KET Karosserie Entwicklung Thurner

What KET Karosserie Entwicklung Thurner does

KET Karosserie Entwicklung Thurner GmbH is a Munich-headquartered, family-owned engineering services firm founded in 1986 that supplies design, construction (CATIA V5/V6, Siemens NX), modeling, rapid prototyping (SLS, HSC milling, RTM/CFK/GFK laminates), project management, and vehicle workshop services to premium automotive OEMs and tier-1 suppliers across Germany, Austria, Hungary, Poland, and India, with additional service lines in Marine and Aerospace. The group is led by Christoph Thurner and Jürgen Platzer, employs 350+ staff across integrated design, engineering, and prototyping disciplines, and operates a 4,000 m² in-house workshop (KET tec) plus a 2,200 m² outdoor testing area, certified to ISO 9001:2015, ISO/IEC 27001:2017, TISAX Level 3, and AMS/ISO 45001.

Revenue is generated through professional-services engagements billed on a project basis: (i) engineering and development services spanning concept-to-series production, (ii) staff leasing ("Arbeitnehmerüberlassung") of CAD engineers, project managers, and automotive mechatronics specialists into customer teams under German labor law, and (iii) workshop and prototype-assembly work including vehicle testing, retrofitting, software testing and validation, and high-voltage vehicle work. The named customer base is dominated by premium German OEMs (BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Porsche, VW, Bugatti, Rolls-Royce, AMG, Maybach, Mini, BMW M, Alpina) and major tier-1 suppliers (Bosch, Magna, Faurecia, Lear, Webasto, Grammer, Draxlmaier, SMP/Motherson, Faurecia/Stellantis-adjacent suppliers, Pilkington, Saint-Gobain, Röchling, DURA, Hirschmann, Intier, NBHX, novem, Johnson Controls, ARaymond, Carlex), plus marine (Bavaria Yacht) and select aerospace customers, marketed through direct enterprise relationships and embedded project teams rather than consumer channels.

Name

KET Karosserie Entwicklung Thurner

Legal name

KET Karosserie Entwicklung Thurner GmbH

Website

https://ket-muc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

KET Karosserie Entwicklung Thurner is a Munich-based, family-owned German engineering services firm offering automotive design, construction, prototyping, project management, and staff leasing to premium OEMs and tier-1 suppliers, with extensions into marine and aerospace sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Automotive Engineering Services

NAICS

Industrial Design Services (54142), Motor Vehicle Manufacturing (3361), Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing (3363)

SIC

Motor Vehicles & Passenger Car Bodies (3711)

akta.pro primary industry

Truck Body & Upfit Manufacturing (Box/Dump/Service/Refuse) (IMACAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Specialty Vehicle Body Manufacturing (Emergency/Military/Mobile Clinics) (IMACAGAD)

Keywords

• Automotive engineering services
• Vehicle body development
• Prototype construction
• Concept modeling
• Automotive design services

Headquarters

HQ city

Munich

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Engineering & Development Services: Core revenue from design, construction (Konstruktion), model and prototype building, project management, and vehicle modification services. Project-based professional services billed to automotive OEMs and tier-1 suppliers.
2. Arbeitnehmerüberlassung (Staff Leasing): Secondment and temporary staffing of engineers, CAD technicians, project managers and automotive mechatronics professionals to customers. Revenue generated by placing qualified personnel at customer sites under German labor law.
3. Werkstatt & Prototypenaufbau: Workshop services including vehicle testing, retrofitting, prototype assembly, software development/testing/validation, and high-voltage vehicle work, billed as project services or retainer.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

KET provides design, engineering, modeling, prototyping, and project management services to automotive OEMs and Tier-1 suppliers, supporting complete vehicle body and interior development from initial concept through to series-production-ready prototypes. The firm also extends its body-development expertise to marine and aerospace customers and offers innovation services in electromobility and lightweight construction.

