What Follmann does

Follmann is a privately held, family-owned specialty chemicals manufacturer founded in 1950 and headquartered in Minden, Germany, producing water-based printing inks, industrial adhesives, plastisols, water-based coatings, and microencapsulation products. Its technology portfolio is organized under the FOLCO brand and spans printing-ink systems for flexible packaging, paper/cardboard packaging, gift wrap, and napkins (FOLCO PREMIUM, PAC CONC, AQUAFLEX, BOARD, WRAP), adhesive systems including PVAc dispersions for corrugated board (FOLCO LIT), pressure-sensitive and hot-melt packaging adhesives (FOLCO MELT PSA, FOLCO MELT PROPACK), reactive polyurethane hotmelts for wood and furniture (FOLCO REACT 10500), barrier coatings (FOLCO LAC), and microencapsulation technologies used for detergents and scented coatings. Differentiated technical assets include 40+ years of exclusive water-based ink formulation experience (solvent-based systems were phased out in the mid-1990s), microplastic-free microencapsulation that biodegrades in sewage sludge, and food-safety and recyclability certifications (DIN EN 646, DIN EN 13432, FEFCO 9, ISEGA, EU Printing Ink Regulation).

The company serves a diversified B2B industrial customer base across packaging, technical textiles, wallpaper/decor printing, wood and furniture, mattresses and upholstery, abrasives, filter products, and automotive. Follmann employs 51–100 staff, manufactures exclusively at its Minden site (which also houses the Technology and Knowledge Center used for live customer demonstrations and the annual Textile and Flexo Symposiums), and reaches customers via direct enterprise sales, technical consultation, and an active trade-fair program (FACHPACK, Techtextil, Heimtextil, Interzum, EMPACK, EBE, MIKO Connect). Revenue mechanics are quote-based B2B specialty chemical sales with no publicly disclosed pricing; the firm operates as a development partner providing tailored formulations and on-site process support. The primary legal entity is Follmann GmbH & Co. KG, led by Managing Director Dr. Henrik Follmann, with Follmann Chemie as the producing parent entity that holds the EcoVadis Gold rating (78 points, top 5% globally, 2025). The firm is currently investing €20 million in a new PUR production facility at the Minden site, indicating self-funded capacity expansion.

Name

Follmann

Legal name

Follmann GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://follmann.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1950

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Follmann is a family-owned German specialty chemicals manufacturer that produces water-based printing inks, industrial adhesives, water-based coatings, and microencapsulation products for B2B customers across packaging, technical textiles, wood/furniture, wallpaper, and related industrial sectors, all manufactured at its Minden headquarters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Chemicals (Industrial Adhesives and Printing Inks)

NAICS

Paint, Coating, and Adhesive Manufacturing (3255), Adhesive Manufacturing (325520), Paint and Coating Manufacturing (325510), Synthetic Dye and Pigment Manufacturing (32513)

SIC

Paints, Varnishes, Lacquers, Enamels & Allied Prods (2851), Adhesives & Sealants (2891), Industrial Organic Chemicals (2860), Miscellaneous Chemical Products (2890)

akta.pro primary industry

Label Stock, Inks, Coatings & Laminates (Materials Supply) (IMALAKAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Masterbatch Manufacturing (Color, Additive, White/Black) (IMANABAD), Polymer Compounds & Masterbatches (Compounding, Color/Fill/Additive Concentrates) (IMAEANAJ)

Keywords

• Water-based printing inks
• Industrial adhesives
• Specialty chemicals manufacturing
• Barrier coatings
• Polyurethane hot melt adhesives

Headquarters

HQ city

Minden

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Specialty Chemicals Sales: Follmann generates revenue through the manufacture and sale of specialty chemicals including water-based printing inks, industrial adhesives, plastisols, water-based coatings, and microencapsulation products. The company operates as a B2B supplier to industrial customers across packaging, textiles, furniture, and other sectors.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Follmann manufactures and sells industrial specialty chemicals, focusing on water-based printing inks, industrial adhesives (including polyurethane hotmelts, dispersion adhesives, pressure-sensitive adhesives, and bio-based adhesives), plastisols, and water-based barrier and functional coatings. The company serves as a development partner to industrial B2B customers across packaging, technical textiles, wallpaper, decor printing, wood and furniture, mattresses, abrasives, and filtration, providing tailored formulations and on-site process consultation backed by in-house manufacturing at the company's Minden, Germany headquarters.

Product overview

Follmann is a specialty chemicals company offering a comprehensive portfolio of industrial adhesives, water-based printing inks, plastisols, and water-based coatings. The product portfolio is organized around four core categories: Printing Inks (including FOLCO PREMIUM, FOLCO PAC CONC, FOLCO AQUAFLEX, FOLCO BOARD, and FOLCO WRAP lines), Adhesives (including FOLCO LIT Series for corrugated packaging, FOLCO MELT PSA and PROPACK for hot melt applications, FOLCO REACT for polyurethane hotmelts, and GREENAD bio-based adhesives), Plastisols and Coatings (including FOLCO LAC barrier coatings, PVC-free coatings, and PVC plastisols), plus Microencapsulation technology for fragrance and active ingredient delivery. Products are primarily manufactured at the company's Minden, Germany facility and are distributed globally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FOLCO: Product brand family for printing inks and adhesives, including FOLCO PREMIUM, FOLCO PAC CONC, FOLCO BOARD, FOLCO LIT, FOLCO MELT, FOLCO AQUAFLEX, FOLCO WRAP, FOLCO REACT, FOLCO LAC, FOLCO FLEX, and Folco Greenad.
• Follmann Chemie

