Keune & Lauber

What Keune & Lauber does

Keune & Lauber GmbH is a privately held German plastics manufacturer founded in 1952, headquartered in Bad Berleburg, North Rhine-Westphalia. The company specializes in precision plastic injection molding and integrated finishing services, operating three production sites—Bad Berleburg (25,000 sqm), Bydgoszcz, Poland, and Myslenice, Poland (40,000 sqm combined)—with approximately 770 employees worldwide. It runs 90 injection molding machines with clamping forces from 50 to 700 tons and produces around 100 million parts annually, with the vertically integrated capability stack spanning design, in-house tool manufacturing, multi-component and LSR injection molding, painting, electroplating, laser marking, cleanroom technology, and final assembly.

The company sells exclusively on a B2B contract-manufacturing basis to enterprise customers in three verticals: the automotive industry (supplying Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Porsche, and Tier 1 suppliers such as Continental, ZF, Hella, Preh, and Kostal for MMI control panels, touch displays, gearsticks, MID components, and IR-permeable decorative trim); white goods and household appliances (Miele, Kärcher, supplying light guides, handles, and decorative components); and electrical installations (Jung, Viessmann, supplying sockets, flaps, and decorative frames). Products are manufactured to customer specifications under IATF 16949 quality certification, with no public pricing; revenue is generated through direct sales relationships, longstanding partnerships, and exports reaching Japan.

The company is family-owned, led by co-managing directors Mirko Keune and Aaron Thiel, with a sales function headed by Mike Radenbach. It maintains IATF 16949, ISO 14001, and ISO 50001 certifications, holds a 2024 Grünstrom green-electricity certificate, and reports no external investors, public listing, or M&A activity. Revenue is not publicly disclosed. Its operating model is fundamentally that of a mature, vertically integrated Tier supplier whose growth is tied to serial production volumes at its OEM and Tier 1 customers rather than to discrete product launches or new market entries.

Name

Keune & Lauber

Legal name

Keune & Lauber GmbH

Website

https://keune-lauber.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1952

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Keune & Lauber GmbH is a German precision plastics injection molder serving automotive OEMs, white-goods manufacturers, and electrical-installation brands with integrated tool manufacturing, finishing, and assembly services across three European plants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Plastic Injection Molding Manufacturing

NAICS

Plastics and Rubber Products Manufacturing (326)

akta.pro primary industry

Custom Injection Molding & Contract Manufacturing (Job Shops/CMs) (IMANAFAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Automotive & Transportation Injection Molded Parts (IMANAFAB), Precision & Micro Injection Molding (IMANAFAH), Consumer Products Injection Molding (Housewares, Toys, Personal Care) (IMANAFAE)

Keywords

• Plastic injection molding
• Precision plastic components
• Automotive plastic parts
• Contract manufacturing services
• Plastic finishing services

Headquarters

HQ city

Bad Berleburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Plastic Injection Molding Manufacturing: Core revenue stream from manufacturing precision plastic injection molded components for automotive, white goods, and electrical industries. Services include tooling, injection molding, finishing, and assembly.
2. Contract Manufacturing Services: Full-service manufacturing including design consultation, tool manufacturing, injection molding, painting, electroplating, laser marking, quality control, and assembly. Revenue generated through direct B2B contracts.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Keune & Lauber manufactures precision plastic injection molded components for the automotive, white goods, and electrical installation industries. The company operates 90 injection molding machines across three European facilities and provides comprehensive in-house capabilities spanning design, tool manufacturing, LSR and multi-component injection molding, painting, electroplating, laser marking, controlled area (clean room) production, and final assembly, producing 100 million parts per year.

