Kohl Group

What Kohl Group does

Kohl-Gruppe AG is a privately held German industrial group (Aktiengesellschaft, not listed) founded in 1897 in Cologne-Rodenkirchen, headquartered at Wankelstraße 7, 50996 Köln, and led in its fourth generation by the Vorstand duo Andreas Mack and Hubertus Müller. The group operates as a single integrated tier-n metal forming and fabrication supplier with two production sites in Germany and Poland — Cologne and Słubice (Kohl Group Polska, established 2009) — employing approximately 500 people. Annual turnover is stated at approximately €80 million.

The company's core technology is large-tonnage cold forming and welded-assembly manufacturing: hydraulic deep-drawing presses up to 1,600 tons with table sizes up to 3,500 x 2,000 mm, 2D and 3D laser cutting (including a fully automated 2D laser cell with two storage towers and robotic sorting), flexible robot welding cells (MIG/MAG/TIG, stud, spot, and projection welding), a dedicated laser welding line, in-house tool construction maintaining more than 4,000 tools and producing new tooling up to 2,800 x 1,600 mm and 15 tonnes, process-integrated 3D metrology, and a full surface-treatment and coating stack (wet paint, powder, KTL cathodic electrodeposition, plus grinding, polishing, blasting, pickling, and vibratory finishing). A proprietary employee-developed production system, K-LEAN, codifies process reliability and continuous improvement. The group has invested approximately 1.6 MWp of solar PV across both sites, covering ~25% of electricity needs and avoiding ~560 tonnes of CO2 annually.

Kohl generates revenue as a B2B contract manufacturer selling directly to industrial OEM procurement and engineering teams, with no resellers or distributors. Components and welded assemblies are delivered just-in-time and just-in-sequence to customer production lines across nine verticals: material handling/forklifts (its anchor business, with over 1 million vehicles equipped over 25 years), agricultural engineering, construction equipment, gastronomy/catering, medical technology, garden/leisure, logistics/warehouse automation, EV charging infrastructure, and railway engineering. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is negotiated per project on the basis of component complexity, volume, material, and processing requirements. Distribution is international — Germany, Poland, broader Europe, Japan, China, and the USA — served from the two manufacturing bases.

Name

Kohl Group

Legal name

Kohl-Gruppe AG

Website

https://kohl-gruppe-ag.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1897

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Kohl-Gruppe AG is a privately held, fourth-generation German tier-n metal forming and welded-assembly manufacturer. From Cologne and Słubice (Poland), it supplies deep-drawn, laser-cut, and welded components on a JIT/JIS basis to industrial OEMs across nine verticals including material handling, agricultural, construction, EV charging, and railway.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Metal Components Manufacturing

NAICS

Other Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (3329), All Other Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (33299), Special Die and Tool, Die Set, Jig, and Fixture Manufacturing (333514), Machine Shops (33271)

SIC

Sheet Metal Work (3444), Miscellaneous Fabricated Metal Products (3490), Metal Forgings & Stampings (3460)

akta.pro primary industry

Metal Forming & Fabrication Machines (Presses, Bending, Shearing, Stamping) (IMAHADAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sheet Metal & Ductwork Contracting (IMAFALAH)

Keywords

• Metal forming services
• Deep drawing manufacturing
• Welded assemblies
• Industrial OEM components
• Sheet metal fabrication

Headquarters

HQ city

Cologne

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 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. Metal Component Manufacturing: Kohl Group generates revenue through the manufacture and supply of deep-drawn, stamped, and bent metal components (steel, stainless steel, aluminium) and complex welded assemblies to industrial OEMs. Revenue is derived from component manufacturing, tool construction, and related value-added services (surface treatment, coating, logistics). The company operates on a project/contract basis with B2B customers across nine industry verticals, delivering just-in-time and just-in-sequence to production lines.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Kohl Group manufactures complex metal components (deep-drawn, stamped, and bent parts in steel, stainless steel, and aluminium) and welded assemblies for industrial OEMs across nine verticals. The company provides 360° service from planning, consulting, and in-house tool development through to finished assembled components, with just-in-time/just-in-sequence delivery to customer production lines. Core services include metal forming, welding, laser cutting, tool construction, 3D metrology, surface treatment, and coating.

Product overview

Kohl Group (Kohl-Gruppe AG) is a metal forming and manufacturing company founded in 1897, operating as a single unified production company with a comprehensive range of manufacturing services. The core offering consists of metal forming (deep drawing, stamping, bending), welding, laser cutting, tool construction, measuring/quality control, surface treatment, coating, and logistics services. The company serves nine industry verticals: Gastronomy (stainless steel kitchen equipment), Material Handling/Forklifts (battery doors, chassis), Agricultural Engineering (harvester components), Medical Technology (laboratory equipment), Garden/Leisure (lawn mower parts), Logistics (storage system covers), Charging Infrastructure (EV charging station enclosures), Construction Equipment (excavator covers), and Railway Engineering (track components). With three manufacturing locations (Cologne, Germany and two facilities in Słubice, Poland), the company employs approximately 500 people and generates ~80 million euros in annual revenue.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• K-LEAN: Production system developed by employees that has become integral to the company's operational DNA, providing process reliability.

