What Ketten Wälder does

Ketten Wälder GmbH is a family-owned German manufacturer of stainless steel chains and chain-based lifting technology, founded in 1948 and headquartered in Bad Endorf, Upper Bavaria. The company operates under its premium cromox® brand (introduced 2008) and produces chains, chain slings, master link assemblies, lifting points, and pump chains for industrial lifting; anchor chains for marine/nautical use; custom engineered chain solutions; and a Play line for playground/leisure applications. Materials center on austenitic AISI 316L and duplex AISI 318LN stainless steels, with in-house R&D and a Lloyd's Register-certified testing laboratory supporting quality control and product development.

The product portfolio spans four lines — Lifting, Nautic, Custom, and Play — with the cromox® positioning targeting safety-critical and corrosion-sensitive applications. Key credentials include ISO 9001:2015 certification, Lloyd's Register Approved Manufacturer status, and LEEA (Lifting Equipment Engineers Association) membership, which collectively function as procurement gatekeepers in regulated industrial and marine markets. Recent product additions include G6 grade lifting accessories and electropolished chain slings aimed at hygiene-critical environments (food, pharmaceutical, cleanroom).

The business model is B2B industrial, combining direct sales with an online shop and selective exclusive distribution partnerships (e.g., ULTRA Products in Europe from 2026). Revenue is generated through catalog product sales plus custom/specification work; pricing is not publicly disclosed. The customer base spans industrial lifting contractors, shipyards/operators, water and sewage utilities, hygiene-critical facility operators, and specialty one-off projects (e.g., the 550 Madison Avenue art installation). The firm employs 11–50 people and operates without external funding or disclosed financial metrics.

Name

Ketten Wälder

Legal name

Ketten Wälder GmbH

Website

https://ketten-waelder.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1950

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ketten Wälder GmbH is a family-owned German manufacturer of premium stainless steel chains and lifting technology under the cromox® brand, serving industrial lifting, maritime, and hygiene-critical industries from Bad Endorf, Bavaria, since 1948.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Stainless Steel Chain Manufacturing

NAICS

Bolt, Nut, Screw, Rivet, and Washer Manufacturing (332722)

SIC

Cutlery, Handtools & General Hardware (3420)

akta.pro primary industry

Lifting Attachments & Material Handling Accessories (Fork Attachments, Slings, Rigging) (IMAHABAJ)

Keywords

• Stainless steel chains
• Industrial lifting equipment
• Marine anchor chains
• Chain slings
• Corrosion resistant chains

Headquarters

HQ city

Bad Endorf

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Industrial Chain Products: Sale of stainless steel lifting chains, anchor chains, chain slings, and related components. Products available as standard catalog items or custom-made solutions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Ketten Wälder GmbH manufactures and sells stainless steel chains and lifting technology under its proprietary cromox® brand for industrial, maritime, and hygiene-critical applications. Its portfolio spans LIFTING chains and accessories (round steel chains, chain slings, pump chains, lifting points, shackles, hoists), NAUTIC anchor chains and accessories, CUSTOM application-specific fabrications, and PLAY recreational products. Products are produced in Bad Endorf, Germany, from AISI 316L and AISI 318LN Duplex stainless steel, with quality assured by an in-house Lloyd's Register-certified laboratory.

Product overview

Ketten Wälder GmbH is a family-owned German manufacturer of stainless steel chains and lifting technology, operating for over 70 years. The company's product portfolio is organized into four main lines: LIFTING (industrial lifting chains, chain slings, pump chains, load hooks, shackles, lifting points, and hoists), NAUTIC (maritime anchor chains, anchor twisters, nautical shackles, and service centers), CUSTOM (customized stainless steel solutions), and PLAY (recreational products). The premium sub-brand cromox®, developed in 2008, represents the company's highest quality standards across all product categories, featuring G6 grade components including Big Bag hooks, swivel connectors, turn buckles, rotoconnects, lifting points, and beam clamps. Products are manufactured in Bad Endorf, Germany, using materials such as AISI 316L and AISI 318LN Duplex stainless steel, with quality assurance through the company's Lloyd's Register-certified laboratory.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• cromox®: Premium stainless steel brand launched in 2008, representing the company's highest quality corrosion-resistant stainless steel chains, lifting components, lifting points, and nautical accessories for demanding applications including cleanrooms, offshore, food processing, and water treatment.

