FHR Anlagenbau GmbH

What FHR Anlagenbau GmbH does

FHR Anlagenbau GmbH is a German specialty engineering firm that designs and manufactures vacuum coating systems for thin-film deposition, headquartered in Ottendorf-Okrilla near Dresden. The company's equipment portfolio spans five proprietary platforms — FHR.Line (inline systems for large-surface substrates), FHR.Roll (roll-to-roll systems for flexible foils up to 1.6 m web width), FHR.Star (cluster systems for wafers and small substrates), FHR.Boxx (boxcoaters for pilot production), and FHR.EOSS (precision optics coaters) — underpinned by PVD, magnetron sputtering, PECVD, ALD/SALD, and thermal evaporation process technologies developed over more than 30 years. Beyond equipment, FHR manufactures custom sputtering targets, provides bonding and recycling services, and operates an in-house coating service that lets customers qualify processes before committing to capital purchases.

The company sells primarily to enterprise B2B customers in photovoltaics, optics, microelectronics, display, automotive, medical technology, and architectural glass — segments that require precision thin-film deposition for solar cells, optical filters, semiconductor wafers, MEMS, and surface-functional coatings. Commercial logic combines a high-value, project-based equipment sales motion (with double-digit-million-EUR contracts such as the 2010 Solarion AG rollout) with recurring revenue from sputtering target consumption, maintenance, spare parts, and retrofits. Since December 2019, FHR has operated as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Vital Materials Company, a Chinese rare-metals conglomerate, with high-volume manufacturing for the Chinese and broader Asian market executed through the VMET facility in Xuzhou (operational since 2021, ~340 employees, 14,000 m² production floor). Distribution runs on direct enterprise field sales supported by technical consultation, trade-show presence (PSE, SEMICON Europa, W3+ Fair, SNEC), and a multilingual website serving German, English, and Chinese-speaking buyers.

Name

FHR Anlagenbau GmbH

Legal name

FHR Anlagenbau GmbH

Website

https://fhr.biz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

FHR Anlagenbau GmbH is a German engineering firm that designs and manufactures vacuum coating systems — inline, roll-to-roll, cluster, boxcoater, and precision-optics platforms — together with sputtering targets and coating services for enterprise customers in photovoltaics, optics, microelectronics, and surface-functional coatings.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Ottendorf-okrilla

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Vacuum Coating Equipment Sales: Custom-designed and manufactured vacuum coating systems sold as capital equipment to industrial customers. Systems include inline, roll-to-roll, cluster, boxcoater, and precision optics platforms. Typically high-value, project-based sales with extended sales cycles.
2. Sputtering Targets Manufacturing: Custom development and production of sputtering targets per customer specifications. Targets are consumable components that wear out during the coating process, creating recurring revenue opportunities.
3. Bond Service: Bonding services for sputtering targets including metallic (indium), epoxy, elastomer, and nano bonding methods. Value-added service for target mounting.
4. Coating Service: In-house coating service for sampling and small series production using FHR's own equipment (FHR.LINE.400-V, FHR.LINE.600-H, FHR.LINE.2500-H, FHR.STAR.300-ALD, FHR.STAR.500-EOSS, FHR.STAR.300-EVA). Enables customer qualification of processes before equipment purchase.
5. Customer Service & Maintenance: Technical support, preventive maintenance, original spare parts, technical training, technical audits, expansion and modernization (retrofit), and machine relocation services for existing customers.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

FHR Anlagenbau GmbH designs, manufactures, and services custom vacuum coating systems (inline, roll-to-roll, cluster, boxcoater, and precision optics platforms) for industrial thin-film deposition. The company also produces custom sputtering targets, provides bonding and target recycling services, and operates an in-house coating service for sampling and small-series production. Its equipment and materials serve manufacturers and research institutions in photovoltaics, optics, microelectronics, display, automotive, medical, and other high-tech industries.

Product overview

FHR Anlagenbau GmbH offers a comprehensive portfolio of vacuum coating systems and related services for thin film technology. The core product lines include: FHR.Line (inline systems for large-surface substrates and high-volume production), FHR.Roll (roll-to-roll systems for flexible foils up to 1.6m web width), FHR.Star (cluster systems for wafers and small-area substrates), FHR.Star-EOSS® (precision optics systems for highest-precision optical coatings), and FHR.Boxx (boxcoater systems for small series and pilot production). Supporting the equipment portfolio, the company provides custom-developed sputtering targets with multiple bonding options (metallic, epoxy, elastomer, nano), an in-house coating service for sampling and small series, and comprehensive customer service including technical support, maintenance, training, and original spare parts. Additional services include sputtering target recycling and special/customized system engineering. The company serves markets including energy (photovoltaics, solar thermal), optics, microelectronics, display applications, automotive, medical technology, lighting, architecture, and decoration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FHR.Line: Inline vacuum coating systems for large-surface substrates and high-volume production/series production
• FHR.Roll
• FHR.Star
• FHR.Boxx
• FHR.EOSS

