What Birco does

BIRCO GmbH is a privately held German manufacturer of drainage channel systems and holistic rainwater management solutions, headquartered and produced in Baden-Baden, Germany. Founded in 1929 and operating for over 95 years, the company specializes in concrete and steel drainage channels — using proprietary C40/50 and C60/75 high-strength concrete plus Magnelis-coated steel frames — across load classes A 15 through F 900, alongside modular water treatment (BIRCOpur, BIRCOprime evo, BIRCOevo), retention (BIRCOmax-i, BIRCOrainblock, StormTech tunnel systems), infiltration, and cable-channel product lines.

The company's revenue model is project-based and transactional: it sells engineered drainage and water-management systems to municipalities, industrial operators (logistics, manufacturing, chemicals), airports, ports, urban developers, and planners/architects/specifiers, primarily through the building materials trade (Baustoffhandel) channel in eight European countries (Germany, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Austria), supplemented by its own regional sales managers (Gebietsverkaufsleiter), direct telephone sales, the myBIRCO self-service portal, and dedicated digital planning tools (BIM Tool, Quick Planner, Ausschreibungsmanager). Pricing is per-project/unit with free delivery above €1,700 to trade and €3,000 to construction sites, and includes paid engineering services (planning, consulting, site supervision, factory services).

BIRCO is privately held with no disclosed external investors, led by Managing Directors Christian Merkel (Chairman), Dr. Ingo Markgraf, and Hendrix Müller. Recent strategic activity has repositioned the firm from a channel manufacturer into a holistic digital water-cycle system provider, anchored by the RAINMESH hardware-and-software platform, DIBt-approved treatment and retention products, and a partnership to distribute StormTech tunnel systems in German-speaking markets. Multiple products hold DIBt building-authority approval, and all comply with DIN EN 1433.

Name

Birco

Legal name

BIRCO GmbH

Website

https://birco.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1929

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

BIRCO GmbH is a privately held German manufacturer, founded in 1929 and based in Baden-Baden, producing concrete and steel drainage channel systems, modular rainwater treatment, and retention/infiltration solutions for municipalities, industrial operators, and planners across eight European countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Drainage Channel Systems and Stormwater Management

NAICS

Cement and Concrete Product Manufacturing (3273), Other Concrete Product Manufacturing (327390)

SIC

Concrete Products, Except Block & Brick (3272)

akta.pro primary industry

Laundry & Cleaning Storage Organization Retail (Hampers, Caddies, Utility Shelving) (CRAIAJAG)

Keywords

• Concrete drainage channels
• Stormwater management systems
• Rainwater treatment solutions
• Civil engineering drainage
• Heavy-load channel systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Denzlingen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Product Sales - Drainage Channels and Systems: BIRCO generates revenue through the manufacture and sale of concrete and steel drainage channel systems, including BIRCOsir, BIRCOmax-i, BIRCOmassiv, BIRCOsolid, BIRCOlight, BIRCOplus, BIRCOtopline, and specialized variants. Revenue is generated on a project basis through material sales to building material traders, construction companies, and directly to end customers. The company operates on a per-project, transactional basis with pricing dependent on channel type, nominal size, and load class.
2. Water Management Products: Sales of modular water treatment plants (BIRCOpur, BIRCOprime, BIRCOevo), retention systems (BIRCOmax-i, BIRCOrainblock), and infiltration solutions (BIRCO Rigolentunnel by StormTech). These products are sold as engineered systems to municipal, industrial, and commercial customers.
3. Project Management and Technical Services: BIRCO offers supplementary services including rainwater management planning, consulting and calculation, site supervision (Baustellenbegleitung), logistics planning, factory services (cuts, drilling), and installation aids. These professional services support product sales and customer project success.
4. Cable Channel Systems: Sales of BIRCOcanal cable channel systems for supplying utilities and EV charging stations, targeting industrial facilities, airports, and commercial properties.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

BIRCO GmbH manufactures and sells concrete and steel drainage channel systems (Entwässerungsrinnen), modular rainwater treatment systems, retention/infiltration solutions, and cable channel products for civil engineering, industrial, and landscape applications. The portfolio covers load classes A 15 to F 900 and includes branded product families such as BIRCOsir, BIRCOmax-i, BIRCOmassiv, BIRCOpur, BIRCOevo, and the RAINMESH digital water management platform. Products are sold primarily through building materials trade, with technical planning support provided to planners, municipalities, and construction firms.