Products and services

• cromox® LIFTING Product Line Complete range of stainless steel lifting equipment, including round steel chains, chain slings, master links, load hooks, shorteners, shackles, connecting links, lifting points, and hoists for industrial lifting applications.
• cromox® Pumpenketten (Pump Chains) Corrosion-resistant stainless steel pump chains designed for water and wastewater treatment facilities, used for lifting and lowering submersible pumps and aeration equipment.
• cromox® NAUTIC Product Line Maritime product line of stainless steel anchor chains, anchor twisters, and nautical shackles for boat owners, sailing professionals, and maritime operators.
• cromox® CUSTOM Product Line Custom stainless steel solutions for specialized industrial requirements, including individual chain sling configurations, special dimensions, and application-specific components.
• cromox® PLAY Product Line Stainless steel chain products for play and recreational applications.
• cromox® NAUTIC Service Center Service centers providing local cleaning, upgrades, and genuine replacement components for cromox® NAUTIC chains and nautical hardware.
• cromox® Big Bag Weld-on Hook CBHF (G6) Big Bag weld-on hook, Grade 6, for lifting applications in industrial environments.
• cromox® Double Swivel Half Shell CWHD (G6) Double swivel half shell connector, Grade 6, for connecting links in industrial lifting applications.
• cromox® Round Sling Connector CRSV (G6) Round sling connector, Grade 6, for connecting round slings to chains in lifting applications.
• cromox® Turn Buckle CTB (G6) Turn buckle, Grade 6, for tensioning applications in industrial lifting setups.
• cromox® Rotoconnect with Bracket Hammerlock CRCBV (G6) Rotoconnect with bracket hammerlock, Grade 6, for rotating connection applications in lifting setups.
• cromox® Rotoconnect with Half Shell Hammerlock CRCFV (G6) Rotoconnect with half shell hammerlock, Grade 6, for rotating connection applications in lifting setups.
• cromox® Swivel Lifting Point Female CDAW-F (G6) Swivel lifting point (female thread), Grade 6, for safe lifting operations under demanding operating conditions.
• cromox® Beam Clamp CBC (G6) Beam clamp, Grade 6, for hoist accessories in industrial lifting applications.

Quantifiable outcome

• Low replacement rate for pump chains in water/wastewater applications
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Boyut (ULTRA Products)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 20 April 2026cromox® appointed as exclusive European distributor for ULTRA Products by Boyut. Customers across Europe can now source ULTRA Products and cromox® NAUTIC chains through ultra-cromox.com with direct local support.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Gunnebo Industries: Gunnebo Industries produces lifting equipment, chain, and material handling hardware for global industrial buyers, overlapping directly with Ketten Wälder's lifting and rigging product lines.
• Crosby Group: Crosby is a large US-based manufacturer of shackles, hooks, lifting accessories, and chain products for industrial and marine markets — a comparable but larger-scale lifting hardware competitor.
• Pewag: Pewag is an Austrian family-owned manufacturer of premium chains and lifting components with a long heritage, directly competing with Ketten Wälder in industrial lifting chains and chain slings across Europe.
• Van Beest International: Van Beest is a Dutch manufacturer specializing in Green Pin® shackles and other forged lifting hardware, directly comparable to Ketten Wälder's chain fittings and lifting accessory business.
• Thiele GmbH & Co. KG: Thiele is a German manufacturer of chains, chain slings, and lifting hardware serving industrial, maritime, and offshore markets — a closely comparable German premium chain producer to Ketten Wälder.
• Rud Ketten Rieger & Dietz GmbH: Rud is a German manufacturer of lifting chains, chain slings, and hoisting equipment with global reach, competing head-to-head with Ketten Wälder in industrial chain and lifting solutions.

Emerging players

• Yoke Industrial Corp. Yoke is a Taiwanese/global manufacturer of lifting and rigging hardware including shackles, hooks, and chain components — an emerging global competitor with comparable product breadth at typically lower price points.
• ROSTA AG: ROSTA is a Swiss specialist in oscillating mountings and tensioning/lifting components, partially overlapping with Ketten Wälder in niche industrial hardware and turn-buckle/tensioning solutions.

Broad incumbents

• Columbus McKinnon Corporation: Columbus McKinnon is a large US-listed broad incumbent in lifting, rigging, and material handling with a portfolio spanning hoists, chains, and fittings — competing broadly with Ketten Wälder but at significantly greater scale and across many more product lines.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCk0upNIJNNsRImo-5EbO98g/about
• Facebookfacebook.com/cromox.chains
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ketten-wälder-gmbh
• Instagraminstagram.com/cromox.chains
• TikToktiktok.com/@cromox.chains

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Ketten Wälder