ERK Energy Systems

What ERK Energy Systems does

ERK Energy Systems (legal entity: ERK Eckrohrkessel Holding GmbH, headquartered in Berlin, Germany) is a privately-held engineering consulting and technology licensing company specializing in industrial boiler and power plant design. Founded in 1929, the firm has accumulated more than 70 years of design expertise in corner-tube (Eckrohr) boiler technology and has deployed over 6,100 boiler references with more than 80,000 MW of installed capacity worldwide. Its core offering is the proprietary Eckrohr single-drum water-tube boiler, paired with proprietary ERK Tube heat-transfer technology that induces working-media turbulence to reduce weight and volume by up to 50% and to raise heat-transfer coefficients by a factor of 2–3 compared with smooth tubes. Supporting products include Bubbling Fluidised Bed (BFB) combustion and water-cooled inclined grate firing systems, multi-fuel boilers, smoke-tube and bi-drum boiler variants, marine boilers, heat recovery steam generators (HRSGs), flue gas condensation, zeolite-based thermal storage, algae-coupled CO2 utilization, and emerging Power-to-Heat systems.

The company operates exclusively through a licensing business model, transferring technical know-how to a global network of more than 30 well-established boiler and power plant manufacturers rather than manufacturing equipment itself. Revenue is generated via licensing royalties on Eckrohr boilers, firing systems, and tube systems; engineering consulting services covering water-circulation, heat/mass/energy transfer and FEM/CFD calculations; and order coordination for Eckrohr boiler sales manufactured by licensees. End customers of the licensees span power generation, district heating, marine/shipping, renewable energy (biomass, waste-to-energy, concentrated solar power, geothermal), and process industries including chemicals, refining, and food/beverage. Pricing is custom project-based, with thermal capacities ranging from 0.3 MWth to 250 MWth; contracts are typically multi-year and pricing is not publicly disclosed. The firm runs a continuous in-house R&D program (two key projects per year since 1995) and is led by Professor Udo Hellwig (PhD Engineering) and Susann Roicke, with Dr. Ali Rezaie associated with operating subsidiary ERK Solution GmbH.

Name

ERK Energy Systems

Legal name

ERK Eckrohrkessel Holding GmbH

Website

https://erk-systems.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1929

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ERK Energy Systems is a Berlin-based engineering consulting and technology licensing firm that designs proprietary Eckrohr corner-tube boilers, firing systems, and ERK Tube heat-transfer technology, licensing them to a global network of more than 30 boiler and power-plant manufacturers serving power generation, district heating, marine, biomass, and waste-to-energy customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Boiler Engineering and Technology Licensing

NAICS

Power Boiler and Heat Exchanger Manufacturing (33241), Heating Equipment (except Warm Air Furnaces) Manufacturing (333414)

SIC

Air-Cond & Warm Air Heatg Equip & Comm & Indl Refrig Equip (3585), Heating Equip, Except Elec & Warm Air; & Plumbing Fixtures (3430)

akta.pro primary industry

Auxiliary Systems EPC (Station Service, HVAC, Fire Protection, Security) (EUAEADAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Electrical BOP & Collection Systems (MV/HV Cabling, Switchgear, Protection, Grounding) (EUAMAFAD)

Keywords

• Boiler engineering services
• Industrial boiler systems
• Heat recovery systems
• Firing systems design
• Boiler technology licensing

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Technology Licensing: ERK licenses its Eckrohr boiler technology, tube systems, and firing systems to a global network of more than 30 boiler and power plant suppliers worldwide. Licensees receive detailed technical know-how and continuous support from ERK engineers.
2. Engineering Services: Engineering consulting including water circulation calculations, heat/mass/energy transfer calculations, FEM and CFD calculations. Basic engineering design services including thermal calculations, general drawings, and tube layout specifications.
3. Boiler Sales (via Licensees): While ERK does not manufacture boilers directly, orders can be placed for Eckrohr boilers through ERK who then coordinate with licensees for manufacturing and delivery.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ERK Energy Systems provides engineering consulting, design, and licensing services for proprietary Eckrohr (corner-tube) boiler technology, firing systems, and tube systems used in power and heat generation, heat recovery, marine, and process industry applications. Its deliverables include custom boiler design, heat/mass transfer calculations, combustion engineering, and technology transfer through a global network of 30+ licensees.

