Mahild Drying Technologies

What Mahild Drying Technologies does

Mahild Drying Technologies GmbH, founded in 1996 and headquartered in Nürtingen, Germany, designs and manufactures industrial lumber drying kilns and thermal wood modification systems for the global sawmill and wood-processing industry. Its product range spans pre-dryers, conventional dryers (55–80°C), ACT high-speed dryers, UHT ultra-high-temperature dryers (95–140°C+), CONTRAFLOW continuous kilns, and TMT (thermally modified timber) chambers operating up to 240°C, complemented by advanced control systems (MM8500, MM4100, MM4000) and an extensive add-on portfolio covering heat recovery (ECOVENT family, SUPERECOVENT, LUVO), ventilation (PENTAVENT, DUO-FAN, UNI-VENT), and moisture measurement (PROZONE, MULTI-HUM). Manufacturing is centralized at a 7,000 m² facility with an annual capacity of 500 kiln units, supported by automated CNC machining, welding robots, and laser processing. The company holds pending patents for TMT plane-material treatment and the MH EFLOX process gas cleaning system, and collaborates with IHD Dresden on pilot-scale thermally modified timber research.

The business is hardware-led with a services layer: revenue is generated from the sale of new kilns (typically multi-million-Euro bespoke projects for large sawmills), modernization/retrofit upgrades (e.g., ECOVENT DUPLEX retrofits on competitor equipment with ROI documentation), turnkey installation services, control-system supply and commissioning, and consulting/training. Go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales supported by the LIGNA Hannover trade show, a multilingual website (DE/EN/ES/PT) with project-request forms, and a deep library of 76+ technical newsletters used for mid-funnel technical nurturing. Quantified customer outcomes — 30–60% energy savings, 50% production increases, and substantial CO₂ reductions — anchor a premium positioning around energy efficiency and environmental sustainability under the company's "Dry Green" initiative.

Mahild serves an exclusively enterprise customer base, with named references spanning 35+ countries and including Rettenmeier, BSW Latvia, BSW UK, James Jones & Sons, Red Stag Timber, Arauco, CMPC, Timberlink, Pfeifer, Sincol, Forestal Leonera, ForAction, Usutu, Cedarland, and Rothmund. The company operates as a privately held GmbH with no disclosed external investors, subsidiaries, or M&A activity, consistent with a founder-controlled German Mittelstand business. Michael Lausch serves as CEO.

Name

Mahild Drying Technologies

Legal name

MAHILD Drying Technologies GmbH

Website

https://mahild.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Mahild Drying Technologies GmbH (Nürtingen, Germany; founded 1996) designs and manufactures industrial lumber drying kilns and thermal wood modification systems for enterprise sawmills and wood processors worldwide, complemented by heat-recovery, ventilation, and control-system add-ons.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Lumber Drying Equipment

NAICS

Industrial Process Furnace and Oven Manufacturing (333994)

SIC

Industrial Process Furnaces & Ovens (3567)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial Furnaces, Kilns & Thermal Processing Equipment (IMAHAEAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Wood Drying & Kiln Operations (IMAMABAD)

Keywords

• Industrial lumber dry kilns
• Wood drying equipment
• Thermal wood modification
• Heat recovery systems
• Sawmill drying solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Nürtingen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Lumber Drying Equipment Sales: Mahild designs, manufactures, and sells industrial lumber drying kilns including pre-dryers, standard dryers, steaming and reconditioning chambers, combi chambers, continuous dryers, and TMT heat treatment kilns. Products are available worldwide in variable sizes and are individually designed according to customer and country requirements.
2. Modernization and Upgrade Services: Mahild equips existing lumber dry kilns with latest technology including ECOVENT DUPLEX retrofitting, control system upgrades, and performance enhancements to increase productivity and environmental friendliness. ROI calculations provided.
3. Control Systems and Software: Mahild supplies software and commissions control systems (MM4000, MM8500, MM4100) for their kilns and can integrate with customer hardware. Remote maintenance capabilities included.
4. Turnkey Installation Services: Complete installation of dry kiln plants including electrical and mechanical installation. For non-turnkey projects, supervisors are provided to direct installation.
5. Training and Consulting: Consulting services in lumber drying including process analysis, quality control implementation, operator training, drying program development, and improvement concepts.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Mahild designs, manufactures, and installs industrial lumber drying kilns (pre-dryers, standard dryers, ACT, UHT, CONTRAFLOW continuous dryers, TMT thermal modification kilns, and steaming/reconditioning chambers) for sawmills and wood processing companies worldwide. Each kiln is individually engineered to customer and country requirements, with options for proprietary heat recovery, fan, ventilation, and control add-ons, plus modernization, turnkey installation, and training/consulting services.