Products and services

• FHR.Line (Inline Vacuum Coating Systems) Inline vacuum coating systems for large-surface substrates and high-volume series production, serving display, automotive, and architectural glass applications.
• FHR.Roll (Roll-to-Roll Vacuum Coating Systems) Roll-to-roll vacuum coating systems for foils and flexible substrates, enabling high-throughput deposition of insulation layers (SiN, SiO, SiON) and PIN semiconductor coatings, including for CIGS and organic photovoltaic production.
• FHR.Star (Cluster Vacuum Coating Systems) Cluster vacuum coating systems for wafers, chips, and small-area substrates, supporting R&D, small-batch semiconductor, and precision process development.
• FHR.Star-EOSS (Precision Optics Coating Systems) High-precision sputtering systems for optical filters, antireflective coatings, and other precision optical layers on substrates up to 300mm diameter.
• FHR.Boxx (Boxcoater Systems) Boxcoater vacuum coating systems targeted at small series and pilot production, offering ease of use for batch-style applications.
• Sputtering Targets Custom-developed and manufactured sputtering targets (consumables for PVD/sputtering systems), with metallic, epoxy, elastomer, and nano bonding options, plus a target recycling service.
• Bond Service (Metallic, Epoxy, Elastomer, Nano bonding) Bonding services for sputtering targets including metallic (indium) bonding, epoxy resin bonding, elastomer bonding at room temperature, and nano bonding with nanoreactive film.
• Coating Service (Beschichtungsservice) In-house coating service for sampling and small-series production runs, enabling customers to qualify processes on FHR systems before equipment purchase.
• Customer Service & Maintenance Technical support, preventive maintenance and repair, original spare parts, technical training, technical audits, expansion and modernization (retrofit), and machine relocation services for installed FHR systems.
• Target Recycling Service Recycling service for used coating materials (sputtering targets), supporting sustainability and reducing material costs for customers.

Quantifiable outcome

• TCO layers achieve specific electrical resistance of 5×10⁻⁴ Ohm×cm with 87% transmission (vs. 92% for uncoated glass)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature12 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• VMET (Vital Micro-Electronics Technology)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2019VMET is FHR's manufacturing partner in China for efficient production of modular thin film coating systems. Located in Xuzhou with nearly 340 employees, the facility features 14,000 m² production area and 10,000 m² R&D space. Operational since 2021, VMET enables high-volume manufacturing while FHR maintains engineering expertise.
• SERIS (Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 November 2013Research collaboration initiated in 2013 for developing new Transparent Conductive Oxide (TCO) coatings. Long-standing relationship supporting innovation in photovoltaic technology.
• Heliatek GmbHminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 July 2010Partnership for building the first vacuum coating plant for organic solar cells at Heliatek's Dresden facility (2010-2011). FHR developed a highly integrated production line for organic solar cells combining vacuum process technology, molecular layer structuring, and plastic foil lamination.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Von Ardenne GmbH: German vacuum coating equipment manufacturer specializing in PVD, sputtering, and PECVD systems for photovoltaics, glass coating, and electronics. Direct competitor to FHR in roll-to-roll and inline vacuum deposition equipment with overlapping customer base in solar and architectural glass.
• Bühler Leybold Optics: Swiss manufacturer of vacuum coating systems for precision optics, eyewear, automotive, and electronics applications, acquired from Leybold. Direct competitor to FHR in optical coating systems (FHR.Star-EOSS) and large-area glass coating (FHR.Line).
• ULVAC, Inc. Japanese vacuum equipment manufacturer producing sputtering, evaporation, PECVD, and ALD systems for semiconductors, displays, and solar. Direct competitor to FHR in cluster and inline vacuum deposition platforms serving semiconductor and display customers globally.
• Veeco Instruments Inc. US-based supplier of thin-film deposition equipment including sputtering, MBE, and ALD systems for semiconductor, photonics, and specialty applications. Comparable to FHR in precision optics sputtering (FHR.Star-EOSS competes with Veeco's SPECTOR system) and semiconductor deposition tools.
• Singulus Technologies AG: German manufacturer of thin-film deposition and wet-chemical processing equipment for solar, semiconductor, disc/media, and optics applications. Direct peer to FHR in CIGS and thin-film solar production equipment, with a similarly project-based business model.

Broad incumbents

• Applied Materials, Inc. Global semiconductor and display equipment giant with extensive thin-film deposition (PVD, CVD, ALD) product portfolio. While much larger and broader than FHR, it competes in the same semiconductor, display, and solar thin-film deposition markets and sets pricing/technology benchmarks.
• CemeCon AG: German provider of PVD coating equipment and contract coating services, primarily for cutting tools and precision components. Comparable to FHR in PVD coating technology and as a contract coating service provider, with overlap in tool/mold making applications.
• Oerlikon Balzers: Swiss PVD and surface treatment company providing both coating equipment and contract coating services for automotive, tooling, and industrial applications. Comparable to FHR in PVD technology and as a coating service provider, though broader in scope and scale.

Emerging players

• Kenosistec S.r.l. Italian manufacturer of roll-to-roll vacuum coating systems for flexible substrates, plastics, and metal foils. Comparable niche competitor to FHR's FHR.Roll platform in flexible substrate and web coating equipment, particularly for European customers.
• HEF Group: French specialist in surface treatment and PVD coating services for automotive, aerospace, and industrial components. Comparable to FHR's coating service business and PVD technology application, with overlap in tribological and wear-resistant coatings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@fhranlagenbaugmbh3987
• Facebookfacebook.com/FHRAnlagenbau
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fhr-anlagenbau-gmbh
• Instagraminstagram.com/fhr_anlagenbau_gmbh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 FHR Anlagenbau GmbH