What Sigrist does

Sigrist GmbH is a family-owned contract manufacturer headquartered in Pforzheim, Germany, specializing in technical metal finishing and electroforming. The company operates two divisions: E-Plate, which applies custom precious-metal electroplating coatings (gold, silver, nickel, copper, rhodium) to customer-supplied workpieces, and E-Form, which produces high-precision, self-supporting thin-walled components—primarily nickel metal bellows and cold shields for infrared sensors—via electroforming. Sigrist claims European market leadership in precision nickel bellows, with wall thicknesses as thin as 10 μm and bellows diameters from 2 mm to 20 mm. The company serves enterprise customers across five primary verticals: electronics and electrical engineering, medical technology, aerospace and defense, musical instruments, and specialized industrial applications such as pressure sensors and vacuum contacts.

The business model is quote-based B2B contract manufacturing with no subscription or self-serve channel. Each order is individually negotiated and confirmed in writing under standardized GTCs, with pricing adjusted to precious-metal spot prices where applicable. Export orders require full prepayment, and the company operates exclusively from its Pforzheim facility (ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001:2015 certified since 1996). The marketing approach is reputation-driven, relying on a bilingual website, trade-fair presence (notably Eurosatory for defense), and community engagement in the Pforzheim region. Two wholly-owned subsidiaries extend the platform: SOMI medical GmbH (founded 2015) provides cleanroom cleaning and sterile packaging, and LOGON OMF Bioactive Systems GmbH addresses dental implantology. The company is led by managing director Eric Sigrist, continuing family stewardship that began with Dieter Sigrist's 1979 acquisition of the predecessor Küffner OHG Galvanische Anstalt.

Name

Sigrist

Legal name

Sigrist GmbH

Website

https://sigrist.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sigrist GmbH is a family-owned Pforzheim-based contract manufacturer specializing in technical precious-metal electroplating (E-Plate) and high-precision electroforming of nickel bellows and cold shields (E-Form), serving enterprise customers in electronics, medical technology, aerospace, musical instruments, and specialized industrial applications.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Metal Finishing and Electroforming Services

NAICS

Electroplating, Plating, Polishing, Anodizing, and Coloring (332813), All Other Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing (33299)

SIC

Miscellaneous Fabricated Metal Products (3490)

akta.pro primary industry

Electroplating & Metal Finishing (Anodizing/Galvanizing/Passivation) (IMAIAKAE)

Keywords

• Precious metal electroplating
• Galvanic surface coating
• Electroforming services
• Nickel metal bellows
• Technical metal finishing

Headquarters

HQ city

Pforzheim

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Contract Manufacturing – Custom Electroplating (E-Plate): Sigrist provides custom galvanic metal finishing and surface coating services on a contract basis. Customers supply workpieces, Sigrist applies coatings to specifications. Pricing is quote-based and subject to precious metal spot price adjustments. Services include electronics connectors, medical device coatings, musical instrument plating, and special applications. Terms require acceptance of GTCs and specific delivery/pickup windows. No subscription or recurring revenue model; each order is individually negotiated and confirmed in writing.
2. Contract Manufacturing – Electroforming (E-Form): High-precision electroforming of self-supporting thin-walled metal components (bellows, cold shields) from design through to series production. Revenue generated per project/batch, with customers sourcing mandrels and raw materials. Rapid prototyping services are offered as part of the product development cycle. Payment terms for export orders require full prepayment. Professional services (design, prototyping, quality testing) are bundled into the per-project pricing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Sigrist provides custom contract manufacturing of metal finishing and surface coatings (electroplating) and electroformed components. Through its E-Plate division, the company applies technical precious metal coatings (gold, silver, nickel, copper, rhodium) onto customer-supplied workpieces for electronics, medical technology, musical instruments, and special industrial applications. Through its E-Form division, Sigrist designs and produces high-precision, self-supporting, thin-walled nickel metal bellows and infrared cold shields via electroforming, offering full product development from design through series production.

Product overview

Sigrist is a family-owned metal finishing and surface coating company based in Pforzheim, Germany, operating two main divisions: E-Plate and E-Form. E-Plate provides technical precious metal electroplating services including gold, silver, nickel, and copper coatings for electronics, special applications, medical technology, and musical instruments. E-Form specializes in high-precision electroforming, producing nickel metal bellows (where Sigrist is European market leader) and cold shields for infrared technology applications in aerospace, civil, and medical sectors. The company also offers comprehensive product development services including rapid prototyping and series production.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• E-PLATE: Electroplating division specializing in technical precious metal coatings for electronics, electrical engineering, medical technology, and musical instruments
• E-FORM

