What Klinkau does

Klinkau GmbH + Co. KG is a privately held, family-owned German manufacturer of plastic filter plates and filter elements for membrane and chamber filter presses, founded in 1981 and headquartered in Marktoberdorf, Germany. The company designs and produces a broad portfolio of filtration components — including plates & frames systems, chamber filter plates, and multiple variants of membrane filter plates (standard welded, empty chamber welded, overhanging replaceable, clip replaceable, and multi replaceable) — used in liquid-solid separation across chemicals & pharmaceuticals, water & wastewater treatment, mining & minerals, and food & beverage applications. Its technical differentiation rests on proprietary polymer compound development, including antistatic polypropylene materials certified for ATEX explosive atmospheres and LMBG-compliant food-grade materials for edible oil filtration, combined with a proprietary mass injection molding process for thick-walled components up to 240 kg shot weight and 150mm wall thickness.

The company operates a B2B enterprise model selling quote-based, customized filtration equipment through direct field sales supported by a global network of wholly-owned subsidiaries and sales offices across the USA, Malaysia, Italy, France, Australia, South Africa, Turkey, Poland, the Czech Republic, and China. Manufacturing is concentrated in Marktoberdorf with additional production in Salt Lake City (via the 2002-acquired EnviroTech Molded Products subsidiary) and Lodi, Italy. Revenue streams include core filter plate and element hardware sales, custom injection-molded components via the EnviroTech sub-brand, and technical service, process analysis, and training support. Certifications (ISO 50001, ATEX, LMBG) and ongoing capital expansion (most recently Production Hall West II in 2018) anchor the company's positioning as a problem-solving specialist in membrane plate filtration rather than a commodity supplier.

Name

Klinkau

Legal name

Klinkau GmbH + Co. KG

Website

https://klinkau.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Klinkau is a privately held German manufacturer of plastic filter plates and elements for membrane and chamber filter presses. Founded in 1981 and family-owned, it serves global chemicals, mining, water treatment, and food & beverage customers via wholly-owned subsidiaries in the USA, Malaysia, Italy, and other regions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Marktoberdorf

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Filter Plates and Elements: Klinkau generates primary revenue from the manufacture and sale of plastic filter plates including membrane filter plates, chamber filter plates, and plates & frames systems for filter presses used in liquid-solid separation applications.
2. Custom/Special Components: Revenue from custom injection-molded plastic components for industrial applications, including thick-walled parts, produced through their EnviroTech subsidiary.
3. Service and Support: Service revenue includes technical support, process analysis, filtration testing, on-site installation support, and training services for filter press operation and maintenance.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Klinkau manufactures and sells plastic filter plates — including Plates & Frames, Chamber Filter Plates, and a full range of Membrane Filter Plates (welded and replaceable variants) — used in membrane and chamber filter presses for liquid-solid separation across chemicals, food and beverage, mining, and water treatment applications. The company also produces custom thick-walled injection-molded plastic components under its EnviroTech brand, and provides technical support, process analysis, and filtration testing services.

Product overview

Klinkau is a worldwide leading supplier of plastic filter plates for membrane and chamber filter presses. The product portfolio centers on Plates & Frames systems, Chamber Filter Plates, and an extensive range of Membrane Filter Plates (Standard welded, Empty Chamber welded, Overhanging Replaceable, Clip Replaceable, and Multi Replaceable variants). Supporting offerings include Special Components with ATEX certification for explosive environments, Accessories, and EnviroTech branded mass injection molding products for thick-walled custom components. The company positions itself as problem solvers for membrane plate filtration and thick-walled injection molded parts, serving industries including chemicals, pharmaceuticals, food & beverage, mining & minerals, and wastewater treatment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• EnviroTech Custom Injection Molders: Custom injection molding company specializing in thick-walled, large-volume plastic components using mass injection molding process with shot weights up to 240 kg and wall thicknesses up to 150 mm.

