What KNOLL Maschinenbau does

KNOLL Maschinenbau GmbH is a privately held German industrial machinery manufacturer founded in 1970 and headquartered in Bad Saulgau, with a workforce of 51–100 employees. The company specializes in the separation, transport, and processing of metal chips (Späne) and cooling lubricants (KSS) for the metalworking industry, supplying machine-tool manufacturers and industrial end-users across Europe and, as of October 2025, North America through its newly opened KNOLL America subsidiary. Its product portfolio spans filter systems (e.g., MicroPur® fine filters with 1–3 µm filtration, VRF vacuum rotating filters, the HydroPur felt filter), chip conveyor systems (hinge-belt, hinge-plate, scraper, magnetic, suction variants), high-pressure units (the LubiCool® family supplying up to 100 bar), minimum-quantity lubrication systems (AerosolMaster™ with ATS dry-lubrication technology), central systems with pump or suction technology, chip shredders, and a screw-spindle and centrifugal pump line under the Schraubenspindelpumpe KTS brand. KNOLL positions these products as machine-integrated, associated, or centrally installed solutions that combine filtration, conveyance, and high-pressure supply into end-to-end systems for demanding machining applications including aerospace, tool manufacturing, grinding, precision turning, and medical technology.

KNOLL generates revenue through one-time sales of capital equipment, recurring spare-parts and consumables (e.g., filter nonwovens and consumables), and after-sales service and maintenance contracts. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, reflecting the configured, application-engineered nature of the equipment. The company reaches customers primarily through direct enterprise sales in Germany and the US, supplemented by participation in industry trade shows (e.g., EMO, Hausmessen), a multi-language website with application reports and technical datasheets, a customer newsletter, and social/employer-brand channels under "KNOLL live." Its customer base is enterprise-oriented and horizontal across metalworking sub-sectors, with named customers including MTU Aero Engines, Ceratizit, Mägerle, IFM, Trokamed, Feindreh, Steinmeyer, and SHW/Bantleon, indicating a diversified enterprise book rather than a single anchor account. Ownership appears to remain with the founding family, and the company is expanding its offering into industrial automation and intralogistics through the Click.it software platform and a partnership with Flexus.

Name

KNOLL Maschinenbau

Legal name

KNOLL Maschinenbau GmbH

Website

https://knoll-mb.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

KNOLL Maschinenbau GmbH is a privately held German industrial machinery manufacturer specializing in chip and cooling-lubricant processing — filtration, conveyance, high-pressure supply, and minimum-quantity lubrication — for machine-tool OEMs and metalworking end-users in Europe and North America.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Metalworking Fluid and Chip Management Equipment

NAICS

Metalworking Machinery Manufacturing (33351), Rolling Mill and Other Metalworking Machinery Manufacturing (333519), Other General Purpose Machinery Manufacturing (3339)

SIC

Metalworkg Machinery & Equipment (3540), Special Industry Machinery (No Metalworking Machinery) (3550)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Industrial & Heavy-Duty Lubricants (IMAEAMAB)

Keywords

• Industrial filtration systems
• Chip conveyor systems
• Coolant lubricant processing
• Metalworking machinery
• High-pressure coolant systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Saulgau

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Industrial Equipment Sales: KNOLL generates primary revenue from the sale of industrial machinery including conveyor systems, filter systems, high-pressure units, and pumps for metalworking applications. Products are sold as individual units or as part of complete system solutions.
2. Spare Parts and Consumables: Revenue from replacement filter elements, filter consumables, and other spare parts for installed equipment.
3. Service and Maintenance: Comprehensive after-sales service including technical support, maintenance contracts, E-Pass documentation for motor replacement, and service hotline support.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

KNOLL Maschinenbau manufactures and supplies industrial equipment for conveying, filtering, and pumping metal chips and cooling lubricants (KSS) in metalworking operations. The product portfolio includes single systems (filter systems, chip conveyors, high-pressure units, minimum quantity lubrication systems, chip shredders), central systems, automation solutions (including Click.it software), pumps, and accessories. Products are designed for machine-integrated, attached, or centralized installation and serve machine tool manufacturers and end-user companies in metalworking industries.

