesenfeld GmbH: Duesenfeld is a German specialist in lithium-ion battery recycling with high recovery rates for black mass. Comparable to Immark's e-waste specialization and represents an emerging adjacency in electronics/battery recycling that Thommen could enter or partner with.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/thommengroup
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Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A1 record

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Thommen Group