KELCH AG

What KELCH AG does

KELCH AG (legal entity Kelch GmbH, headquartered at Werkstr. 30, 71384 Weinstadt, Germany) is a precision tool manufacturer serving the metal cutting and machining industry for over 80 years since its 1945 founding. The company designs and manufactures tool holders (HSK, PSC, SK Steilkegel in DIN and JIS/MAS variants), precision boring and cooling systems (FLEXIBORE®, CoolStream®), tool setting devices organized into the KENOVA set line across BASIC, INDUSTRIAL, and PREMIUM tiers, thermal shrink-fit clamping equipment (i-tec®M), metrology and quality control devices (Safecontrol 4.0, measuring mandrels, alignment tools), vertical balancing machines (TB 100, TB 200), cone cleaners (RoWi II, RoWi III, automatic variants), and a TUL workshop logistics line covering tool carriers, transport carts, benches, shelving, and cabinets. Manufacturing is positioned as Made in Germany with seven registered trademarks protecting the proprietary product families.

The company monetizes primarily through one-time hardware sales across its six product categories, supplemented by professional services under the Smart Factory Services umbrella (Engineering Services, Tool Services, Financial Services) plus calibration, warranty, maintenance, repair, and RMA returns management. Go-to-market is sales-led and event-driven: direct enterprise sales supported by on-site and online consultation, premium trade show presence (notably a 120 sqm booth at AMB Stuttgart 2026) where the executive team engages customers directly, an owned e-commerce storefront (kelch-shop24.de) for mid-market buyers, and a US subsidiary (KELCH Inc.) covering North America. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, with a tiered product architecture (BASIC/INDUSTRIAL/PREMIUM) that spans entry-level through high-end precision users. Customer focus is the zerspanende Industrie (machining industry) including CNC machine tool operators and Smart Factory / Industry 4.0 implementations; no named customer logos are publicly disclosed.

Name

KELCH AG

Legal name

Kelch GmbH

Website

https://kelch.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1945

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Kelch AG is an 80+ year-old German precision tool manufacturer serving the metal cutting industry with tool holders, tool setting devices, metrology, shrink-fit clamping, balancing machines, and workshop logistics, sold direct, via e-commerce, and through a US subsidiary.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Precision Tool Manufacturing

NAICS

Special Die and Tool, Die Set, Jig, and Fixture Manufacturing (333514), Rolling Mill and Other Metalworking Machinery Manufacturing (333519), Instruments and Related Products Manufacturing for Measuring, Displaying, and Controlling Industrial Process Variables (334513)

SIC

Machine Tools, Metal Cutting Types (3541), Metalworkg Machinery & Equipment (3540), Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)

akta.pro primary industry

Metal Cutting Tools, Tooling & Workholding (Cutters, Inserts, Chucks, Fixtures) (IMAHADAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Metrology, Inspection & Machine Tool Accessories (CMMs, Probing, Gauging) (IMAHADAK)

Keywords

• Precision tool holders
• Tool setting devices
• Measuring and testing equipment
• Workshop logistics solutions
• Shrink fit technology

Headquarters

HQ city

Reiden

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Precision Tools Sales: Sale of precision tool holders including HSK, PSC, SK Steilkegel, FLEXIBORE®, and CoolStream® systems
2. Tool Setting Devices: Manufacturing and sale of tool setting equipment across BASIC, INDUSTRIAL, and PREMIUM lines (KENOVA set line series)
3. Testing & Measuring Equipment: Sale of precision measuring and testing equipment including Safecontrol 4.0, measuring pins, and alignment tools
4. Workshop Logistics: TUL tool carriers, transport carts, workbenches, shelves, and cabinets for workshop organization
5. Professional Services: Smart Factory Services including Engineering Services, Tool Services, Financial Services, calibration, maintenance, repair, and warranty services
6. Shrinking Technology: i-tec®M shrinking devices and accessories for thermal tool clamping

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

KELCH AG manufactures precision tools, tool holders, tool setting devices, and metrology equipment for the metal cutting (zerspanende) industry. Its portfolio includes HSK/PSC/SK taper tool holders, the KENOVA set line of tool setting devices (BASIC, INDUSTRIAL, PREMIUM), FLEXIBORE® boring systems, CoolStream® cooling systems, i-tec®M shrinking devices, Safecontrol 4.0 measuring equipment, vertical balancing machines, cone cleaners, and TUL workshop logistics. The company also offers Smart Factory Services covering engineering, tool management, calibration, warranty, repair, and financial services for machine tool operators.

