What CITO does

CITO (legal entity: CITO-SYSTEM GmbH) is a privately-held German industrial manufacturer that develops and sells precision consumables and tools for printing and paper converting processes. Founded over a century ago and headquartered in Nürnberg, Germany, the company serves diecutting operations, diemakers, offset and flexo printers, and packaging converters producing folding cartons, corrugated packaging, and displays, primarily across Europe with agency-led reach to more than 80 countries.

The product portfolio is organized into four lines. BoxLine covers consumables for diecutters, including the CITO ULTIMATE, DYNAMIC, BASICplus, and PLAST creasing-matrix families, cutting plates, cleaning agents, and makeready materials. FormLine serves diemakers with ejection materials, HS CITO cutting and creasing rules, counterboard materials (CITO Pertinax), stripping systems (CITO SECURE PRESSER 2.0, CITO LOCK), blanking components, and diemaking accessories. PrintLine targets offset and flexo printers with RSP inline finishing systems, antimarking solutions, and CITOCLYN cleaning agents. ProcessLine supplies measurement instruments for process optimization, including CITO CREASY, CITO CORRCHECK, and CITO CounterControl. Supporting these are digital tools—CITO Abacus (online calculation aid) and CITO-App (mobile creasing-matrix calculator)—plus a KnowHow portfolio of online seminars and inhouse training programs.

CITO operates as a B2B industrial supplier with quote-based, one-time-sale pricing tailored to product specifications and volumes. Distribution runs through five wholly-owned regional subsidiaries (Germany, UK, Italy, Czech Republic, Netherlands) and a global agency network, complemented by an owned e-commerce platform. Field sales, trade-fair participation, technical training, and customer-service support are the primary go-to-market levers.

Name

CITO

Legal name

CITO-SYSTEM GmbH

Website

https://cito.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1918

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

CITO (CITO-SYSTEM GmbH) is a German industrial manufacturer of precision consumables and tools for printing and paper converting, serving diecutters, diemakers, and offset/flexo printers worldwide through European subsidiaries and an agency network spanning over 80 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Printing Consumables

NAICS

Printing (32311), Printing and Related Support Activities (3231)

SIC

Converted Paper & Paperboard Prods (No Contaners/Boxes) (2670), Printing Trades Machinery & Equipment (3555)

akta.pro primary industry

Finishing, Converting & Die-Cutting Services (IMALAKAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Paper & Paperboard Packaging Converting & Finishing (Die-Cutting, Gluing, Windowing, Coating) (IMALACAL), Paper Converting Services (slitting, sheeting, coating, laminating, rewinding) (IMAMAHAJ)

Keywords

• Diecutting consumables
• Creasing matrix systems
• Diemaking accessories
• Print finishing tools
• Paper converting supplies

Headquarters

HQ city

Schwaig

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

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. Industrial Consumables Sales: CITO generates revenue through the sale of precision consumables and tools for printing and paper converting, including creasing matrices, cutting rules, ejection materials, stripping accessories, blanking components, and process measurement instruments. Products are sold as standard catalog items and custom solutions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

CITO manufactures and sells precision consumables and tools for printing and paper converting processes, including diecutting, creasing, stripping, blanking, and inline finishing. Its offering is organized into four product lines: BoxLine (consumables for diecutters such as creasing matrices, cutting plates, and makeready materials), FormLine (consumables for diemakers including ejection materials, cutting/creasing rules, counterboard materials, and stripping systems), PrintLine (inline finishing systems and antimarking solutions for offset and flexo printing), and ProcessLine (measuring instruments for process optimization). The company also provides digital calculation aids (CITO Abacus, CITO-App) and KnowHow training services.

Product overview

CITO is a middle-sized industrial company with over 100 years of technical know-how in printing and paper converting. The company operates as a multi-product platform organized into four main product lines: BoxLine (consumables for diecutters including creasing matrix systems like CITO ULTIMATE, CITO DYNAMIC, CITO BASICplus, and CITO PLAST, plus cutting plates, cleaning agents, and makeready materials); FormLine (consumables for diemakers including ejection materials, cutting/creasing rules, counterboard materials like CITO Pertinax, stripping systems such as CITO SECURE PRESSER 2.0 and CITO LOCK, blanking components, and toolmaking accessories); PrintLine (products for offset and flexo printing including RSP Inline Finishing systems, antimarking solutions, and flexographic cleaning agents like CITOCLYN); and ProcessLine (measuring instruments for process optimization including CITO CREASY, CITO CORRCHECK, and CITO CounterControl). Supporting these product lines are digital tools including CITO Abacus (online calculation aid) and the CITO-App (mobile application for creasing matrix calculation). The KnowHow section provides training services through online seminars and inhouse training programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BoxLine: Complete solutions for diecutting processes involved in folding boxes, corrugated boxes and displays
• FormLine
• PrintLine
• ProcessLine
• CITO-App
• CITO Abacus
• CITO ULTIMATE
• CITO DYNAMIC
• CITO BASICplus
• CITO PLAST
• RSP Inline Finishing
• CITO EasyFix
• CITO SECURE PRESSER 2.0
• CITO LOCK
• Angle-Lock Frames
• HS CITO Cutting Rules
• HS CITO Creasing Rules
• CITO CREASY
• CITO BREYE
• CITO CounterControl
• CITOCLYN
• FDS Mix Direct

