Polymer-Gruppe

What Polymer-Gruppe does

Polymer-Gruppe is a family-owned German plastics compounding group founded in 1973 by Dr. Günter Hauf in Bad Sobernheim, Germany, and currently led by his son Dr. Gerald Hauf. The group modifies and refines polymers, primarily PVC, polyethylene, polypropylene, engineering plastics (PA, PET, PBT, TPE), bio-based PLA copolymers, and metal injection molding (MIM) feedstocks, operating 40+ production lines with stated annual compounding capacity of 180,000 tonnes across sites in Bad Sobernheim, Pferdsfeld, and Tula (Russia), with a major bioplastics expansion site in Idar-Oberstein in planning. The corporate structure centers on Polymer-Holding GmbH (parent, established 2015) and operating subsidiaries Polymer-Chemie (PVC), TechnoCompound (engineering compounds, including long glass fiber reinforced and carbon-fiber grades), Sun Alloys Europe (50:50 joint venture with Mitsui Chemicals for reactive PE/PP compounding), PolyMIM (MIM binder systems), SoBiCo (bioplastics, including the Plactid brand co-developed with Fraunhofer IAP), Polymer-Chemie Rus, and shared-services entities for logistics and technical services.

The company serves B2B industrial customers across automotive (the primary vertical, including OEMs and tier suppliers), construction (PVC profiles, pipes, window systems), consumer goods and packaging, and precision metal components (MIM feedstocks for electronics, medical, aerospace). Revenue is generated through custom compound manufacturing and toll compounding services on a fee-per-tonne basis, with quote-based pricing tied to compound specifications, volume, and formulation complexity; no public pricing is disclosed. Notable named customers include GM/Opel (three-time Supplier of the Year for PP recycling), Total (PP compound customer and former joint venture partner in Polyblend, divested in 2020), Clopay (PE chalk compounds for breathable diaper films), and Alcatel (PVC compounds for telecom cables).

Competitive positioning rests on proprietary formulations developed over five decades, novel PLA copolymer technology (Plactid, with elongation-at-break tunable from 3% to 300%), proprietary polyMIM and polyPOM binder systems, and an in-house Poly.ERP system for batch-level material traceability. Quality and sustainability credentials include ISO 9001, IATF 16949, ISO 50001, ISCC-Plus, and the Vinyl-Plus VSC sustainability certificate, the last of which was awarded to Polymer-Chemie as the first PVC compounder in Europe. Current strategic priorities center on bioplastics scale-up (€30-50 million planned Idar-Oberstein facility, 100,000 tonnes target capacity, 300 new planned jobs), sustainability differentiation via verified product carbon footprints, and long-term talent development including an endowed plastics professorship at TH Bingen.

Name

Polymer-Gruppe

Legal name

Polymer-Holding GmbH

Website

https://polymer-gruppe.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Polymer-Gruppe is a family-owned German plastics compounder founded in 1973, producing PVC, polyolefin, engineering, bio-based PLA, and MIM compounds across 40+ production lines for automotive, construction, packaging, and consumer goods customers in Europe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Polymer Compounding

NAICS

Custom Compounding of Purchased Resins (325991), Plastics Material and Resin Manufacturing (325211), Resin and Synthetic Rubber Manufacturing (32521), Plastics Packaging Film and Sheet (including Laminated) Manufacturing (326112)

SIC

Plastic Material, Synth Resin/Rubber, Cellulos (No Glass) (2820), Plastic Materials, Synth Resins & Nonvulcan Elastomers (2821)

akta.pro primary industry

Polymer Compounds & Masterbatches (Compounding, Color/Fill/Additive Concentrates) (IMAEANAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Commodity Plastic Compounds (PE/PP/PS/PVC) (IMANABAA), Bio-Based & Biodegradable Compounds (PLA/PHA/Starch Blends) (IMANABAF), Bio-based & Biodegradable Polymer Resin Manufacturing (PLA, PHA, PBS, PBAT) (IMANANAA)

Keywords

• Polymer compounding
• Plastic compounds manufacturing
• PVC compounds production
• Engineering plastics compounding
• Bioplastics manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Sobernheim

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom compound manufacturing: Development and production of custom plastic compounds based on customer formulations and requirements. Revenue generated from sale of compounded materials to automotive, consumer goods, and construction industries.
2. Toll compounding services: Contract manufacturing of compounds for large customers using their formulations. Manufacturing services provided on fee-per-ton basis.
3. Bio-compounds and PLA products: Sale of bio-based and biodegradable plastic compounds under Plactid and BioBatch brands for sustainable packaging and automotive applications.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Polymer-Gruppe is a family-owned industrial group that develops and manufactures customized plastic compounds (polymer compounding) for industrial customers. The portfolio spans PVC, polyethylene, polypropylene, engineering plastics (PA, PET, PBT, TPE), bio-based PLA copolymers, and metal injection molding (MIM) compounds, primarily serving the automotive, consumer goods, and construction industries.