Product overview

BIRCO is a manufacturer of drainage systems and rainwater management solutions, evolving from a drainage channel producer to a system provider of holistic, digital, and intelligent water cycle concepts. The product portfolio centers on concrete drainage channels (Entwässerungsrinnen) as the core offering, organized into three main categories: civil engineering systems (Tiefbau) with and without WHG water authority approval, landscape construction (Galabau) products, and point drainage (Punktentwässerung) solutions. Key product lines include BIRCOsir (standard drainage channels in various sizes), BIRCOmax-i (two-in-one drainage and retention channels), BIRCOmassiv (heavy-load industrial channels), BIRCOsolid (box channels), and the steel channel family including BIRCOtopline and BIRCOprofil. The water management (Wasserbewirtschaftung) division offers treatment systems (BIRCOevo, BIRCOpur, BIRCOprime) for rainwater purification, infiltration solutions (BIRCOrainblock, StormTech tunnels), and retention systems. Cable channels (BIRCOcanal) serve infrastructure for utilities and EV charging. Digital offerings include the RAINMESH smart rainwater management platform, interactive property finder, quick planner, BIM tool, and specification manager. The company operates across Germany, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Denmark, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Austria, and international markets, with headquarters and production in Baden-Baden.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• RAINMESH: Digital rainwater management system combining hardware and software for smart water cycle management.
• myBIRCO
• BIRCOimpuls

Products and services

• BIRCOsir (small and large nominal widths) BIRCO's core drainage channel system for civil engineering, available with or without WHG (Water Resources Act) approval across a range of nominal widths, with optimized hydraulic performance and DIBt-approved variants for high-traffic and regulated applications.
• BIRCOmax-i Combined drainage and retention channel in a single compact system with up to 512 L/m retention volume for stormwater buffering, reducing the need for separate retention basins.
• BIRCOmassiv Heavy-duty drainage channel designed for maximum load capacity on industrial, logistics, and traffic areas.
• BIRCOprotect Drainage channel system for high-security civil engineering applications.
• BIRCOsolid Kastenrinne Box channel system for heavy-duty drainage in nominal widths NW 150/200/300, in Type M and Type I configurations.
• BIRCOsolid Schlitzrinne Slotted channel system for civil engineering applications where a discrete drainage aesthetic is required.
• BIRCOport Channel system for port and waterfront applications requiring heavy load capacity.
• BIRCOdicht Channel system with continuous PEHD lining and a massive concrete body ensuring absolutely tight water flow for chemical and high-safety applications.
• BIRCOlight Lightweight drainage channel family with four solutions for landscape construction, offering easy handling and diverse cover options for pedestrian zones and driveways.
• BIRCOplus Drainage channel for private outdoor areas, garage driveways, and courtyards with simple assembly technology and no visible concrete edges.
• BIRCOslim Lightweight, stable, and durable drainage channel with Magnelis-coated frames for superior corrosion protection in landscape construction.
• BIRCOparksafe Parking-safe drainage channel system with integrated bicycle-friendly grate design for parking garage applications.
• BIRCOtopline Steel drainage channel system for facade, terrace, green roof, and landscape construction applications, installable from above with height adjustment for floor-tolerance compensation.
• BIRCOprofil Steel profile channel system for high-load applications up to load class E 600, in galvanized or stainless steel (V2A and V4A) variants.
• BIRCOstandard Standard drainage channel for landscape construction, supplied with replacement covers and grates for original BIRCO channels.
• BIRCO Blindenleitsysteme Tactile guidance channel systems integrated into drainage solutions for blind and visually impaired persons.
• BIRCOevo Decentralized rainwater treatment plant that removes pollutants from rainwater before infiltration; building authority approval has been applied for.
• BIRCOpur NW 320 Rainwater treatment channel with integrated modular filter system that replaces the bioactive soil zone, featuring separate sedimentation and filtration for consistent performance in space-constrained applications.
• BIRCOprime evo Large-scale combined sedimentation and filtration system for decentralized rainwater treatment before infiltration or discharge; DIBt-approved.
• BIRCOprime Sedimentation-only rainwater treatment system for water treatment applications.

