herone
herone GmbH is a Dresden-based developer and manufacturer of continuous thermoplastic composite profiles using proprietary braid-pultrusion, supplying structural and fluid-handling components to aerospace, eVTOL, automotive, and sports OEMs.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersDresden, Germany
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What herone does
herone GmbH is a Dresden, Germany-based developer and manufacturer of continuous thermoplastic composite profiles, founded in 2018 as a spin-off from TU Dresden. The company operates a proprietary braid-pultrusion process that produces rods, struts, and tubular components used as structural and fluid transport/storage elements. Its product portfolio spans aviation-grade profiles, high-pressure fluid vessels and pipes, and performance components for sports and motorsport applications.
The company sells primarily on a B2B project and contract basis to aerospace, eVTOL, automotive, and consumer sports OEMs, with named customers including Airbus, Boeing, Collins Aerospace, BMW, Lilium, Ariane, Wilson, Head, and Envision Racing. It holds AS/EN 9100 aerospace quality certification and has been recognized as a JEC World Innovation Award finalist in both 2025 and 2026. Revenue is generated through component supply into multi-year OEM programs, with additional strategic positioning through partnerships such as the Airbus MFFD recycling initiative alongside Spiral RTC and Teijin.
herone employs between 11 and 50 people, has not publicly disclosed any external funding rounds, and operates from its Dresden base with no disclosed geographic expansion. The business model is anchored in deep design-in with safety-critical OEM programs, supplemented by a broadening presence in adjacent verticals such as hydrogen fluid systems and professional motorsport.
herone firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- herone
- Legal name
- herone GmbH
- Website
- https://herone.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- herone GmbH is a Dresden-based developer and manufacturer of continuous thermoplastic composite profiles using proprietary braid-pultrusion, supplying structural and fluid-handling components to aerospace, eVTOL, automotive, and sports OEMs.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
herone industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Advanced Composite Materials Manufacturing
- NAICS
- Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing (33641), Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing (3364)
- SIC
- Aircraft & Parts (3720), Aircraft Parts & Auxiliary Equipment, Nec (3728)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Doors, Hatches, Canopies & Access Panels (IMABAEAF)
Keywords
Where herone is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Dresden
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
herone business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Custom Composite Profile Manufacturing: Development and production of ultralight thermoplastic composite profiles with integral functionality for aerospace, automotive, sports, and industrial applications. Revenue generated through product development fees, prototyping, and serial production contracts.
- Engineering and Development Services: Synergetic partnership model offering full-service product development from requirements definition and design through testing, validation, and serial production qualification.
- Technology Licensing: Platform technology for thermoplastic composite profile manufacturing potentially available for licensing to partners seeking to implement herone's manufacturing approach
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
herone product offering
Product offeringCore offering
herone develops and produces ultralight thermoplastic composite profiles for transferring motion, loads, and fluids in aerospace, automotive, sports, and industrial applications. The company offers custom-engineered rods, struts, drive shafts, fluid transport pipes, hydrogen storage units, and complex-shaped components manufactured via its proprietary braid-pultrusion process. Products are delivered through a synergetic partnership model spanning requirements definition, design, prototyping, testing, validation, and serial production qualification.
Product overview
herone develops and produces ultralight thermoplastic composite profiles with integral functionality. The product portfolio consists of three main categories: Motion & Load Transfer products (struts, rods, drive shafts, and truss elements with true 0° fiber architecture for maximum axial stiffness); Fluid Transport & Storage products (fuel pipes, hydraulic pipes, H2 tanks, and air ducts with chemical resistance and integrated media barriers); and Complex Shape & Functionality products (fan casings, blades, frame segments, and custom profiles with varying cross-sections and curvature). Manufacturing is enabled by the proprietary pultrusion and braid-pultrusion technology platform that combines continuous unidirectional fibers with off-axis reinforcement for load-path optimized structures. Products are designed for weight-critical applications in aerospace (interior tie rods, floor beam struts), automotive (engine bay braces), motorsport (Formula E wish bones), and other industries.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Aviation Interior Tie Rod
Quantifiable outcome
- Up to 40% weight savings compared to aluminum struts
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use herone
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
herone technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
herone partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Teijin Carbon Europe GmbHcoreStrategic partnership for thermoplastic composite development including CF-PPS materials supply and joint development of Formula E wishbone components with Envision Racing. Teijin supplies thermoplastic slit tape for recycling applications and collaborates on material development.
- Spiral RTCcoreSpiral RTC mechanically shreds and compounds Airbus A350 production waste (clips and cleats) into granulate for recycled thermoplastic composite rods used in the Multifunctional Fuselage Demonstrator (MFFD), enabling circular economy approach.
