Kelva
Kelva, founded in 1969 in Lund, Sweden and a CHROMOS Group subsidiary since 1982, manufactures industrial web cleaning systems—both contact (adhesive roller) and non-contact (air/vacuum) cleaners—for continuous material webs used by printing, packaging, tissue, nonwoven, glass, and film manufacturers across 40+ countries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1969
- HeadquartersLund, Sweden
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Kelva does
Kelva, founded in 1969 in Lund, Sweden, manufactures industrial web cleaning systems that remove contaminants from continuous material webs during manufacturing and converting processes. The product portfolio is split into two technical approaches: contact cleaners (CWC, LC, LCW, WWC, WWCMR series) that use adhesive rollers to lift particles from the web surface, and non-contact cleaners (BR, SL, TL, HS, ST series) that use controlled airflow and vacuum to dislodge and extract contamination. Beyond the core cleaners, Kelva supplies complementary process components—filter/fan units, brakes, web tension controls, and pumps—that integrate into the same production line. End customers are manufacturers in printing, packaging, tissue, nonwoven, glass, and film, with approximately 7,000 cumulative installations worldwide.
Kelva has operated as a subsidiary of Swiss-based CHROMOS Group AG since 1982, and in 2016 production was relocated from Sweden to Switzerland within the parent group's footprint. The business model is predominantly capex equipment sales through a global distributor network covering more than 40 countries, supplemented by direct sales from Lund for larger accounts and spare-parts/service revenue. Application engineering, customization, and aftermarket support are central to the value proposition; the company communicates a payback period of approximately 12 months for customers acquiring equipment. Recent commercial activity has emphasized content marketing (a dedicated podcast, the Web Cleaner Finder configurator), thought leadership on contamination control ('taming the dust beast'), and application-specific solutions targeting the tissue and nonwoven verticals. No external funding events are disclosed, consistent with its position as a privately held operating subsidiary within the CHROMOS portfolio.
Kelva firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Kelva
- Legal name
- CHROMOS Group AG
- Website
- https://kelva.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1969
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Kelva, founded in 1969 in Lund, Sweden and a CHROMOS Group subsidiary since 1982, manufactures industrial web cleaning systems—both contact (adhesive roller) and non-contact (air/vacuum) cleaners—for continuous material webs used by printing, packaging, tissue, nonwoven, glass, and film manufacturers across 40+ countries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Kelva is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lund
- HQ country
- Sweden
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices6 records
Markets served
Kelva business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Web Cleaning Equipment Sales: KELVA manufactures and sells web cleaning equipment (contact and non-contact systems) for industrial reel-to-reel and sheet-fed production processes. Solutions are customizable and modular-based. All equipment is self-developed and produced in-house.
- Components, Spare Parts and Consumables: KELVA sells replacement components including adhesive rolls, brake pads, filter elements, and pump spare parts. Most spare parts are kept in stock with fast delivery. Parts not in stock can usually be manufactured from original drawings. Consumables include adhesive sheets and filter replacements.
- Technical Support and Engineering Services: KELVA closely monitors each customer project from development to handover. Technical support is provided from the Netherlands. Each solution is individually adapted to customer applications with engineering assistance.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
Kelva product offering
Product offeringCore offering
KELVA designs, manufactures, and sells industrial web and sheet cleaning systems (both contact and non-contact types) that remove dust, particles, fibers and other contaminants from continuous material webs during converting and manufacturing processes. The portfolio includes supporting components such as filter/fan units, web tension controls, pneumatic brakes, diaphragm pumps, level regulators, adhesive rolls, and spare parts. All equipment is self-developed and produced in-house in Switzerland (production) and Sweden (R&D and engineering).
Product overview
KELVA is the inventor and world-leading supplier of industrial web cleaning solutions, offering two primary product lines: Contact Cleaners (CWC, LC, LCW, WWC, WWCMR) for direct-contact removal of contaminants using adhesive rollers on smooth materials like film, foil, and coated paper; and Non-Contact Cleaners (BR43, BR43L, BR45, SL1, TL1, TLX, HS65, HS85, ST85CC series) for dust removal using airflow and vacuum on sensitive or high-speed webs. Supporting components include Filter/Fan Units (AFF series), Brakes (B06), Web Tension Controls (LV9), Pumps (LF, IP, VP), and Level Regulators (LV). The portfolio serves materials including paper, corrugated board, textiles, nonwovens, tissue, film, foil, glass, and glass fiber across industries such as printing, packaging, medical equipment, and manufacturing. The company also provides the Web Cleaner Finder configuration tool and educational podcast content.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- Up to 80–90% reduction in dust and airborne particles
- +8 more outcomes
Companies that use Kelva
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments9 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Kelva technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature7 records
Kelva partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
32 partnerships are on record, tiered core, standard and minor.