Products and services

• SIGRIST E-Plate Custom technical precious metal electroplating division serving electronics, electrical engineering, measurement and control, medical technology, and musical instruments with customer-specific gold, silver, nickel, copper, and rhodium coatings applied to client-supplied workpieces.
• SIGRIST E-Form Electroforming division producing high-precision, self-supporting, and thin-walled metal components (nickel bellows and cold shields) via the galvanoforming process, serving aerospace, civil, and medical thermal imaging customers.
• Electroformed Nickel Metal Bellows High-precision electroformed nickel metal bellows with diameters from 2mm to 20mm and wall thicknesses between 10-100 µm, featuring minimal setting behavior and used in printed circuit board assembly and precision industrial applications.
• Electroformed Cold Shields High-precision electroformed cold shields used in infrared (IR) technology for aerospace, civil, and medical thermal imaging cameras; protect infrared sensors from stray radiation by reflecting IR rays and absorbing indoor radiation.
• Electroforming Product Development Services End-to-end electroforming product development service covering construction, rapid prototyping, pilot production, and series production of self-supporting thin-walled parts, including precision grinding and post-processing, for industrial customers.

Quantifiable outcome

• European market leader in high-precision nickel metal bellows via electroforming
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SOMI medical GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015SOMI medical GmbH is a subsidiary of the Sigrist Group, founded in 2015 and located in Pforzheim. It specializes in the conception and realization of individual cleaning and sterile packaging solutions for medical devices, dental instruments, aerospace components, and electronic products. SOMI offers a full-service concept: from needs analysis to cleaning, assembly and packaging in cleanroom conditions, to controlled storage in the sterile warehouse and worldwide shipping. Sigrist cooperates with SOMI to offer bundled surface coating and cleanroom cleaning/sterile packaging services to medical technology customers.
• LOGON OMF Bioactive Systems GmbHminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLOGON OMF Bioactive Systems GmbH is part of the Sigrist Group. The company focuses on dental implantology solutions, presenting a comprehensively modernized total concept for dental implantology. LOGON shares headquarters with Sigrist and SOMI in Pforzheim, and employees across all three companies participate jointly in company events (summer festivals, bowling, company runs).
• ROT GRÜN BLAU Kreativagentur PforzheimminorOthersROT GRÜN BLAU is a creative agency based in Pforzheim responsible for the concept, layout, and programming of Sigrist's website.
• Aktion Deutschland HilftminorOthersSigrist regularly donates to 'Aktion Deutschland Hilft', an alliance of German aid organizations that provides disaster relief including medical supplies, food, psychosocial and financial support, hygiene packages, and emergency shelters. Donations have been made for Venezuela earthquake (€1,000), Ukraine war (€5,000), Turkey/Syria earthquake (€5,000), Morocco earthquake (€2,500), Libya floods (€2,500), Afghanistan earthquake (€1,000), Sudan crisis (€1,000), Philippines/Vietnam cyclones (€1,000), and Venezuela earthquake 2026 (€1,000). Sigrist has donated to this organization regularly for over 21 years.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Technic Inc. U.S.-headquartered specialty plating chemistry and equipment supplier serving electronics, semiconductor, and industrial finishing markets; directly comparable to Sigrist in precious metal plating chemistries for electronics.
• MKS Instruments (Atotech): Global surface finishing equipment and chemistry provider following the Atotech acquisition; serves electronics, automotive, and industrial finishing customers with a much broader portfolio than Sigrist's niche specialty focus.
• SurTec: German-headquartered specialty chemicals supplier for surface treatment, focusing on functional and decorative coatings; direct overlap with Sigrist's electroplating chemistry and process know-how in the German industrial market.
• Umicore: Belgian materials technology group with surface treatment and precious metals refining operations; competes with Sigrist in precious metal coating chemistries and recycling loops for gold, silver, rhodium, and other noble metals.
• Coventya: Global specialty chemicals company focused on surface treatment chemistries for decorative and functional coatings; broad incumbent offering that overlaps with Sigrist's E-Plate precious metal coatings in automotive and industrial segments.
• Aalberts Surface Technologies: European surface treatment group providing coating, heat treatment, and specialty finishing services across industrial segments; competes with Sigrist's E-Plate service offering at a much larger scale and broader geographic footprint.
• Dr.-Ing. Max Schlötter GmbH & Co. KG: German specialty chemicals supplier for electroplating and surface finishing with decades-long German industrial heritage comparable to Sigrist's Pforzheim-rooted galvanotechnics tradition.
• MacDermid Enthone Electronics Solutions: Major global supplier of plating chemistries and surface finishing solutions for electronics, automotive, and industrial applications; competes broadly with Sigrist's E-Plate gold/nickel/silver plating business for electronics connectors and contacts.

Direct peers

• BellowsTech: U.S. precision metal bellows manufacturer offering edge-welded and electroformed bellows; directly comparable to Sigrist's E-Form bellows product line for semiconductor, aerospace, and instrumentation applications.
• Servometer: U.S. manufacturer of precision electroformed nickel bellows and custom electrodeformed components; directly competes with Sigrist's E-Form bellows product line for applications in aerospace, instrumentation, and precision sensing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/sigristeplate
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sigrist-gmbh

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries2 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 Sigrist