What Tenowo does

Tenowo is a family-owned German manufacturer of industrial nonwoven textiles, headquartered in Hof and operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of the diversified Hoftex Group AG holding company. The company was founded in 1928 and runs eight production facilities across Germany (Hof, Reichenbach, Mittweida), Italy (Milan), the United States (Lincolnton, NC), Mexico (San Luis Potosí), China (Huzhou), and Vietnam (Haiphong), employing roughly 700 staff worldwide and producing approximately 209 million m² of nonwoven fabric annually on revenue of approximately €130 million (FY2024).

The company's core technology stack is the combination of multiple nonwoven bonding processes within a single organization — Needle Punched, Spunlaced, Stitchbonded, Thermo Fusion, and Chemical Bonding — which is positioned as a differentiator versus single-process competitors. Output is delivered in three principal forms (roll goods, custom-cut pieces, and finished/functionalized fabrics) with engineered properties including soundproofing, filtration, flame retardancy, insulation, water repellency, and wound-healing capability. Inputs include virgin and recycled fibers, with an explicit emphasis on recycled carbon and polyester (bottle flakes) and renewable inputs such as viscose and wool; products carry Öko-Tex 100, ISO 14001, and ISO 50001 certifications.

Tenowo operates a sales-led B2B distribution model, selling directly to industrial customers and co-developing custom nonwoven specifications with them. The customer base is segmented across eight end markets — Automotive (including a dedicated E-Mobility line), Mobility, Filtration (air, liquid, components), Composites (carbon-fiber nonwovens, surface nonwovens, CIPP, polyester breather, spacer materials), Apparel (men's, women's, children's wear and the FIT to FORM shoulder-padding line, in which the company claims worldwide market leadership), Consumer Goods, Healthcare (medical devices, wound care), and Protection (mechanical, thermal, acoustical). Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is negotiated per specification; no subscription, SaaS, licensing, or marketplace revenue model is in use, with essentially all revenue derived from physical product sales.

Name

Tenowo

Legal name

Tenowo GmbH

Website

https://tenowo.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1928

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Tenowo is a family-owned German nonwoven textiles manufacturer producing custom roll goods, custom cuttings, and finished nonwovens for B2B industrial customers across automotive, healthcare, filtration, composites, apparel, consumer goods, and protection markets worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonwoven Textiles

NAICS

Nonwoven Fabric Mills (31323), Nonwoven Fabric Mills (313230)

akta.pro primary industry

Denim & Twill Mills (IMAOABAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Nonwoven & Technical Fabrics (CRAAAMAD), Needle-Punched & Nonwoven Floor Coverings Manufacturing (IMAOAJAG), Recycled Textile Compounding & Nonwoven Reprocessing (Insulation/Felts/Geotextiles) (IMAOAMAH), Biobased, Compostable & Low-Impact Material Innovation (Bio-polymers/Dope Dyeing) (IMAOAMAM), Sustainable & Certified Materials (Organic, Recycled, Traceable) (CRAAAMAK)

Keywords

• Nonwoven fabric manufacturing
• Technical textiles
• Industrial nonwovens
• Custom nonwoven solutions
• Nonwoven roll goods

Headquarters

HQ city

Hof

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Nonwoven Roll Goods: Production and sale of nonwoven fabrics as roll goods for industrial customers across automotive, healthcare, filtration, composites, apparel, consumer goods, and protection markets
2. Custom Nonwoven Cuttings: Custom-cut nonwoven pieces manufactured to customer specifications through individual packing/confectioning
3. Finished Nonwoven Products: Finished nonwoven materials with properties such as soundproofing, filtering, flame-retardant, insulating, water-repellent, or wound-healing
4. Sustainable Products: Sustainable nonwoven products using recycled materials for environmentally conscious customers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Tenowo manufactures nonwoven fabrics using multiple production technologies (Needle Punched, Spunlaced, Stitchbonded, Thermo Fusion, and Chemical Bonding). The company produces nonwoven roll goods, custom-cut pieces, and finished nonwovens with engineered properties such as soundproofing, filtration, flame-retardancy, insulation, water-repellency, and wound-healing for industrial customers in automotive, healthcare, filtration, composites, apparel, consumer goods, and protection markets.

