Marabu
Marabu is a German specialty inks manufacturer founded in 1859 that produces screen, digital, and pad printing inks plus creative colors for hobby and art use, distributed through 15 subsidiaries and partners in 80+ countries with production in Germany, the USA, and Paraguay.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1859
- HeadquartersTamm, Germany
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Marabu does
Marabu GmbH & Co. KG is a German specialty chemicals manufacturer founded in 1859 and headquartered in Tamm, Baden-Württemberg. The company operates two distinct business divisions: Marabu Druckfarben, which produces screen printing, digital printing, and pad printing inks as well as liquid coatings for industrial and graphic applications, and Marabu Kreativfarben, which supplies creative colors, stencils, stamps, and accessories for the hobby, art, and school end-market. Its technology portfolio centers on proprietary UV-curing, LED-curing, and water-based ink systems, with over 90% of creative color systems already water-based and stated R&D direction toward formulations derived from renewable raw materials.
Marabu generates revenue through direct sale of specialty inks and creative products, distributed primarily through 15 wholly-owned subsidiaries and exclusive distribution partners serving more than 80 countries. The company operates production facilities in Germany, the USA, and Paraguay, with annual production capacity exceeding 3,000 tonnes and an export share above 80% of sales. The industrial division serves printing and OEM customers requiring qualified, high-performance ink systems, while the creative division addresses consumer and hobbyist channels with easy-to-use products under the "Gelinggarantie" (guaranteed success) positioning.
Marabu is a family-owned limited partnership (GmbH & Co. KG) with no external institutional investors, listed parent, or venture funding. It is led by sole managing director York Boeder and has accumulated 165 years of operating history, a portfolio of ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO 45001 certifications, FSC Chain-of-Custody certification, Sony Green Partner status, and repeated SGIA Sustainability Recognition Awards. The "Project Green" initiative coordinates climate, energy, raw material, packaging, and waste management efforts across the group, supporting the company's positioning as a sustainability-forward specialty ink supplier.
Marabu firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Marabu
- Legal name
- Marabu GmbH & Co. KG
- Website
- https://marabu.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1859
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Marabu is a German specialty inks manufacturer founded in 1859 that produces screen, digital, and pad printing inks plus creative colors for hobby and art use, distributed through 15 subsidiaries and partners in 80+ countries with production in Germany, the USA, and Paraguay.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Marabu industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Specialty Printing Inks
- NAICS
- Printing Ink Manufacturing (325910)
- SIC
- Commercial Printing (2750), Pens, Pencils & Other Artists' Materials (3950)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Custom Printing & Decoration Services (Screen Print, Embroidery, Laser) (BPAFAMAL)
Keywords
Where Marabu is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Tamm
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Marabu business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Printing Inks: Sale of screen printing inks, digital printing inks, and pad printing inks as well as liquid coatings for industrial and graphic applications. Revenue from two business divisions: Printing Inks (industrial) and Creative Colours (hobby/art/school). Export accounts for 80% of sales.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels8 records
Marabu product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Marabu is a German manufacturer that produces screen printing, digital printing, and pad printing inks along with liquid coatings for industrial and graphic applications, and supplies creative colors, stencils, stamps, and accessories for hobby, art, and school use. The company runs two divisions — Marabu Druckfarben (printing inks) and Marabu Kreativfarben (creative colours) — and distributes through 15 subsidiaries and exclusive partners in more than 80 countries.
Product overview
Marabu is a German manufacturer of specialty printing inks and creative colors with over 165 years of history since 1859. The company operates two distinct divisions: Marabu Druckfarben (Printing Inks) offers screen, digital, and pad printing inks plus liquid coatings for industrial and graphic applications, while Marabu Kreativfarben (Creative Colours) provides hobby, art, and school products including colors, stencils, stamps, and accessories. The company has 14 subsidiaries and distribution partners serving over 80 countries, with production facilities in Germany, USA, and Paraguay.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Marabu Druckfarben: World-leading manufacturer of screen, digital, and pad printing inks as well as liquid coatings
- Marabu Kreativfarben
- Project Green
Products and services
- Marabu Druckfarben (Printing Inks) Marabu Druckfarben is the company's screen, digital, and pad printing inks division, offering specialty inks and liquid coatings with unique properties for a wide range of graphical and industrial printing applications. It serves industrial and graphic-arts printers worldwide and includes UV-curing, LED-curing, and water-based ink systems.