Products and services

• Plates & Frames Classic plastic filtration elements for pressure filtration in filter presses at low pressure stages, enabling cake thicknesses of 10 to 60 mm. Designed for industrial liquid-solid separation applications.
• Chamber Filter Plates Evolution of plate and frame systems with integrated polypropylene frame, enabling filtration at pressures up to over 30 bar with improved stability for industrial liquid-solid separation.
• Membrane Filter Plates (Standard welded) Welded membrane filter plates for filtration processes with homogeneous chamber fillings and standardized process parameters, enabling efficient cake dewatering through membrane squeezing.
• Membrane Filter Plates (Empty Chamber welded) Welded membrane filter plates that can be used with underfilled or even empty filtration chambers without damaging the membrane during pressing, enabling dewatering of variable batch sizes.
• Membrane Filter Plates (Overhanging Replaceable Empty Chamber) Replaceable membrane filter plate with overhanging design, allowing simple membrane exchange even after years of use; preferred for drinking water and wastewater applications.
• Membrane Filter Plates (Clip Replaceable Empty Chamber) Replaceable membrane filter plate with clip locking system for force-locking membrane attachment without additional fastening elements; designed for corrosive applications without steel parts.
• Membrane Filter Plates (Multi Replaceable Empty Chamber) Replaceable multi membrane filter plate developed for elastomer membrane materials, featuring form-locking membrane fixation without additional sealing elements.
• Special Components Custom-made special components individually manufactured according to customer specifications, available in various plastics and material combinations for all industrial sectors.
• Special Components ATEX Explosion-proof special components with permanent antistatic properties and safe grounding for filtration processes where explosive gas mixtures may occur, certified according to ATEX regulations.
• Accessories Wide selection of accessory elements including pipe connection systems, flanges, valves, outlet angles, cloth screw connections, handles, cloth support knobs, inlet support rings, cake scrapers, and clamping rings for filter press systems.
• EnviroTech Mass Injection Molding Services Mass injection molding services for thick-walled, large-volume and heavy components with shot weights up to 240 kg and wall thicknesses up to 150 mm, using various technical polymers under the EnviroTech brand.

Quantifiable outcome

• Membrane filtration reduces filtration cycle time significantly by keeping the filtration phase in the high-performance range only
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves13 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Metso: Metso is a major incumbent in mining and minerals processing equipment, including filtration and dewatering solutions for tailings and concentrates. It competes with Klinkau in mining verticals and offers broader process equipment rather than specializing in filter plates.
• Alfa Laval: Alfa Laval is a global broad-line supplier of separation, heat transfer, and fluid handling equipment, including filtration solutions for industrial processes. It serves overlapping end markets (chemicals, food, water) but offers separation equipment as part of a much wider portfolio rather than specializing in filter plates.
• FLSmidth: FLSmidth supplies equipment and services for the minerals and cement industries, including filtration systems for mineral concentrates. It overlaps with Klinkau's mining and minerals vertical as a broader process-equipment incumbent.
• Parker Hannifin: Parker Hannifin is a diversified motion and control technologies company with a significant filtration business serving industrial, chemical, and process applications. It competes with Klinkau in select industrial filtration segments as part of a broader components portfolio.
• Eaton: Eaton's Filtration Division supplies industrial filtration products across hydraulic, process, and manufacturing applications. It is a broad incumbent in industrial filtration with overlapping customer segments but a much wider product portfolio than Klinkau.

Emerging players

• Sefar Group: Sefar is a leading manufacturer of precision monofilament fabrics and filter media used in solid-liquid separation, including filter press cloths. It is an adjacent and complementary supplier to Klinkau—its filter media are consumed by Klinkau's filter plates in the end filtration system.
• Heimbach Group: Heimbach is a specialist in technical textiles and filtration fabrics used in industrial filter presses, food processing, and chemical filtration. It is comparable as a filtration-component specialist serving overlapping verticals, though focused on filter cloth rather than filter plates.

Direct peers

• Lenser Filtration: Lenser is a German manufacturer of filter plates and filter press equipment, including membrane and chamber plates for industrial filtration. It competes directly with Klinkau in European chemicals, food, and wastewater markets.
• BHS Sonthofen (BHS Filtration): BHS Sonthofen is a German manufacturer of filter presses and filtration technology, including membrane and chamber filter plates. It is one of the closest direct competitors to Klinkau in industrial solid-liquid separation, particularly across chemicals, mining, and wastewater applications.
• Andritz Separation: Andritz is a global supplier of solid-liquid separation equipment, including filter presses and replacement filter plates serving mining, chemical, food, and wastewater end markets. It directly overlaps with Klinkau's primary verticals and competes on membrane filter press technology.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/klinkau-gmbh-co-kg

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries11 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 Klinkau