Schirmer

What Schirmer does

Schirmer Maschinen GmbH is a German manufacturer of modular CNC profile processing machinery for PVC, aluminium, steel, and composite profiles. Founded in 1979 in Sennestadt by Thorsten Schirmer and now headquartered in Verl, the company has operated continuously for over 40 years, employing 260+ people and serving industrial customers across roughly 30 countries through a network of 20 international sales partners. Since 2016, Schirmer has been a wholly-owned subsidiary of Beckhoff Automation Group; the parent company's PC-based automation technology is the standard control platform across the entire Schirmer product line.

The core offering is the Schirmer Baukastensystem — a modular construction approach in which CNC machining centres, sawing, drilling, milling, routing, automated tool changers, and material-handling modules are combined into customer-specific automated production lines. Flagship architectures include the BAZ 1000 Orbit 8/VU (four motors on two C-rails, shortest-path tool positioning), the ORBIT-C semicircular module (positioning speeds up to 150 m/min), the Tandem Ultra / BAZ 100/VU line, Circular Plus (20-space tool changer), and fully automatic steel-infeed cells with sorting robots. Documented customer outcomes include up to 35% production capacity gains (IDEAL Fensterbau) and 150+ profile variants run without setup (Roma). A separate service pillar covers commissioning, maintenance, repairs, retrofits, and training (on customer sites or at the Verl training centre).

Schirmer's go-to-market is exclusively direct enterprise field sales: a named in-house sales team based at Verl manages key accounts and project tenders, supported by the partner channel and trade-show participation (Batimat Paris, Aluminium Düsseldorf). Pricing is custom and project-based — no public pricing tiers or self-serve channels exist. Primary verticals are window and door construction, facade construction, solar, and sun protection; secondary verticals include construction supply, furniture, white goods, automotive (spaceframes, battery trays), aviation, and railway. Revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Name

Schirmer

Legal name

SCHIRMER Maschinen GmbH

Website

https://schirmer-maschinen.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Schirmer Maschinen GmbH is a German manufacturer of modular CNC profile processing machinery for PVC, aluminium, steel, and composite profiles, serving industrial window/door, facade, solar, automotive, aviation, and railway manufacturers through direct enterprise sales and a 20-partner international channel.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial CNC Profile Processing Machinery

NAICS

All Other Industrial Machinery Manufacturing (333248)

SIC

General Industrial Machinery & Equipment, Nec (3569)

akta.pro primary industry

CNC Machine Tools (Turning, Milling, Machining Centers) (IMAHADAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Control System Integration & Engineering Services (Design, Commissioning, Retrofits) (IMAGABAK)

Keywords

• CNC profile machining
• Modular processing lines
• Window manufacturing machinery
• Aluminium profile processing
• PVC profile machining

Headquarters

HQ city

Exter

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom profile processing machines: Sale of custom-tailored modular profile processing lines and CNC machining centres. Each solution is built to customer-specific requirements, making pricing project-based. This is the primary revenue driver.
2. Spare parts: Original spare parts supplied from warehouse or manufactured by Schirmer specifically for the customer machine.
3. Service, commissioning and maintenance: Service team performs commissioning, maintenance work, repairs, and retrofits. Service hotline operates on working days 7:00–16:30 and urgent cases until 20:00.
4. Retrofit and modernisation: Adaptation, optimisation and modernisation of existing machines and modules to changed production requirements. Schirmer machines are modular and can be updated at any time.
5. Training: Practice-oriented training courses relating to mechanics, electronics, software, maintenance and security, held either on the customer's premises or at Schirmer's training centre in Verl.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Schirmer Maschinen GmbH designs, manufactures, and commissions customer-specific CNC-controlled profile processing machines and modular production lines for PVC, aluminium, steel, and composite profiles used in window, door, facade, solar, automotive, aviation, railway, furniture, and white goods manufacturing. The company combines consulting, planning, engineering, manufacturing, commissioning, training, spare parts, and aftermarket service into a single-source offering built around its proprietary modular construction system (Schirmer Baukastensystem). Each solution is tailored to the customer's specific material, automation level, and production hall constraints, with systems controlled by Beckhoff PC-based automation technology.

Product overview

Schirmer Maschinen GmbH offers Advanced Profile Processing Technology through a modular product portfolio centered on CNC-controlled profile processing centers. The core products include the ALU-BAZ product line (ALU-BAZ COMPOSITE and ALU-BAZ ORBIT-C) for aluminium and composite profile machining, and the PVC-BAZ 1000 for PVC profiles. Processing modules like ORBIT 8 (circular track technology), Circular Plus, and BAZ 1000 Orbit 8/VU can be combined into customer-specific modular processing lines. The Tandem Line (BAZ-100/VU) represents the high-end platform with maximum automation. Supporting services include training, spare parts, maintenance, repairs, and retrofit solutions. All systems are built on Beckhoff control technology and emphasize modularity, automation, and flexibility for industries including window/door construction, solar, automotive, aviation, and railway.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ALU-BAZ COMPOSITE Profile processing machine in the ALU-BAZ line for high-precision CNC machining of aluminium and composite profiles; designed for industrial window, door, facade, sun protection, and automotive manufacturers.
• PVC-BAZ 1000 CNC profile processing centre (BAZ 1000 Tandem type) designed for PVC profiles with or without steel reinforcement, combining sawing, drilling, milling, and routing with high automation and flexible processing for window and door manufacturers.
• ALU-BAZ ORBIT-C Circular processing module within the ALU-BAZ product line in which a semicircular processing module circles around the aluminium profile being processed, achieving positioning speeds up to 150 metres per minute; enables flexible high-speed aluminium profile machining.
• BAZ 1000 Orbit 8/VU CNC-controlled profile processing centre combining ORBIT 8 circular-track processing with vertical/horizontal processing capabilities, eliminating setup times on tensioners and supports and enabling highly flexible processing for modern window systems.
• BAZ-100/VU Tandem Line High-end tandem CNC profile processing line featuring two upstream processing modules for maximum speed and performance; described as one of the fastest profile processing lines in Germany for window and door manufacturing.
• Automatic Steel Infeed Production System Fully automated machining system consisting of an automatic steel infeed, an automatic clamping part setting station, and a sorting robot, delivering end-to-end automated window production; deployed at Merschmann and configurable to other manufacturers.
• Modular Profile Processing Lines (Schirmer Baukastensystem) Customer-specific modular profile processing lines for PVC, aluminium, steel, and composite profiles, assembled from Schirmer's modular machine units (sawing, milling, drilling, routing, automated tool changing) into automated production solutions tailored to each customer's automation level, materials, and hall constraints; can be retrofitted and modernised at any time.
• Service, Spare Parts, Retrofit and Training Aftermarket service portfolio covering commissioning, maintenance, repairs, retrofitting and modernisation of existing machines, original spare parts supply, and practice-oriented training courses on mechanics, electronics, software, maintenance, and security — delivered on customer premises or at Schirmer's training centre in Verl.