Product overview

Mahild Drying Technologies offers a comprehensive portfolio of lumber drying solutions centered around customizable kiln systems. The core product range includes pre-dryers, standard/conventional dryers (55-80°C), ACT (Accelerated Conventional Temperature) high-speed dryers, UHT (Ultra High Temperature) dryers (95-140°C+), CONTRAFLOW continuous dryers, TMT (Thermally Modified Timber) kilns (up to 240°C), and steaming/reconditioning chambers and combi chambers. These are complemented by advanced control systems (MM8500, MM4100) and a suite of add-on efficiency technologies including PENTAVENT high-efficiency fan impellers, ECOVENT/SUPERECOVENT heat recovery systems, LUVO low-temperature heat recovery, DUO-FAN ventilation, PROZONE and MULTI-HUM moisture measurement systems, and various air management systems (UNI-VENT, TURBO-VENT, VARIFLEX). The company also provides modernization services, energy strategies, loading/door systems, turnkey installations, and training/consulting. Founded in 1996, the German company serves the global lumber drying market with a focus on energy efficiency and environmental sustainability under its Dry Green initiative.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Industrial Lumber Drying Kilns Custom-engineered industrial drying kilns for sawn timber (softwood and hardwood) used by sawmills and wood processing companies worldwide, covering pre-drying, conventional drying, accelerated drying (ACT), ultra-high-temperature drying (UHT), continuous drying (CONTRAFLOW), thermal wood modification (TMT), and steaming/conditioning.
• Heat Recovery Systems (ECOVENT family, LUVO, SUPERECOVENT) Add-on heat recovery modules (ECOVENT, ECOVENT II, ECOVENT III, ECOVENT DUPLEX, ECOVENT SOLAR, SUPERECOVENT with optional exhaust air condensation; LUVO I-IV for low-temperature heating media) that recover thermal energy from exhaust air to pre-warm incoming air, delivering up to 35% thermal energy savings and additional savings with LUVO IV.
• PENTAVENT High-Efficiency Fan Impeller High-efficiency fan impeller drop-in module that increases airflow efficiency of Mahild wood drying kilns by up to 30%, reducing electrical energy consumption without additional motors or fans.
• MM8500 / MM4100 / MM4000 Control Systems and Software Mahild control systems (MM4000, MM4100, MM8500) for automated drying guidance, wireless wood moisture measurement, weight-based sample-board measurement, CLIMATE MULTI-MEASURING, zonal moisture measurement (PROZONE), and remote maintenance; Mahild supplies software and commissions the full system, with hardware optionally provided by the customer.
• Modernization and Retrofit Services Service to upgrade existing lumber dry kilns (any manufacturer) with the latest Mahild technology for higher productivity and environmental friendliness, including suggested modifications and ROI calculation.
• Turnkey Installation Services Complete installation of dry kiln plants covering planning, design, commissioning, and full electrical and mechanical installation; for non-turnkey projects, Mahild provides an on-site supervisor to direct customer teams.
• Training and Consulting Services Consulting in lumber drying covering analysis of current processes, introduction and implementation of quality controls, operator training, advice and support with development of drying programs, and development of improvement concepts.
• Energy Strategies / Loading and Door Systems (custom-engineered) Custom-designed energy concepts using existing or alternative heat sources and individual loading and door systems (forklift, track, or continuous feeding; lifting, sliding, or folding gates; manual, semi, or fully automated) matched to each customer's plant layout and operational needs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 35% thermal energy savings with ECOVENT heat recovery systems
• +8 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature13 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• IHD Dresden (Institute for Wood Technology)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2011Collaboration on pilot-scale thermo-kiln development for thermally modified timber (TMT). IHD Dresden operates a MAHILD MH 2000 TMT kiln configured for thermal treatment at temperatures up to 250°C for research purposes. The kiln allows manufacturing of thermally modified timber in pilot-plant scale with defined conditions.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mahild-drying-technologies-gmbh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Mahild Drying Technologies