What SONOTRONIC does

SONOTRONIC GmbH is a German manufacturer of industrial ultrasonic plastic-joining equipment, founded in 1974 by Dieter Nagel and headquartered in Karlsbad, Baden-Württemberg. The company designs, produces, and services machinery that welds, cuts, punches, rivets, embosses, and seals thermoplastics, with complementary hot-plate, infrared, and hot-air joining technologies. Its portfolio is organized under four sub-brands — iSONIC CM (customized special machines for the automotive industry), iSONIC ECO (standardized welding machines including ECO, ECO TM, ECO FLEX, ECO HSG, MASK WELDER, and the servo-driven NC iSONIC), iSONIC WAVE (modular assemblies such as automation modules, roll-seam units, sealing units, and the BIOSONATOR environmental system), and iSONIC PULSE (components including generators, converters, boosters, sonotrodes, anvils, parts nests, and feed units). SONOTRONIC sells a 1,600+-unit cumulative installed base of automotive special machines at over 120 units per year of capacity, supported by wholly-owned subsidiaries in Spain (Barcelona, 1996), the USA (Wixom, Michigan, 2000), and China/Hong Kong (2020, with Sanden Electronic Equipment as JV partner), plus 12 international representations.

The business is overwhelmingly B2B enterprise capital-equipment: customers are automotive OEMs and Tier-1s needing welded plastic assemblies (bumpers, dashboards, filters, interior trim), with additional verticals in technical textiles, packaging/food, plastics processing, medical (e.g., Moss GmbH mask lines at up to 600,000 masks/day), and water/environmental technology via ULTRAWAVES. Revenue is generated primarily through one-time equipment sales of custom iSONIC CM lines and standardized ECO platforms, with a complementary pull-through stream of iSONIC PULSE components and recurring service revenue (24-hour hotline, training, repair, preventive maintenance). Pricing is quote-based for specials and list-based for standard products, all ex-works net. Operating geography spans EMEA (Germany, Spain), North America (USA), and Asia Pacific (China/HK).

Since August 1, 2023, SONOTRONIC has operated as a subsidiary of the Dürkopp Adler Group within the Chinese-owned Shang Gong Group, following a nine-month insolvency and restructuring under predecessor ownership by the Nagel family. Joint Managing Directors Marc Hägele and Yongwu Chen took over on January 1, 2026. The company employs approximately 150 people globally (down from 170 in 2007) across 25,500 sqm of production, holds EcoVadis Silver and Climate Neutral Company certifications, and has been continuously re-certified to ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 (eight consecutive successful DEKRA audits as of 2021).

Name

SONOTRONIC

Legal name

SONOTRONIC GmbH

Website

https://sonotronic.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

SONOTRONIC GmbH is a German manufacturer of ultrasonic plastic-joining equipment, serving automotive OEMs and Tier-1 suppliers with custom special machines, standardized welders, modular assemblies, and components. The firm is owned by China's Shang Gong Group via Dürkopp Adler.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Ultrasonic Welding Equipment

NAICS

Other General Purpose Machinery Manufacturing (3339), Food Product Machinery Manufacturing (333241)

SIC

Special Industry Machinery (No Metalworking Machinery) (3550), Special Industry Machinery, Nec (3559)

akta.pro primary industry

Capping, Closing & Sealing Equipment (Capper, Induction, Heat Seal) (IMALAOAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Capping, Sealing & Closing Machines (IMAHAOAG), Form-Fill-Seal (Vertical & Horizontal) Machines (IMALAOAA)

Keywords

• Ultrasonic welding machines
• Plastic joining equipment
• Industrial ultrasonic systems
• Automotive special machines
• Ultrasonic components

