Kern GmbH

What Kern GmbH does

Kern GmbH (doing business as KERN) is a privately held German manufacturer of technical plastic components headquartered in Großmaischeid, Germany. The company operates as a vertically integrated system supplier covering the entire value chain from concept and CAD design through in-house toolmaking, prototyping, series production, surface treatment, EMC shielding, printing, assembly, and custom logistics. Its technology stack spans more than 16 plastic processing methods, including injection molding, thermoplastic foam molding (TSG), polyamide casting (gravity and centrifugal, up to 2.5 tonnes and 2300 mm diameter), profile extrusion, CNC 5-axis machining and deep-hole drilling, water jet cutting, ultrasonic joining, thermoforming, polyurethane processing, and the proprietary MET process for small simple parts. It also runs an ISO 7-9 cleanroom for medical, electronics, metrology, and optics applications, holds DIN EN ISO 9001:2015 certification, and operates a small e-commerce storefront for semi-finished plastic products alongside its primary business.

The company serves industrial OEMs across seven primary segments: mechanical engineering, medical technology, electronics and electrical engineering, device/transport technology, printing machines, food technology, and stage technology. Named customers and references include Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) for rail fastening components, Carl Zeiss (LSM 510 META microscope housing, R&D 100 Award 2011), a surgical equipment manufacturer for a TSG-housed suction device, and Puls Design Darmstadt for an award-winning ultrasonic mobility aid (IF Design Award 1999, Designpreis Brandenburg 1999). Pricing is quote-based on multi-year program contracts, with technical content marketing, an in-house RIWETA engineering software suite, online calculation tools for gears/bearings/rollers, sample and callback request forms, and trade fair participation used to drive top-of-funnel engagement; bottom-of-funnel activity is project-based direct sales supported by application engineers and an internal sales team.

The business model is sales-led custom manufacturing: revenue derives from one-time project contracts for custom plastic components and assemblies, plus an online retail stream for semi-finished plastic products. Differentiators include the multi-process vertical integration, in-house toolmaking at scale (250 tools/year from 50 toolmaking employees, 25 CNC machines at two sites), proprietary RIWETA engineering tools that create switching-cost reinforcement, and cleanroom plus EMC/hybrid capabilities that allow entry into regulated medical and electronics segments.

Name

Kern GmbH

Legal name

Kern GmbH

Website

https://kern.de

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Kern GmbH is a German manufacturer of custom technical plastic components and semi-finished plastic products, serving industrial OEMs across machinery, medical, electronics, transport, food, and stage technology via in-house toolmaking, multi-process plastic manufacturing, cleanroom production, and project-based direct sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Plastic Components Manufacturing

NAICS

Plastics Product Manufacturing (3261), Industrial Mold Manufacturing (333511)

SIC

Plastics Products, Nec (3089)

akta.pro primary industry

Custom Injection Molding & Contract Manufacturing (Job Shops/CMs) (IMANAFAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Industrial & Machinery Injection Molded Components (Gears, Wear Parts) (IMANAFAF), Custom Thermoforming & Contract Manufacturing (IMANAHAI)

Keywords

• Technical plastic components
• Injection molding services
• Polyamide casting
• Plastic machining services
• Industrial plastic parts

Headquarters

HQ city

Großmaischeid

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Technical Plastic Components: Kern GmbH generates revenue through the design, development, and manufacture of custom technical plastic components and assemblies for industrial customers. The company acts as a full-service system supplier covering the entire value chain from component development, tooling, and series production through assembly and logistics.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Kern GmbH manufactures custom technical plastic parts and semi-finished products using multiple processes including injection molding, thermoplastic foam molding (TSG), polyamide casting, profile extrusion, CNC machining, water jet cutting, and ultrasonic joining. The company acts as a vertically integrated system supplier covering concept design, in-house toolmaking, prototyping, series production, assembly, and logistics for industrial customers.

Product overview

Kern GmbH is a German manufacturer of technical plastic parts offering a comprehensive portfolio of manufacturing processes and services. The core offerings include injection molding (Spritzgießen), thermoplastic foam molding (TSG), polyamide casting, profile extrusion, CNC machining (Zerspanung), water jet cutting, and ultrasonic joining. The company operates as a system supplier with in-house tool making capabilities, cleanroom manufacturing (ISO 7-9), assembly services, and custom logistics. Their product range encompasses precision plastic components for industries including machinery, medical technology, electronics, automotive, aerospace, and food processing. The company also offers specialized semi-finished plastic products (Halbzeuge) for machining applications and provides application engineering services including material selection, CAD design, prototyping, and series production support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Injection Molding (Spritzgießen)

Quantifiable outcome

• Annual production of 250 tools by 50 toolmaking employees — one tool per working day
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Carl ZeisscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Kern GmbH developed and manufactured the housing system for Carl Zeiss's LSM 510 META Laser Scanning Microscope. The collaboration involved close application engineering to create an intelligent housing system with precision, dimensional stability, and high-quality appearance. The resulting product won the R&D 100 Award in 2011.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Röchling SE & Co. KG: German plastics group with industrial, automotive, and medical divisions producing technical plastic parts and assemblies. Comparable in industrial segment focus and breadth of processes, though at substantially larger scale than Kern.
• Lehmann&Voss&Co. (LEHVOSS Group): Hamburg-based compounder and distributor of high-performance plastics with custom compounding and technical application support for industrial customers — comparable engineering-led sales motion and plastics focus.
• Murtfeldt Kunststoffe GmbH & Co. KG: German producer of engineering plastic semi-finished products and machined components (chains, guides, gears, bearings) for industrial OEMs — directly overlapping with Kern's machinery-elements value proposition and Mittelstand positioning.
• SIMONA AG: German manufacturer of thermoplastic semi-finished products, profiles, and finished parts for industrial applications. Comparable in semi-finished product offering, extrusion, and machined-parts capabilities serving machinery and chemical-plant customers.
• GEHR Kunststoffwerk GmbH & Co. KG: German manufacturer of thermoplastic semi-finished products (rods, sheets, tubes) and machined parts serving industrial and machinery customers — closely comparable to Kern's Halbzeuge and zerspante Teile offerings.
• Ensinger GmbH: German technical plastics manufacturer producing semi-finished products, machined parts, and injection-molded components for industrial, medical, and machinery customers — directly comparable to Kern's vertically integrated plastics job-shop model.

Broad incumbents

• Mitsubishi Chemical Advanced Materials (formerly Quadrant Plastics): Global manufacturer of engineering plastic stock shapes and machined components for industrial and medical applications — broader portfolio and global scale than Kern, but overlapping product categories.
• Evonik Industries AG — High Performance Polymers: Specialty chemicals company supplying high-performance polyamides and polymer materials used in industrial, automotive, and medical applications — adjacent incumbent shaping supply and demand in Kern's core raw materials.
• BASF SE — Engineering Plastics: Global chemicals major with a broad engineering plastics and polyamides portfolio serving industrial OEMs — not a direct competitor for finished parts but defines the upstream materials landscape in which Kern operates.

Others

• Kunststoff-Institut für die mittelständische Wirtschaft (KIMW): German industry service institute supporting Mittelstand plastics processors with R&D, training, and testing — not a competitor, but a relevant ecosystem participant that benchmarks and uplifts capability across Kern's competitive set.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCFc7rKWXu2sGBr_x2dZL0gA

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

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Kern GmbH