What Strähle+Hess does

STRÄHLE+HESS GmbH is a privately held German technical textile manufacturer founded in 1926 and headquartered in Althengstett, Baden-Württemberg, with approximately 500 employees across five production sites in Germany (Althengstett, Aalen-Unterkochen, Bisingen), Slovakia (Topoľčany), and the United States (Auburn, Alabama), plus a sales office in Shanghai, China. The company designs, manufactures, and supplies technical textiles, circular knitted fabrics, and warp-knitted fabrics primarily for automotive interior applications, serving European OEMs including Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, Porsche, Volkswagen, Tesla, and Škoda, as well as Tier 1 system suppliers such as Adient, Magna, Lear, and Faurecia (Forvia).

The company's product portfolio spans design services, textile surfaces (headliners, pillars, parcel shelves, sun visors, instrument panels, door panels, center consoles), decorative piping (Keder), elastic textiles for integrated child seats and seat depth adjustment, technical solutions (noise reduction, tolerance compensation, fastening systems), and specialized textile finishing. Underlying technology includes knitting, weaving, lamination, and — via the 2021-acquired Lindenfarb Textilveredelung subsidiary — washing, dyeing, rope/beam dyeing, and chemical functionalization (flame-retardant, dirt- and oil-repellent, antibacterial, fungicidal, antistatic) plus mechanical surface finishing (buffing, shearing, sanding, calendering, embossing). All major plants hold IATF 16949 automotive quality certification, and the Althengstett headquarters additionally holds TISAX (VDA ISA 6.0.2) information security certification.

The business model is B2B enterprise field sales directly to automotive OEMs and Tier 1 system suppliers, with quote-based pricing determined through customer-specific contracts and no publicly disclosed price list. Revenue derives from two streams: transaction-based supply of automotive textile components and professional services for customized design and development from concept to finished product. Distribution is direct to OEM and Tier 1 customers across Europe, North America, and Asia, leveraging local production sites for just-in-time delivery and proximity supply. The company is led by a four-person management board covering Chairman, Finance, Sales & Development, and Production & Logistics, and operates as a traditional German Mittelstand family-controlled enterprise with no disclosed external investors.

Name

Strähle+Hess

Legal name

STRÄHLE+HESS GmbH

Website

https://straehle-hess.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1926

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

STRÄHLE+HESS is a German technical textile manufacturer founded in 1926 that designs, produces, and supplies knitted and finished fabrics for automotive interior applications. Approximately 500 employees serve European, American, and Asian OEMs plus Tier 1 suppliers from five production sites across Germany, Slovakia, and the USA.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Automotive Technical Textiles

NAICS

Textile and Fabric Finishing Mills (313310), Narrow Fabric Mills and Schiffli Machine Embroidery (31322)

SIC

Knitting Mills (2250), Textile Mill Products (2200)

akta.pro primary industry

Automotive Exterior Trim & Appearance Components Manufacturing (Moldings/Badges/Grilles/Chrome/Cladding) (IMACAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Elastic, Tapes & Webbing Manufacturing (Elastic Bands/Binding/Strapping/Webbing) (IMAOALAD)

Keywords

• Automotive textiles
• Technical textiles
• Warp knitted fabrics
• Automotive interior components
• Textile finishing services

Headquarters

HQ city

Althengstett

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Automotive Textile Components: Transaction-based revenue from supplying technical textiles and textile components to automotive OEMs and system suppliers. Components include headliners, pillars, parcel shelves, surfaces, piping, and elastic textiles.
2. Custom Development Services: Design and development services for customized textile solutions for automotive interiors, from initial concept to finished product.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

STRÄHLE+HESS designs, manufactures, and supplies technical textiles, circular knits, and warp-knitted fabrics for automotive interior applications. The company operates as a one-stop-shop covering textile design, knitting/weaving production, and finishing (washing, dyeing, functionalization) via its integrated subsidiary Lindenfarb. Products include headliner surfaces, pillars, parcel shelves, piping, elastic textiles, and technical fastening/noise-reduction components supplied to automotive OEMs and Tier-1 system suppliers.

Product overview

STRÄLE+HESS is a technical textile design and manufacturing company serving the automotive industry with a comprehensive portfolio of products and services. Their offerings include Design Services (custom textile design for automotive interiors), Surfaces (sustainable textile surfaces for vehicle interiors such as headliners, pillars, door panels), Lindenfarb Textile Finishing (specialized dyeing and functionalization via their acquired brand), Piping/Keder (decorative piping elements), Elastic Textiles (high-performance stretch fabrics), Solutions (technical applications including noise reduction and fastening systems), and Production (manufacturing at five sites in Germany, Slovakia, and USA). The company positions itself as a one-stop-shop for technical textiles, combining design expertise with integrated production capabilities across their global network.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Lindenfarb: Textile dyeing and functionalization specialist integrated into the production network. Finishes knitted textiles (flat and circular knits, textile spacer fabrics, 3D structures) as well as nonwovens. Part of STRÄHLE+HESS's one-stop-shop for technical textiles.