Headquarters

HQ city

Karlstadt

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Special Machine Sales: Design, development, and production of customized special machines (iSONIC CM) for automotive and plastics industries. Production capacity of over 120 special machines per year from headquarters in Karlsbad with additional production in Barcelona, Wixom USA, and Huizhou China.
2. Standard Machine Sales: Sale of standardized ultrasonic welding machines (iSONIC ECO series) including ECO, ECO TM, ECO FLEX, ECO HSG, and MASK WELDER products.
3. Ultrasonic Components and Assemblies: Sale of ultrasonic assemblies (iSONIC WAVE) and components (iSONIC PULSE) including generators, converters, boosters, sonotrodes, anvils, parts nests, and feed units.
4. Service, Maintenance, and Training: Comprehensive service offerings including project consulting, applications engineering, assembly and commissioning, repair and maintenance, training courses, and 24-hour hotline support via service contracts. Technical support available Monday-Thursday 8am-5pm and Friday 8am-3pm.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

SONOTRONIC develops and manufactures ultrasonic systems and machines for welding, cutting, punching, riveting, embossing, and sealing thermoplastics, plus hybrid solutions combining ultrasonic with hot plate, infrared, and hot air. The portfolio spans customized special machines (iSONIC CM), standardized welding machines (iSONIC ECO), modular ultrasonic assemblies (iSONIC WAVE), and individual ultrasonic components (iSONIC PULSE) such as generators, converters, boosters, and sonotrodes. Primary customers are automotive OEMs and Tier suppliers, plastics processors, packaging, textile, medical, and environmental industries.

Product overview

SONOTRONIC is a German manufacturer of industrial ultrasonic plastic processing equipment with a modular product portfolio organized into four main product lines under the iSONIC brand: (1) iSONIC CM - customized special machines for automotive and industrial applications with various configurations including sliding tables, rotary indexing plates, tool cassettes, robot systems, punching machines, and hybrid technologies; (2) iSONIC ECO - standardized ultrasonic welding machines including ECO, ECO TM, ECO FLEX welding cabins, ECO HSG hand welders, and MASK WELDER; (3) iSONIC WAVE - modular ultrasonic assemblies for integration into existing systems including automation modules, roll seam modules (ERM/BRM), sealing units (KSE/TSE), cutting systems, and BIOSONATOR for environmental applications; and (4) iSONIC PULSE - individual ultrasonic components including generators, converters, boosters, sonotrodes, anvils, parts nests, and feed units. The company also offers alternative joining technologies including hot plate, hot air, and infrared. Production spans Germany (Karlsbad headquarters), Spain (Barcelona), USA (Wixom, Michigan), and China (Huizhou).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• iSONIC CM: Customized machinery product line for special machine construction
• iSONIC ECO
• iSONIC WAVE
• iSONIC PULSE
• GREEN SONICS
• BIOSONATOR

Products and services

• iSONIC CM Customized Special Machines Customized special machines for industrial plastic processing applications, including automotive interiors and exteriors, with configurations such as sliding tables, rotary indexing plates, tool cassettes, robot systems, and hybrid ultrasonic/hot plate/infrared machines. Designed for OEMs and Tier suppliers requiring high-volume, high-quality welding of painted bumpers, dashboards, sensors, and other plastic components.
• iSONIC ECO Standard Machines Standardized ultrasonic welding machines for the plastics industry, providing cost-effective solutions for various applications. Includes ECO, ECO TM, ECO FLEX welding cabin, ECO HSG hand welder, MASK WELDER, and NC iSONIC servo-driven machines with modular automation concept.
• iSONIC WAVE Ultrasonic Assemblies Modular ultrasonic assembly components for integration into existing machine concepts or custom configurations. Includes automation module XYZ, hand welder HSG, roll seam modules (ERM cantilevered, BRM both-sides supported), head sealing unit KSE, tube sealing unit TSE, sonotrode tables, cutting systems, and BIOSONATOR for environmental applications.
• iSONIC PULSE Ultrasonic Components Individual ultrasonic components including generators, converters, boosters, sonotrodes (steel or titanium), anvils, parts nests, and feed units. Serves OEMs and machine builders needing replacement or integration parts; includes in-house tool and pattern shop capability.
• Service, Maintenance, and Training Service offering covering project consulting, applications engineering, assembly and commissioning, repair and maintenance, training courses, and 24-hour hotline support. Technical support Monday-Thursday 8am-5pm and Friday 8am-3pm via service contracts.