Product overview

TENOWO is a nonwovens manufacturer offering a portfolio of innovative textile solutions. Their core product offerings include roll goods (Rollenware), custom cuttings, finishing services, and custom solutions. They produce nonwovens using multiple manufacturing processes including needle-punched, spun-laced, stitch-bonded, thermo-fusion, and chemical bonding. The company serves eight primary market segments: Automotive (exterior, interior, e-mobility), Mobility (visual, functional), Filtration (air, liquid, components), Composites (carbon fiber nonwovens, surface nonwovens, CIPP, polyester breather, spacer materials), Apparel (men's, women's, children's wear), Consumer Goods (pouch, packaging, beauty and household), Healthcare (medical devices, wound care), and Protection (mechanical, thermal, acoustical). The product portfolio also includes the FIT to FORM shoulder padding line with 9 core products ranging from 50-135 g/m². Sustainability is emphasized through use of recycled carbon and polyester fibers, and certified products meeting Öko-Tex 100 standards.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Roll Goods (Rollenware) Nonwoven fabrics produced and sold as rolled goods, serving as the primary product form for industrial applications across automotive, healthcare, filtration, and other markets.
• Custom Cuttings (Zuschnitte) Nonwoven materials custom-cut to specific dimensions and shapes based on customer requirements, enabling precise application fit through individual packing and confectioning.
• Finishing Services (Ausrüstung) Processing and finishing of nonwovens to achieve specific functional properties such as soundproofing, flame-retardancy, insulation, water repellency, or wound-healing characteristics.
• Carbon Fiber Nonwovens Nonwoven textiles made from carbon fibers used as reinforcement materials in composite applications, including medical X-ray equipment, aerospace, and lightweight construction.
• Surface Nonwovens Nonwoven materials designed for surface applications in composite manufacturing.
• Cured in Place Pipe (CIPP) Nonwoven products used in trenchless pipe rehabilitation technology for infrastructure repair.
• Polyester Breather Porous nonwoven materials used in composite manufacturing processes to allow air and excess resin to escape during lamination.
• Spacer Materials Nonwoven spacer materials used in composite sandwich structures and other engineered applications.
• Shoulder Padding Nonwovens (FIT to FORM) Specialized nonwoven materials for apparel shoulder padding, with 9 core products ranging from 50 g/m² to 135 g/m², used in men's, women's, and children's outerwear, including coated and uncoated interfacings for jacket fronts and armhole stabilization. Tenowo is positioned as worldwide market leader for shoulder padding products.
• Air Filtration Nonwovens Nonwoven materials engineered for air filtration applications in industrial and commercial settings.
• Liquid Filtration Nonwovens Nonwoven materials designed for liquid filtration applications.
• Medical Device Nonwovens Nonwoven materials for medical device manufacturing, including X-ray equipment components with carbon fiber reinforcement.
• Wound Care Nonwovens Nonwoven products for classical and modern wound dressing applications in healthcare.
• Automotive Nonwovens Nonwoven materials for automotive applications including exterior components, interior trim, and electric vehicle components, supplied to OEMs and Tier 1 manufacturers.
• Mobility Nonwovens Nonwoven solutions for mobility applications including visual and functional components for the transportation industry.
• Protection Nonwovens Nonwoven materials providing mechanical protection, thermal insulation, and acoustical dampening for industrial applications.
• Apparel Nonwovens Nonwoven interlinings and components for the apparel industry including men's, women's, and children's outerwear, with focus on sustainability and Öko-Tex 100 certified materials.
• Consumer Goods Nonwovens Nonwoven materials for consumer goods applications including pouches, packaging, beauty products, and household items, including food contact products.
• Sustainable Nonwoven Products Nonwoven products manufactured using recycled carbon and polyester fibers (bottle flakes), viscose, and wool for environmentally conscious industrial customers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Worldwide market leader for shoulder padding products in the apparel industry
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• tfc (fiber-reinforced composite components manufacturer)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Partnership with tfc for X-ray medical equipment applications. TENOWO supplies carbon nonwovens which are used as reinforcement textiles. At tfc, carbon nonwoven material is infiltrated with resin in a pressure-based manufacturing process and turned into composite components. The project gained momentum after Composites Europe 2019 trade fair in Stuttgart.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Johns Manville: Johns Manville produces nonwoven reinforcement materials for composites, filtration, and construction — comparable to TENOWO's composites and protection segments including glass and carbon-fiber based nonwovens.
• Glatfelter Corporation: Glatfelter produces engineered nonwovens for filtration, construction, and personal care applications — overlapping with TENOWO's air filtration, composites, and technical textile segments.
• TWE Group: TWE Group is a German-headquartered nonwoven specialist serving automotive, filtration, hygiene, and industrial applications with multiple bonding technologies — a particularly close peer given overlapping geography, technology mix, and customer base.
• Sandler AG: Sandler is a privately held German nonwovens producer with comparable process technologies (needle punch, spunlace, thermal bond), end markets in automotive, filtration, hygiene, and technical applications, and similar scale.
• Hollingsworth & Vose: Hollingsworth & Vose specializes in filtration, industrial, and energy nonwovens — direct overlap with TENOWO's air/liquid filtration and carbon fiber product families.
• Suominen Corporation: Suominen is a Finnish nonwovens producer focused on wipes and hygiene substrates with similar spunlace and finishing technologies — relevant peer in the consumer goods and hygiene end-markets.
• Ahlstrom: Ahlstrom manufactures specialty nonwovens and fiber-based materials for filtration, medical, and industrial applications — a direct competitor in technical nonwoven substrates for healthcare and filtration.
• Freudenberg Performance Materials: Freudenberg's nonwovens division manufactures technical nonwoven fabrics for automotive, apparel, healthcare, and filtration — overlapping directly with TENOWO across process technologies, custom development, and global footprint.

Broad incumbents

• Avgol Nonwovens (Indorama Ventures): Avgol is a global spunbond nonwovens manufacturer owned by Indorama Ventures serving hygiene and industrial markets — a comparable bonded nonwoven producer at larger parent-company scale.
• Berry Global (Mativ): Berry Global operates a broad portfolio that includes nonwovens for filtration, construction, and industrial markets at larger scale; significant overlap with TENOWO's filtration and protection segments.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC7JS70_rDwa-6zrpRwOA-0Q
• Facebookfacebook.com/TenowoGmbh
• LinkedInde.linkedin.com/company/tenowo-gmbh

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Tenowo