Product overview

Keune & Lauber is an injection molding manufacturer offering precision plastic components across three main sectors: White Goods, Electrical Installations, and Automotive. The company operates 90 injection molding machines and provides in-house capabilities including tool manufacturing, painting, electroplating, laser marking, controlled area technology, and assembly. The product portfolio includes light guides, intake sockets, appliance handles, spatulas, air ducts, decorative trims, and carry handles for white goods; power sockets, flaps with locks, and gold frames for electrical installations; and MMI control panels, touch displays, cover glasses, gearsticks, MID devices, IR-permeable trims, and air conditioning control units for automotive applications. Production facilities span 25,000 sqm in Bad Berleburg, Germany and 40,000 sqm across two sites in Poland (Bydgoszcz and Myślenice).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Light Guide PC (polycarbonate) light guide for white goods applications requiring homogenized light, with three individual lines of light supplied by separate nozzles.
• Vacuum Cleaner Intake Socket 2K tool intake socket made from glass fiber-filled PA (polyamide) and TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane) with indexing solution, thermal separation, and 24 slides.
• Refined Appliance Handle Appliance handle consisting of upper part (ABS) and lower part (PC-ABS), both 1K components produced with 4-part molds, electroplated and clipped together.
• Spatula Two-component cooking utensil consisting of PA (polyamide) base support and TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane) soft components injected via needle closure system.
• Motor Air Duct Injection molded PP (polypropylene) component serving as noise isolator, manufactured using a stack mold with four components from two split levels.
• Decorative Trim for Washing Machine Drawer 1K chrome-plated component made with 4-part mold and 4-part open hot runner system for metallized decorative elements on washing machines.
• Carry Handle Secondary handle manufactured with 1K molding tool featuring hydraulically guided turned ejector system, tempered via variothermal processing with honeycomb structure.
• Flap with Lock Lockable socket cover manufactured using 1K molding tool with polished visible surfaces, 2 inner slides, and free choice of color for electrical installations.
• Triple Power Socket Triple in-wall power socket panel manufactured with 1K molding tool for unobtrusive integration into environments.
• Single Power Socket Power socket solution consisting of intermediate cover and flap cover produced using 1K molding tools with high-gloss polished visible surfaces.
• Gold Frames Elegant intermediate frame for switch elements manufactured by 2-part 1K molding tool with eight external slides, electroplated and coated with protective varnish.
• MMI Control Panel Multimedia interface combining audio, video and navigation functionalities in automobiles with chrome-plated trim elements and 2K component on 1K machine.
• MIB GP2 Touch Display Touch screen display for VW, Seat and Skoda dashboards with 2 control knobs for navigation and infotainment systems, featuring optimally coordinated components.
• D5/C8 Cover Glass Translucent colored cover glass for air conditioning control with back-printed symbols and UV hardened varnish protection.
• Automatic Transmission Gearstick Gearstick assembly with PA (polyamide) and TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane) material mix featuring laser sintering core for close contour mold tempering.
• MID (Molded Interconnected Device) Spatially integrated switch support combining circuit board and casing functions, with laser-activated contours for conductor paths on injection molded 3D parts.
• IR Permeable Decorative Trim Infrared permeable decorative trim for gesture control with scratch-proof coated glass cover and 2K chrome trim, enabling sensor recognition of driver movements.
• Air Conditioning Control Unit Operating part combining thermoplastics, elastomers and aluminum with force-fitting welding of aluminum decorative elements and precise button guidance with functional lighting.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100 million parts per year production capacity
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Grammer AG: German automotive supplier of interior components (center consoles, armrests, headrests, decorative trim) and commercial vehicle seats. Direct overlap with K&L's automotive interior injection molding business serving premium OEMs.
• Weidmann Plastics Technology: Swiss-German custom injection molder specializing in precision plastic components and assemblies for automotive, electrical and industrial customers. Comparable in mid-market precision molding with multi-component and finishing capabilities.
• Veritas AG: German automotive plastics specialist producing precision injection molded components, assemblies and modules for premium OEMs including interior trim and air management systems. Closest direct competitor in automotive plastic components with similar customer profile.
• Novem Group: Specialist supplier of premium decorative interior trim parts for automotive OEMs (wood, carbon, aluminum, synthetics) including functional and decorative surfaces. Comparable in serving premium German OEM interior programs with high-surface-quality requirements.

Broad incumbents

• Röchling Group: Large German plastics processor with Industrial, Automotive and Medical divisions producing precision injection molded and machined plastic components. Overlaps directly with K&L in automotive interior and industrial plastic parts but at significantly greater scale and breadth.
• REHAU Group: Global plastics processor with automotive, industrial and building solutions divisions producing polymer-based components including interior trim, exterior parts and surface-finished elements. Significantly larger but overlaps on automotive plastics and finishing capabilities.
• Simona AG: German manufacturer of thermoplastic semi-finished products and finished plastic parts including injection molded components for industrial and mobility applications. Overlaps in industrial injection molding but with broader portfolio including sheets, rods and welding products.
• ARaymond: French family-owned automotive supplier producing fastening, fluid handling and plastic assembly solutions for OEMs and Tier 1s. Overlaps on automotive plastic assembly, finishing and OEM direct relationships across Europe.
• Leonhard Kurz Stiftung: Global specialist in surface finishing (metallization, hot stamping, coating) for plastics serving automotive interiors, electronics and white goods. Comparable capability in electroplating and decorative finishing that complements injection molding.

Emerging players

• Föhrenbach GmbH: Mid-sized German custom injection molder producing precision thermoplastic and LSR components for medical, industrial and automotive applications. Comparable niche precision focus but smaller scale and different primary end-markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries2 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 Keune & Lauber