Quantifiable outcome

• BIRCOmax-i provides up to 512 liters of retention volume per running meter, eliminating the need for separate retention basins in urban environments
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• StormTech® (by ADS, LLC)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerBIRCO distributes the StormTech® modular tunnel retention/infiltration system under the brand 'BIRCO Rigolentunnel von StormTech®'. The StormTech SC-310, SC-740, MC-3500, and MC-4500 tunnel systems are offered as part of BIRCO's water infiltration and retention product portfolio. StormTech tunnel systems are supplied by ADS, LLC and branded/distributed by BIRCO in German-speaking markets and beyond. The open tunnel design (without cross-bracing) enables easy inspection and cleaning compared to box-type systems.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Saint-Gobain PAM: Saint-Gobain's cast-iron and ductile-iron urban infrastructure business producing drainage and roadway water-management solutions. Comparable institutional customer base (municipalities, civil engineers) in European markets served by BIRCO.
• Watts Water Technologies: US-listed water and drainage infrastructure platform serving plumbing, water quality and water reclamation. Overlaps on site drainage and stormwater compliance products for commercial and industrial building customers.
• MIFAB, Inc. North American manufacturer of drainage products, trench drains and access covers. Comparable trench-drain product lines, regulatory compliance positioning (EN 1433 equivalents), and commercial/infrastructure verticals.
• Wavin (Orbia): Global plastics-based infrastructure supplier (pipe systems, rainwater management, stormwater solutions) under Orbia's Building Infrastructure Solutions. Overlaps BIRCO on stormwater channel and retention but at significantly broader scope and global scale across commercial and residential construction.
• NDS (National Diversified Sales, Inc.): US-headquartered manufacturer of drainage and stormwater management products (channels, catch basins, Flo-Way systems). Direct product analogue to BIRCO's channel and retention portfolio; serves municipalities and contractors in municipal/residential markets.

Emerging players

• Funke Kunststoffe / Funke Gruppe: German-DACH plastic pipe, drainage and stormwater management specialist. Competes with BIRCO via the polymer alternative in residential and commercial drainage; uses similar building-materials-trade distribution in German-speaking markets.

Direct peers

• Hauraton GmbH & Co. KG: German-based, family-owned manufacturer of drainage channels and stormwater management systems with RECYFIX, Faserfix and Drainfix product families. Direct head-to-head competitor to BIRCOsir/BIRCOmax-i across German-speaking and international markets with the same F900 load-class positioning.
• ACO Ahlmann SE & Co. KG (ACO Drain): ACO is the global market leader in linear drainage channels for commercial, civils and infrastructure. Directly comparable product range (ACO Drain channels, ACO Stormbrixx retention, ACO Road Kerb), overlapping customer base (municipalities, planners, contractors), and same regulatory-driven go-to-market in DACH and Europe.

Others

• Advanced Drainage Systems (ADS) / StormTech: ADS owns the StormTech chamber system that BIRCO distributes under "BIRCO Rigolentunnel von StormTech" in DACH. Listed as a partner; comparable in the retention/infiltration and stormwater chamber segments at much larger scale globally.

Regional players

• JDP (John Davidson Pipes) / Civic Steel: UK/IE merchant and manufacturer of drainage, civils and plumbing infrastructure. Comparable product range (linear drainage, manholes, SUDS-compliant stormwater) to BIRCO but with a primarily British/Irish footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/BircoDeutschland
• Facebookfacebook.com/birco.rinnensysteme
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/birco-gmbh
• Instagraminstagram.com/birco_drainage/?hl=de
• Xx.com/birco_de

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Birco