Krah

What Krah does

Krah GmbH is a German family-owned engineering and manufacturing company headquartered in Schutzbach, Westerwald, founded by Karl-Heinz Krah in 1968 and led today by General Manager Dr. Alexander Krah and CFO Thomas Bednorz. The group employs approximately 80 people in Germany and is structured across four wholly-owned operating subsidiaries: KAT GmbH (Krah Advanced Technologies GmbH) develops and manufactures the production machinery; KHB Maschinenbau GmbH & Co. KG produces mandrels and steel constructions on the same site; Krah Pipes GmbH & Co. KG delivers pipe engineering services; and KHB GmbH handles sales and distribution.

The company's core offering is its proprietary helical extrusion (spiral-wound) production technology for large-diameter plastic pipes ranging from DN/ID 300mm to DN/ID 5000mm. The flagship KR Production Line (single-screw extrusion, output up to 1,500 kg/hr) and KDR Production Line (twin-screw with in-line compounding of fillers such as CaCO3 or glass fibre) together cover profiled, structured-wall, and solid-wall pipes in HDPE or polypropylene for gravity, low-pressure, and pressure applications. Supporting software includes MICKEY (pipe profile design), WIN-KDR (NC programming, up to 99 layers), and PONTIS (production data management), plus a Krah Pipes Android app for hydraulic and volume calculations. Pipes are joined via an integrated electrofusion socket/spigot system producing a homogenous, leak-free system claimed to deliver 100+ years of service life and earthquake resistance up to magnitude 9; the Solid One plant extends the same process into tanks and apparatus up to 5,000mm diameter and 250mm wall thickness.

Krah monetizes the platform through (i) one-time capital-equipment sales of complete plants, (ii) technology licensing and royalties through the Krah Community of authorized pipe producers, (iii) engineering services (feasibility, training, know-how transfer), and (iv) direct pipe production at Krah Pipes GmbH for infrastructure projects. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Customers span municipal and government water/wastewater utilities, licensed pipe manufacturers globally, and industrial end-users needing storage tanks; documented projects include INSTALPLAST in Ukraine (DN 1600 SN10 sewer collector, 2016), Metro Manila flood-prevention drainage, and a KR800-MAX line sold into the Middle East in 2018. The firm operates with no external investors and no disclosed funding, funding rounds, or revenue figures.

Name

Krah

Legal name

Krah GmbH

Website

https://krah.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Krah GmbH, a German family-owned firm founded in 1968, produces helical extrusion pipe production lines for large-diameter plastic pipes (DN 300–5000mm). It sells machinery, licenses technology through the Krah Community, and manufactures pipes for municipal and industrial customers worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Plastic Pipe Production Machinery and Large-Diameter Pipe Systems

NAICS

Plastics Pipe and Pipe Fitting Manufacturing (326122)

akta.pro primary industry

Plumbing & Building Drain/Waste/Vent (DWV) Pipe & Fittings (IMANADAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Industrial Process & Chemical-Resistant Pipe Systems (CPVC/PVDF/PP) (IMANADAF), Pipe Fittings, Couplings & Connectors (IMADALAD)

Keywords

• Plastic pipe production
• Helical extrusion technology
• Pipe production machinery
• Large diameter pipes
• Water infrastructure systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Schutzbach

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. Pipe Production Machine Sales: Sale of complete plastic pipe production plants (KR and KDR series) and associated equipment for manufacturing large diameter pipes from DN/ID 300mm to DN/ID 5000mm
2. Technology Licensing: Licensing of Krah helical extrusion technology for pipe manufacturers to produce pipes under the Krah brand through the Krah Community
3. Engineering Services and Turn-key Solutions: Full technical solutions including feasibility studies, technical calculations, production training, and know-how transfer for pipe manufacturers
4. Pipe Production (Krah Pipes GmbH): Direct pipe production through their subsidiary company Krah Pipes GmbH & Co. KG for infrastructure projects

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Krah designs, develops, produces, and sells helical extrusion pipe production technology and large-diameter plastic pipe systems ranging from DN/ID 300mm to DN/ID 5000mm. The company manufactures complete production plants (KR and KDR series), large-diameter HDPE/PP pipes, fittings, manholes, tanks, and proprietary electrofusion jointing systems. It also provides turn-key engineering solutions, technology licensing through the Krah Community, and proprietary software for pipe design and production management.

