What LANIK does

LANIK s.r.o. is a Czech technical ceramics manufacturer founded in 1991 by Igor Láník in Boskovice, operating as a subsidiary of the family-controlled LANIK Holding s.r.o. group since 2021. The company designs and manufactures foam ceramic filters under the proprietary VUKOPOR® brand (S for iron, A and LD for aluminium, HT and HTX for steel/superalloys), injection-moulded ceramic cores in the MP series (MP01-MP04 for steel/superalloys at up to 1700°C and MP AL for aluminium at up to 780°C), high-pressure pressed ceramic pouring cups (SLCJ, SMAM), and refractory castables for foundry applications. Manufacturing is supported by an in-house analytical stack including SEM (TESCAN VEGA 3), XRD (RIGAKU Miniflex 600), particle size analysis (Horiba LA-960V2), 3D scanning (ZEISS COMET LED 2), 3D printing, and freeze casting technology, with active R&D collaboration with VUT Brno and VŠCHT Praha.

LANIK serves industrial foundries producing iron, aluminium, and steel castings, precision investment casting foundries for aerospace turbine blades, industrial gas turbine (IGT) components, automotive parts, and medical implants (joint replacements), plus adjacent markets such as building/architecture products under the CERASTRUCT sub-brand (including photocatalytic air-purification panels). The company holds ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, ISO 50001, and EN 9100 (aerospace, introduced 2025) certifications, qualifying it as a supplier to critical industries. In 2022, LANIK Holding expanded its US footprint by acquiring Metsch Refractories Inc.

LANIK operates a sales-led B2B go-to-market, with direct technical sales engineers and investment casting specialists engaging foundry customers, complemented by participation in major trade shows such as GIFA (Düsseldorf), industry association memberships (European Investment Casters' Federation, Investment Casting Institute, Czech Foundry Association), and academic research collaborations. Revenue is generated through quote-based custom pricing in USD, EUR, or CZK on enquiry-driven orders, with no public pricing, no disclosed revenue, and no external institutional investment; the business is bootstrapped and family-controlled under CEO Boris Láník and board member Igor Láník.

Name

LANIK

Legal name

LANIK s.r.o.

Website

https://lanik.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Short description

LANIK s.r.o. is a Czech technical ceramics manufacturer founded in 1991, producing VUKOPOR® foam ceramic filters, ceramic cores, and pouring cups for iron, aluminium, steel, and superalloy foundries serving aerospace, IGT, and precision investment casting industries globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial / Technical Ceramics

NAICS

Clay Building Material and Refractories Manufacturing (327120)

SIC

Pottery & Related Products (3260)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial Furnaces, Kilns & Thermal Processing Equipment (IMAHAEAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Ceramic Powders & Slurries (IMAAABAG)

Keywords

• Ceramic foam filters
• Investment casting ceramics
• Refractory castables
• Molten metal filtration
• Technical ceramics manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Boskovice

HQ country

Czechia

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Foam Ceramic Filters (VUKOPOR®): Manufacture and sale of foam ceramic filters under the VUKOPOR® brand, including VUKOPOR S (cast iron), VUKOPOR A (aluminium), VUKOPOR LD (aluminium gravity casting), and VUKOPOR HT/HTX (steel)
2. Ceramic Cores (MP Series): Injection moulded ceramic cores for investment casting in steel/superalloy and aluminium applications
3. Ceramic Pouring Cups: Pressed ceramic cups (SLCJ, SMAM) for investment casting technology
4. Refractory Castables: Refractory concrete products including filtration shaped pieces, carousels, grids, and custom products
5. Custom/Non-standard Products: Engineering and manufacturing of atypical foundry products based on specific customer requirements, with close cooperation between sales, technical and development departments

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

LANIK designs and manufactures technical ceramic products for the foundry and metallurgical industries, with a primary focus on the VUKOPOR® family of foam ceramic filters used to filter molten iron, aluminium, and steel alloys at temperatures up to 1700°C. The company also produces injection-moulded ceramic cores (MP series) and high-pressure-pressed ceramic pouring cups (SLCJ, SMAM) for investment/lost-wax casting, as well as refractory castables for industrial furnace and foundry applications.

Product overview

LANIK is a Czech manufacturer of technical ceramics specializing in foam ceramic filters and investment casting products. The core product line is the VUKOPOR® family of ceramic foam filters (S, A, LD, HT, HTX variants) designed for filtration of iron, aluminium, and steel alloys at temperatures ranging from 850°C to 1700°C. Complementing the filter portfolio are ceramic cores (MP01-MP04 for steel/superalloys, MP AL for aluminium) and ceramic pouring/filtering cups (SLCJ, SMAM) for investment casting technology. The company also produces refractory castables for foundry applications. These products serve the foundry, aerospace, IGT (Industrial Gas Turbine), automotive, medical, and metallurgical industries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CERASTRUCT: Unique foam ceramic products for building industry, architecture, design and applied art.

