Sonplas
Sonplas GmbH is a German special-purpose machinery manufacturer (founded 1993, Straubing) that builds custom assembly and testing systems and test benches for fuel-injection, hydrogen, EV rotor, power-electronics, aerospace, medical, and consumer-goods customers, selling projects up to ~€15M worldwide.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1993
- HeadquartersStraubing, Germany
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Sonplas does
Sonplas GmbH is a German Sondermaschinenbauer (special-purpose machinery manufacturer) founded in 1993 and headquartered in Straubing, Bavaria. The company designs and builds custom assembly and testing systems (Montage- und Prüfanlagen) and test benches (Prüfstandsbau) for fuel-injection components, hydrogen-production equipment, electric-motor rotors, power electronics, and medical, aerospace, defense, and consumer-goods applications. Its proprietary process technology includes the patented HERO hydroerosive machining method for deburring, rounding, and calibrating internal and external geometries, plus in-house laser cutting for notching, slitting, and singulation.
The company serves four primary vertical segments — Mobility & Energy (conventional and alternative fuels, rotor/power electronics), Aerospace & Defense, Medical Technology, and Consumer Goods & Power Tools — and supports them with ATEX/IECEx-compliant explosion-protection expertise, in-house thermal chambers (-60 to +150 °C), and high-pressure testing capability up to 3,000 bar. Sonplas operates its own subsidiaries in Kunshan (China) and Chicago (USA, established 2025), with a global network of certified sales and service partners in twelve additional countries.
Revenue is generated principally through project-based one-time capital-equipment sales with values up to approximately €15 million, complemented by recurring aftermarket services (remote support via TeamViewer, on-site service, preventive maintenance, calibration, production optimization, and spare parts). The company is family-owned (Frankl family), private, and led by Managing Directors Michael Frankl and Christian Wachtmeister, with a planned April 2026 acquisition of Sturm Surface Technology GmbH adding a surface-technology business unit in Salching and expanding the group to roughly 470 staff.
Sonplas firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Sonplas
- Legal name
- Sonplas GmbH
- Website
- https://sonplas.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1993
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- Sonplas GmbH is a German special-purpose machinery manufacturer (founded 1993, Straubing) that builds custom assembly and testing systems and test benches for fuel-injection, hydrogen, EV rotor, power-electronics, aerospace, medical, and consumer-goods customers, selling projects up to ~€15M worldwide.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Sonplas is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Straubing
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices4 records
Markets served
Sonplas business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Custom Special Purpose Machinery Sales: Sonplas designs, manufactures, and delivers custom assembly and testing systems tailored to specific customer requirements. Projects range up to approximately 15 million euros, representing major capital equipment sales with long sales cycles involving feasibility analysis, development, construction, commissioning, and after-sales service.
- Aftermarket Services: Comprehensive service offerings including remote support, on-site service, preventive maintenance, factory calibration, health checks, spare and wear parts packages, production optimization, and repair/overhaul services. Services are provided globally through certified service partners.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom project-based pricing |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
Sonplas product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Sonplas designs, engineers, manufactures, and commissions custom special purpose machinery — primarily assembly and testing systems and bespoke test benches — for industries including mobility and energy, aerospace and defense, medical technology, and consumer goods/power tools. Its core deliverables are modular, project-specific assembly lines and test rigs (e.g., for fuel injectors up to 1,000 bar, hydrogen electrolyzers, electric motor rotors, power electronics, and aerospace fuel pumps), supplemented by proprietary in-house manufacturing processes such as the patented HERO hydroerosive machining and laser cutting for notching/slitting/singulation. The company also provides lifecycle aftermarket services including remote support, on-site service, preventive maintenance, calibration, production optimization, spare parts, and overhaul.