Product overview

Polymer-Gruppe is a family-owned group of companies specializing in plastics compounding — the modification and refining of polymers. The company operates as a multi-subsidiary structure with Polymer-Holding as the parent company. The core product portfolio consists of PVC Compounds (SorVyl®), Polyethylene Compounds, Polypropylene Compounds, Engineering Compounds (PA, PET, PBT, TPE), Bio-Compounds (Plactid®, BioBatch, Lacto by SoBiCo), and MIM Compounds (polyMIM®, polyPOM® by PolyMIM). The company also produces specialty compounds like carbon-fibre compounds and biodegradable bioplastics. Production is organized across subsidiary companies: Polymer-Chemie (PVC), TechnoCompound (engineering and PP compounds), Sun Alloys Europe (reactive compounding), PolyMIM (metal injection molding compounds), and SoBiCo (bioplastics).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• polyMIM: Metal powder compounds for metal injection molding using water-soluble binder system
• polyPOM
• Plactid
• BioBatch
• Lacto
• SorVyl
• polyMIM
• polyPOM

Products and services

• PVC Compounds (SorVyl) PVC compounds including soft PVC granules (SorVyl), rigid PVC granules, and dryblends for extrusion and injection molding applications in automotive, construction, and consumer goods industries.
• Polyethylene Compounds

Quantifiable outcome

• First PVC compounder in Europe to provide individual CO2 footprint certificates to customers
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor, former core and core.

• Technische Hochschule BingenminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Establishment of endowed professorship 'Kunststoff- und Kautschuktechnik' (Plastics and Rubber Technology). Polymer-Group contributes funding and industry expertise. Addresses regional talent needs in plastics industry.
• Total Raffinage Chimie SA / TotalEnergiesformer coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Joint venture Polyblend GmbH established in 2015 with Total acquiring majority stake (68%) in 2014 and remaining 32% in 2020. Partnership focused on PP compound contract manufacturing. Polyblend now 100% owned by Total.
• Mitsui ChemicalscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005Joint venture Sun Alloys Europe (50:50) established in 2005 for reactive compounding of PE/PP compounds. Mitsui Chemicals partnership led to TPE compounds contract manufacturing transfer to joint venture. Enables access to Japanese technology and markets.
• Fraunhofer Institut für Angewandte Polymerforschung (IAP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-year collaboration on development of novel PLA copolymers using reactive compounding process. Project funded by Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture. Development resulted in Plactid bioplastic brand. Fraunhofer provided polymer synthesis expertise.
• Regional industry consortium for StiftungsprofessurminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiple industry partners including SIMONA AG, Freudenberg SE, Bito Lagertechnik, Allit AG, Treffert GmbH, IdePro GmbH, Papier-Mettler KG, Sekisui Alveo BS GmbH participate in steering committee for TH Bingen plastics professorship. Funded by companies, Sparkasse Rhein-Nahe, Bürkle-Stiftung, and Ministry of Science.
• Vinyl-PlusminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in VinylPlus initiative for sustainable PVC use in Europe. Polymer-Chemie received VSC sustainability certificate as first PVC compounder in Europe.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves17 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Celanese (Mobility Materials / Engineered Materials): Major producer of engineered polymers (PBT, PET, POM, TPE) for automotive and industrial uses; comparable to TechnoCompound's engineering plastics portfolio serving similar European OEMs.
• SABIC: Global petrochemicals incumbent with significant engineering plastics and compounding operations; a broader incumbent comparable to Polymer-Gruppe's engineering and specialty compound offerings.
• Sumitomo Chemical: Japanese chemical group with polyolefin, engineering plastics, and specialty compounding activities; comparable broad incumbent peer, especially via the Mitsui Chemicals partnership context.
• Borealis: Major European polyolefin producer (PE/PP) and compounder serving automotive, packaging, and construction; directly comparable to Polymer-Gruppe's PP and engineering compounds business.
• LyondellBasell: Global polyolefins and compounding leader (including the former A. Schulman compounder portfolio); a broad incumbent peer for Polymer-Gruppe's PP compound supply to automotive OEMs.
• Avient (formerly PolyOne): Global specialty polymer materials and compounding company; broadly comparable in custom compounding and masterbatch offerings across similar end markets.

Direct peers

• MOCOM Compounds (ALBIS Distribution): European specialty compounder offering tailored PP, PA, and bioplastic compounds; directly comparable to Polymer-Gruppe's custom compounding model across automotive and industrial customers.
• Akro-Plastic (Akro Engineering Plastics): German specialty compounder focused on engineering plastics (PA, PBT, POM) with custom formulation; comparable niche to TechnoCompound's engineering compounds portfolio.
• Ravago: Global plastics compounder and distributor headquartered in Belgium with broad PVC, polyolefin, and engineering compounds; the closest large-scale direct compounder peer to Polymer-Gruppe's PVC and PE/PP compounding activities.

Emerging players

• PolyMIM-type metal injection molding feedstock producers (e.g., Indo-MIM / Advanced Powder Products): Specialty producers of MIM feedstocks and binders for metal injection molding; directly comparable to PolyMIM GmbH's polyMIM and polyPOM binder-system offerings for precision metal parts.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries8 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 Polymer-Gruppe