What Leistritz Extrusion Technology does

Leistritz Extrusion Technology, headquartered in Nuremberg, Germany, is a mechanical engineering firm founded in 1937 that designs and manufactures twin screw extruders and complete extrusion systems. Operating as a subsidiary of the diversified Leistritz AG group and employing between 251 and 500 staff, the company serves industrial manufacturers in the plastics, pharmaceutical/life science, food/feed, and recycling sectors through a direct enterprise sales model with regional service infrastructure in Germany, the United States, Singapore, and China.

The product portfolio centers on the ZSE MAXX twin screw extruder family, distinguished by very high specific torque (up to 15 Nm/cm³) combined with large free volume (OD/ID ratio of 1.66), and the higher-performance ZSE iMAXX series for specialized applications such as UD-Tape composites. Regulated-environment variants include the ZSE HP-PH pharma series with GMP-compliant construction, Washing-in-Place capability, and 21 CFR Part 11 compliance, and the ZSE MAXX-HD hygienic design series for food and feed with stainless-steel construction and IP 65 wash-down. Supporting the hardware are the Leistritz extensional rheometer — the first system to combine inline shear and extensional viscosity measurement of polymer melts without material loss — and the LinXX control ecosystem (HMI, OPC-UA interface, LinXX Pilot & Rheo analytics software, and a Customer Service Portal) that underwrites a guaranteed minimum 95% plant availability.

Revenue is generated across two streams: capital equipment sales (extruders, turnkey engineering lines, measuring and analysis equipment) and recurring professional services (after-sales spare parts and maintenance, prototyping and trial testing at Innovation Centers, the Extrusion Academy training programs, and control system modernization). Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is set through consultative, application-engineered quotes. The customer base is concentrated in industrial enterprise accounts, with a deep multi-year supply relationship with Brückner Maschinenbau for BOPP and BOPET film lines, alongside named accounts in plastics recycling (SYSPLAST, NGR), pharmaceutical and pet care (LAVET Pharmaceutical), and research consortia (CHASE).

Name

Leistritz Extrusion Technology

Legal name

Leistritz Extrusionstechnik GmbH

Website

https://extruders.leistritz.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1937

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Leistritz Extrusion Technology is a German mechanical engineering firm that manufactures twin screw extruders, extrusion systems, and inline rheometer equipment for plastics, pharmaceutical, food/feed, and recycling industries, selling through direct enterprise sales and Innovation Centers in Germany, the U.S., and China.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Twin-Screw Extrusion Machinery

akta.pro primary industry

Thermoforming Sheet Extrusion (HIPS/PET/PP/ABS Sheets) (IMANACAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Medical & Hygiene Film/Sheet Extrusion (Cleanroom, Sterile Barrier, Diaper Backsheets) (IMANACAF)

Keywords

• Twin screw extruders
• Extrusion systems
• Pharmaceutical hot melt extrusion
• Plastics compounding machinery
• Food feed extrusion

Headquarters

HQ city

Nuremberg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Twin Screw Extruder Sales: Sale of ZSE MAXX, ZSE iMAXX, Pharma, and HD extruder series as core capital equipment for plastics, pharma, and food industries
2. Extrusion Systems & Engineering Lines: Turnkey extrusion systems and engineering lines including complete production lines for BOPP film, recycling, and other specialized applications
3. After-Sales Services: Lifecycle services including spare parts, maintenance, repairs, commissioning, modernization, process development, and training. Services offered globally via service centers
4. Prototyping & Testing: Rental and testing services for lab extrusion lines at Innovation Centers in Germany, USA, and China. Project-specific development and application development services
5. Measuring & Analysis Equipment: Sales of extensional rheometers and related measuring/analysis equipment for process optimization
6. Control System Modernization: Upgrade and modernization services for control systems including LinXX HMI implementations

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Leistritz Extrusion Technology designs, manufactures, and services twin-screw extruders and complete extrusion processing lines for compounding, hot-melt extrusion, and reactive extrusion applications. The portfolio includes co-rotating and counter-rotating extruder platforms, the proprietary LinXX HMI control system, extensional rheometers, and full process lines tailored to the plastics, pharmaceutical, and food/feed industries.