Product overview
Sonplas GmbH is a special purpose machine builder offering custom-designed assembly and testing systems as a single unified product portfolio. The core offerings include Montage- und Prüfanlagen (custom assembly and testing machines) and Prüfstandsbau (test bench construction), which are complemented by proprietary manufacturing technologies: the patented HydroEROsive Bearbeitung (HERO) deburring/rounding/calibration process and Laserschneiden (laser cutting) for notching, slitting, and singulation. The company provides solution-specific systems organized by industry vertical: Lösungen für Mobilität und Energie (covering conventional/alternative fuels, hydrogen, rotors, power electronics), Luftfahrt und Verteidigung (aerospace and defense), Medizintechnik (medical technology), and Konsumgüter und Power Tools (consumer goods). Key product lines include fuel injection technology systems with injection pressures up to 1000 bar, hydrogen test systems for electrolyzer testing (PEM/AEL/AEM), electric motor/rotor assembly lines, and IAV Cross single shot flow meters. Services include remote support via TeamViewer, on-site service, preventive maintenance, factory calibration, production optimization, and repair/overhaul. All systems are modular, scalable, and tailored to specific customer requirements, with over 1,000 delivered systems worldwide.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- HERO: HydroEROsive machining process - a self-developed and patented procedure for precision deburring, rounding, and calibration of internal and external geometries using abrasive fluid.
Products and services
- Custom Assembly and Testing Systems (Montage- und Prüfanlagen) Custom-designed special purpose machines for the assembly and testing of components across industries including mobility, aerospace, medical technology, and consumer goods. Each system is tailored to specific customer requirements with modular, scalable architecture.
- Test Bench Construction (Prüfstandsbau)
- Fuel Injection Technology Test Systems
- Hydrogen Test Systems
- Electric Motor and Rotor Assembly Lines
- Alternative Fuels Test Systems
- Power Electronics Test Systems
- Aerospace and Defense Assembly and Testing Solutions
- Medical Technology Assembly and Testing Solutions
- IAV Cross Single-Shot Flow Meter Single-shot flow meter for measuring injection rate and volume by detecting dynamic pressure increase in a fuel-filled measuring channel, featuring advanced software control, real-time display, high precision and repeatability.
- HERO Hydroerosive Machining (HydroEROsive Bearbeitung)
- Laser Cutting (Notching, Slitting, Singulation)
- Service Offerings (Serviceleistungen)
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 1,000 systems delivered worldwide
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Sonplas
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Sonplas technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature7 records
Sonplas partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered strategic, core and minor.
- Sturm Maschinen- & Anlagenbau GmbH (Insolvenzverwalter Dr. Hubert Ampferl)strategicPlanned acquisition of Sturm's surface technology business unit (Oberflächentechnik) including 71 employees and 9 apprentices. The acquired company will operate as Sturm Surface Technology GmbH, extending Sonplas's portfolio in thermal coating, paint technology, and precision optical surface measurement.
- WTZ Roßlau (Wissenschaftlich-Technisches Zentrum)coreCooperation between Sonplas and WTZ Roßlau to accelerate market readiness of new technologies under the motto 'One partnership. All fuels.' The partnership focuses on testing and validation of new fuel technologies.
- IAV GmbHcorePartnership with IAV for sales rights for the IAV Cross single-shot flow meter. The IAV Cross measures injection rates by detecting dynamic pressure increase in a measuring channel filled with fuel, offering high precision without moving parts.
- Cuonics GmbHminorCuonics is a Straubing-based company that was visited together with Sonplas during the visit by Bavarian State Minister Dr. Florian Herrmann. Both companies are part of the local defense industry ecosystem.
- International Service Partners NetworkcoreGlobal network of certified service partners in China, USA, India, Brazil, Hungary, South Korea, Japan, Romania, Lithuania, Czech Republic, Mexico, and Italy. All partners are trained at Sonplas headquarters in Straubing and provide local support.
- STARK and MBDAminorCompanies that participated in the defense industry dialogue with Bavarian State Minister Dr. Florian Herrmann alongside Cuonics and Sonplas.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Sonplas competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- AVL List GmbH: AVL is the leading global developer of powertrain and fuel-injection test systems, with deep overlap to Sonplas's core mobility/energy testing franchise. Both companies serve automotive OEMs and tier-1s with custom test benches and validation systems for engines, fuel injection, and increasingly electrified drivetrains.
