What Wilhelm Herm. Muller does

Wilhelm Herm. Müller GmbH & Co. KG is a privately held German technical trading and manufacturing company founded on 12 January 1916 in Hanover, now headquartered in Garbsen near Hanover. The company operates across three product pillars: drive technology (polyurethane and elastomer timing belts, chains, sprockets, roller bearings from principal partners BRECO and Continental, plus WHM's own SYNCHROFLEX polyurethane timing belt technology co-developed with Continental in 1948); plastics technology (CNC machining, turning, acrylic glass processing, deep drawing, and semi-finished product cutting); and rubber technology (custom mouldings, profiles, water jet/die cutting, tube technology, and vibration elements). Customization services — including timing belt coating, milling, grinding, FDA-compliant food-grade coatings, and on-site polyurethane belt welding via the proprietary TSG 5 portable device — are central to the offering.

WHM generates revenue primarily through one-time sales of catalog and customized industrial components, supplemented by assembly group installation and CAD-based design services. The go-to-market combines direct field sales with technical consulting at the headquarters and branch offices, channel partnerships through Mulco-Europe EWIV and p-d-m cooperation networks, and event-driven engagement at industry trade fairs such as FACHPACK and Intec. The company serves four primary end-market verticals: packaging technology, food industry, medical and analytical technology, and machine tool manufacturing. Customers are industrial OEMs and machinery builders requiring application-specific drive and material-handling components, with quote-based pricing reflecting the customization-driven nature of the portfolio.

The business is family-controlled, represented by general partner Hutzenlaub-Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH, and managed by Managing Directors Michael Ellinger and Ulrich Roßner. WHM maintains wholly-owned subsidiaries in Poland (founded 1998) and the Czech Republic (founded 2000), and acquired BESA Kunststoffe GmbH in 2015 to add precision acrylic glass manufacturing. The firm holds ISO 9001:2015 certification (audited by DNV) and operates a workforce of approximately 100 at the Garbsen site, with total company headcount in the 101–250 range.

Name

Wilhelm Herm. Muller

Legal name

Wilhelm Herm. Müller GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://whm.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1916

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Wilhelm Herm. Müller is a privately held German technical trading and manufacturing company, founded in 1916, supplying mechanical drive technology plus custom plastics and rubber components to industrial OEMs in packaging, food, medical/analytical, and machine tool markets across Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Switzerland.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Drive and Power Transmission Components

NAICS

Industrial Machinery Manufacturing (33324), Speed Changer, Industrial High-Speed Drive, and Gear Manufacturing (333612), Ball and Roller Bearing Manufacturing (332991)

SIC

Fabricated Rubber Products, Nec (3060), General Industrial Machinery & Equipment (3560), Ball & Roller Bearings (3562)

akta.pro primary industry

Custom Injection Molding & Contract Manufacturing (Job Shops/CMs) (IMANAFAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Custom Thermoforming & Contract Manufacturing (IMANAHAI)

Keywords

• Mechanical drive technology
• Industrial timing belts
• Plastics CNC machining
• Rubber mouldings
• Power transmission components

Headquarters

HQ city

Garbsen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Drive Technology Products: Sale of polyurethane and elastomer timing belts, V-belts, flat belts, round belts, chains, sprockets, and roller bearings from leading manufacturers including BRECO, CONTINENTAL.
2. Customized Plastic Components: CNC machined plastic components, acrylic glass parts, and custom manufacturing in small, medium or large series based on customer drawings and specifications.
3. Rubber Technology Products: Custom rubber mouldings, profiles, vibration elements, and rubber-metal compounds manufactured according to customer requirements.
4. Assembly and Design Services: Design service, assembly group installation management, and CAD-based product development for complete solutions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Wilhelm Herm. Müller is a German technical trading and manufacturing company that supplies mechanical drive technology components and custom-manufactured plastic and rubber parts for machine and plant construction. The company distributes polyurethane and neoprene timing belts, chains, sprockets, and roller bearings from leading manufacturers, while also operating in-house production facilities for CNC-machined plastic components, acrylic glass parts, customized timing belt finishing and coating, and rubber mouldings, profiles, and vibration elements.