Products and services

• VUKOPOR® S SiC-based ceramic foam filter for filtering grey and nodular iron, bronze, brass, and copper alloys at temperatures up to 1480°C; features open 3D structure with high thermal conductivity and thermal shock resistance for foundry applications.
• VUKOPOR® A Al2O3-based ceramic foam filter for filtering aluminium alloys and other non-ferrous metals in foundry and metallurgical applications at temperatures up to 1350°C; designed to capture Al2O3 inclusions.
• VUKOPOR® LD Al2O3-C based ceramic foam filter for single-use filtration of aluminium and aluminium alloys at temperatures up to 850°C; low bulk density enables easy recycling of returnable metal material with the filter floating to the surface.
• VUKOPOR® HT ZrO2-based ceramic foam filter for filtering steel and highly alloyed steels at temperatures up to 1680°C; designed for aerospace and IGT markets requiring high reliability and chemical purity.
• VUKOPOR® HTX Al2O3-C based ceramic foam filter for filtering steel and heavy iron castings at temperatures up to 1700°C; features quick priming, high pouring capacity, and low weight for direct casting through exothermic sleeves.
• MP01 Ceramic Core Injection-moulded ceramic core for steel and superalloy castings made by the lost wax method; stable up to 1700°C, suitable for plain to minor-detail geometry in automotive, medical, aerospace, and power industries.
• MP02 Ceramic Core Ceramic core for steel and superalloy castings with finer ceramic composition than MP01; stable up to 1700°C, easier to leach out after casting, suitable for complex and multi-passageway geometry.
• MP03 Ceramic Core Ceramic core for steel and superalloy castings; stable up to 1700°C, suitable for complex and multi-passageway geometry focused on IGT and aerospace industry; usable for directional solidification and single crystal technology.
• MP04 Ceramic Core Top-quality ceramic core for steel and superalloy castings; finer than MP03, suitable for most applications especially in IGT and aerospace industry; usable for directional solidification and single crystal technology.
• MP AL Ceramic Core Water-soluble ceramic core for aluminium castings made by the lost wax method; stable up to 780°C, designed for easy removal with 50-200 bar water pressure after casting.
• SLCJ Ceramic Pouring Cup Ceramic pouring and filtering cup based on cordierite composition for investment casting technology; high-pressure pressed, suitable for ferrous and non-ferrous metals including superalloys for IGT and aircraft industries.
• SMAM Ceramic Pouring Cup Ceramic pouring and filtering cup based on mullite composition for investment casting technology; features pressed or milled grooves for improved ceramic shell cohesion, suitable for superalloys in IGT and aircraft industries.
• Castables Refractory castable products including filtration shaped pieces and boxes, filtration carousels and grids, casting runners, and pouring shaped pieces; includes ceramic firing muffles and kiln cars for investment foundries; weight range 1-200 kg with wall thickness from ca. 10 mm.
• Custom / Non-Standard Foundry Ceramic Products Custom engineering and manufacturing of non-standard foundry ceramic products based on specific customer requirements, with close cooperation between LANIK's sales, technical, and development departments.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced casting defects and inclusions through filtration
• +6 more outcomes

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature11 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Metsch Refractories LLCcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 September 2022LANIK Holding s.r.o. acquired Metsch Refractories Inc. from Metsch Holdings Inc. in the US on September 15, 2022. Metsch Refractories manufactures engineered ceramics for investment casting foundries and technical ceramics for OEM industry. Now part of LANIK Holding group.
• LANIK Holding s.r.o.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021LANIK s.r.o. is a subsidiary of LANIK Holding s.r.o. group (established 2018). The holding structure includes sister companies: Teplotechna (industrial furnaces), ROMILL (microwave heating), ACERTA (construction engineering), Metsch Refractories (engineered ceramics), and PIRES (gas equipment).
• VUT Brno – Foundry Department (Vysoké učení technické v Brně)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Brno University of Technology – Foundry Department for numerical simulation of gating systems using ProCAST, real casting tests, and verification of new recipes for ceramic foam filters, ceramic cores, and pouring cups.
• VŠCHT Praha (Institute of Chemical Technology, Prague)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on photocalytic panel research project developing photoactive coatings on foam ceramics for indoor air purification in households and public spaces.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Metsch Refractories Inc. US manufacturer of engineered ceramics and industrial ceramic consumables for investment casting foundries, now part of LANIK Holding group since September 2022; the closest sister-company peer within the same holding structure.
• Pyrotek: Global manufacturer of specialty engineered ceramics and refractory products for the foundry, aluminum, and high-temperature industries, with comparable offerings in ceramic filters and molten metal handling systems.
• Allied Mineral Products: Manufacturer of monolithic refractories, precast shapes, and ceramic products for foundry, steel, and industrial applications, with direct overlap with LANIK's castables and refractory shapes portfolio.
• ASK Chemicals: Supplier of foundry consumables including ceramic filters, feeders, and refractory products. Direct overlap with LANIK's VUKOPOR® filter business serving iron and steel foundries.
• Selee Corporation: US-based manufacturer of ceramic foam filters for molten metal filtration, a direct product overlap with LANIK's VUKOPOR® S, A, LD, HT, and HTX lines serving iron, aluminum, and steel foundries.

Broad incumbents

• Saint-Gobain Performance Ceramics: Division of Saint-Gobain producing technical and refractory ceramics, including products for high-temperature and molten metal filtration. Much larger parent but comparable in advanced ceramic filtration and refractory shapes.
• Morgan Advanced Materials: Global manufacturer of advanced ceramics for industrial, aerospace, and energy applications, including investment casting consumables. Comparable in technical ceramics for superalloy and aerospace markets but with broader product breadth.
• Vesuvius plc: Global leader in refractories, ceramics, and foundry consumables serving steel and foundry end markets. Significantly larger and more diversified than LANIK, but directly comparable in ceramic filters, pouring systems, and foundry consumables.
• Imerys: Global specialty minerals producer supplying ceramic raw materials and engineered mineral-based solutions, comparable upstream in ceramic raw materials and downstream in refractory products.
• CoorsTek: Large technical ceramics manufacturer serving industrial, aerospace, medical, and electronics markets, with overlap in advanced ceramic components for investment casting and high-temperature applications.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/lanik.boskovice
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lanik-s-r-o-
• Instagraminstagram.com/lanik_sro

Compliance10 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about LANIK