- FEV Group GmbH: FEV is a powertrain and vehicle development services firm with extensive test bench and assembly equipment offerings. Direct overlap with Sonplas in fuel injection, e-motor, and hydrogen test systems, serving similar global automotive and Tier-1 customers.
- GROB-WERKE GmbH & Co. KG: GROB is a German Sondermaschinenbauer specializing in assembly and test systems, including e-motor and rotor assembly lines — a direct functional comparable to Sonplas's special-purpose machinery and rotor assembly offerings. Both companies serve global automotive and industrial customers with bespoke automation systems.
- Schenck RoTec GmbH: Schenck RoTec is a German manufacturer of balancing and test equipment for rotating components, overlapping with Sonplas's rotor assembly and testing capabilities. Both companies provide precision industrial test machinery to automotive, aerospace, and industrial customers.
- Marposs S.p.A. Marposs is a global supplier of precision measurement, test, and process-control equipment for manufacturing, with strong overlap to Sonplas's testing and quality validation systems. Both serve automotive and industrial OEMs requiring high-precision inline and bench testing.
Broad incumbents
- Dürr AG: Dürr is a large German industrial automation and special-purpose machinery group serving automotive, paint, and environmental sectors. While much larger and broader than Sonplas, it overlaps in custom assembly systems and automotive test/finishing equipment, competing for similar enterprise accounts.
- KUKA AG: KUKA is a major industrial robotics and automation incumbent with deep penetration into automotive assembly lines. While KUKA focuses on robotic cells and standard platforms rather than bespoke test benches, it competes for the same enterprise customers and large-project budgets as Sonplas.
- Festo SE & Co. KG: Festo is a leading automation technology supplier with pneumatic and electric drive solutions for industrial assembly and test. While its core business is components rather than bespoke systems, Festo competes in adjacent automation use cases for industrial customers served by Sonplas.
Emerging players
- Hoerbiger Holding AG: Hoerbiger operates in industrial components and test systems with overlap to Sonplas's hydraulics and power electronics test offerings. Less direct in fuel injection but comparable in custom industrial test/assembly solutions for mobility and energy customers.
Others
- Stäubli International AG: Stäubli is a recognized strategic partner of Sonplas (2023 Strategic Partner Award) and supplies connectors, robotics, and textile machinery. Included as a peer because of the deep commercial partnership and overlapping industrial customer base in automotive and electronics assembly/test applications.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Sonplas social profiles
Digital presenceSonplas compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
Sonplas financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Sonplas leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Sonplas subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
Sonplas funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Sonplas M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Sonplas
What does Sonplas do?
Sonplas designs, engineers, manufactures, and commissions custom special purpose machinery — primarily assembly and testing systems and bespoke test benches — for industries including mobility and energy, aerospace and defense, medical technology, and consumer goods/power tools. Its core deliverables are modular, project-specific assembly lines and test rigs (e.g., for fuel injectors up to 1,000 bar, hydrogen electrolyzers, electric motor rotors, power electronics, and aerospace fuel pumps), supplemented by proprietary in-house manufacturing processes such as the patented HERO hydroerosive machining and laser cutting for notching/slitting/singulation. The company also provides lifecycle aftermarket services including remote support, on-site service, preventive maintenance, calibration, production optimization, spare parts, and overhaul.
Is Sonplas a public or private company?
Sonplas is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Sonplas founded?
Sonplas was founded in 1993. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Sonplas based?
Sonplas is headquartered in Straubing, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Sonplas make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Custom Special Purpose Machinery Sales are the primary driver. The others are aftermarket Services.
Who are Sonplas's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are AVL List GmbH, FEV Group GmbH, GROB-WERKE GmbH & Co. KG, Schenck RoTec GmbH and Marposs S.p.A.. Broad incumbents are Dürr AG, KUKA AG and Festo SE & Co. KG. Hoerbiger Holding AG is listed as an emerging player. Stäubli International AG is listed as an others.
Does Sonplas have an API?
No public API is recorded for Sonplas.