What RECOM does

RECOM Recycling GmbH is a German private limited company headquartered in Aschaffenburg that specializes in the recovery of precious metals (gold, silver, platinum, palladium, rhodium, iridium, ruthenium) from industrial production residues. Founded in 1996 and owner-managed by Managing Directors Daniel Leiderer and Melanie Männche, the firm operates from two Aschaffenburg sites — a registered office on Grünewaldstraße and a production/logistics facility on Germanenstraße — with a headcount in the 51-100 range. Its customer base spans national and international industrial companies in electrical engineering and electronics, chemistry and petrochemistry, pharmacy and medical technology, glass production, automotive, and special industries including fuel cells and photovoltaics. Radioactive and mercury-bearing materials are explicitly excluded.

The firm's technical core is an integrated set of thermal (ashing up to 1,200°C; inductive melting up to 1,800°C), mechanical (shredding, granulating, screen ball milling, magnetic separation, screening), and chemical processing lines — the last notably extended in 2025 with a capability for selective platinum and iridium recovery from used spark plugs. A proprietary precious-metal software platform integrates weighing protocol through invoicing and is configurable to each customer's recycling concept. Quality is anchored by ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certifications, an Entsorgungsfachbetrieb waste-management certificate, BImSchV Section 23 publication, and a 2023 carbon-neutrality certificate, with operations powered by renewables (90,000 kWh/yr PV) and a ~90% electric/hybrid vehicle fleet.

Commercially, RECOM runs an enterprise field-sales motion (80% travel) targeting decision-makers in automotive, electronics, and pharmaceuticals via trade fairs, cold outreach, and on-site consulting, then converts engagements through individualized profitability calculations on customer material samples. Revenue is generated across four streams: processing/transaction fees for recycling, precious-metal trading and settlement via metal accounts (spot pricing, forwards, transfers, physical delivery), logistics and environmental services (UN-approved containers, customs, hazardous-goods handling), and consulting. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed; settlement is against analytically determined precious-metal contents at independent specialized laboratories, with the option for advance payment or security deposits on reprocessing price.

Name

RECOM

Legal name

RECOM Recycling GmbH

Website

https://recomgmbh.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

RECOM Recycling GmbH is a German, owner-managed precious-metal recycler founded in 1996 that recovers gold, silver, platinum, palladium, and rhodium-group metals from industrial production residues for electronics, automotive, chemical, pharmaceutical, and glass customers using integrated thermal, mechanical, and chemical processing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Precious Metal Recycling Services

NAICS

Secondary Smelting, Refining, and Alloying of Nonferrous Metal (except Copper and Aluminum) (331492), Materials Recovery Facilities (562920)

SIC

Secondary Smelting & Refining Of Nonferrous Metals (3341), Primary Smelting & Refining Of Nonferrous Metals (3330)

akta.pro primary industry

Precious & Specialty Metal Recovery (Smelting, Refining, Hydrometallurgy) (EUAIAIAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

E-Waste & Electronics Metal Recovery (ITAD, Circuit Boards, Precious Metal Recovery) (IMAKAMAG), Catalytic Converter Recycling & Precious Metals Recovery (PGM) (EUAIAJAG)

Keywords

• Precious metal recycling
• Industrial recycling services
• Precious metal recovery
• Waste management services
• Metal refining services

Headquarters

HQ city

Aschaffenburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Precious Metal Recycling Processing: Processing fees for reprocessing customers' precious metal-bearing production residues. Services include thermal, mechanical, and chemical processing, sampling, and analytics. The company processes each individual lot separately and determines exact precious metal contents before refined metals are physically available, providing customers a cash-flow advantage.
2. Precious Metal Trading: Precious metals trading is carried out via metal accounts. Compensation options include: setting prices for precious metals on defined dates with immediate payment, forward transactions (hedging of precious metal prices before settlement date), transfer of precious metals to metal accounts at third-party companies, and physical delivery of pure precious metals.
3. Logistics and Environmental Services: Transport services with trained drivers, provision of UN-approved containers, professional handling of transports, disposal certificates, customs clearance, and hazardous goods notifications. The company organizes transport both within the EU and worldwide.
4. Consulting Services: Comprehensive consulting including profitability calculations, concepts for collection of recyclable materials, transport of hazardous materials, and price setting or transfer of precious metals during metal settlement.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

RECOM recovers precious metals (gold, silver, platinum, palladium, rhodium, iridium, ruthenium) from industrial customers' production residues through integrated thermal, mechanical, and chemical processing methods. Each customer lot is processed individually with precision sampling and independent laboratory analytics to determine exact precious metal content, and the company offers flexible compensation options including immediate payment, forward transactions, metal-account transfers, or physical delivery.