Products and services

• Design Services Technical textile design services for automotive interiors, including high-quality textile designs, presentations, and complete design solutions from concept to finished product. Targeted at automotive OEMs and system suppliers seeking differentiated interior textile surfaces.
• Surfaces Sustainable textile surfaces for automotive interiors including roof liners, pillars, hat rack, sun visor, sliding roof, sun blind, instrument panel, door panel, center console, and sealing systems. Designed for automotive OEMs seeking differentiated, sustainable interior textiles.
• Lindenfarb Textile Finishing Specialized textile dyeing and functionalization services delivered via the acquired Lindenfarb brand, including washing, dyeing, rope and beam dyeing, flame-retardant, dirt and oil-repellent, antibacterial, fungicidal and antistatic finishing, and mechanical surface finishing (buffing, shearing, sanding, calendering, embossing). Serves internal production and external textile customers.
• Piping (Keder) Decorative piping (Keder) applications made from leather, artificial leather, or textiles, used on automotive seats, headrests, door trim, instrument panels, and armrests. Targeted at automotive interior manufacturers.
• Elastic Textiles (Elastik) Highly elastic textiles that protect gaps and cover components, precisely cut, flame-retardant, and resistant to color and temperature changes. Designed for integrated child seats and seat depth adjustment in automotive seating applications.
• Solutions (Technical Applications) Customized technical applications including noise reduction measures, tolerance compensation for accurate component connection, fastening systems (fabric tubes, knitted tubes, tunnel tape), and guy strips for automotive interiors. Serves automotive OEMs and Tier-1 suppliers.
• Production Textile production and finishing from a single source across five modern production sites in Germany, Slovakia, and the USA, offering seamless integration of design, development, and manufacturing. Serves automotive OEMs and system suppliers with global delivery.

Quantifiable outcome

• One-stop-shop for technical textiles - design through production to finishing

Named customers12 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Lindenfarb Textilveredelung GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLindenfarb Textilveredelung was acquired in 2021 and integrated into the STRÄHLE+HESS production network as the company's textile finishing specialist. Provides washing, dyeing, and functionalization services for textiles including flame-resistance, dirt and oil-repellency treatments.
• ZAT Automotive (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSales office partnership in Shanghai, China for serving Asian automotive customers.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves13 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Aunde Group: German-headquartered global supplier of technical textiles and trim components for automotive seating and interiors. Comparable as a European technical textile specialist with overlapping OEM customer base.
• Auria Solutions: US-based global supplier of automotive interior soft trim, acoustical, and textile solutions serving OEMs and Tier 1s. Highly comparable as a direct competitor in automotive interior textile surfaces with similar customer overlap.
• Bader GmbH: German-headquartered manufacturer of leather, synthetic leather, and technical textiles for premium automotive interiors. Closely comparable as a European specialty automotive trim supplier with similar premium OEM customer relationships.
• Sage Automotive Interiors: Global manufacturer of automotive interior fabrics and surface materials for seating, door panels, and headliners. Directly comparable product portfolio and OEM customer base to Strähle+Hess.
• Gruppo Trèves (Trèves Group): European Tier 1/2 supplier of automotive interior textiles, acoustic insulation, and trim components for OEMs. Comparable as a direct competitor in headliners, pillars, and interior textile systems.
• Miko S.r.l. Italian manufacturer of automotive interior textile components and finished assemblies serving European OEMs. Comparable as a European specialty automotive textile component supplier.

Broad incumbents

• International Automotive Components (IAC) Group: Global Tier 1 supplier of automotive interior components including instrument panels, door panels, and flooring systems. Comparable as a broad incumbent in automotive interiors with overlapping textile and trim product categories.
• Grupo Antolin: Global Tier 1 automotive interior supplier offering overhead systems, door panels, and lighting. Comparable as a broader incumbent in automotive interior trim that overlaps with Strähle+Hess at the system integration layer.

Others

• Adient: Global Tier 1 automotive seat supplier and Strähle+Hess customer. Listed as a peer because it is the dominant system integrator that consumes Strähle+Hess textile components, representing both a customer channel and an adjacent incumbent in interior systems.

Regional players

• Hayashi Telempu: Japanese manufacturer of automotive interior textiles, ceiling materials, and sound insulation products serving Japanese OEMs. Comparable product portfolio but operates primarily in Asia with limited European/US overlap with Strähle+Hess.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/straehle-hess-usa-inc

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries5 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 Strähle+Hess