What Chemische Werke Kluthe does

Chemische Werke Kluthe GmbH is a German specialty chemicals manufacturer founded in 1950 and headquartered in Heidelberg. The company develops and sells wet-chemical surface treatment and metalworking fluid products for industrial manufacturers, organized into seven product categories: cooling lubricants, forming lubricants, industrial part cleaning, corrosion protection, surface pretreatment (including conversion coatings such as zinc and manganese phosphating, chromate-free and phosphate-free thin-layer systems), metal and plastic coating chemistry, and maintenance/process control. Proprietary sub-brands include DECORRDAL (phosphate-free thin-layer zirconium technology), SUPRABOND (no-rinse coil coating pretreatment), HAKUPUR (aluminum-specific cleaners), NOVICOAT (coil coating topcoat), and HAKUGUARD (IoT process control device). Certifications such as GSB and Qualicoat underpin specification positions in powder coating pretreatment.

The company sells directly to industrial customers through a sales-led go-to-market supported by application technical consulting, with a presence in 25+ countries across the Americas, Europe, and Asia. Revenue is generated primarily through one-time B2B chemical product sales under standard 30-day net payment terms, with ancillary income from technical consulting services. Customer demand is diversified across automotive (the primary segment), general industrial manufacturing, coil coating, wire, can manufacturing, hot-dip galvanizing, cold forming, and tank truck cleaning. Growth emphasis is on environmentally differentiated product tiers (chromium(VI)-free, phosphate-free, water-based) aligned with REACH regulation.

Chemische Werke Kluthe is family-owned and privately held, governed by Managing Directors Martin Kluthe and Robert Kluthe. With 501–1,000 employees and no disclosed external investors, the company operates as an independent Mittelstand chemicals business. The HAKUGUARD IoT device and a content-marketing footprint (Kluthe Magazine blog, LinkedIn, YouTube, trade show participation) suggest early-stage investment in digitally enabled service layers adjacent to the core chemical portfolio, though AI/ML capabilities are not a material part of the current offering.

Name

Chemische Werke Kluthe

Legal name

Chemische Werke Kluthe GmbH

Website

https://kluthe.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1950

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Chemische Werke Kluthe GmbH is a German specialty chemicals manufacturer (founded 1950, Heidelberg) that sells wet-chemical surface treatment and metalworking fluid products — including proprietary DECORRDAL, SUPRABOND, and HAKUPUR pretreatment platforms — to industrial manufacturers across automotive, coil coating, wire, and general industry in 25+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Surface Treatment Chemicals

NAICS

Paint, Coating, and Adhesive Manufacturing (3255), Paint and Coating Manufacturing (32551), Other Chemical Product and Preparation Manufacturing (3259)

SIC

Paints, Varnishes, Lacquers, Enamels & Allied Prods (2851), Miscellaneous Chemical Products (2890)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial Protective Coatings (Steel/Concrete/Equipment) (IMAIAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Specialty & Functional Coatings (Anti-microbial/Anti-slip/Insulating) (IMAIAKAM), Packaging & Can Coatings (IMAEAGAF), Electroplating & Metallization Chemicals (Cu/Ni/Au plating, additives) (IMAEAKAK)

Keywords

• Industrial surface treatment
• Metalworking fluids
• Corrosion protection chemicals
• Conversion coatings
• Industrial cleaning chemicals

Headquarters

HQ city

Heidelberg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Chemical Product Sales: Sale of industrial chemical products including metalworking fluids, surface treatment chemicals, cleaning products, corrosion protection, and paint shop solutions directly to industrial manufacturers.
2. Technical Consulting Services: Application technical consulting provided to support product selection and process optimization for industrial surface treatment applications.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Chemische Werke Kluthe GmbH manufactures and sells industrial chemical products for surface treatment and metalworking. Its portfolio covers cooling lubricants, forming lubricants, industrial part cleaning, corrosion protection, surface pretreatment (including conversion processes such as phosphating, passivation, and chrome-free thin-layer technology), metal and plastic coating chemistry, and paint shop maintenance products, supplied directly to industrial manufacturers with application technical consulting.

Product overview

Chemische Werke Kluthe GmbH is a chemical products company specializing in surface treatment solutions. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio organized into main product categories: Cooling Lubricants (Kühlschmierstoffe), Forming Lubricants (Umformschmierstoffe), Industrial Part Cleaning (Industrielle Teilereinigung), Corrosion Protection (Korrosionsschutzmittel), Surface Pretreatment (Oberflächenvorbehandlung), Metal and Plastic Coating (Metall- und Kunststofflackierung), and Maintenance/Management/Control (Wartung/Instandhaltung/Steuerung). The Surface Pretreatment category includes conversion processes such as DECORRDAL zinc phosphating, manganese phosphating, and chrome-free technologies like SUPRABOND no-rinse coating and DECORRDAL AL 240 A for aluminum passivation. The company positions itself as a system provider combining cleaning, pickling, and passivation in coordinated processes for Forming & Protection, Metalworking & Cleaning, Pretreatment, and Paint Shop applications. Additional offerings include Rematec chemical recycling services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• DECORRDAL: Phosphate-free thin-layer process for surface treatment on zirconium basis, producing high-quality oxide and zirconium/titanium layers on iron, zinc and aluminum surfaces.
• SUPRABOND
• HAKUPUR
• HAKUGUARD
• NOVICOAT

