What Polymetrix does

Polymetrix AG is a Swiss specialty engineering firm that designs, supplies, and installs complete industrial plants for the thermal treatment of polymers, with a particular focus on solid state polycondensation (SSP) of virgin PET, recycled PET, polyamides, PBT, PEN, PTT, PLA, and other polycondensates. The company is the self-described worldwide market leader in SSP technology, a position built on over 40 years of accumulated process know-how (originating within Bühler Group in the 1970s), a patented melt-to-pellet crystallization process, and an integrated hot pellet back-up system that anchors its flagship PET SSP EcoSphere platform. Polymetrix also markets the PET SSP Stand-alone Process (up to 2,200 t/d), the floor-mounted SSP leaN concept (up to 300 t/d), EcoBlend vPET/rPET pre-blends (up to 50% rPET), and a range of supporting unit operations including solid state decontamination, pneumatic conveying, extrusion and melt degassing, washing and sorting, and proprietary gas cleaning. Its pilot plant and material test laboratory in Oberbüren support process simulation, food-approval challenge testing, and continuous pilot runs that qualify products to FDA, EFSA, and major brand-owner food-contact standards.

The company operates as a B2B enterprise EPCm (Engineering, Procurement and Construction management) contractor on a project basis, building plants through direct engagement with polymer producers globally and through a wholly-owned subsidiary, Buhler (Beijing) Polymer Technology Co. Ltd., in China. Revenue is generated primarily through custom plant contracts, complemented by a recurring aftermarket of spare parts, Plant Retrofit Services, technology support, and laboratory/pilot testing services. Customer segments span food and beverage packaging (vPET and bottle-to-bottle rPET), technical textiles and industrial yarns, polyamide processing, and specialty polymer producers. The firm is 80% owned by Beijing Sanlian Hope Shin-Gosen Technical Service Co., Ltd. (SLHP) and 20% by Bühler AG, reflecting a 2018 strategic pivot toward Chinese ownership while preserving Swiss engineering heritage; Polymetrix is led by CEO Martin Müller with a leadership team including CFO Tao Sun, COO Peter Meili, and CRDO Andreas Christel, and operates with 51–100 employees from its headquarters in Oberbüren, Canton of St. Gallen, Switzerland.

Name

Polymetrix

Legal name

Polymetrix AG

Website

https://polymetrix.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Polymetrix AG is a Swiss specialty engineering firm and self-described worldwide market leader in solid state polycondensation (SSP) technology, designing and installing complete industrial plants for the thermal treatment of virgin and recycled PET, polyamides, and specialty polymers on a project EPCm basis for global polymer producers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Polymer Processing Plants

NAICS

Resin, Synthetic Rubber, and Artificial and Synthetic Fibers and Filaments Manufacturing (3252)

SIC

Plastic Materials, Synth Resins & Nonvulcan Elastomers (2821)

akta.pro primary industry

High-Performance & Specialty Polymers (PPS, LCP, PI/PAI, PAEK) (IMAEANAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Polyolefins (PE, PP) (IMAEANAA)

Keywords

• Solid state polycondensation
• Polymer processing plants
• PET recycling systems
• Thermal treatment equipment
• Industrial plant engineering

Headquarters

HQ city

Oberburen

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Complete Industrial Plant Design and Construction: POLYMETRIX designs, supplies and installs complete industrial plants for thermal treatment of bulk materials. Revenue is generated through EPCm (Engineering Procurement and Construction management) services including plant engineering, proprietary equipment supply, project management, basic and detail engineering, automation, on-site service, and commissioning. Plants are constructed and commissioned in cooperation with local construction companies.
2. Spare Parts Supply: Supply of original spare parts for POLYMETRIX plants to maintain high quality standards and prevent unscheduled system downtimes.
3. Process Simulation and Engineering Consulting: Process simulation services for equipment and pipe sizing, new plant designs, throughput changes, plant conversions, capacity increases, process optimization, energy consumption reports, and feasibility studies.
4. Continuous Pilot Plant Testing: Pilot plant testing services with capacity of approximately 100-300 kg per batch for SSP experiments, crystallization and drying experiments using PET, rPET, PBT, PA granules, and rPET flakes.
5. Material Evaluation and Testing: Laboratory testing services for polymer samples including SSP, crystallization, stickiness, decontamination, devolatilization, extrusion tests, and analytical methods.
6. Food Approval Support and Challenge Testing: Decontamination trials in lab reactors or pilot plant scale to demonstrate ability to remove model contaminants from recycled PET for food contact compliance.
7. Plant Retrofit Services: Services for boosting capacity, reducing energy consumption, improving product quality, and converting plants to produce different grades or polymer types.
8. Technology Support: Technical support including supervision of installation and commissioning, operator training, troubleshooting, maintenance support, equipment concept evaluation, and debottlenecking analysis.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Polymetrix designs, supplies and installs complete industrial plants for the thermal treatment of polymers (vPET, rPET, polyamides, PBT, PEN, PLA) based on proprietary solid state polycondensation (SSP) technology. The company delivers EPCm (Engineering, Procurement and Construction management) services covering concept design, process simulation, basic and detail engineering, proprietary equipment supply, project management, on-site service, automation, and commissioning for polymer processing companies worldwide.