Product overview

KELCH AG is a precision tool manufacturer serving the metalworking (zerspanende) industry for over 80 years, offering a comprehensive portfolio of tool holders, tool setting devices, metrology equipment, and workshop logistics solutions. The product range is organized into three main lines for tool setting devices (BASIC line, INDUSTRIAL line, and PREMIUM line) featuring the KENOVA set line family (V244, V3, H3, V6xx, V9xx), precision tool holders (HSK, PSC, SK Steilkegel in various standards), the FLEXIBORE® flexible boring system and CoolStream® cooling systems, workshop logistics solutions (TUL tool carriers, transport carts, workstations), testing and measuring equipment (Safecontrol 4.0, measuring mandrels, alignment tools), cone cleaners (RoWi II, RoWi III, automatic variants), shrinkage technology (i-tec®M), and vertical balancing machines (TB 100, TB 200). Services include Smart Factory Services (engineering, tool services, financial services), calibration, warranty, repair, and returns management. The company emphasizes 'Made in Germany' quality with complete 'Rundum-sorglos-Paket' (all-inclusive) service packages.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• KENOVA set line: Tool setting device product line including V244, V3, V346, V366, H3, V6xx, V9xx/V9xx-S models
• BASIC line
• INDUSTRIAL line
• PREMIUM line
• Safecontrol 4.0
• FLEXIBORE®
• CoolStream®
• RoWi
• i-tec®M
• TUL
• Smart Factory Services