Product overview

Wilhelm Herm. Müller is a German technical trading and manufacturing company founded in 1916, offering three core product categories: Drive Technology, Plastics Technology, and Rubber Technology. The company provides both standardized products from leading manufacturers (BRECO, BRECOFLEX, CONTI timing belts) and customized manufacturing services including CNC machining, timing belt finishing/coating/welding, and rubber moulding. The portfolio includes polyurethane and neoprene timing belts, chains and sprockets, roller bearings, CNC-milled plastic components, acrylic glass machining, rubber mouldings and profiles, vibration technology, and tube technology. The company operates its own production facilities in Garbsen and serves industries including packaging, food, medical/analytical technology, and machine tool manufacturing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Drive Technology (Antriebstechnik)

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• BESA Kunststoffe GmbHcoreOthers · 1 January 2015Manufacturer of acrylic glass elements acquired by WHM in 2015. BESA moved into WHM premises at Heinrich-Nordhoff-Ring and operates as a subsidiary of the WHM group.
• p-d-m (power-drive-motion)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2006Cooperation for the manufacture and sales of elastomer timing belts in drive technology. WHM is a founding member. Jointly develops and distributes elastomer timing belt products through the partnership network.
• Mulco-Europe EWIVcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1951Co-founded in 1951, Mulco-Europe EWIV is one of Europe's leading groups in polyurethane timing belt technology. WHM is a founding member and works with partner manufacturers and distributors across the continent to advance timing belt technology and serve international markets.
• WippermannminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIndustrial chain manufacturer whose products (Triathlon KS maintenance-free chains, Marathon long-life chains, customized special chains) are distributed by WHM, particularly for packaging industry applications.
• BRECOcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBRECO is one of the world's leading manufacturers of polyurethane timing belts. WHM distributes the full BRECO range including BRECO, BRECOFLEX, BRECObasic, BRECOprotect, and BRECOgreen product lines.
• Continental (CONTI)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor industrial manufacturer whose timing belt products (CONTI SYNCHROFLEX, CONTI SYNCHROCHAIN, CONTI SYNCHRODRIVE, and V-belts) are distributed by WHM throughout Germany.
• Günter Sievers Maschinenbau GmbHminorOthersHolding company specializing in synchronous pulleys (Zahnscheiben). Located in Hemmingen, Germany. Part of the WHM partner network.
• EVONIK (PLEXIGLAS)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSupplier of high-quality acrylic glass semi-finished products (PLEXIGLAS brand) used in WHM's plastics processing operations.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves21 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Tsubaki: Japanese-headquartered global manufacturer of roller chains, conveyor chains, and power transmission components. Competes directly with WHM's chains and sprockets offering for packaging, machine tool, and industrial automation applications.
• Habasit: Global Swiss-headquartered manufacturer of fabric-based power transmission belts, timing belts, and conveyor/processing belts. Directly competes with WHM in industrial timing belts and conveyor solutions across packaging, food, and processing end markets.
• Wippermann: German manufacturer of precision roller chains including Triathlon KS and Marathon long-life lines distributed by WHM. Direct peer in chain manufacturing for packaging industry, with comparable technical depth and DACH-centric customer base.
• Optibelt: German family-owned manufacturer of power transmission belts (V-belts, timing belts, poly-V belts) headquartered in Höxter. Direct competitor to WHM in the DACH industrial belts market with a comparable product portfolio and similar customer verticals.
• BRECO: German manufacturer of polyurethane timing belts (BRECO, BRECOFLEX, BRECObasic, BRECOprotect, BRECOgreen). WHM is a long-standing distribution partner but BRECO is also a comparable competitor in PU belt manufacturing with overlapping customer verticals.

Broad incumbents

• SKF: Swedish-headquartered global manufacturer of rolling bearings, seals, and lubrication systems. Competes with WHM's roller bearing distribution line and serves overlapping industrial customers across packaging, food processing, and machine tool manufacturing.
• Gates Industrial: US-headquartered global manufacturer of power transmission belts, hoses, and fluid power products. Broad incumbent with significantly larger scale than WHM and an overlapping industrial belt portfolio competing in the same end markets.
• ContiTech (Continental Industrial): Continental's industrial division produces timing belts, conveyor belts, hoses, and power transmission products. WHM is a major distributor of Continental's CONTI SYNCHROFLEX/SYNCHROCHAIN/SYNCHRODRIVE lines, but Continental is also a direct competitor in branded industrial belt manufacturing.
• Rexnord: American manufacturer of power transmission and motion control products including roller chains, bearings, gear drives, and couplings. Comparable industrial components portfolio serving similar end markets (packaging, food, machine tools) with broader geographic reach.

Emerging players

• Misumi Europe: Japanese-headquartered catalog distributor of industrial mechanical and electrical components with a strong e-commerce platform and configurable part configurators. Competes with WHM on industrial component distribution but with a digital-first model targeting the same SME/engineering-buyer audience.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries4 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 →

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