What PROFIL Verbindungstechnik does

PROFIL Verbindungstechnik Gmb & Co. KG is a German manufacturer of Mechanically Attached Fasteners (MAF) for the global automotive industry, founded in 1965 and headquartered in Friedrichsdorf, Germany. The company operates as a business unit of PennEngineering, a privately held strategic owner specializing in fastening solutions. PROFIL's core technology replaces traditional weld fasteners with mechanical alternatives — rivet nuts, clinch nuts, self-piercing nuts, rivet studs, clinch studs, and self-piercing studs — that can be installed in-die during the stamping process, eliminating secondary welding operations, avoiding heat-affected zones, and producing water-tight seals across material thicknesses from 0.6mm to 6mm and strengths up to 1500 MPa press-hardened steel.

The company's product portfolio spans four main families covering upper body, under body, closures, chassis, seating, and EV battery tray applications, with documented cost savings of 30–50% versus welding and 50% lower energy consumption. Revenue is generated through direct hardware sales of fasteners, sale of automated feeding and processing systems, and professional services including application engineering, tooling design, feasibility analysis, and joint testing/validation. The go-to-market is enterprise field sales targeting global automotive OEMs and Tier 1/2 suppliers, supported by 13+ regional sales and service offices and manufacturing facilities in Germany (Friedrichsdorf, Fulda), the United States (Waterford and Romulus, Michigan), and China (Kunshan). Marketing emphasizes an In-Die Cost Calculator and 'Talk to an Engineer' consultative engagement model. The company is IATF 16949, ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, and ISO 50001 certified across all major production sites and reports cumulative shipments of 18 billion parts as of 2022.

Name

PROFIL Verbindungstechnik

Legal name

PROFIL Verbindungstechnik GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://profil-global.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

PROFIL Verbindungstechnik is a German manufacturer of mechanically attached fasteners (rivet nuts, clinch nuts, self-piercing studs) for the global automotive OEM and Tier supplier market, enabling in-die installation as a cost-saving alternative to welding. It operates as a PennEngineering subsidiary with manufacturing in Germany, the United States, and China.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Friedrichsdorf

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices14 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Fastener Product Sales: Sale of mechanically attached fasteners including rivet nuts, rivet studs, clinch nuts, clinch studs, self-piercing nuts, and self-piercing studs. Products sold directly to automotive OEMs and Tier suppliers.
2. Application Engineering and Tooling Design Services: Engineering support services including application engineering, tooling design, feasibility analysis, and joint testing/validation services.
3. Manufacturing Services: In-house manufacturing capabilities including in-die installation services at manufacturing facilities, providing early manufacturing, prototype orders and testing.
4. Feeding Systems and Automation Equipment: Sale of fully integrated automatic processing and feeding systems for fastener installation.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

PROFIL Verbindungstechnik manufactures Mechanically Attached Fasteners (MAF) — including rivet nuts, rivet studs, clinch nuts, clinch studs, and self-piercing nuts/studs — for the global automotive industry. Its MAF technology enables in-die installation of fasteners during the stamping process, eliminating secondary welding operations and reducing assembly costs. The company also provides application engineering, tooling design, feasibility analysis, and in-die installation services to automotive OEMs and Tier suppliers.

Product overview

PROFIL® Verbindungstechnik is a global manufacturer of Mechanically Attached Fasteners (MAF) serving the automotive industry. The product portfolio includes four main product families: (1) Rivet Nuts (RND®, RSN®, RND® Light, RSF®, REN®, NMR®, RSK®, RND® Cap Nut, RND®-S) that provide threaded attachment points through mechanical installation; (2) Clinch Nuts (EMF®, MHD®, A9N®) that create permanent joints by cold-forming sheet metal; (3) Self-Piercing Nuts (MHN®, SMA®) that eliminate pre-punched holes by creating their own during installation; (4) Rivet Studs (SBF®, NBR®, KSB®, KSB®-H, Ball Studs, SBF®-H, CSG®) for mechanical attachment with versions optimized for thin/thick materials and structural grounding; (5) Clinch Studs (EBF®, DES®) for permanent cold-formed joints. These fasteners support in-die installation, enabling automotive OEMs to eliminate secondary welding operations. Applications span upper body, under body, closures, chassis, seating, and EV battery tray assemblies across automotive and related industries including construction, white goods, solar, marine, and transportation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PennEngineering: Parent company of PROFIL, part of full range of PennEngineering's eMobility solutions
• PierceForm
• Penn Automotive