Product overview

Polymetrix is a technology and plant construction company offering complete industrial plants for the thermal treatment of polymers, particularly for solid state polycondensation (SSP) of PET, recycled PET, polyamides, PBT, and other polymers. The product portfolio centers on SSP process technologies including PET SSP EcoSphere (integrated melt-to-pellet crystallization), PET SSP Stand-alone Process, and PET SSP leaN (floor-mounted design), complemented by supporting processes for drying/conditioning, decontamination, extrusion, pneumatic conveying, washing/sorting, and gas cleaning. The company provides both standalone process technologies and complete Engineering, Procurement and Construction management (EPCm) services covering project management, equipment design, engineering, automation, on-site service, and procurement. Additional services include food approval support, material testing, process simulation, plant retrofit, pilot plant testing, technology support, and spare parts. Polymetrix positions itself as the worldwide market leader in SSP technology for polymers, serving food packaging, technical textiles, and industrial applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PET SSP EcoSphere: PET SSP EcoSphere with melt-to-pellet crystallization - a technology for crystallizing and solid stating virgin PET in world-scale plants with lowest production cost.
• EcoBlend
• SSP leaN

Products and services

• PET SSP EcoSphere with melt-to-pellet crystallization Integrated SSP process combining melt-to-pellet crystallization with solid state polycondensation for world-scale virgin PET production. Produces spherical PET pellets with energy consumption below 580 kWh/tPET and capacity range from 10 to 1800 tons per day.
• PET SSP Stand-alone Process Independent SSP process for PET pellet production with pellet-to-pellet crystallization for amorphous PET input. Capacity range from 10 to 2200 tons per day with standard single line concepts from 450 to 1100 t/d for vPET.
• PET SSP leaN - floor mounted design Simplified SSP plant concept for vPET and rPET production with throughput up to 300 tons per day. All equipment floor-mounted without requiring special building construction, allowing placement next to end product silos.
• SSP for PA and other polymers

Quantifiable outcome

• Energy consumption for PET bottle grade pellets manufacturing reduced by over 40%
• +5 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Zünd AGminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPOLYMETRIX operates its material test laboratory and pilot plant on the site of Zünd AG in Oberbüren, Switzerland. This co-location enables shared infrastructure and potential collaboration in polymer processing research.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Erema Group: Austrian specialist in plastic recycling technology with Vacurema and other PET recycling systems. Directly comparable in the rPET recycling plant segment where Polymetrix also sells washing, extrusion, and SSP-based food-grade solutions.
• Chemtex / GTC Technology: Licensor of PET polycondensation and SSP process technology with strong engineering and EPC capability. Directly competes with Polymetrix for PET plant projects, particularly in Asia and the Middle East.
• Zimmer AG (NEXTCHEM / Maire Group): Polyester and polymer plant technology provider offering polycondensation and SSP solutions historically competitive with Bühler/Polymetrix. Comparable EPCm-driven technology licensing business serving PET and technical polymer producers.
• Starlinger & Co. Austrian manufacturer of PET recycling and packaging equipment, including recoSTAR PET bottle-to-bottle recycling lines. Directly comparable to Polymetrix in rPET food-contact recycling technology and serves an overlapping customer base.
• Uhde Inventa-Fischer (thyssenkrupp Uhde): Direct competitor in polyester and polyamide polycondensation plant technology, offering proprietary MTR and ESPREE processes for PET, PBT and polyamides. Closest functional peer to Polymetrix in the global SSP and melt polycondensation market.
• Oerlikon Barmag (Oerlikon Manmade Fibers): Supplies polymerization and spinning plant technology for PET and polyamide, overlapping with Polymetrix's polycondensation and conditioning capabilities. Direct competitor for technical yarn and textile-grade polymer plant contracts.

Broad incumbents

• SICAW / Sulzer Chemtech: Sulzer provides process equipment, separation technology, and EPCm services for petrochemical and polymer industries. A broad incumbent with overlapping plant engineering capabilities but a wider portfolio than Polymetrix.
• Bühler AG: Polymetrix's 20% owner and former parent; a much larger Swiss industrial plant and food processing group with overlapping engineering and EPCm capabilities. A broad incumbent whose portfolio includes adjacent process equipment and grain/food processing technologies.

Emerging players

• Amut Group: Italian manufacturer of plastics processing and recycling extrusion lines, with comparable rPET and PET recycling system offerings. Comparable in recycling process equipment but with a smaller global footprint than Polymetrix.
• Sinco Engineering: Italian niche player specializing in solid-state polycondensation technology for PET and other polymers. A smaller direct competitor focused on SSP with limited EPCm scale but overlapping core technology with Polymetrix.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/polymetrix-ag

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Polymetrix