Products and services

• Kühlschmierstoffe (Cooling Lubricants) Cooling lubricants for metalworking operations, available in water-miscible (mineral oil-based and sustainable), water-soluble (oil-free), and non-water-miscible (GTL oils and sustainable) formulations, supplied to industrial manufacturers.
• Umformschmierstoffe (Forming Lubricants) Forming lubricants for fasteners, sheets, wire, cold massive forming, pipes and profiles, and cold flow pressing oils, used in industrial metal forming applications.
• Industrielle Teilereinigung (Industrial Part Cleaning) Industrial cleaning chemicals for parts manufacturing, offered in water-based and solvent-based formulations.
• Korrosionsschutzmittel (Corrosion Protection) Corrosion protection chemicals including corrosion protection oils, solvent-based and water-displacing, water-miscible, and water-soluble corrosion protection products.
• Oberflächenvorbehandlung (Surface Pretreatment) Surface pretreatment chemicals including cleaning and pickling products, and conversion processes for zinc phosphating, manganese phosphating, low-temperature zinc phosphating, thin-layer technology, chrome-free technology, iron phosphating, and passivation on iron, zinc, and aluminum substrates.
• Metall- und Kunststofflackierung (Metal and Plastic Coating) Coating chemicals including rinsing media (solvent-based sustainable, solvent-based, water-based), thinners, paint coagulation, wastewater treatment, and paint stripping for paint shops.
• Wartung/Instandhaltung/Steuerung (Maintenance/Management/Control) Maintenance products including paint shop packages, process control chemistry, machine cleaning products, and auxiliary chemistry for industrial operations.
• DECORRDAL (Phosphate-Free Thin-Layer Technology) Phosphate-free thin-layer conversion coating technology based on zirconium for iron, zinc, and aluminum surfaces, producing high-quality oxide and zirconium/titanium layers. Includes the No-Rinse DECORRDAL AL 240 A variant for chromate-free passivation at room temperature in spray and immersion processes, GSB and Qualicoat approved for powder coating.
• SUPRABOND (No-Rinse Coil Coating Solution) Rinse-free coating solution combining passivation, corrosion protection, and anti-fingerprint properties in a single process during coil coating of stainless steel. Forms a thin conversion layer with a polymer film that repels grease and fingerprints, used together with NOVICOAT.
• Manganphosphatierung (Manganese Phosphating) Conversion process for low-alloyed steel and zinc providing good corrosion protection and high wear resistance for sliding movements, improved coating adhesion, and protection against cold welding, operating at 90-95°C.
• HAKUPUR 50-706-2 (Aluminum Cleaner) Aluminum-specific cleaning product that removes organic impurities and dissolves oxide layers evenly, creating a uniform base for subsequent passivation or chromatizing processes.

Quantifiable outcome

• Water and wastewater reduction through No-Rinse technologies
• +3 more outcomes

Segments8 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

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• RematecminorOthersChemical recycling partner through Rematec brand (rematec-recycling.com) offering chemical recycling services for industrial materials. Linked as footer partner under 'Chemisches Recycling'.
• Eberhard TransportminorOthersTransport and logistics partner (eberhard-transport.de) for delivery and shipping services. Linked as footer partner under 'Transport & Logistik'.
• Conti CoatingsminorOthersPaints and coatings partner (conticoatings.com) for complementary paint and coating products. Linked as footer partner under 'Lacke & Farben' (Paints & Colors).

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Axalta Coating Systems: Transportation and industrial coatings supplier whose pretreatment-adjacent product lines and OEM relationships overlap with Kluthe's automotive and general-industry accounts.
• Henkel: Diversified global chemicals group whose Adhesive Technologies business includes surface treatment, metal pretreatment and lubrication products serving the same automotive and industrial OEMs as Kluthe.
• PPG Industries: Global coatings incumbent with industrial, automotive and packaging coatings that interact with the same pretreatment value chain Kluthe serves; competes indirectly through bundling and global accounts.
• Nippon Paint Holdings: Major Asian coatings group with industrial and automotive coatings exposure; competes with Kluthe for pretreatment and paint-shop chemistry slots in global OEM supply chains, particularly in Asia.
• DuPont de Nemours: Diversified specialty chemicals platform with electronics, industrial and automotive chemistry exposure including metal surface treatments, competing indirectly with Kluthe for global industrial accounts.

Direct peers

• Chemetall (BASF Coatings): BASF's surface treatment division offers pretreatment, corrosion protection and metalworking fluids overlapping directly with Kluthe's core portfolio; now part of the global BASF platform, it is the most direct large-scale competitor.
• MacDermid Enthone (Element Solutions): Supplies metal finishing, surface treatment and plating chemistries for automotive, industrial and electronics customers — direct overlap with Kluthe's pretreatment and conversion-coating portfolio, and the prior employer of Kluthe's Pretreatment BU head.
• Atotech (MKS Instruments): Specialist in surface-finishing chemistry for automotive, electronics and industrial applications; competes with Kluthe in pretreatment, plating chemistry and corrosion protection.
• SurTec (Kansai Paint): German-headquartered surface treatment specialist offering cleaning, pretreatment and corrosion protection chemistry — closest mid-sized European peer to Kluthe, now part of Kansai Paint.

Regional players

• ZWEZ-Chemie: Austrian/German specialty chemicals producer focused on industrial cleaning and surface treatment; a smaller regional specialist competing with Kluthe in DACH industrial accounts, and former employer of Kluthe's Pretreatment BU head.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/chemische-werke-kluthe-gmbh
• Facebookfacebook.com/KlutheGroup

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Chemische Werke Kluthe