Silex

What Silex does

Silex Gesellschaft für Siliconextrusion mbH is a German specialty manufacturer of silicone rubber components, founded in 1992 and headquartered in Herne, Germany. The company operates exclusively within silicone rubber processing, running three core manufacturing disciplines under one roof — extrusion (hoses and profiles), injection molding (molded parts), and in-house compound mixing — and produces HTV solid silicone, LSR liquid silicone rubber, PMVQ low-temperature silicone, and FMVQ fluorosilicone. Its product portfolio centers on three families: silicone hoses (inner diameters 0.3-140 mm, including textile-reinforced pressure variants and foam variants), silicone profiles (up to 200 mm wide, including co-extrusion profiles combining two silicone grades), and silicone molded parts produced via its subsidiary Silim GmbH & Co. KG (founded 2016). Hardness is tunable from Shore A 10 to 90, and engineered variants include electrically conductive, oil-bleeding, and surface-modified (low-friction) silicones. Silex sells exclusively through direct B2B relationships managed by named sales representatives, with no public catalog or e-commerce channel; pricing is quote-based on custom specifications, tools are billed proportionately to the buyer, and delivery is ex-works from Herne.

The company serves nine vertical markets: automotive (OEM and Tier 1/2 suppliers), medical technology (biocompatible components), electrical and electronics (sealing and insulation), gastronomy and food processing, building and construction, household appliances, technical distribution, mechanical engineering, and transportation (bus, rail, shipbuilding). Each vertical imposes distinct regulatory regimes — FDA, EU 1935/2004, USP Class I-VI, ISO 10993 for medical and food; DIN EN 45545, NF F 16-101, BS 6853, DIN 5510 for rail; DIN 4102 and UL 94 for construction — and Silex maintains external certification to the relevant standard in each. The business operates from a 5,600 m² production facility plus 720 m² of office space, employs 51-100 people, and is privately held following a 2010 management buyout by the current managing directors. Growth has historically been funded organically through retained earnings, with facility expansions in 1994, 1997, 2003, 2013, and 2016, and the addition of an ISO 14001:2015-certified Environmental Management System in 2018 on top of its long-standing ISO 9001:2015 QMS.

Name

Silex

Legal name

Silex Gesellschaft für Siliconextrusion mbH

Website

https://silex-silikon.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Silex is a German specialty manufacturer of custom silicone rubber hoses, profiles, and molded parts, serving nine regulated industrial verticals including automotive, medical technology, electronics, food processing, and rail, from its Herne production facility using in-house compound mixing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Herne

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Silicone Product Manufacturing: Silex manufactures custom silicone rubber products (hoses, profiles, and molded parts) to customer specifications on a project-by-project basis. Products are priced per unit based on specifications, materials, and order volume. The company also produces standard product lines for the technical distribution channel. Revenue is generated through direct B2B sales to industrial customers across multiple verticals.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Silex is a custom manufacturer of silicone rubber products, producing silicone hoses (Silikon-Schläuche), silicone profiles (Silikon-Profile), and silicone molded parts (Silikon-Formteile) for industrial customers across automotive, medical technology, electrical & electronics, food processing, building & construction, household appliances, mechanical engineering, transportation, and technical distribution sectors. All products are custom-engineered to customer specifications and produced on modern extrusion and injection molding lines, with compounds mixed in-house from HTV, LSR, PMVQ, and FMVQ silicone grades.