Products and services

• RND® Rivet nut fastener for sheet metal applications, providing threaded attachment points through mechanical installation.
• RSN® Rivet nut fastener variant for automotive structural applications requiring threaded connections.
• RND® Light Lightweight rivet nut variant designed for weight reduction applications in automotive assemblies.
• RSF® Rivet nut for applications requiring specific load-bearing or sealing characteristics.
• REN® Rivet nut for automotive applications with enhanced performance specifications.
• NMR® Rivet nut for specialized automotive fastening requirements.
• RSK® Rivet nut variant for specific automotive assembly applications.
• RND® Cap Nut Cap-style rivet nut providing a finished appearance and protected thread connection.
• RND®-S Rivet nut variant for specialized automotive structural applications.
• EMF® Clinch nut that creates a permanent mechanical joint by cold-forming the sheet metal around the fastener.
• MHD® Clinch nut for heavy-duty automotive applications requiring high-strength fastening.
• A9N® Clinch nut optimized for aluminum applications, providing enhanced performance for new aluminum tailgate designs.
• MHN® Self-piercing nut that creates its own hole during installation, eliminating the need for pre-punched holes.
• SMA® Self-piercing clinch nut for thin metal applications (0.6mm - 2.4mm), available in M5, M6, M8 sizes.
• SBF® High-strength self-piercing clinch stud for thin metal applications (0.6mm - 3.5mm), available in M5, M6, M8, M10 sizes.
• NBR® Rivet stud for automotive applications requiring reliable mechanical attachment.
• KSB® Self-piercing stud with structural grounding capability for steel or aluminum materials (0.7-4.0mm thickness).
• KSB®-H High-strength self-piercing stud variant for applications requiring enhanced axial force strength.
• Ball Studs Rivet ball studs for thin or thick sheet applications, enabling pivot connections in automotive assemblies.
• SBF®™-H High axial force strength self-piercing clinch stud for demanding automotive applications.
• CSG® Self-piercing stud designed for specific automotive battery tray and structural applications.
• EBF® Clinch stud that creates permanent mechanical joints through cold-forming of sheet metal, used in seating and structural applications.
• DES® Clinch stud variant for specialized automotive applications.
• Application Engineering and Tooling Design Services Engineering support services including application engineering, tooling design, feasibility analysis, and joint testing/validation services for automotive OEMs and Tier suppliers.
• In-Die Installation Services In-house manufacturing services providing in-die fastener installation at manufacturing facilities, including early manufacturing, prototype orders, and testing.

Quantifiable outcome

• 30% cost savings vs welding routinely achieved
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 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.

• PennEngineering®coreOthersPROFIL® is a company of PennEngineering®, a global leader in fastening technology. PROFIL operates as a business unit within PennEngineering, benefiting from parent company's resources, global presence, and complementary product portfolio including eMobility solutions.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Stanley Engineered Fastening: Division of Stanley Black & Decker producing POP® blind rivets, blind nuts, and engineered fastening solutions for automotive and industrial markets. A larger, diversified incumbent with overlapping product technology and global reach.
• Würth: German-headquartered global market leader in fastener distribution and manufacturing. While Würth's core is trade/aftermarket, its industrial fastener division supplies automotive and industrial OEMs with comparable nut and stud product categories.
• Bossard Group: Swiss-listed global fastening solutions provider combining fastener manufacturing with Smart Factory logistics services. Serves automotive and industrial OEMs across Europe, Americas and Asia with a much broader product and service portfolio than PROFIL.
• Hilti: Liechtenstein-based global leader in fastening and anchor technology for construction and industrial applications. A broader incumbent with significant manufacturing engineering depth and some overlap with PROFIL on heavy-duty mechanical fastening.

Direct peers

• TOX Pressotechnik: German specialist in clinching and pressing technology, offering TOX® clinch fasteners and the presses used to install them. Directly comparable to PROFIL's clinch nut/stud line and application engineering services.
• PennEngineering: Parent company of PROFIL and a global leader in engineered fastening solutions. Operates overlapping product lines (clinching, self-piercing fasteners, captive screws) into similar automotive and industrial OEM customers, making it the most directly comparable peer despite being the parent.
• Kerb-Konus: German manufacturer of self-piercing and clinch fasteners, including clinch nuts and studs that compete head-to-head with PROFIL's MAF portfolio in automotive body-in-white and chassis applications.
• Böllhoff: German-headquartered fastening technology specialist serving automotive and industrial OEMs with rivet nuts, clinch studs, and threaded inserts. Highly comparable to PROFIL in geography, customer mix, and core fastener technology.
• EJOT: German fastening technology company with a substantial automotive division producing threaded inserts, rivet nuts, and specialty fasteners. Targets the same Tier 1/Tier 2 and OEM customer base as PROFIL in Europe and globally.

Emerging players

• Heico Fasteners: European specialist in high-strength and specialty mechanical fasteners, including locking and safety-critical threaded products for automotive, rail, and energy. Comparable niche focus on mechanical fastening technology and OEM engineering support.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 PROFIL Verbindungstechnik