Quantifiable outcome

• IDEAL Fensterbau increased production capacity by up to 35 percent
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments11 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature12 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Beckhoff Automation GroupflagshipOthers · 1 January 2016In 2016, 40 years after both companies were founded, Schirmer Maschinen GmbH became part of the Beckhoff Automation Group. Beckhoff and Schirmer have cooperated since 1980 when Beckhoff delivered its first machine control to Schirmer. The first PC-controlled machining centre came onto the market in the mid-1980s through this cooperation. Schirmer uses Beckhoff's PC-based automation and control technology as the standard for all its machines. Beckhoff Project Manager Josef Frickenstein describes 40 years of 'partnerschaftliche Zusammenarbeit' (partnership-based collaboration). Schirmer uses Beckhoff's corporate whistleblower system (EQS Integrity Line).
• Wertkreis GüterslohcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchirmer has collaborated with the working group Wertkreis Gütersloh for over a decade. This organisation creates attractive jobs for people with disabilities in the region. Individual parts of Schirmer's systems are produced with great care in Wertkreis workshops. This cooperation was expanded continually in recent years. Schirmer's involvement in this partnership aligns with its commitment to corporate social responsibility.
• EQS Integrity LineminorOthersSchirmer uses the EQS Integrity Line as its external whistleblower system, operated on an external web page by EQS. As part of the Beckhoff Automation Group, Schirmer uses a shared corporate whistleblower system compliant with EU Directive 2019/1937 (Whistleblower-Directive).
• SC VerlminorOthersSchirmer sponsors SC Verl, a football (soccer) club that advanced into Germany's 3rd league in 2020. This is a local community sponsorship providing brand visibility.
• Wirus Fenster GmbH & Co. KGminorOthersSince October 2024, Schirmer and Wirus Fenster GmbH & Co. KG from Rietberg-Mastholte practice a regular apprentice exchange programme. Young people from both companies meet to exchange ideas about topics that concern them in their vocational training, making training more varied and fostering joint professional development.
• A3PLUS GmbHminorOthersA3PLUS GmbH based in Gütersloh is credited as the conception and realisation partner for Schirmer's website and digital presence.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Elumatec AG: German manufacturer of machines for processing aluminium, PVC and steel profiles for the window, door and facade industry. Closest direct competitor to Schirmer in CNC profile machining centers, with comparable product categories and customer base.
• Stürtz Maschinenbau GmbH: German manufacturer of profile processing machines for PVC, aluminium and wood-plastic composites for the window and door industry. German Mittelstand peer with comparable customer profile to Schirmer.
• Emmegi Group: Italian-based global manufacturer of machinery for processing aluminium, PVC, steel and glass profiles for windows, doors and curtain walls. Direct competitor across the same end markets, with overlapping modular machining center product lines.
• FOM Industrie Srl: Italian producer of CNC machining centers for aluminium and light alloy profiles serving the window, door and industrial sectors. Competes head-to-head with Schirmer in aluminium profile processing automation.
• Mecal S.r.l. Italian manufacturer of CNC profile machining centers for aluminium and PVC, now part of the FOM Industrie group. Directly comparable in product category, technology approach and customer segments to Schirmer.
• Striffler GmbH & Co. KG: German manufacturer of welding and cleaning machines as well as profile processing equipment for PVC windows and doors. Adjacent competitor in the window fabrication workflow served by Schirmer.
• Pertici Industrie S.p.A. Italian producer of copy-router milling machines, CNC machining centers and welding/cleaning lines for PVC and aluminium profiles. Overlaps with Schirmer in window/door profile machining centers, particularly in PVC processing.

Broad incumbents

• Homag Group (Dürr AG): Global leader in woodworking machinery, part of Dürr AG, with significant presence in window/door production lines. Larger incumbent with broader scope; competes in integrated window production lines where Schirmer operates.
• Biesse S.p.A. Large Italian industrial machinery group serving wood, glass, stone, plastic and metal processing. Larger, publicly listed competitor with broader portfolio but overlapping in profile and window/door machinery segments.
• Weinig Group: German-based global leader in solid wood and profile processing machinery across multiple industries. Broader incumbent whose profile processing technology overlaps with Schirmer's wood and composite profile capabilities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@SchirmerMaschinen
• Facebookfacebook.com/schirmermaschinengmbh
• LinkedInde.linkedin.com/company/schirmer-maschinen-gmbh
• Instagraminstagram.com/schirmer_maschinen_gmbh

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Schirmer