Product overview

RECOM is a service specialist for precious metal recycling, offering a comprehensive suite of integrated services rather than a single software product. The core offering is Edelmetall-Recycling (Precious Metal Recycling), supported by four main service pillars: Beratung (Consulting) for expert guidance on recycling concepts and profitability; Logistik und Umweltmanagement (Logistics and Environmental Management) for complete transport and customs handling; Bearbeitung und Analyse (Processing and Analysis) encompassing thermal, mechanical, and chemical processing technologies; and Edelmetallmanagement und -vergütung (Precious Metal Management and Remuneration) providing flexible compensation options. These services are delivered through specialized processes including Thermische Aufbereitung (thermal processing up to 1,800°C), Mechanische Aufbereitung (mechanical size reduction), Chemische Aufbereitung (chemical extraction for spark plugs), and Probenahme und Analytik (precision sampling and independent laboratory analysis).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Precious Metal Recycling (Edelmetall-Recycling) Core service recovering precious metals (gold, silver, platinum, palladium, rhodium, iridium, ruthenium) from industrial customers' production residues through sustainable, environmentally friendly recycling processes. Targeted at industrial manufacturers in electronics, telecommunications, automotive, chemical, petrochemical, and glass sectors.
• Consulting (Beratung) Expert consulting covering profitability calculations based on material samples, recycling concepts for collection of recyclable materials, hazardous-material transport guidance, and price-setting or transfer advice during metal settlement. For industrial customers considering precious-metal recycling engagements.
• Logistics and Environmental Management (Logistik und Umweltmanagement) Complete logistics service including transport with trained drivers, provision of UN-approved empties for storage and transport, professional transport handling, issuance of disposal certificates, customs clearance, and hazardous goods notifications within the EU and worldwide.
• Processing and Analysis (Bearbeitung und Analyse) Comprehensive processing service combining thermal processing (ashing up to 1,200°C, melting up to 1,800°C, drying), mechanical processing (shredding, grinding, sieving), chemical processing, and precision sampling for analytical determination of precious-metal content.
• Precious Metal Management and Remuneration (Edelmetallmanagement und -vergütung) Flexible compensation and precious-metal management service including setting prices on defined dates with immediate payment, forward transactions for hedging precious-metal prices before settlement, transfer of precious metals to metal accounts at third-party companies, and physical delivery of pure precious metals.
• Thermal Processing (Thermische Aufbereitung) High-performance thermal ashing plant operating up to 1,200°C and inductively operated melting units up to 1,800°C for homogenizing metallic alloys, plus drying equipment for materials with residual moisture. Paired with 17th Federal Immission Control Ordinance (BImSchV) approved exhaust gas purification.
• Mechanical Processing (Mechanische Aufbereitung) Systematic size reduction and mixing using special shredders, cutting granulators, screen ball mills, mixing units, magnetic separators, and screening systems to produce homogeneous fractions, with automatic sampling devices for subsequent fine preparation of analysis samples.
• Chemical Processing (Chemische Aufbereitung) Innovative, environmentally friendly chemical processing that efficiently recovers platinum and iridium from used spark plugs (and similar complex composite materials), enabling selective extraction from ceramic and metallic composite structures.
• Sampling and Analytics (Probenahme und Analytik) Standardized precision sampling with multiple samples drawn per processing batch, sealed and analyzed by independent specialized laboratories, with retention samples archived for reliable determination of precious-metal content.

Quantifiable outcome

• PV system produces approximately 90,000 kWh per year; approximately 90% of vehicle fleet is electric or hybrid

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Heraeus Precious Metals: German precious metals refiner and recycler headquartered in Hanau. Operates integrated precious metal recycling from industrial residues across electronics, automotive catalysts, and chemicals — directly comparable in geography, customer verticals, and service model.
• Heimerle + Meule Group: German precious metal refinery (subsidiary of Aurubis) specializing in precious metal refining and recycling from industrial materials. Direct competitor serving overlapping European industrial customers with similar refining and analysis capabilities.
• Umicore: Belgian global materials technology group with a large precious metals recycling business recovering gold, silver, platinum, and palladium from industrial scrap, spent catalysts, and electronic waste. Closest large-scale direct peer with similar feedstock types and customer segments.
• Tanaka Kikinzoku Kogyo: Japanese precious metals refiner with a major recycling business recovering precious metals from industrial residues, catalysts, and electronics scrap. Comparable in technology stack (refining, analytical precision, metal accounts) and customer verticals.
• Materion Corporation: US-based advanced materials company with a precious metals refining and recycling division recovering gold, silver, platinum, and palladium from industrial scrap. Comparable in providing precision analytics, refining services, and metal account settlement to industrial customers.
• Sabin Metal Corp: US-based precious metals refiner specializing in recovery of platinum group metals from spent catalysts and industrial residues. Directly comparable niche — automotive and chemical industry catalysts — with similar pyrometallurgical and chemical processing capabilities.

Broad incumbents

• Aurubis AG: European leader in non-ferrous metals recycling and refining, with a portfolio spanning copper, precious metals, and multimetal recovery. Overlaps with RECOM in precious metal by-product recovery but operates at significantly larger scale with broader feedstock.

Regional players

• Dowa Holdings: Japanese holding company with a significant precious metals and e-waste recycling subsidiary (Dowa Eco-System). Comparable in recovering gold, silver, and platinum group metals from electronic scrap and industrial residues, though focused on Asian markets.
• Ögussa (Österreichische Gold- und Silber-Scheideanstalt): Austrian precious metals refinery (part of Aurubis) recycling precious metals from industrial residues. Directly comparable service offering, but primarily serving Austrian and Central European customers rather than competing globally.
• Boliden AB: Swedish metals mining and recycling company operating smelters that recover precious metals as by-products of copper and lead refining. Provides a comparable end point for industrial residues but focused on Scandinavian markets and integrated with primary smelting.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 RECOM