Product overview

ERK Energy Systems is an engineering consulting company specializing in boiler and power plant design, with over 6,100 boiler references and more than 80,000 MW of installed capacity worldwide. The company operates through a global network of 30+ licensees. The core product is the proprietary ERK Eckrohr (Corner Tube) Boiler, a natural circulation single-drum water-tube boiler with self-supporting design. The product portfolio includes five main business areas: Engineering Services, Boiler Systems (including Eckrohr, smoke tube, 2-drum, special, and marine boilers), Firing Systems (Bubbling Fluidised Bed and water-cooled inclined grate), Tube Systems (ERK Tube Technology with induced turbulences for 50% weight/volume reduction), and Research & Development. Supporting technologies include Flue Gas Condensation, Zeolite Technology, Algae Technology, Heat Recovery Systems, Thermal Energy Storage, and Power to Heat systems. The company serves diverse fuel applications including biomass, waste, oil & gas, coal, multi-fuel, geothermal, concentrated solar power, and marine systems, with thermal capacities from 0.3 to 250+ MWth.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ERK Tube: Proprietary tube technology that induces turbulences in working media, allowing weight and volume reductions for boilers and heat exchangers of up to 50%. Features include high heat transfer, compact dimensions, lower corrosion, and significantly less cleaning required.

Products and services

• ERK Eckrohrkessel (Corner-Tube Boiler) Systems Proprietary corner-tube boiler design licensed and engineered for power plants, industrial heat users, biomass/waste-to-energy, marine, and process industry customers requiring high-efficiency steam and hot water generation across a wide range of fuels.
• Smoke Tube Boilers Smoke-tube boiler design offered within ERK's boiler portfolio for industrial steam and hot water applications, designed and licensed for manufacture by global licensees.
• Two-Drum Boilers Two-drum boiler configuration in ERK's boiler portfolio for industrial steam generation applications, designed and licensed to manufacturing licensees.
• Marine / Ship Boilers Marine-classified boiler designs (including La Mont type) for shipyards, ship owners, and marine operators requiring auxiliary and exhaust-gas steam boilers for shipboard service.
• Special Boilers and Heaters Custom-engineered special boilers and heaters for process industry and unique heat-transfer applications outside the standard boiler portfolio.
• Firing Systems (BFB, Inclined Grate, TwinFluid) Combustion firing systems including Bubbling Fluidized Bed (BFB), water-cooled inclined grate, and TwinFluid designs, licensed and engineered for biomass, waste, and multi-fuel combustion applications.
• ERK Tube Technology Proprietary tube layout and connection technology for optimizing heat and mass transfer in boiler and heat-recovery equipment, offered as a licensable design package.
• Flue Gas Condensation / Heat Recovery Systems Heat recovery boiler and flue gas condensation systems designed to recover energy from industrial waste-heat and flue-gas streams for efficiency improvement and emissions reduction.
• Engineering Services Engineering consulting and contract engineering services covering boiler design, heat/mass transfer calculations, combustion engineering, and project engineering support for industrial and power-sector customers.
• Research & Development Services Applied R&D services in advanced combustion, heat storage, zeolite-based thermal energy storage, algae-based CO2 utilization, and other forward-looking energy technologies for renewable and process industry applications.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 50% weight and volume reduction for boilers and heat exchangers using ERK Tube technology
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• PARAT Halvorsen AScoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 1 October 2017PARAT from Norway joined the ERK licensee network, holding an ERK license for manufacturing and selling ERK-designed boiler systems including marine heat recovery systems.
• AleracoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2016Partnership to expand BFB (Bubbling Fluidised Bed) portfolio with TwinFluid technology enabling use of multiple fuels including coal with biomass and waste materials like RDF, sludge, and chicken manure.
• Julio Berkes S.A. (Uruguay)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 1 January 2004Cooperation on torsional combustion chamber technology in combination with gasification. Licensee for multi-fuel boiler systems.
• University of Applied Sciences WildauminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic research partnership for R&D activities focused on energy solutions and boiler technology development.
• Technical University BerlinminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic research partnership for R&D activities in thermal engineering and energy systems.