- CHROMOS Group AGcoreKELVA was taken over by the Swiss CHROMOS Group in 1982, becoming part of a strong and respected supplier group in the printing industry and many other processing industries in the European DACH region. CHROMOS Group manages a portfolio of around 90 brands including HP, FUJIFILM, Domino, Basler, and Universal Robots. Production was relocated to CHROMOS Group's headquarters in Switzerland in 2016, while sales, R+D, and engineering remain in Sweden.
- Matik, Inc. (USA)coreMain distributor for KELVA web cleaning products in the United States. Located in West Hartford, Connecticut. Provides sales, support, and service for KELVA products across the USA market.
- TECHPACK SAS (France)coreWeb cleaning systems distributor for KELVA in France. Located in Irigny (Lyon), France. Handles sales of web cleaning systems to French market.
- Erhardt+Leimer S.r.l (Italy)coreRegional distributor for KELVA in Italy. Erhardt+Leimer is also a distributor for KELVA in India through Erhardt+Leimer (India) Pvt. Ltd.
- Beijing Webcon Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd. (China)coreExclusive or primary distributor for KELVA in China. Located in Beijing's Yizhuang Economic and Technological Development Zone, Daxing District.
- bfs Pressroom Solutions Limited (UK)standardDistributor for KELVA in Great Britain. Located in Calcot, Berkshire. Covers UK pressroom solutions market.
- Gadelius Industry K.K. (Japan)standardRegional distributor for KELVA in Japan with offices in Tokyo and Kobe.
- News Engineering Co., Ltd. (Korea)standardRegional distributor for KELVA in South Korea. Located in Seoul's Gangnam-gu district.
- NEKKORB Solutions Limited (New Zealand/Australia)standardRegional distributor for KELVA in New Zealand and Australia. Located in Auckland, New Zealand.
- Chromos GmbH (Germany)coreHandles KELVA components and spares distribution. Located in Augsburg, Germany.
- Flexotrade s.r.o (Czech Republic)standardRegional distributor for KELVA in Czech Republic. Located in Tabor, Czech Republic.
- IMPRYMA S.L. (Spain)standardRegional distributor for KELVA in Spain. Located in Barcelona, Spain.
- Nano Jet Marketing Solutions FZE (UAE)standardRegional distributor for KELVA in Middle East markets including UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar. Based in Fujairah Free Zone, UAE.
- ATR Equipamientos Graficos S.R.L. (Argentina)standardRegional distributor for KELVA in Argentina. Located in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
- E+S Gammeler Equipamentos Gráficos Ltda. (Brasil)standardRegional distributor for KELVA in Brasil. Located in São Paulo, Brasil.
- Hofpartner AB (Norway/Sweden)standardRegional distributor for KELVA in Norway and Sweden. Located in Åmål, Sweden.
- CoPriTech ApS (Denmark)standardRegional distributor for KELVA in Denmark. Located in Kolding, Denmark.
- Joniko Oy (Finland)standardRegional distributor for KELVA in Finland. Located in Masala, Finland.
- ODIMAP SAS (France)standardRegional distributor for KELVA pumps, components and spares in France. Located in Hargeville, France.
- USPRINT (Poland)standardRegional distributor for KELVA in Poland. Located in Warsaw, Poland.
- Ruy De Lacerda & Ca. Lda (Portugal)standardRegional distributor for KELVA in Portugal. Located in Porto, Portugal.
- Simtekno Endüstriyel Ürünler San. Tic. Ltd. Sti (Turkey)standardRegional distributor for KELVA in Turkey. Located in Istanbul, Turkey.
- PT. Dali Wisesa Abadi (Indonesia)standardRegional distributor for KELVA in Indonesia. Located in Tangerang, Banten, Indonesia.
- IR Group of Companies (Pakistan)standardRegional distributor for KELVA in Pakistan. Located in Karachi, Pakistan.
- MIN SHANG HOLDINGS PTE LTD (Singapore)standardRegional distributor for KELVA in Singapore. Located at Coleman Street, Singapore.