- Envision RacingminorJoint development of Formula E wishbone components featuring CF-PPS rod body with interface made from recycled production scrap, designed in cooperation with Teijin Carbon Europe GmbH and herone.
- AirbuscoreMajor OEM partner for aircraft interior and structural components. herone supplies ultralight thermoplastic composite profiles including tie rods and recycling rods incorporating Airbus production scrap for the MFFD project.
- BoeingcoreBoeing provided endorsement of herone's lightweight optimization capabilities through principle technical fellow quote emphasizing weight savings critical for aerospace industry.
- Mitsubishi Chemical Group (Business Incubator Growth Garage)minorWinner of Composite Engineering Challenge awarded partnership with Business Incubator Growth Garage for development of high performance composite products from realigned recycled carbon fibers.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
herone competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Solvay: Global specialty materials company with a large composites portfolio (formerly Cytec) serving aerospace primary and secondary structures. Comparable as an established competitor supplying aerospace OEMs with the kind of thermoplastic and thermoset material/part solutions herone targets.
- Mitsubishi Chemical Group: Partner of herone (Composite Engineering Challenge winner) and a major materials group with carbon fiber, composites, and thermoplastic offerings. Comparable as a vertically integrated materials and composites supplier active in the same aerospace and mobility programs.
- Hexcel: US-listed leader in advanced composites for aerospace and industrial markets, offering prepregs, honeycomb, and engineered parts. Comparable as a large, established composite supplier competing for similar aerospace structural programs.
- GKN Aerospace: Global tier-1 aerospace supplier with thermoplastic composite parts expertise (including the former Fokker business). Comparable as an established Tier 1 producing thermoplastic composite aerostructures for Airbus and Boeing - the same OEMs herone supplies.
- Victrex: UK-listed specialist in PEEK and PAEK polymers that herone lists as a partner and uses as a matrix supplier. Comparable because it sits upstream in the thermoplastic composite value chain and increasingly co-develops downstream parts programs in aerospace.
Direct peers
- Exel Composites: Finland-based public company and one of the largest pultruded and pull-wound composite profile manufacturers globally, serving aerospace, automotive, wind, and industrial markets. Most direct competitor to herone in pultruded composite profiles, with a much larger scale and broader product portfolio.
- Pultrex: UK-based specialist manufacturer of pultrusion machines and pultruded composite profiles for construction, infrastructure, and industrial applications. Comparable as a pultrusion-focused profile maker with overlapping manufacturing process know-how.
- Strongwell: US manufacturer of pultruded and molded fiberglass composite structural products. Comparable as a composite pultrusion specialist producing profiles and structural shapes, though more focused on industrial/infrastructure than aerospace.
- Toray Advanced Composites: Subsidiary of Toray Industries and a global leader in thermoplastic and thermoset composite materials (Cetex brand UD tapes, prepregs) for aerospace, automotive, and industrial applications. Direct competitor in thermoplastic composite preforms and structural parts.
- Teijin Carbon Europe: Strategic partner of herone and a leading supplier of carbon fiber and thermoplastic composite intermediates (including the slit tape herone uses). Comparable as a developer of thermoplastic composite materials and preforms targeting aerospace and automotive lightweighting.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
herone social profiles
Digital presenceherone compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
herone financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
herone leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
herone funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
herone 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 herone
What does herone do?
herone develops and produces ultralight thermoplastic composite profiles for transferring motion, loads, and fluids in aerospace, automotive, sports, and industrial applications. The company offers custom-engineered rods, struts, drive shafts, fluid transport pipes, hydrogen storage units, and complex-shaped components manufactured via its proprietary braid-pultrusion process. Products are delivered through a synergetic partnership model spanning requirements definition, design, prototyping, testing, validation, and serial production qualification.
Is herone a public or private company?
herone is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was herone founded?
herone was founded in 2018. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is herone based?
herone is headquartered in Dresden, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does herone make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Custom Composite Profile Manufacturing is the primary driver. The others are engineering and Development Services and technology Licensing.
Who are herone's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Solvay, Mitsubishi Chemical Group, Hexcel, GKN Aerospace and Victrex. Direct peers are Exel Composites, Pultrex, Strongwell, Toray Advanced Composites and Teijin Carbon Europe.
Does herone have an API?
No public API is recorded for herone.
What industry is herone in?
herone's product category is Advanced Composite Materials Manufacturing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMABAEAF, Doors, Hatches, Canopies & Access Panels. Its NAICS code is 33641 and its SIC code is 3720.