Product overview

Krah Group is a German manufacturer of large-diameter plastic pipe production technology. The product portfolio centers on helical extrusion pipe production technology capable of producing pipes from DN/ID 300mm to DN/ID 5000mm. The core offerings include the KR Production Line (single screw) and KDR Production Line (twin screw for filler materials), supported by Solid One equipment for tank production. Krah produces and sells both production machinery and pipes manufactured on that equipment. Key software tools include MICKEY (pipe design), WIN-KDR (NC programming), and PONTIS (production data management), plus a mobile app. Jointing is achieved through proprietary electrofusion technology with integrated socket/spigot systems. The company operates a Community model providing engineering services and knowledge transfer to pipe manufacturer partners worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Krah Pipes: Large diameter plastic pipe products (DN/ID 300 to DN/ID 5000 mm) including gravity pipes, pressure pipes, manholes, fittings, and tanks
• Krah Machines
• KRAH Community
• HAS (House Connection System)

Products and services

• KR Production Line Single screw helical extrusion production line for manufacturing large diameter pipes (DN/ID 300-5000mm), fittings, manholes, and tanks. Features output up to 1,500 kg/h and produces structured or solid wall pipes according to DIN16961, ISO4427 and EN13476 standards. Sold to pipe manufacturers.
• KDR Production Line Twin screw helical extrusion line using Krah Comtruder Technology for compounding filler materials (CaCO3, glass fiber) with polyethylene or polypropylene during production. Enables up to 40% reduced wall thickness for pressure pipes and up to 200% increased stiffness for buried pipe applications. Sold to pipe manufacturers.
• Solid One Production Plant Helically wound tank and apparatus production plant for manufacturing solid wall tanks from DN/ID 1000mm to DN/ID 5000mm, with wall thickness 5mm to 250mm and maximum length 7 meters. Produces chemical storage tanks, drinking water tanks, and industrial containers from PE or PP materials. Sold to pipe manufacturers and industrial customers.
• Krah Pipes Large diameter plastic pipes produced using helical extrusion technology, ranging from DN/ID 300mm to DN/ID 5000mm, made from HDPE (PE80, PE100) or polypropylene (PP-R, PP-H, PP-S), available as profiled/structured wall or solid wall pipes for gravity, pressure, and low-pressure applications with integrated electrofusion jointing. Sold to municipalities, utilities, and contractors.
• Krah Fittings Complete range of pipe fittings including bends (any angle), reducers (centric and eccentric), branches (15° to 90°), T-branches, Y-branches, flanges, and stub-ends, all manufactured from Krah pipe materials with identical characteristics and jointing options. Sold to contractors and infrastructure projects.
• Krah Manholes PE-HD manholes and chambers for maintenance and inspection, available as system shafts (smaller dimensions) and tangential shafts (larger dimensions). Designed for full highway traffic load (HLC60) and can be installed in high groundwater areas, up to DN/ID 5000mm. Sold to municipalities and contractors.
• Electrofusion Jointing System Integrated electrofusion socket and spigot jointing technology with fusion wire in the socket enabling rapid, homogenous, leak-free pipe connections. Allows installation of 72m of 1200mm diameter pipe within 8 hours using single welding device. Welding time approximately 20 minutes for any diameter. Sold with Krah pipes and as standalone jointing equipment.
• Manhole Fabrication Center MF 200 5-axis machining center for fabricating manholes with tangential, centric, or eccentric configurations. Produces custom cutouts according to project requirements using both vertical and horizontal machining capabilities. Sold to pipe manufacturers.
• HAS (House Connection System) House connection fittings for DN 150 (OD 160) and DN 200 (OD 225) pipes enabling quick, economical connection to main PE pipes with permanent welding for leak-free installation. Sold to utilities, municipalities, and contractors.
• Welding Machines and Hand Extruders Electro fusion joint equipment and welding devices for permanent pipe connections according to DVS 2207-1 standards, including equipment for extrusion welding and butt fusion applications. Sold to contractors and pipe installers.
• Krah Pipes App Android mobile application providing pipe calculation tools including hydraulic calculations, electrofusion guidelines with barcode scanning, volume calculations for storm-water retention tanks, and offline functionality. Available for free download; supports engineers, contractors, and pipe installers.
• MICKEY Software Pipe profile design and optimization software that calculates optimal wall structures for specified stiffness and pressure requirements, supporting multiple international standards (ISO9969, ASTM F894) and generating production parameters. Sold to pipe manufacturers operating Krah machines.
• WIN-KDR Software NC programming software that converts pipe and machine information into production programs for Krah lines, handling up to 99 layers in single or bi-directional production, with direct LAN connectivity to production equipment. Sold with KDR Production Lines.
• PONTIS Production Management Software Web-based production data management application connecting machine operations to office systems, providing real-time dashboards for idle time, material/energy/gas consumption, pipe counts, and automated daily/weekly/monthly/yearly reports. Sold to pipe manufacturers operating Krah machines.