• Technical University CottbusminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic research partnership for R&D activities in energy technology.
• HTW BerlinminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic research partnership for applied energy research.
• German Aerospace Centre (DLR)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership for advanced thermal energy systems and concentrated solar power technology.
• University of Technology SydneyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational research partnership for energy technology development.
• ZAE Bayern (Bavarian Center for Applied Energy Research)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership for heat recovery and fouling reduction research.
• JFE Engineering (Japan)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerMajor Japanese engineering company licensed to manufacture waste-fired ERK boilers.
• Schneider Kessel (Germany)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerGerman licensee manufacturing gas and oil-fired ERK boilers.
• Selnikel (Turkey)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerTurkish licensee manufacturing HRSGs and coal-fired ERK boiler systems.
• Getabec (Thailand)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerThai licensee manufacturing biogas-fired ERK boilers.
• Descon (Pakistan)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerPakistani licensee manufacturing waste-fired ERK boilers.
• Remming (Serbia)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerSerbian licensee with multiple ERK references including high-efficiency gas-fired hot water boilers achieving 98%+ thermal efficiency.
• Tenza A.S. (Czech Republic)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerCzech licensee manufacturing multi-fuel and coal-fired ERK boiler systems.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Standardkessel Baumgarte: German industrial boiler manufacturer specializing in waste-to-energy, biomass and utility boiler systems. Direct competitor to ERK in the European Eckrohr-style boiler market, with overlapping customer base in municipal and industrial steam generation.
• Valmet: Finnish technology company offering boiler systems for pulp & paper, energy and marine applications, including biomass and waste-fired boilers. Highly comparable business model combining proprietary boiler technology with global service and licensing/sales reach.
• ANDRITZ: Austrian industrial group with a large boiler and biomass-fired power plant business (formerly ANDRITZ Energy & Environment). Direct peer in biomass and waste boiler technology serving utilities and process industries worldwide.
• Babcock & Wilcox: US-based legacy boiler technology company with deep patent portfolio in utility and industrial steam generation. Direct peer in corner-tube and waste/biomass boiler technology, with comparable licensing and engineering services offerings.
• Foster Wheeler (now part of John Wood Group): Historic boiler and HRSG technology provider, now operating within Wood Group's consulting and engineering services arm. Directly comparable as a long-established engineering/licensing player in utility and industrial steam generation.

Broad incumbents

• Bosch Industriekessel: Industrial boiler division of Bosch offering commercial and industrial heating boilers, including waste heat and biomass systems. Comparable as a broader incumbent in industrial boiler systems, though with a stronger focus on smaller-scale commercial heating than ERK's utility-scale Eckrohr designs.
• Mitsubishi Power (MHI): Major Japanese OEM for utility boilers, steam turbines and power generation systems. Broad incumbent in the same end markets as ERK (power generation, biomass, waste-to-energy) but at significantly larger scale and with vertically integrated EPC capabilities.
• Doosan Enerbility: Korean power OEM offering boilers, steam turbines and HRSG systems globally. Comparable in waste-fired and biomass boiler technology, but operates as a broad EPC incumbent rather than a focused niche licensor like ERK.
• Sumitomo Heavy Industries: Japanese industrial conglomerate with boiler and power plant equipment offerings serving utility and process industries. Comparable boiler technology portfolio, particularly in Asian markets where ERK also has licensee presence.

Emerging players

• Alfa Laval: Global supplier of heat exchangers, boilers and thermal solutions for industrial and energy customers. Comparable heat-transfer technology overlap (especially with ERK Tube), but focused more broadly on plate heat exchangers and process equipment than corner-tube boilers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/EckrohrkesselGmbH
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/erk-eckrohrkessel-gmbh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 ERK Energy Systems