ProWork

What ProWork does

ProWork is an inclusive contract manufacturing, packaging, and labor-leasing business unit of FAB (Verein zur Förderung von Arbeit und Beschäftigung), a nonprofit association headquartered in Linz, Upper Austria. Operating 8 production facilities across 6 Upper Austrian cities (Linz, Wels, Steyr, Vöcklabruck, Ried im Innkreis, Braunau), ProWork delivers assembling, metalworking, CNC machining and turning, packaging solutions, co-packing, and POS display construction to industrial and commercial clients, alongside accompanied temporary staffing (Arbeitskräfteüberlassung) of workers with disabilities. Its technical capabilities include CNC milling and turning (up to 1000 x 600 x 550 mm work envelope), MIG/MAG/TIG welding, metal cutting/bending/punching, and end-to-end packaging lines — all backed by ISO 9001:2015 quality and ISO 14001 environmental certifications and ETI Base Code membership.

ProWork's business model is B2B professional services, with quote-based project pricing and multi-year enterprise contracts. Revenue streams are split across contract manufacturing (Lohnfertigung), contract packaging (Lohnverpackung), and accompanied staff leasing (Arbeitskräfteüberlassung), with go-to-market executed through direct key-account sales led by a dedicated sales contact. ProWork employs more than 700 people, of whom 590 are people with disabilities — 330 in own production and 260 placed via supported temporary staffing — serving 500+ companies and operating under the Upper Austrian Equal Opportunities Law as the largest provider of protected employment in the region. Named enterprise customers include Nestlé Österreich (POS display partnership since the 1980s with a 1-million-display milestone in September 2020), Mondi, Rosenbauer, Solarfocus, PCE, MKW, and GEBOL, with the FAIR GEPACKT consumer label co-developed with food retailers extending the social-impact proposition into retail supply chains.

Name

ProWork

Legal name

Verein zur Förderung von Arbeit und Beschäftigung (FAB)

Website

https://prowork.at

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

ProWork is the inclusive contract manufacturing, packaging, and labor-leasing division of FAB in Upper Austria, operating 8 facilities to serve 500+ industrial and retail clients with 700+ employees, of whom 590 are people with disabilities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Linz

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Lohnfertigung (Contract Manufacturing): Fee-based manufacturing services where clients outsource production steps. Services include metalworking, CNC machining, assembling, and metal processing charged on a per-project or per-service basis.
2. Lohnverpackung (Contract Packaging): Packaging and co-packing services including tray packaging, display building, labeling, and fulfillment. Revenue generated through packaging service fees.
3. Arbeitskräfteüberlassung (Staff Leasing): Temporary staffing services placing employees with disabilities in client companies. Revenue model based on staffing fees for matched labor.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

ProWork is the contract manufacturing and packaging business unit of FAB, providing industrial outsourcing services to industry and trade in Upper Austria, Austria. The company offers assembling (electro and component assembly), metalworking (cutting, bending, welding, painting), CNC machining (milling and turning), packaging solutions, co-packing, and POS display construction. It also provides accompanied temporary labor leasing placing workers with disabilities at client companies.

Product overview

ProWork is an inclusive contract manufacturing company offering a unified portfolio of industrial outsourcing services. The core offerings include Assembling (electro and component assembly, cable assembly), Metallbearbeitung (metal processing with cutting, bending, welding, painting), CNC-Lohnfertigung (CNC milling and turning), Verpackungslösungen (comprehensive packaging including tray and shelf-ready solutions), CO-Packing (contract packaging and repacking), and POS-Display (point-of-sale display construction and filling). These manufacturing and packaging services are complemented by Arbeitskräfteüberlassung (temporary labor leasing with accompanied placement of workers with disabilities) and the FAIR GEPACKT initiative. The company operates as part of FAB (Verein zur Förderung von Arbeit und Beschäftigung) and focuses on creating protected employment for people with disabilities in Upper Austria.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FAIR GEPACKT: A label initiative by FAB ProWork, the food retail sector, and producers to mark products packaged by people with disabilities, representing inclusion and quality.