Products and services

• Gastronomy Products Stainless steel components for commercial kitchen equipment including oven floors for combi steamers and kneading kettles for large bakeries, supplied to commercial kitchen equipment manufacturers.
• Material Handling / Forklift Components Components for forklifts and electric pallet trucks including battery doors, intermediate lifting device parts, forks, and chassis. Supplied to forklift OEMs with just-in-sequence delivery to assembly lines.
• Agricultural Engineering Components Built-in components for high-tech premium combine harvesters, corn harvesting machines, and off-highway vehicles, including covers with conveyor belts and knife discs; delivered just-in-time.
• Medical Technology Components Stainless steel components for medical laboratories including centrifuges used for blood tests and armored plating (Panzerkessel) for medical applications.
• Garden / Leisure Components Seat fenders for lawn mower tractors manufactured through multiple deep-drawing stages; supplied to garden machinery manufacturers across Europe and USA.
• Logistics Components Cover panels for automated storage and warehouse systems that save space and enable quick access to products; supplied to the logistics automation industry.
• Charging Infrastructure Enclosures Enclosures and housings for high-performance EV charging stations for e-mobility across Europe.
• Construction Equipment Covers Covers and enclosures for construction machinery, particularly excavators, supplied to customers in Japan and Europe with just-in-time delivery to assembly lines.
• Railway Engineering Products Track magnet holders for accident prevention, components for train monitoring on Asian railways, and toilet bowls for rail vehicles, supplied to Chinese railway train OEMs.
• Metal Forming Services Deep drawing, stamping, and bending of sophisticated components from steel, stainless steel, and aluminium using hydraulic presses with 100 to 1,600 tons press force and press tables up to 3,500 x 2,000 mm.
• Welding Services Complex welded assemblies from deep-drawn parts, delivered just-in-time. Full spectrum of welding techniques including MIG, MAG, TIG (WIG), stud welding, spot welding, and projection welding in flexible robot welding cells.
• Laser Cutting Services 2D and 3D laser cutting technology enabling rapid adaptation to customer requirements and eliminating the need for expensive stamping tools in small batch runs.
• Tool Construction In-house design, development, and maintenance of tools and fixtures up to 2,800 x 1,600 mm and up to 15 tonnes weight, complemented by forming simulation; over 4,000 tools and fixtures maintained in-house.
• Measuring / Quality Control Process-accompanying measuring with 3D coordinate measuring machines (CMM) and flexible articulated measuring arms to ensure high quality and tolerance compliance.
• Surface Treatment Surface finishing including grinding, polishing, blasting, pickling, and vibratory finishing to highest quality standards.
• Coating Services Wet paint, powder coating, and KTL (cathodic electrodeposition) coating for decorative and corrosion-protected surfaces, including screen printing.
• Logistics Services All common logistics concepts (JIT, JIS, sequencing, KANBAN) supplemented by assembly activities and packaging concepts for direct delivery to OEM production lines.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1 million vehicles equipped in the material handling sector over 25 years
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments10 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature10 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor (divested) and minor (historical).

• AL-KOminor (divested)OthersIn 2017/2019, the business shares and real estate at the Eisenach and Treuenbrietzen locations were sold to AL-KO (an industry company). This was a long-term prepared consolidation of the KOHL Group, allowing strategic focus on the industrial sector while securing the company's long-term positive development under new shareholders Andreas Mack and Hubertus Müller.
• Volkswagen (VW)minor (historical)OthersVolkswagen outsourced its small stamping operations to KOHL, leading to the establishment of operations at the Treuenbrietzen location, with KOHL and partner Volker Kempa focusing on the automotive sector.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• GEDIA Group: German automotive and industrial metal former with deep drawing, stamping, and assembly operations across multiple European sites. Comparable tier-n supplier model with similar tool-shop integration and press capability.
• Mubea: German-headquartered global manufacturer of precision formed metal components (deep-drawn, stamped, welded assemblies) for automotive and industrial OEMs. Closely comparable to Kohl in deep-drawing expertise, tier-n supplier model, and international customer base.
• Kirchhoff Automotive: German family-owned tier supplier producing metal-formed structural and body components for automotive and industrial OEMs. Comparable family-ownership heritage, deep drawing, and welded-assembly capabilities to Kohl Group.
• Fritz Winter Eisengießerei: German iron foundry and machining supplier serving commercial vehicle and industrial OEMs. Comparable as a German mid-sized metal-processing tier-n supplier with similar customer-overlap in construction and commercial-vehicle markets.
• Leiber Group: German specialist in light-metal (aluminum) cast and machined components for automotive and industrial OEMs. Comparable as a German mid-sized metal-processing tier supplier with in-house tooling and value-added services.
• PWO Group: German tier-1/2 supplier of precision metal-formed components (deep drawing, stamping, welding, surface treatment) primarily for automotive and industrial OEMs. Closely overlaps Kohl in deep-drawn product technology and full value-chain capability.
• Welser Profile: Austrian specialist in cold-roll formed and deep-drawn steel/stainless-steel profiles and sections serving industrial OEMs. Comparable to Kohl in specialty metal forming, in-house tool design, and serving industrial customers beyond pure automotive.
• Heiche Group: German group providing metal processing and surface treatment (including KTL coating) for industrial customers. Overlaps Kohl's surface-treatment and coating service line and serves similar mid-sized OEM customers.

Broad incumbents

• ThyssenKrupp: German industrial conglomerate with steel, automotive, and engineered-components divisions. Overlaps with Kohl in industrial metal products but at a fundamentally different scale and scope.
• Voestalpine: Austrian integrated steel and metal-forming group with Automotive Components and Metal Forming divisions serving OEMs globally. Comparable in metal-forming technology but operates at vastly larger scale across a much broader product portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Kohl Group