- Marabu Kreativfarben (Creative Colours) Marabu Kreativfarben provides a comprehensive range of creative colours, stencils, stamps, and matching accessories designed for hobbyists, artists, and school use, with products engineered to be easy to apply and deliver guaranteed creative success.
Quantifiable outcome
- Since 2007, all energy needs met by green electricity from hydropower, eliminating nearly 2,000 tonnes of CO2 per year — equivalent to the annual CO2 footprint of 175 German citizens.
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Marabu
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Marabu technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Marabu partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Marabu Subsidiaries (Global)coreMarabu operates 15 subsidiaries worldwide (including Brasil, Mexico, China, Denmark, Spain, France, Great Britain, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Finland, Sweden, USA) that serve as the primary distribution and sales network. These subsidiaries handle local sales, distribution, and customer service for Marabu's printing inks and creative colours products.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Marabu competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- DIC Corporation: DIC Corporation is the Japanese parent of Sun Chemical and a global specialty chemicals and printing ink major; it operates at much larger scale but its Sun Chemical subsidiary directly competes head-to-head with Marabu.
- HP Inc. HP is a global incumbent in digital printing presses and supplies, including HP-branded inks for industrial and graphic digital printing, representing both a customer-adjacent channel and a competitive force for Marabu's digital ink portfolio.
- Faber-Castell: Faber-Castell is a global heritage manufacturer of art and creative supplies, overlapping with Marabu Kreativfarben in hobby, art, and school colour and craft products but operating at much larger consumer-brand scale.
Direct peers
- Nazdar Ink Technologies: Nazdar is a US-based specialty manufacturer of screen printing, digital, and UV inks for industrial applications, a niche but direct competitor to Marabu in industrial screen and digital inks.
- Sun Chemical: Sun Chemical is the world's largest producer of printing inks and a subsidiary of DIC Corporation, directly competing with Marabu Druckfarben across screen, digital, and pad printing inks for industrial and graphic applications.
- Sakata INX: Sakata INX is a Japanese manufacturer of offset, gravure, screen, and digital printing inks with global operations, competing directly with Marabu in industrial and graphic screen/digital printing inks.
- Toyo Ink (Toyo Ink SC Holdings): Toyo Ink is a major Japanese producer of printing inks, pigments, and polymer materials serving packaging, commercial, and industrial print markets, comparable in scope to Marabu's industrial inks portfolio.
- Flint Group: Flint Group is a global supplier of inks, coatings, and printing consumables serving the packaging and commercial print markets, making it a direct peer to Marabu's industrial printing inks division.
- Siegwerk Druckfarben: Siegwerk is a German-headquartered, family-owned manufacturer of printing inks for packaging and graphic applications, a very close geographic and product peer to Marabu Druckfarben.
- Royal Talens (ColArt): Royal Talens is a Dutch manufacturer of artist paints and creative supplies, directly comparable to Marabu Kreativfarben in the hobby, art, and school creative colours segment.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Marabu social profiles
Digital presenceMarabu compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance5 records
Marabu financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Marabu leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Marabu subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries15 records
Marabu funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Marabu 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 Marabu
What does Marabu do?
Marabu is a German manufacturer that produces screen printing, digital printing, and pad printing inks along with liquid coatings for industrial and graphic applications, and supplies creative colors, stencils, stamps, and accessories for hobby, art, and school use. The company runs two divisions — Marabu Druckfarben (printing inks) and Marabu Kreativfarben (creative colours) — and distributes through 15 subsidiaries and exclusive partners in more than 80 countries.
Is Marabu a public or private company?
Marabu is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Marabu founded?
Marabu was founded in 1859. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Marabu based?
Marabu is headquartered in Tamm, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Marabu make money?
One revenue line is on record: printing Inks.
Who are Marabu's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are DIC Corporation, HP Inc. and Faber-Castell. Direct peers are Nazdar Ink Technologies, Sun Chemical, Sakata INX, Toyo Ink (Toyo Ink SC Holdings), Flint Group, Siegwerk Druckfarben and Royal Talens (ColArt).
Does Marabu have an API?
No public API is recorded for Marabu.
What industry is Marabu in?
Marabu's product category is Specialty Printing Inks. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAFAMAL, Custom Printing & Decoration Services (Screen Print, Embroidery, Laser). Its NAICS code is 325910 and its SIC code is 2750.