Product overview

KET Karosserie Entwicklung Thurner is a mid-sized family-owned company comprising KET Karosserie Entwicklung Thurner GmbH (main automotive body development company founded 1986) and KET Projektservice GmbH (project services and workshop subsidiary since 2005). The core offering is automotive design, engineering, modeling, prototyping, and project management services. KET Projektservice operates the KET tec workshop with 4,000m² space. Key service modules include Design Studio, Engineering/Construction (using CATIA V5 and Siemens NX), Model & Prototype Construction (SLS, CNC milling, laminates), Project Management, Workshop Services, and Staff Leasing. The company also serves Marine and Aerospace sectors, with additional focus on Innovation (electromobility, lightweight construction). Quality from a single source is delivered through integrated services spanning concept to series readiness.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• KET Projektservice GmbH: Project coordination, employee leasing, workshop services, prototyping, and vehicle testing subsidiary.
• KET tec

Products and services

• Automotive Design Services
• Automotive Engineering / Construction Services
• Modeling & Data Engineering
• Model & Prototype Construction
• Automotive Project Management
• Marine Engineering Services
• Aerospace Engineering Services
• Innovation Services
• Workshop Services
• Staff Leasing (Arbeitnehmerüberlassung)

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced development time through simultaneous engineering and early DMU (digital mock-up) identification of design-critical aspects
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers35 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

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• BMW Group Designworks USAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKET collaborated with BMW Group Designworks USA and Bavaria Yachtbau on the Deep Blue 46 yacht development project. KET contributed concept design and engineering of the exterior using CATIA, developing master models and laminate components for a modular design covering different series and boat lengths. This partnership represents a flagship project applying automotive development methodologies to marine manufacturing.
• Bavaria YachtbaucoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBavaria Yachtbau partnered with KET and BMW Group Designworks USA to develop the Deep Blue 46 — the first boat in a new product line. Bavaria contributed marine manufacturing expertise and product requirements while KET provided concept design and engineering of the exterior. The project aimed to define a modular design approach for series production in a sector traditionally dominated by custom manufacture.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves13 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• RLE International: Mid-sized German automotive engineering services firm with comparable offerings in body, interior, and module development. Closely comparable on size, customer base, and customer-overlap with German OEMs.
• Segula Technologies: France-headquartered global engineering services firm with strong automotive OEM relationships across Europe. Comparable in design, engineering, and prototyping services for vehicle programs.
• IAV GmbH: German automotive engineering specialist in vehicle systems, powertrain, and electrification. Direct peer for vehicle development services to German OEMs, with similar mid-size, engineering-led positioning.
• AVL List: Austrian independent engineering services firm focused on powertrain, vehicle development, and integrated simulation. Adjacent peer sharing the German-speaking engineering-services DNA and similar premium-OEM client roster.
• FEV Group: Aachen-based independent engineering services provider specializing in powertrain and vehicle development for premium and global OEMs. Comparable premium-OEM customer base and project-based engineering services business model.
• P3 Group: Stuttgart-based engineering services and consulting firm with deep automotive OEM relationships. Overlaps with KET on automotive development and electronics services to German premium customers.
• EDAG Group: One of the largest independent engineering services providers to the automotive industry globally, headquartered in Germany. Direct peer: same customer base (German premium OEMs), same domain focus on vehicle development and prototyping, and same B2B project-services model.
• Bertrandt: German publicly listed automotive engineering services firm covering design, development, prototyping, and electronics. Closely comparable in service mix, customer overlap with German OEMs, and engineering-staff-leasing (Arbeitnehmerüberlassung) model.

Broad incumbents

• AKKA Technologies (now Modis): European engineering and digital services group with significant automotive OEM business, offering design, development, and consulting across vehicle programs. Wider portfolio than KET but overlapping on automotive engineering services.
• Capgemini Engineering (formerly Altran): Global engineering services arm of Capgemini, with automotive design and embedded-software capability serving the same German premium OEMs as KET. A broader incumbent rather than a niche body-design specialist.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ketthurner
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ket-karosserie-entwicklung-thurner-gmbh
• Instagraminstagram.com/karosserie_entwicklung_thurner/?hl=de

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries5 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 KET Karosserie Entwicklung Thurner