Products and services

• KENOVA set line V244 Tool setting device from the KENOVA set line INDUSTRIAL tier designed to operate without compressed air, used in metal cutting and machining operations.
• KENOVA set line V3 Tool setting device from the KENOVA set line INDUSTRIAL tier for CNC machining applications, enabling accurate tool positioning prior to use.
• KENOVA set line H3 Horizontal tool setting device from the KENOVA set line INDUSTRIAL tier for horizontal tool measurement and setting.
• KENOVA set line V6xx Premium line tool setting device for high-precision tool measurement in demanding machining environments.
• KENOVA set line V9xx / V9xx-S Top-tier KENOVA set line tool setting device offering maximum precision for high-end CNC machining applications.
• Safecontrol 4.0 Testing and measuring equipment for quality control in machining operations, verifying tool performance and condition.
• RoWi II Cone cleaner device for maintaining tool holder taper cleanliness to ensure accurate tool seating.
• RoWi III Updated cone cleaner for tool holder taper maintenance, designed for cleaner production environments.
• Automatic Cone Cleaner Automatic cone cleaner for automated taper cleaning processes in production environments.
• i-tec®M Shrinkage device for thermal tool clamping technology, enabling secure shrink-fit tool holding.
• TB 100 Vertical balancing machine for dynamic balancing of tool holders to ensure smooth machining operation.
• TB 200 Vertical balancing machine with enhanced capacity for industrial balancing applications on larger tools and tool holders.
• FLEXIBORE® (KFS) Flexible boring system for adjustable precision boring operations with hollow shaft cone connections.
• CoolStream® Cooling system for precision tools, providing targeted coolant delivery during machining applications.
• Measuring Mandrels (Messdorne) Measuring mandrels for precision measurement of tool holders and workpieces in quality assurance.
• HSK Hollow Shaft Taper Tool Holders Hollow shaft taper tool holders manufactured according to DIN standards for precision machining interfaces.
• PSC Polygon Shaft Taper Tool Holders Polygon shaft taper tool holders designed for modern high-performance machine interfaces.
• SK Steep Taper Tool Holders (DIN 69871) Steep taper tool holders manufactured according to DIN 69871 standard for conventional machine spindles.
• SK Steep Taper Tool Holders (JIS-B6339 / MAS403BT) Steep taper tool holders for Japanese JIS standard machines conforming to MAS403BT specification.
• Sonderwerkzeuge (Custom Special Tools) Custom special tools manufactured to customer specifications for specialized machining applications.
• TUL Tool Carriers Tool carriers for organized workshop tool logistics, enabling efficient storage and retrieval of tools.
• TUL Transport Carts Transport carts and accessories for safe handling and movement of tools and workpieces in workshops.
• TUL Workbenches, Shelves & Cabinets Workshop benches, shelves, and cabinets for organized tool storage and workspace setup.
• Alignment Tools for Tool Changers Alignment tools for tool changers that ensure precise positioning and reliable tool changes on CNC machines.
• Measuring Gauges for HSK Tool Shafts Measuring gauges for HSK tool shafts used in quality control to verify tool holder conformance.
• Assembly Block (Montage-Block) Assembly block for precision tool mounting and setup procedures during tool preparation.
• Smart Factory Services Comprehensive service package including inventory analysis, planning, system integration, process implementation, and digitalization of machining tasks in production.
• Engineering Services Technical engineering support for manufacturing integration projects as part of Smart Factory Services.
• Tool Services Specialized services for tool management, optimization, and lifecycle support as part of Smart Factory Services.
• Financial Services Financing and financial solutions for equipment acquisition as part of Smart Factory Services.
• Measuring Equipment Calibration Calibration services for measuring and testing equipment to maintain measurement accuracy and compliance.
• KELCH Warranty & Maintenance Warranty coverage and maintenance packages for KELCH products to ensure long-term reliability.
• KELCH Repair Service Professional repair services for KELCH precision equipment to restore operational condition.
• Returns Management (RMA) Returns management service handling product servicing, exchanges, and warranty returns.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Kennametal: US-headquartered tooling and metalworking solutions provider with extensive tool holder, cutting tool, and digital tool management offerings. Comparable to KELCH as a broad incumbent operating across metal cutting and precision tooling.
• Sandvik Coromant: Global market leader in metal cutting tools, tool holders, and digital tooling solutions (CoroPlus). Comparable as an incumbent that overlaps with KELCH on tool holders and increasingly on digital tool management, but with vastly larger scale and product breadth.
• Walter Tools (Walter AG / Walter USA): German premium tooling brand under the United Grinding Group, specializing in precision tools, tool holders, and digital services (Tool Management). Comparable to KELCH on tool holders and Industry 4.0 tool data services.
• Guhring: German-based manufacturer of rotary cutting tools, tool holders, and special tools. Comparable to KELCH as a broad metalworking tool supplier with overlapping tool holder and special tool (Sonderwerkzeuge) product lines.

Direct peers

• Schunk: German workholding and tool clamping specialist. Comparable to KELCH across tool clamping, HSK/PSC interfaces, and precision tool management accessories for CNC machining centers.
• OTT-JAKOB: German tool clamping technology manufacturer specializing in shrink and hydraulic clamping systems. Comparable to KELCH's i-tec®M shrinking and HSK/PSC tool holder lines, serving premium CNC machine builders and end-users.
• MAPAL: German precision tooling manufacturer focused on reaming, boring, and tool holding. Comparable to KELCH on the precision boring and tool holder side (FLEXIBORE-style products) and on serving the machining industry.
• BIG KAISER: Swiss-headquartered precision tooling specialist offering tool holders, boring tools, and shrink systems. Directly comparable to KELCH on HSK/PSC precision tool holders and on the metal cutting value proposition.
• HAIMER: German-based precision tool holder, shrinking, balancing, and tool setting specialist. Closely comparable to KELCH across shrink technology (HASCO/Haimer shrink chucks), tool presetting, and balancing machines, serving the same CNC machining customer base.

Emerging players

• Eppinger: German precision tool manufacturer focused on driven and static tool holders as well as special tooling. Comparable to KELCH as a niche mid-sized player in precision tool holding and special tools for the metal cutting industry.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 KELCH AG