Products and services

• BoxLine Complete consumables product line for diecutters, including creasing matrix systems (CITO ULTIMATE, CITO DYNAMIC, CITO BASICplus, CITO PLAST), cutting plates, cleaning agents, and makeready materials for folding boxes, corrugated boxes and displays.
• FormLine Consumables product line for diemakers, including ejection materials, cutting and creasing rules (HS CITO), counterboard materials (CITO Pertinax), stripping systems (CITO SECURE PRESSER 2.0, CITO LOCK), blanking components, and toolmaking accessories.
• PrintLine Products for offset and flexo printing, including RSP Inline Finishing systems, antimarking solutions, ink duct foils, creasing matrix for offset presses, and flexographic cleaning agents (CITOCLYN).
• ProcessLine Measuring instruments for process optimization in printing, diemaking and converting, including crease measuring devices (CITO CREASY), corrugated board measuring devices (CITO CORRCHECK), and cutting die measuring devices (CITO CounterControl).
• CITO-App Mobile application for calculating the optimum size of creasing matrix using a smartphone.
• CITO Abacus (Online Calculation Aid) Online calculation tool for determining the optimum creasing matrix size, supporting customers in product selection.
• KnowHow Training Services Training and development services for customers, including online seminars covering diecutting technology, diemaking, flexoprinting, and test/measuring equipment, plus inhouse training programs for flatbed and rotary diecutting.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced machine stops through controlled stripping processes
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature13 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• BOBSTcoreTechnology or IntegrationCITO has developed BOBST OEM Cutting Plates as a specialized product for BOBST diecutting equipment users. The company also produces centering blocks and accessories compatible with BOBST Quick Clamping Systems, indicating technical integration partnership for machine compatibility.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• BOBST: Swiss global leader in packaging machinery including diecutting, folding-gluing, and flexo equipment. BOBST is both a strategic partner (OEM Cutting Plates) and a broader incumbent offering converting equipment, consumables, and services overlapping with CITO's workflow coverage.
• Manroland Goss: German printing systems manufacturer for commercial, newspaper, and packaging applications. Overlaps with CITO at the offset press / inline finishing interface and competes for converting consumables budgets in mid-to-large print shops.
• Heidelberger Druckmaschinen: German printing press manufacturer with global footprint supplying commercial, packaging, and label printing equipment. Heidelberg competes with CITO indirectly through integrated offset press consumables and inline finishing solutions overlapping PrintLine.
• Koenig & Bauer: German printing press manufacturer serving packaging, commercial, and specialty printing. Koenig & Bauer competes with CITO through its consumables, service, and inline finishing offerings to packaging converters, particularly in corrugated and folding carton.
• BW Papersystems: Global supplier of paper converting and corrugated machinery including sheeters, folder-gluers, and packaging equipment. Overlaps with CITO at the converter interface and competes for share-of-wallet on consumables, parts, and service.
• BHS Corrugated: Global leader in corrugated machinery including corrugators and converting lines. BHS competes with CITO for the corrugator's consumables wallet (ejection, creasing, stripping) and increasingly offers its own branded consumables portfolios.

Emerging players

• Esko (Danaher): Provider of prepress, workflow, and digital diemaking software for packaging converters. Esko's digital diemaking solutions compete with CITO's traditional consumables by enabling converters to produce short-run tooling in-house, potentially reducing demand for CITO's FormLine products over time.

Direct peers

• Marbach Group: German-based manufacturer of diecutting tools, creasing rules, ejection materials, and counterboard materials. Marbach is the closest direct competitor to CITO in specialty diemaking and diecutting consumables, competing head-to-head across BoxLine and FormLine product categories.
• Sun Automation Group: US-based supplier of corrugated converting equipment and aftermarket parts. Sun Automation competes with CITO in the corrugated diecutting consumables and accessories segment, particularly for North American box plants.

Others

• Leonhard Kurz: German specialist in hot stamping foils, cold transfer, and decoration technologies for packaging and printing. Kurz is an adjacent supplier to CITO's converter customers, often co-specified on premium packaging jobs and a potential partner or competitor in inline finishing applications.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCQKfhf7lywtz-Dr9w68f9Ow
• Facebookfacebook.com/people/CITO-System-GmbH/61554336277895
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cito-system
• Instagraminstagram.com/cito_system

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries5 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 CITO