Product overview

Silex is a manufacturer of high-quality silicone rubber products, operating as a single-brand portfolio built around three core product lines: Silikon-Schläuche (silicone hoses), Silikon-Profile (silicone profiles), and Silikon-Formteile (silicone molded parts). All three product lines share the same base material (silicone rubber, including HTV solid rubber, LSR liquid silicone rubber, and silicone foam), are produced on modern machines (extrusion lines and injection molding machines), and serve similar industry verticals. Sub-product variants within each line (e.g., pressure hoses, foam hoses, co-extrusion profiles, foam profiles) extend the portfolio with specialized material configurations. A subsidiary, Silim GmbH & Co. KG, was founded in 2016 to focus specifically on molded parts manufacturing. The company compounds its own silicone materials in-house, enabling it to tailor physical and chemical properties to customer specifications across all product families.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Silicone Hoses (Silikon-Schläuche) Custom silicone hoses manufactured on modern horizontal and vertical extrusion lines, with inner diameters from 0.3 mm to 140 mm and wall thicknesses from 0.3 mm to 20 mm, available in standard, pressure, foam, and co-extrusion variants for industrial customers across automotive, food processing, medical, electronics, and construction sectors.
• Silicone Profiles (Silikon-Profile) Customer-specified silicone profiles manufactured on horizontal and vertical extrusion lines, up to 200 mm wide and 50 mm high, available as solid, foam, or co-extrusion profiles combining two silicone types with different Shore A hardnesses, colors, and properties. Used for sealing, insulation, and damping across construction, transportation, electronics, and household appliance applications.
• Silicone Molded Parts (Silikon-Formteile) Custom silicone molded parts produced on modern injection molding machines using HTV solid silicone rubbers and LSR liquid silicone rubbers for medium and large batch production, manufactured in-house at the Herne facility and via subsidiary Silim GmbH & Co. KG. Used in automotive, medical technology, mechanical engineering, and household appliance applications.

Quantifiable outcome

• Temperature range from -45°C to 180°C with near-unchanged physical properties
• +5 more outcomes

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Trelleborg AB: Engineered polymer solutions group with a sealing solutions division producing silicone and other elastomer profiles, hoses, and molded parts for industrial, automotive, and medical markets. Comparable as a multi-discipline elastomer manufacturer.
• Wacker Chemie AG: Major global integrated silicone polymer and finished-parts producer (Wacker Silicones) with broad product lines spanning raw silicones, sealants, and custom moldings. Directly comparable as the dominant incumbent in the silicone rubber processing market Silex serves.
• Momentive Performance Materials: Specialty silicones and engineered materials manufacturer serving automotive, medical, electronics, and industrial customers. Comparable as a broad silicone products peer with overlapping customer verticals to Silex.
• Parker Hannifin Corporation: Global motion and control technologies company with a sealing and polymer technologies division offering silicone hoses, profiles, and molded components across industrial, automotive, and aerospace. Comparable as a broad industrial elastomer and sealing incumbent.
• Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd. World's largest silicone producer offering silicone rubber compounds and finished molded/extruded parts across industrial, electronics, and medical segments. Comparable as a global silicone incumbent with overlapping product categories to Silex.
• Elkem Silicones: Global silicone materials and specialty products manufacturer (part of China National Bluestar) offering HTV, LSR, and finished silicone components. Comparable as an integrated silicone peer serving similar industrial and medical verticals.

Direct peers

• Reiss Manufacturing Inc. US-based custom manufacturer of silicone rubber products including extrusions, moldings, and sheeting for medical, aerospace, and industrial customers. Comparable as a custom silicone parts specialist serving similar regulated verticals.
• SIMTEC Silicone Parts: US-based custom manufacturer specializing in LSR injection molding and two-shot silicone molding for medical, automotive, and industrial applications. Closely comparable as a custom specialty silicone molder serving similar regulated verticals.
• Primasil Silicones Ltd: UK-based custom silicone rubber compounder and manufacturer of extrusions, moldings, and gaskets serving medical, food, and industrial customers. Comparable as a specialty custom silicone manufacturer with similar product breadth and verticals.

Regional players

• Siltec GmbH & Co. KG: Germany-based silicone extruder specializing in silicone hoses and profiles, serving medical, food, and industrial customers. Comparable as a German regional specialist in custom silicone extrusion with overlapping products and verticals to Silex.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SilexGmbH
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/silex-gmbh

Compliance20 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Silex