GIG Karasek

What GIG Karasek does

GIG Karasek (now operating as GKT) is an Austrian industrial engineering company founded in 1933 and headquartered in Gloggnitz, Austria, with a workforce of 101-250 employees. It is a member of the Dr. Aichhorn Group and specializes in thermal separation technologies—principally industrial evaporation, distillation, and drying—for demanding process applications in food, chemical, and emerging decarbonization end markets.

The company's core product portfolio centers on proprietary engineered systems: the Short Path Evaporator for high-purity food and chemical applications, the VarioVAP variable vapor compression platform (recognized with the Lower Austria Innovation Award 2026), and the ECO2CELL Cube for industrial CO2 capture and utilization, the last of which is progressing through regulatory milestones. Supporting services include a Lifecycle Service covering new plant construction, modernization, and ongoing operational support, and an in-house Technical Center for process development, testing, and validation from lab to industrial scale. A web-based Comprivap Calculator supports pre-sales engineering analysis.

GKT operates a B2B enterprise field-sales model, supplying project-based engineered equipment directly to large industrial customers and, increasingly, through a 'Sales Partner' channel program for geographies without direct coverage. Revenue is generated through one-time equipment and system sales complemented by recurring professional services from lifecycle support and Technical Center engagements. Named customer engagements include BASF (large-scale heat pump components) and BHDT (plant components), and the company maintains an integrated HSEQ management framework as a baseline qualification for industrial buyers.

Name

GIG Karasek

Legal name

GKT

Website

https://gigkarasek.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1933

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

GIG Karasek (rebranded to GKT in 2026) is an Austrian industrial engineering firm founded in 1933 that designs and supplies proprietary evaporation, distillation, and drying technologies—plus lifecycle services—primarily to food, chemical, and emerging decarbonization customers worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Gloggnitz

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Industrial Plant Equipment & Systems: Design, engineering, and manufacturing of industrial evaporation, distillation, and separation plant systems. Revenue is generated through project-based equipment sales and custom system implementations for industrial clients worldwide.
2. Lifecycle Services: Comprehensive service offerings including plant modernization, technical center trials, and ongoing operational support. Services include process development, testing, and validation under real conditions.
3. Technical Services & Process Development: Technical Center services for process development, testing, and validation. Customers can develop and validate processes from first trials to industrial scale.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

GKT (formerly GIG Karasek) designs, engineers and manufactures industrial evaporation, distillation and drying plant systems, including proprietary technologies such as VarioVAP, ECO2CELL Cube, and Short Path Evaporators, delivered alongside comprehensive lifecycle services and Technical Center-based process development, testing and validation for industrial clients.

Product overview

GKT (formerly GIG Karasek) is an industrial engineering company offering a portfolio of thermal separation and processing technologies under the Dr. Aichhorn Group with over 90 years of experience. The core product lineup includes VarioVAP (evaporation technology), ECO2CELL Cube (compact processing system), and Short Path Evaporator (high-purity distillation). These technologies are supported by complementary services including Lifecycle Service (plant support and modernization) and Technical Center (process testing and validation). The company also provides tools like the Comprivap Calculator for process calculations. GKT operates across multiple industries and supplies plant components to partners including BHDT and BASF.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• VarioVAP A variable vapor compression evaporation technology for industrial evaporation processes, designed to improve energy efficiency in industrial thermal separation applications. Sold to chemical, process and food industry customers.
• ECO2CELL Cube A compact CO2 extraction and processing system for industrial-scale carbon capture and utilization applications, aimed at customers pursuing decarbonization and emission reduction in industrial processes.
• Short Path Evaporator Industrial short-path evaporation equipment for high-purity food processing and chemical applications, operating under short-path distillation principles. Sold to food and chemical industry customers.
• Lifecycle Service Comprehensive service covering the full lifecycle of industrial plants worldwide, including new plant projects and modernization/upgrade engagements, delivered to enterprise industrial customers.
• Technical Center In-house process development, testing and validation service enabling customers to develop and validate industrial processes from first trials through industrial-scale production.

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• BASFflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 April 2026GKT successfully delivered a key component for BASF's large-scale heat pump project. This represents a significant reference customer relationship in the chemical industry sector, demonstrating GKT's capability to supply critical components for major industrial decarbonization projects.
• BHDTcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 March 2026GKT supplies plant components to BHDT for industrial applications. This ongoing supply relationship demonstrates GKT's role as a reliable component supplier in the industrial plant equipment supply chain.
• Dr. Aichhorn GroupcoreOthersGKT is a member of Dr. Aichhorn Group. The parent organization provides strategic backing and enables the company to leverage shared resources and organizational stability in the industrial engineering sector.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• GEA Group: GEA Group is a global leader in industrial process engineering, with a major separation/drying/evaporation portfolio serving food, chemical, and dairy customers. Directly comparable to GKT in evaporation and distillation equipment, though at vastly larger scale and broader product breadth.
• Alfa Laval: Alfa Laval is a Swedish industrial group specializing in heat transfer, separation, and fluid handling equipment. Its plate heat exchangers and evaporation technology overlap directly with GKT's industrial evaporation and process equipment offerings.
• SPX FLOW: SPX FLOW designs and manufactures process equipment including evaporation, drying, and separation technologies for food, beverage, and industrial customers. Direct product overlap with GKT in engineered evaporation and process systems.
• BHS Sonthofen: BHS Sonthofen is a German process technology specialist offering drying, evaporation, and separation systems for chemical and industrial customers. Directly comparable in product mix and customer base, particularly in the German-speaking industrial market.

Broad incumbents

• Andritz Group: Andritz is a larger Austrian-headquartered industrial process equipment supplier with separation, drying, and evaporation capabilities for chemical, food, and pulp/paper industries. A geographic and product-line peer, though Andritz operates at significantly larger scale across many more verticals.
• Sulzer: Sulzer is a Swiss industrial engineering firm with pumps, process equipment, and separation technology divisions. Overlaps with GKT through process equipment supply to chemical and industrial customers, though Sulzer's portfolio is much broader.
• Linde Engineering: Linde Engineering is a division of Linde plc providing large-scale industrial plant EPC for chemicals, hydrogen, and gas processing. A broad incumbent serving similar enterprise customers with process plant construction, though at much larger scale and broader scope.

Emerging players

• Koch Modular Process Systems: Koch Modular Process Systems is a US-based engineering firm focused on modular mass transfer and separation systems, including short-path distillation. Comparable niche overlap with GKT's short path evaporator technology for high-purity applications.
• Evapco Inc. Evapco is a global manufacturer of evaporative cooling and heat transfer equipment for industrial and HVAC applications. Adjacent overlap with GKT in evaporation-based thermal equipment, though focused more on cooling than industrial process separation.
• HRS Heat Exchangers: HRS Heat Exchangers specializes in heat transfer and evaporation systems for food, pharmaceutical, and industrial process applications. Comparable to GKT in evaporation equipment for food processing and process industries, though smaller and more specialized.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/GIGKarasekGmbH

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments1 record

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

Frequently asked questions about GIG Karasek