Product overview

Leistritz Extrusion Technology is a manufacturer of twin screw extruders and complete extrusion systems. The product portfolio centers on the ZSE MAXX and ZSE iMAXX twin screw extruder families (core products), complemented by specialized variants for pharma (ZSE HP-PH series) and food/feed applications (ZSE MAXX-HD). Supporting products include the Leistritz Dehnrheometer for inline viscosity measurement, LinXX HMI control technology, and LinXX Pilot & Rheo data analysis software. The company provides complete engineering lines, the Customer Service Portal for digital asset management, and services including Extrusion Academy training and prototyping/testing at global Innovation Centers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Twin-Screw Extruders (co-rotating and counter-rotating platforms) Capital-equipment twin-screw extruders that continuously mix, compound, devolatilize, and react-process plastics, pharmaceutical, and food materials. Offered to industrial manufacturers needing precise control of shear, residence time, and throughput in compounding and reactive extrusion applications.
• Complete Extrusion Processing Lines Engineered complete extrusion lines integrating feed systems, extruder, downstream handling, and control for end-to-end production in plastics compounding, pharmaceutical hot-melt extrusion, and food/feed applications. Targeted at industrial customers purchasing a turnkey process line rather than a standalone extruder.
• Hot-Melt Extrusion Systems for Pharmaceutical Applications Pharmaceutical hot-melt extrusion systems designed for GMP-compliant manufacturing of solid oral dosage forms, bioavailability enhancement, and continuous drug product manufacturing. Targeted at pharma manufacturers and CDMOs needing validated, GMP-aligned extrusion equipment.
• LinXX HMI Control System Proprietary human-machine interface and control system for operating extruders and extrusion lines, providing recipe management, process visualization, and integration of extrusion process parameters.
• Extensional Rheometer Laboratory extensional rheometer for characterizing polymer melt behavior and supporting process development and scale-up of extrusion processes. Targeted at R&D, application labs, and process engineers in plastics and pharmaceutical development.
• After-Sales Service (Spare Parts, Field Service, Repairs, Retrofits, Control Modernizations) Comprehensive aftermarket services covering spare parts, field service, repairs, retrofits, and control-system modernizations for the installed base of Leistritz extrusion equipment. Sold to existing extruder owners seeking lifecycle support and performance upgrades.
• Customer Training Programs Operator, maintenance, and process training programs delivered through the Leistritz Training Center, supporting customers in the safe and efficient operation of twin-screw extruders and extrusion lines.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced mechanical degradation of polymers during recycling processing
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Brückner MaschinenbaucoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 September 2022Long-standing strategic partnership for film extrusion systems. Leistritz supplies twin screw extruders for Brückner's BOPP and BOPET film lines. Since 2022, over 60 high-performance extruders (ZSE 135 MAXX, ZSE 160 MAXX, ZSE 180 MAXX) have been delivered. Joint project for world's largest BOPP film line with 12-meter width.
• CHASE Research Project ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2022Research partnership involving Leistritz, research institutions, policy makers, and industry partners. Goal: produce highly complex materials with better carbon footprint and minimal resource use. Leistritz supplied ZSE 27 iMAXX twin screw extruder for UD-Tape production research.
• NGR (Next Generation Recyclingmaschinen)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership combining Leistritz extrusion technology with NGR's recycling expertise for sustainable plastics recycling. Described as 'more than a partnership – a quantum leap in sustainable plastics recycling'. Joint development of turnkey recycling solutions.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Emerging players

• Baker Perkins: Baker Perkins (UK-based) manufactures food extrusion and processing equipment, including twin screw extruders for food, pet food, and pharmaceutical applications. They overlap with Leistritz's food and pharma extrusion lines, particularly in the European market.

Direct peers

• KraussMaffei: KraussMaffei (now part of ChemChina/Sinochem) manufactures twin screw extruders and complete extrusion lines for plastics compounding and direct extrusion. Their extruder business directly competes with Leistritz in masterbatch, compounding, and profile/sheet extrusion applications across Europe and Asia.
• CPM Extrusion (California Pellet Mill): CPM Extrusion (part of CPM Holdings) manufactures twin screw extruders for plastics compounding, recycling, and biomass applications. They compete with Leistritz in compounding and recycling extrusion, particularly for mid-market applications in North America.
• Xtrutech: Xtrutech (UK-based) specializes in twin screw extruders for plastics compounding, masterbatch, and powder coating applications. They are a smaller direct peer competing with Leistritz in mid-market compounding extruders, particularly in Europe.
• ENTEK Manufacturing: ENTEK (US-based) manufactures twin screw extruders for plastics compounding, lithium-ion battery separator production, and similar high-end applications. They compete with Leistritz in high-torque compounding and emerging specialty extrusion applications, including battery materials.
• Steer Engineering: Steer Engineering (India-based) manufactures co-rotating twin screw extruders and compounding lines for plastics, food, pharma, and recycling applications. They serve as a global competitor to Leistritz particularly in Asia-Pacific and emerging markets, with similar product positioning in pharma and food extrusion.
• Coperion: Coperion (owned by Hillenbrand) is one of the world's leading manufacturers of compounding and extrusion machinery, including twin screw extruders serving the same plastics, recycling, and food/pharma markets as Leistritz. They are Leistritz's most direct global competitor in high-end compounding extruders and turnkey systems.
• Theysohn Extrusion: Theysohn is a German-based direct competitor specializing in twin screw extruders for PVC and plastics compounding/processing. Their product portfolio overlaps significantly with Leistritz's plastics compounding and masterbatch extruders serving similar European customer segments.

Broad incumbents

• Thermo Fisher Scientific (Pharma Extrusion): Thermo Fisher Scientific offers pharmaceutical hot melt extrusion equipment (via the legacy Thermo-Fisher/Gabler/Pharma extrusion business) serving pharmaceutical manufacturers. They compete with Leistritz in pharma extrusion as part of a much broader life sciences instrument and equipment portfolio.
• Bühler Group: Bühler is a Swiss-based global leader in food processing, animal feed, and advanced materials equipment with extrusion capabilities for food and feed applications. While broader than Leistritz, their food/feed extrusion offering competes directly with Leistritz's ZSE MAXX-HD hygienic design food extruders.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/leistritz-extrusion-technology

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Leistritz Extrusion Technology