Product overview

KNOLL Maschinenbau GmbH is a leading provider of conveyor systems, filter systems, and pumps for metalworking. The product portfolio consists of: Single Systems (Einzelanlagen) including filter systems (Filteranlagen) for cleaning coolant lubricants up to ultra-fine range, chip conveyors (Förderanlagen) in various designs for transporting metal chips and small parts, high-pressure units (Hochdruckanlagen) including LubiCool® series for supplying machine tools with high-pressure coolant, minimum quantity lubrication systems (MMS-Systeme) with AerosolMaster™ technology, and chip shredders (Zerkleinerungsanlagen); Central Systems (Zentralsysteme) for group or complete manufacturing area applications; Automation solutions including Click.it software, driverless transport systems, and logistics; Pumps including screw spindle pumps (KTS series) and centrifugal pumps; and accessories such as the UniPur pot filter. The products serve to separate, transport and process chips and cooling lubricants (KSS) in metalworking operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• LubiCool®: High-pressure units for machine tools, including LubiCool-L, LubiCool-M, LubiCool-S, and LubiCool-XS models.
• MicroPur®
• AerosolMaster™
• Click.it
• UniPur

Products and services

• Filter Systems (Filteranlagen) A family of coolant filtration systems including hydrocyclone F 60, centrifugal separator CA 100, MicroPur® fine backwash filter (1-3 µm), TURBO backwash filter, vacuum rotation filter VRF, gravity belt filter PF, compact filters KF and KF-E, hydrostat filter HL, vacuum filters VL and VLO, HydroPur hydrostat filter, chip separator CS, and ByPass tank care filter. Used for cleaning cooling lubricants and industrial process fluids in metalworking.
• Conveyor Systems (Förderanlagen)

Quantifiable outcome

• High-pressure up to 100 bar enables shortened machining times through higher cutting speeds and shorter chip breaking
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• FlexusminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 July 2026KNOLL x Flexus collaboration for Intralogistics practical day on July 15, 2026. This appears to be a strategic partnership in intralogistics applications, combining KNOLL's chip handling expertise with Flexus's intralogistics solutions.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Donaldson Company, Inc. US industrial filtration company serving manufacturing and OEM markets. Comparable as a broad incumbent in industrial filtration with comparable technology positioning to KNOLL and significantly greater global scale.
• Schunk GmbH & Co. KG: German manufacturer of workholding, clamping, and gripping systems for machine tools. Comparable as a German Mittelstand supplier of machine-tool ancillary equipment serving the same German machine-tool OEMs and end-users as KNOLL.
• Sandvik AB: Swedish multinational in metal cutting tools and mining/rock processing. Comparable as a broad industrial incumbent serving the same metalworking customer base that KNOLL supports with its chip-handling and coolant filtration systems.
• Mann+Hummel: German family-owned filtration specialist (private). Comparable as a broad industrial filtration incumbent headquartered in Germany with similar Mittelstand heritage, product overlap in fluid filtration, and a private/family ownership profile analogous to KNOLL.
• Alfa Laval AB: Swedish industrial equipment specialist in heat transfer, separation, and fluid handling. Comparable as a broad incumbent in industrial separation technology that overlaps with KNOLL's coolant filtration product line.
• Pall Corporation: US-based industrial filtration specialist (Danaher subsidiary). Comparable as a broad incumbent in industrial filtration whose fine-filtration technology competes with KNOLL's MicroPur® line in coolant and process-fluid applications.
• GEA Group AG: German industrial equipment group focused on separation, filtration, and process technology. Comparable as a broad incumbent competing in industrial filtration/separation equipment that serves similar industrial customers to KNOLL.
• TRUMPF SE + Co. KG: German market leader in machine tools and laser technology. Comparable as a major German metalworking equipment manufacturer with a heavily overlapping customer base among German Mittelstand manufacturers and aerospace/automotive suppliers.
• DMG MORI Co., Ltd. Global machine tool manufacturer (German-Japanese heritage). Comparable as a direct customer/ecosystem counterparty for KNOLL — DMG MORI's machine tools are the platforms on which KNOLL's filtration, conveyor, and high-pressure coolant systems are installed.
• Bosch Rexroth AG: German manufacturer of factory automation, industrial hydraulics, and electric drives. Comparable as a broad incumbent whose automation and fluid-power offerings overlap with KNOLL's pump and high-pressure coolant supply businesses in machine-tool applications.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/KNOLLMaschinenbau
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/knoll-maschinenbau-gmbh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 KNOLL Maschinenbau