Products and services

• Assembling Contract assembly services including electro-assembly, component assembly, cable assembly, partial assembly, and complete assembly solutions for converting individual parts into finished products. Targeted at industrial companies seeking to outsource assembly operations.
• Metal Processing (Metallbearbeitung) Contract metalworking services covering metal cutting, bending, punching, welding, and painting using a modern machine park and in-house welding and painting facilities. Serves industrial customers needing outsourced metal processing capacity.
• CNC Contract Manufacturing (CNC-Lohnfertigung) CNC machining services including milling and turning for metal, sheet metal, and plastic, using CNC metal circular saws for precision cutting and machining operations. Serves automotive, machinery, medical technology, and electrical engineering industries.
• Packaging Solutions (Verpackungslösungen) Comprehensive packaging solutions including tray packaging, shelf-ready packaging, and custom foil packaging with services spanning storage, inventory management, quality control, and EAN labeling. Serves industrial customers needing outsourced packaging operations.
• Co-Packing Contract packaging services including repacking, co-packing, and accompanying services such as labeling, picking, and packaging process optimization for disposition, storage, and packaging material management.
• POS Display Construction and Filling Point-of-sale display construction and filling services, including display construction, stocking of built displays, creative packaging, and sales display solutions for compelling product presentation. Long-running use case with Nestlé for confectioning POS displays.
• Labor Leasing (Arbeitskräfteüberlassung) Accompanied temporary labor services placing workers with disabilities in companies throughout Upper Austria, providing supported employment opportunities with teams at multiple locations including Linz, Wels, Ried im Innkreis, and Vöcklabruck.

Quantifiable outcome

• 590 people with disabilities secured employment through FAB ProWork services
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Nestlé ÖsterreichcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2020Long-standing partnership since the 1980s with Nestlé for POS display manufacturing and product confectioning. 90 employees with disabilities work on confectioning tasks at the Linz facility. Joint development of the FAIR GEPACKT label to identify products packed by people with disabilities. Milestone of 1 millionth display built achieved in September 2020.
• FAB (Verein zur Förderung von Arbeit und Beschäftigung)coreOthersProWork is a division/subsidiary of FAB (Association for the Promotion of Work and Employment), a non-profit organization based in Linz, Upper Austria. FAB is an expert organization member of the Expertis Group and operates under the Upper Austrian Equal Opportunities Law. FAB provides the organizational framework and social mission for ProWork's inclusive employment model.
• Land Oberösterreich (Upper Austrian State Government)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFAB ProWork operates on behalf of the Upper Austrian State Government as the largest provider of protected employment in the region. The state government provides the framework and support for the inclusive employment mission under the Oö. Chancen-Gleichheitsgesetz (Upper Austrian Equal Opportunities Law).
• FAIR GEPACKT Initiative (Food Retailers and Producers)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerFAIR GEPACKT is an initiative involving FAB ProWork, food retailers, and food producers to promote inclusive employment. The label appears on products to inform consumers about the social impact of their purchase, supporting integration of people with disabilities in the workforce.
• BBRZ GruppeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProWork benefits from close networking within the BBRZ Group (rehabilitation and integration organization) for continuous improvement and development of the business division.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Randstad Austria: Austrian arm of global staffing firm providing temporary labor leasing to industrial and manufacturing customers. Overlaps with ProWork's labor-leasing line of business but does not operate contract manufacturing.
• ManpowerGroup: Global staffing and workforce solutions provider covering industrial labor leasing across Austria and DACH. Comparable on supported employment and staffing services but operated as a for-profit at scale far larger than ProWork.
• Adecco Group: Global staffing leader providing labor leasing and workforce solutions including to industrial clients in Austria. Comparable on the Arbeitskräfteüberlassung revenue stream but lacks ProWork's social mission and contract manufacturing scope.

Direct peers

• BBRZ Gruppe: Austrian rehabilitation and labor market integration organization providing supported employment and training services; named partner of ProWork and competes for the same disability employment mandate.
• Caritas Österreich Werkstätten: Austrian non-profit operating sheltered workshops and contract manufacturing/labor services for people with disabilities. Same Verein/non-profit DNA as FAB ProWork and overlapping Upper Austrian customer base.
• Lebenshilfe Werkstätten (Germany): German sheltered workshop network providing manufacturing, assembly, and packaging services employing people with disabilities. Same protected employment model under German Werkstättenrecht.
• Lebenshilfe Werkstätten (Austria): Austrian sheltered workshop network providing manufacturing, assembly, and packaging services employing people with disabilities. Directly comparable operating model, regulatory framework, customer segments, and service mix to ProWork.
• Diakonie Deutschland Werkstätten: German Protestant social enterprise network operating sheltered workshops offering manufacturing, packaging, and labor-leasing services. Same mission and contractual manufacturing model as ProWork, serving similar industrial customers.
• Wfb-Mackenbach / WfB Group Germany: German sheltered workshop group combining contract manufacturing, packaging, and assembly with rehabilitation services. Geographic adjacent peer with the closest regulatory analog to Austria's Chancen-Gleichheitsgesetz.
• Diakonie Österreich Werkstätten: Austrian Protestant social enterprise running sheltered workshops and contract services for disadvantaged workers, including production and packaging lines. Directly comparable mission-driven industrial services model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/verein.fab.at
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/prowork-ein-unternehmen-von-fab

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 ProWork