Products and services

• FOLCO PREMIUM Premium water-based printing ink system offering maximum color intensity and high abrasion resistance (DIN 54607), suitable for short-term direct food contact (DIN EN 646) and DIN EN 13432 compostable substrates. Targeted at napkin and table decoration producers.
• FOLCO PAC CONC Modular pigment concentrate system used as the base for water-based printing ink formulations across flexible packaging, gift wrapping paper, and paper/cardboard packaging applications.
• FOLCO AQUAFLEX UNI Water-based printing ink system designed for surface printing on flexible packaging substrates as part of the FOLCO FILM series optimized for high-performance film printing applications.
• FOLCO AQUAFLEX PREMIUM L Water-based printing ink system tailored for lamination applications on flexible packaging substrates, part of the FOLCO FILM series engineered for high-quality laminate structures.
• FOLCO BOARD Ready-to-use water-based printing ink blends used for paper and cardboard packaging applications, designed to be combined with FOLCO PAC CONC pigment concentrates in a modular system.
• FOLCO WRAP Ready-to-use water-based printing inks for gift wrapping paper and foils, available in multiple colors including special metallic silver, gold, and pearl finishes.
• FOLCO LIT Series PVAc-based dispersion adhesives for corrugated board and carton manufacturing, featuring high initial tack, strong adhesive strength, FEFCO 9 certification, and a UV marker for detection.
• FOLCO MELT PSA Series Pressure-sensitive adhesives engineered for transport and shipping packaging applications, offering exceptional cold flexibility, excellent flow properties, and high cost-efficiency for e-commerce packaging.
• FOLCO MELT PROPACK Hot melt adhesives for end-of-line packaging applications, available in polyolefin, EBA, and EVA formulations, offering string-free processing, low-migration options for food packaging, and exceptional temperature stability.
• GREENAD (Bio-based Adhesives) Bio-based adhesive product line (including GREENAD 2410 and GREENAD 2430) offering sustainable adhesive alternatives for e-commerce and packaging applications.
• FOLCO LAC Barrier Coatings Water-based barrier coatings providing effective protection against oils, greases, and water for paper and board packaging, offering a sustainable alternative to plastic film coatings and suitable for gravure and flexographic printing.
• FOLCO REACT 10500 Series Moisture-crosslinking reactive polyurethane hotmelt (PUR) adhesives for flat lamination in the wood and furniture industry, designed for roller application on wood-based products, composites, and sandwich components. Developed in cooperation with H&H Maschinenbau.
• PU Hotmelt Adhesives for Abrasives Polyurethane hot melt adhesives designed for bonding abrasive materials and hook-and-loop fastening surfaces, providing robust and long-lasting connections in demanding abrasive production applications.
• Plastisols (PVC and PVC-free) PVC plastisols and PVC-free coating alternatives for technical textile coating applications, including high-pigment concentrate systems for textile coating solutions.
• Folco Cleaner FV 2021 Cleaning product optimized for printing machines using Follmann's water-based printing inks, ISEGA-certified as food safe and formulated with biodegradable raw materials per OECD guidelines.
• Microencapsulation Services Custom microencapsulation services that enclose fragrances and active ingredients in protective aminoplast resin capsules for use in detergents, scented coatings, cosmetics, and printing applications, including microplastic-free formulations.
• Smart IBC Solution Plug-and-play IoT supply chain monitoring solution leveraging Packwise Smart Cap hardware to enable tracking of fill levels, location, temperature, and shock/impact data for intermediate bulk containers (IBCs) in industrial supply chains.

Quantifiable outcome

• Water-based inks achieve same or better color quality and brilliance as conventional solvent-based inks
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• H&H Maschinenbau GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2024Strategic partnership for industrial-scale application of FOLCO REACT polyurethane hotmelt adhesives. H&H Maschinenbau provides adhesive application machines for testing and optimization of Follmann's adhesives in practical production settings. The collaboration ensures customers receive flawless results on industrial scale.
• EskocoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partner for Next Generation Sustainable Flexo Symposium. Esko contributes expertise in flexographic printing workflow and automation technologies.
• Asahi Kasei PhotoproductscoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partner for Next Generation Sustainable Flexo Symposium, contributing water-wash plate technology (SolventZERO).
• AllsteincoreTechnology or IntegrationHost venue for live CI flexo production demonstration during Flexo Symposium. Allstein provides flexographic printing equipment for sustainable packaging production demonstrations.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sun Chemical: Sun Chemical is the world's largest producer of printing inks and pigments, with deep presence in packaging inks. It competes head-to-head with Follmann in water-based ink systems for flexible packaging, paper/cardboard, and publication printing, and is a benchmark for scale and global reach in the same product category.
• Flint Group: Flint Group is a major global supplier of inks and coatings for packaging and commercial printing. Its narrow-web, flexo, and paper/board ink portfolios overlap directly with Follmann's FOLCO PREMIUM, FOLCO BOARD, and FOLCO AQUAFLEX lines, serving the same converters and packaging customers.
• Siegwerk Druckfarben: Siegwerk is one of the leading European manufacturers of printing inks for packaging and labels. It directly competes with Follmann in water-based and specialty inks for flexible packaging, paper/cardboard, and label applications, sharing the same customer base and regulatory pressure around sustainability.

Broad incumbents

• Henkel Adhesive Technologies: Henkel is the global leader in industrial adhesives, including hotmelts, PUR, and pressure-sensitive adhesives for packaging and consumer goods. It competes with Follmann's FOLCO MELT, FOLCO REACT, and FOLCO LIT series but operates at vastly greater scale and across many more end-markets.
• H.B. Fuller:

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/follmann-gmbh-co-kg

Compliance9 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Follmann