KADE

What KADE does

KADE Gesellschaft für Konstruktion und Automatisierung im allgemeinen Maschinenbau mbH is a privately held, owner-managed German engineering services firm headquartered in Puchheim near Munich, founded in 1988 by Christoph Rau and now co-managed with his son Alexander Rau. The company operates as an Entwicklungsdienstleister (development services provider), delivering mechanical engineering, FEM-based simulation and calculation, prototype and test bench construction, electrical engineering/planning, and custom software development to industrial customers primarily in the Munich metropolitan region and broader Bavaria. Its customer base spans machinery, automotive and vehicle technology, plant engineering, medical/laboratory technology, and measurement/testing technology, with no named customer logos publicly disclosed.

KADE's technology stack combines mainstream industrial CAD platforms (Autodesk Inventor, Siemens NX, CATIA V5, Creo, SolidWorks), FEM tools (ANSYS, MDESIGN, FloEFD), and modern software frameworks (React, Angular, Node.js, Python, C/C++, Qt), supported by DIN EN ISO 9001:2015 certification. A subset of projects — branded "Crossover Engineering" — integrates mechanical design with embedded software, web frontends, and AI-based image analysis using TensorFlow.js and MediaPipe. The firm holds an unlimited temporary staffing permit (Arbeitnehmerüberlassung) since 1988, enabling staff leasing alongside project-based services. KADE has a satellite engineering presence at Augsburg Innovationspark and employs approximately 50 engineers, computer scientists, and technicians selected through university career fair channels.

Revenue is generated through professional services — project-based engineering contracts, custom software development, and staff augmentation — with no public pricing, no disclosed revenue figures, and no external funding rounds. Distribution is direct B2B sales to industrial clients, supplemented by university and regional community engagement (e.g., IKOM, HOKO, local sports sponsorship) for talent acquisition and brand presence. The firm became a UN Global Compact signatory in June 2020 and was awarded the TOP 100 Innovator seal in 2023.

Name

KADE

Legal name

KADE Gesellschaft für Konstruktion und Automatisierung im allgemeinen Maschinenbau mbH

Website

https://kade-gmbh.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

KADE GmbH is an owner-managed German engineering services firm in Puchheim (near Munich) that provides mechanical engineering, FEM simulation, prototype/test bench construction, and custom software development to industrial customers across machinery, automotive, plant engineering, medical, and measurement technology sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Engineering Services

NAICS

Engineering Services (54133)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)

akta.pro primary industry

Systems Engineering & Technical Program Management (BPAHAIAI)

Keywords

• Mechanical engineering services
• FEM simulation services
• Industrial software development
• Prototype test bench construction
• Electrical engineering planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Puchheim

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Engineering Services: Development and construction services including mechanical engineering, FEM calculations and simulations, prototyping, and test bench construction. Revenue is generated through project-based engagements where KADE provides specialized engineering expertise to industrial customers.
2. Software Development Services: Customized software development services including system design, frontend/backend development, implementation, integration, and testing. Services include software architecture, agile development, and continuous integration support.
3. Staff Leasing/Personnel Services: KADE provides engineering personnel to support customer teams on-site. The company has had an unlimited permit for temporary staffing since 1988. Employees work as temporary staff at customer locations to provide specialized engineering support.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

KADE GmbH is a development services provider (Entwicklungsdienstleister) offering two integrated service divisions. The Engineering division covers mechanical construction, FEM calculation and simulation, prototype/test bench construction, and electrical engineering. The Software Engineering division provides custom software development, integration, and testing services for industrial customers. The company delivers project-based engineering expertise from concept through finished product to clients in machinery, vehicle technology, automation, and plant engineering.

Product overview

KADE GmbH is a development services provider (Entwicklungsdienstleister) offering two integrated service divisions: Engineering and Software Engineering. The Engineering division covers mechanical construction, FEM calculation and simulation, prototype/test bench construction, and electrical engineering. The Software Engineering division provides custom software development, integration, and testing services. These divisions work collaboratively on cross-functional projects (Crossover projects), such as the interactive robot arm project combining mechanical construction with embedded programming, modern web interfaces, and AI-powered image analysis. The company operates as a single integrated offering rather than separate products, serving industrial customers in machinery, vehicle technology, automation, and plant engineering sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Engineering Services (Mechanical Construction & Development) Mechanical engineering and construction services including concept development, CAD design, prototyping, and full project support for industrial customers in machinery, vehicle technology, automation, and plant engineering sectors.
• FEM Calculation & Simulation Finite Element Method analysis and simulation services including static strength verification, fatigue analysis, screw calculations, weld calculations, modal analysis, stability analysis, thermal simulations, and CFD flow simulations using ANSYS, MDESIGN, and FloEFD tools, following FKM guidelines, Eurocode 3, and VDI 2230 standards.
• Software Engineering Custom software development services for technical applications including frontend/HMI development with Angular and React, backend/embedded development, and full-stack JavaScript solutions using Node.js, Python, C/C++, and Qt.
• Test Bench & Prototype Construction Complete planning, manufacturing, and assembly of test benches, prototypes, and specialized machinery including EG Machinery Directive conformity assessment and technical documentation for product validation.
• Electrical Engineering & Planning Electrical construction and planning services including circuit diagrams (EPLAN P8), control cabinet layouts, component selection, and compliance with DIN EN 60204-1 and VDE standards for industrial systems.
• Integration & Software Testing Software integration and testing services including continuous integration/continuous deployment, functional testing, stress testing, regression testing, and test automation solutions for industrial software projects.

Quantifiable outcome

• Cost reduction through reduced prototypes and testing via early FEM analysis
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• UN Global CompactminorOthers · 1 January 2020KADE became a signatory of the UN Global Compact in June 2020. The Global Compact is a voluntary economic initiative of the United Nations with the goal of achieving a more sustainable and fairer world economy. The focus is on ten principles regarding human rights, labor standards, environmental protection, and anti-corruption.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Bertrandt AG: Public German engineering services firm with deep automotive and mobility engineering plus software/electronics; comparable in vertical mix (vehicle technology, mechanical engineering) and crossover capabilities.
• Ferchau Engineering: Germany's largest independent engineering services provider, delivering mechanical development, CAD/FEM, and embedded software to industrial clients — directly comparable to KADE's crossover mechanical/software engineering services model.
• IAV GmbH: Leading German automotive engineering services provider covering powertrain, electronics, and software — directly overlaps with KADE's vehicle technology and embedded software engineering offerings.
• EDAG: German engineering services company specializing in vehicle development and complete vehicle engineering, with digital/software capabilities; comparable to KADE's vehicle technology business unit and crossover offerings.
• M Plan: Mid-sized German engineering services firm with parallel offerings in vehicle development, powertrain, and industrial automation, plus embedded software — comparable in size, vertical mix, and crossover capabilities to KADE.
• RLE International: Mid-sized automotive and product development engineering services firm with mechanical, electrical/electronics, and software competencies; structurally similar mid-tier German competitor to KADE.

Broad incumbents

• Capgemini Engineering: Global engineering services and R&D powerhouse (incorporating AKKA and Altran Engineering), offering mechanical, embedded, and software engineering at scale — broader incumbent that overlaps with KADE's crossover capabilities.

Others

• KSB SE & Co. KGaA: Industrial pumps/valves manufacturer and a reference customer in the German industrial ecosystem; relevant adjacent comparable for the type of plant/machinery engineering buyer KADE serves.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kade-gmbh

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

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 KADE