What TER Group does

TER Group (legal entity: TER HELL & CO. GMBH) is a Hamburg-headquartered, family-owned B2B distribution and production company founded in 1908 and now in its third generation of Westphal family ownership. The group operates through three wholly owned divisions — TER Chemicals (global distribution of chemical intermediates across adhesives, paints & coatings, lubricants, home & personal care, food & feed, and disinfectants), TER Plastics (distribution and processing of performance polymers and engineering plastics), and Paramelt (production of wax products, adhesives, and specialty dispersions, fully acquired in 2017) — supported by 48 subsidiaries and 9 production sites worldwide with a workforce of approximately 1,150.

The underlying model combines procurement and global supplier network access with application technology, product development, and in-house production. The company claims market-leader positions in specialized application segments for adhesives, wax finishing, and plastics compounding, and functions both as a transactional distributor (transaction-fee economics) and as a technology co-development partner to manufacturing customers in aerospace, automotive, healthcare, construction, packaging, personal care, food & feed, and cleaning. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, consistent with a B2B industrial distribution model.

Revenue is generated through three streams: chemical distribution and plastics distribution (transaction-fee / margin-on-resale models) and wax/adhesive production at Paramelt. Unconsolidated revenue was reported at €935M in 2025 (provisional), up from €910M in 2023 and €838M in 2018, and the group operates without public listing, external venture or private equity funding, or disclosed technology partnerships involving AI or software platforms. The GTM motion is sales-led, executed through direct enterprise relationships and three divisional websites.

Name

TER Group

Legal name

TER HELL & CO. GMBH

Website

https://tergroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1908

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

TER Group is a Hamburg-based, family-owned B2B distribution and production company serving global manufacturing industries with specialty chemicals, performance polymers, waxes, and adhesives through three divisions: TER Chemicals, TER Plastics, and Paramelt.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Chemical Distribution: Distribution of chemical intermediates including specialty chemicals, food additives, waxes, resins, polymers and adhesives through global supplier network
2. Plastics Distribution and Processing: Distribution and manufacturing of performance polymers, technical plastics and commodities from small quantities to full-service offerings
3. Wax and Adhesive Production: Production of wax products, adhesives and specialty dispersions for specialized application segments

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

TER Group is a globally operating family-owned distribution and production company that procures specialty chemicals, plastics, waxes and adhesives from internationally renowned suppliers and delivers them to industrial customers worldwide. Through its three divisions—TER Chemicals, TER Plastics and Paramelt—and 9 production sites, the Group supplies intermediates to the manufacturing industry and develops customized formulations as a technology partner for application industries including aerospace, automotive, healthcare, construction, packaging, personal care, food & feed and cleaning.

Product overview

TER Group is organized as a three-division company offering a comprehensive portfolio of chemical distribution, plastics distribution and processing, and wax finishing and adhesives production. The three core product divisions are: (1) TER Chemicals, a global trading company for chemical intermediates specializing in adhesives, paints & coatings, lubricants, and personal care ingredients; (2) TER Plastics, a distributor and manufacturer of performance polymers offering technical and commodity plastics; and (3) Paramelt, a producer of wax products, adhesives, and specialty dispersions. The company serves as both a distribution partner connecting international suppliers with customers, and as a technology partner providing application development and production capabilities. Target industries include aerospace, automotive, healthcare, construction, and packaging.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• TER Chemicals Globally operating trading and distribution company for chemical intermediates, serving as a specialist for adhesives, paints & coatings, lubricants, home & personal care, food & feed, and disinfectant applications for industrial manufacturers worldwide.
• TER Plastics Distributor and manufacturer of performance polymers, offering a full range of commodities and high-performance engineering plastics from small quantities to full-service supply for industrial customers.
• Paramelt Globally operating manufacturer of wax products, adhesives and specialty dispersions providing customised solutions of consistently high quality to industrial customers.

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• International SupplierscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTER Group maintains partnerships with internationally renowned suppliers in the chemical, plastics, waxes and adhesives sectors. The Group acts as a link between these suppliers and its broad customer network, fulfilling individual customer needs regarding application, availability, quality, timing and price globally.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Worlée & Co. German family-owned distributor and producer of specialty raw materials for cosmetics, coatings, food, and adhesives. Comparable size, DACH focus, and hybrid distribution-plus-production model mirroring TER Group's three-division structure.
• Barentz International: European specialty ingredients distributor focused on life sciences and industrial markets. Overlaps with TER Chemicals' personal care, food, and cleaning segments; similar privately-held heritage and application-technology positioning.
• Brenntag: Global market leader in chemical distribution with ~€16B revenue across specialty and industrial chemicals. Direct competitor to TER Chemicals in Europe; shares the same B2B distribution-plus-application-services model, though at much larger scale.
• Nordmann, Rassmann: German family-owned chemical distribution company with similar mid-market European footprint and specialty focus. Direct overlap with TER Chemicals across adhesives, coatings, and personal care end markets in DACH region.
• Azelis Group: Global specialty ingredients distributor with ~€4B revenue and strong presence in personal care, food, pharma, and industrial chemicals. Comparable application-driven specialty distribution model overlapping with TER Chemicals division.
• Biesterfeld AG: German family-owned specialty chemicals distributor (similar ownership profile to TER Group) with ~€1.5B revenue across plastics, performance products, and specialty chemicals. Direct competitor in DACH region with overlapping customer verticals.
• Caldic B.V. Dutch-based specialty ingredients distributor serving food, personal care, and industrial markets globally. Comparable size, family-influenced heritage, and product/application support model similar to TER Group's distribution-plus-services approach.
• Helm AG: Hamburg-based family-owned chemical distribution and marketing company operating globally. Geographic peer to TER Group in Hamburg with comparable size, ownership structure, and focus on specialty intermediates and downstream derivatives.
• IMCD N.V. Specialty chemicals and ingredients distributor with ~€4.5B revenue, focused on application-driven sales. Closest comparable to TER Group's specialty distribution model, with strong positions in personal care, food, and pharma — directly overlapping TER Chemicals' verticals.

Broad incumbents

• Univar Solutions: North American-focused chemical distribution incumbent (now private under Apollo) with broad industrial and specialty portfolio. Comparable distribution model to TER Chemicals but with much larger North American scale; serves as a useful reference for the segment's economics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TerChemicals
• Facebookfacebook.com/TERGROUP

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries3 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 TER Group