- Her Ling Company Ltd. (Taiwan)standardRegional distributor for KELVA in Taiwan. Located in Taipei City, Taiwan.
- Ingkawatt Supply Ltd.Part (Thailand)standardRegional distributor for KELVA in Thailand. Located in Bangkok, Thailand.
- IGS Asia Pacific co., Ltd. (Thailand)standardAdditional regional distributor for KELVA in Thailand. Located in Bangkok, Thailand.
- PrismaNova Ltda. (Colombia)standardRegional distributor for KELVA in Colombia. Located in Cali, Colombia.
- Agatec S.R.L. (Venezuela)standardRegional distributor for KELVA in Venezuela. Located in Maracay, Venezuela.
- Dovey Corporation (USA)minorLocal distributor for KELVA in the USA (Anderson, Indiana). Supplements main USA distributor Matik Inc.
- Powerwise Ink Pumps (USA)minorDistributor for KELVA pumps in the USA. Located in Erie, Pennsylvania.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Kelva competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Vetaphone: Vetaphone is a leading corona-treatment supplier to printing, packaging, and extrusion converters. It does not sell web cleaners directly but competes for the same line-integration budget and customer relationships as KELVA.
- Tantec: Tantec supplies corona treaters and surface-treatment equipment for film, foil, and extrusion lines. While stronger in corona, it competes with KELVA at the converting-line integration level and shares many of the same converters as customers.
- Simco-Ion (a brand of ITW): Simco-Ion produces ionizing bars, static-control equipment, and web-cleaning systems for converting processes. Its product range and customer base in printing, film, and packaging closely overlap with KELVA's non-contact cleaning portfolio.
- Enercon Industries: Enercon manufactures corona and atmospheric plasma surface treaters plus industrial air-blown cleaning systems for webs. Its air-cleaning offering is functionally adjacent to KELVA's non-contact web cleaners across film, foil, and converting.
- Meech International: Meech makes static-elimination and web-cleaning equipment for converting and printing lines, overlapping directly with KELVA's non-contact cleaners and integrated antistatic features across packaging, medical, and film customers.
- Teknek: Teknek manufactures contact web cleaners using adhesive roller technology — the same core architecture KELVA commercialized in 2000. It is the most direct global competitor in contact web cleaning for film, foil, and coated substrates.
Broad incumbents
- Herbert Olbrich: Olbrich manufactures coating, laminating, and finishing machinery for industrial webs. As a broader incumbent in web-processing equipment, it competes with KELVA indirectly at the line-integration and capital-equipment level with converters in printing, packaging, and battery materials.
- Kampf: Kampf is a broad incumbent in slitting, rewinding, and winding machinery for film, paper, and foil. It does not sell dedicated web cleaners but addresses contamination at the line level, competing for the same capex budget at converter customers.
Emerging players
- Fraser Anti-Static Techniques: Fraser specializes in static elimination and ionizing bars for converting and packaging lines, complementing web cleaning rather than competing head-on; it is a partial-overlap emerging player in the same antistatic-cleaning value chain as KELVA.
- Pulsar Systems: Pulsar Systems supplies industrial cleaning equipment for webs and sheets in printing and converting environments. It is a smaller niche competitor with overlap primarily in paper and film cleaning.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Kelva social profiles
Digital presenceKelva compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Kelva financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Kelva leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
Kelva funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Kelva M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Kelva
What does Kelva do?
KELVA designs, manufactures, and sells industrial web and sheet cleaning systems (both contact and non-contact types) that remove dust, particles, fibers and other contaminants from continuous material webs during converting and manufacturing processes. The portfolio includes supporting components such as filter/fan units, web tension controls, pneumatic brakes, diaphragm pumps, level regulators, adhesive rolls, and spare parts. All equipment is self-developed and produced in-house in Switzerland (production) and Sweden (R&D and engineering).
Is Kelva a public or private company?
Kelva is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Kelva founded?
Kelva was founded in 1969. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Kelva based?
Kelva is headquartered in Lund, Sweden, in the Europe region.
How does Kelva make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Web Cleaning Equipment Sales are the primary driver. The others are components, Spare Parts and Consumables and technical Support and Engineering Services.
Who are Kelva's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Vetaphone, Tantec, Simco-Ion (a brand of ITW), Enercon Industries, Meech International and Teknek. Broad incumbents are Herbert Olbrich and Kampf. Emerging players are Fraser Anti-Static Techniques and Pulsar Systems.
Does Kelva have an API?
No public API is recorded for Kelva.