Quantifiable outcome

• 40% reduction in wall thickness for pressure pipe applications
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• battenfeld-cincinnati: battenfeld-cincinnati is a leading global manufacturer of plastic extrusion equipment with a broad product portfolio. Its pipe extrusion lines compete with Krah's helical extrusion technology in the plastic pipe machinery market.
• REHAU: REHAU is a German polymer products manufacturer with a significant pipe systems business for building services and infrastructure. REHAU's pipe division overlaps with Krah Pipes in supplying polymer pipe solutions to construction and utility customers.
• Advanced Drainage Systems: ADS is a major North American manufacturer of large-diameter corrugated plastic pipes for storm water and wastewater. ADS competes with Krah Pipes in supplying large-diameter plastic pipe systems to infrastructure customers.
• KraussMaffei Group: KraussMaffei is a large German industrial machinery group whose extrusion division supplies pipe extrusion lines. It competes with Krah in plastic pipe production equipment while serving many other machinery segments.
• Pipelife: Pipelife is a leading European plastic pipe manufacturer offering drainage, sewer, and water supply systems. It is comparable to Krah Pipes as both produce large-diameter plastic pipes for civil infrastructure applications.
• Amut: Amut is an Italian manufacturer of plastic processing machinery including extrusion lines for pipes and profiles. Amut competes with Krah in supplying pipe production equipment to plastic pipe manufacturers globally.
• Uponor: Uponor is a Finland-based global provider of plastic pipe systems for plumbing, heating, and infrastructure. Uponor's infrastructure solutions are comparable to Krah's offerings in pipe systems for water and wastewater applications.
• Wavin: Wavin is a major European plastic pipe manufacturer (part of Orbia) supplying water, gas, and sewage systems. Wavin competes with Krah Pipes in large-diameter plastic pipe systems for municipal and infrastructure customers.

Direct peers

• Corma: Corma designs and manufactures plastic pipe corrugators and extrusion systems. Corma directly competes with Krah in the equipment layer, supplying large-diameter pipe production lines to global pipe manufacturers.
• Unicor: Unicor manufactures corrugated plastic pipe extrusion equipment using helical winding technology, directly competing with Krah in supplying large-diameter pipe production machinery to manufacturers worldwide.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCFlP6aPjDG8XzsOlldbxTqA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/krah-ag
• Instagraminstagram.com/derkrah
• Facebookfacebook.com/Krah-Group-100076746682795

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries4 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 Krah