Quantifiable outcome

• Producing up to 600,000 masks per day with ultrasonic welding technology during pandemic response
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• PartsToGo GmbHminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 November 2025Strategic partnership announced November 2025 between SONOTRONIC and PartsToGo GmbH, a certified dealer and service provider for industrial 3D printing solutions. The two high-tech companies are located in the same Karlsbad-Ittersbach industrial area. The partnership combines ultrasonic technology with 3D printing capabilities.
• Sanden Electronic Equipment Ltd.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Joint venture partnership established in 2020 for founding SONOTRONIC HK Ltd. Administrative headquarters in Hong Kong with production site in Huizhou. Provides SONOTRONIC with direct access to Sanden's production site in China.
• Fraunhofer IPT (Aachen)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Technology partnership for development of mask production line during COVID-19 pandemic. Fraunhofer IPT contributed expertise alongside SONOTRONIC's ultrasonic systems and IBF Automation's mechanical engineering.
• IBF Automation (Freudenberg)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Mechanical engineering partnership for mask production line development during pandemic response. Worked with SONOTRONIC ultrasonic systems and Fraunhofer IPT.
• Zettl Automotive GmbHminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Cooperation for development of production line for mouth and nose protection masks using ultrasonic technology. SONOTRONIC provided ECO iSONIC ultrasonic welding machines for multi-station mask production.
• ULTRAWAVEScoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2019Subsidiary company moved from Hamburg to Karlsbad location in 2019, represented at headquarters with innovative high-performance ultrasonic systems for water and environmental technology. Specializes in sewage treatment and biogas plant optimization.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Herrmann Ultraschall: German manufacturer of ultrasonic welding systems for plastics and packaging, headquartered near Karlsruhe. Closest direct competitor with overlapping automotive special machine, packaging, and standard machine portfolios.
• Sonics & Materials: US-based ultrasonic assembly and welding equipment manufacturer with broad plastics and metals portfolio. Competes with SONOTRONIC in industrial ultrasonic welding applications.
• Branson Ultrasonics (Emerson): Global market leader in ultrasonic plastic welding and assembly, part of Emerson's automation portfolio. Competes head-to-head with SONOTRONIC in automotive, packaging, and medical ultrasonic applications.
• Dukane Intelligent Assembly Solutions: US-based manufacturer of ultrasonic welding equipment for plastics and metals. Direct competitor in automotive and industrial ultrasonic assembly with overlapping customer base.
• Telsonic AG: Swiss ultrasonic specialist with strong automotive, packaging, and metal welding portfolio. Comparable product breadth including special machines, standard welders, and components.
• Schunk Sonosystems: German ultrasonic metal and plastic welding specialist, part of Schunk Group. Competes in automotive and industrial joining with similar custom machine and component offerings.
• Weber Ultrasonics: German manufacturer of ultrasonic systems for plastics, packaging, and food. Direct peer across SONOTRONIC's packaging and food industry verticals with comparable product structure.
• Rinco Ultrasonics: Swiss ultrasonic technology specialist serving packaging, food, automotive, and medical markets. Comparable in standardized machine and component portfolio to SONOTRONIC's iSONIC ECO and PULSE lines.

Broad incumbents

• Kiefel (Brückner Group): German-based manufacturer of plastic processing and packaging machinery under Brückner Group. Operates in overlapping automotive interior and packaging thermoforming/joining applications with broader scope than SONOTRONIC.

Emerging players

• KLN Ultraschall AG: Mid-sized German ultrasonic systems specialist focused on smaller-scale industrial and plastics applications. Competes in selected niches (small parts welding, hand welders) where SONOTRONIC also serves via iSONIC ECO HSG.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Sonotronic
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sonotronic

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries4 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 SONOTRONIC