Aqua Concept

What Aqua Concept does

aqua-concept GmbH, founded in 1978 and headquartered in Gräfelfing bei München, Germany, develops, manufactures, and services water treatment chemicals, equipment, and compliance services for industrial customers. Its proprietary chemical portfolio spans the coragard®, AC-QUEST, moracid®, fontagard®, and AC-BION product families — covering corrosion inhibition, hardness stabilization, biocidal disinfection, and fountain care — complemented by engineered equipment (DWF series softeners, UON/UOR reverse osmosis systems, BT4b/BT5b dosing pumps, AC-mat 315/320 MT blowdown controllers, Testomat 2000 analyzers) and the cora/cora con® heat transfer fluid line for geothermal, solar thermal, cold district heating, and E-mobility cooling applications. Drinking water treatment is delivered via wholly-owned subsidiary SCHICHT GmbH.

The company operates a vertically-segmented, sales-led go-to-market combining a Service Center in Gräfelfing, on-site technical service teams with accredited sampling personnel, and a large distribution and reseller network across Germany and Poland. Revenue is generated across four streams: recurring chemical product sales (consumption-based), equipment hardware sales, professional services (VDI 2047/VDI 6044 risk assessments, maintenance, commissioning, laboratory analytics), and VDI-certified training programs (more than 5,000 participants and 450+ sessions conducted to date). Pricing is quote-based and tailored per system with multi-year contracts. The company's defensible position rests on regulatory engagement (active participation in VDI 6044 guideline development, exclusive VdS certification for coragard® CS 342 in sprinkler systems, six VDI-certified trainers, compliance with 42. BImSchV) rather than on technology differentiation alone.

The firm employs 51-100 people, operates no disclosed funding, and is privately held by management/founders. Customer segmentation spans industrial manufacturing, fire protection/sprinkler systems, building technology/HVAC, fountain operators/municipalities (notably Munich's nearly 700 fountains), and an emerging data center cooling vertical. Geographic reach is Germany-wide with a distribution-led presence in Poland; no global footprint is claimed.

Name

Aqua Concept

Legal name

aqua-concept GmbH

Website

https://aqua-concept-gmbh.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

aqua-concept GmbH, founded 1978 in Gräfelfing near Munich, develops proprietary chemicals, equipment, and technical services for industrial water treatment — serving industrial, fire protection, HVAC, municipal, and data center customers across Germany and Poland.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Water Treatment

NAICS

Soap and Cleaning Compound Manufacturing (32561), Totalizing Fluid Meter and Counting Device Manufacturing (334514), Environmental Consulting Services (541620)

SIC

Specialty Cleaning, Polishing And Sanitation Preparations (2842), Industrial Organic Chemicals (2860)

akta.pro primary industry

Water Treatment & Process Specialty Chemicals (IMAEABAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Monitoring & Control (Dosing Systems, Remote Monitoring, Sensors) (BPABAJAK), Equipment Installation & Upgrades (Automation, Covers, Sanitizers) (HSAIALAJ)

Keywords

• Industrial water treatment
• Water treatment chemicals
• Heat transfer fluids
• Cooling water systems
• Water purification equipment

Headquarters

HQ city

Gräfelfing

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Water Treatment Chemicals: Sale of proprietary chemical products including corrosion inhibitors (coragard®), hardness stabilizers (AC-QUEST), biocides (moracid®, AC-BION), and fountain care products (fontagard®). Products sold in various container sizes with recurring consumption based on system requirements.
2. Water Treatment Equipment: Sale and installation of water treatment equipment including softening plants (CWF, EWF, DWF series), reverse osmosis systems (UON, UOR series), dosing pumps (BT4b, BT5b), and blowdown controllers (AC-mat).
3. Professional Services: Comprehensive service offerings including risk assessments (VDI 2047, VDI 6044), maintenance and commissioning, system cleaning/decalcification, Legionella control, and laboratory analytics services.
4. Training Services: VDI-certified training programs including VDI 2047 Blatt 4 (evaporative cooling systems) and VDI 3679 (wet separators). Training provided in-person, online, and in-house with certification.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Aqua Concept develops, manufactures, and sells water treatment chemicals and equipment for industrial water circuits, cooling systems, heating systems, and process water applications. The company offers proprietary chemical product lines (coragard® corrosion inhibitors, AC-QUEST hardness stabilizers, moracid® and AC-BION biocides, fontagard® fountain care), heat transfer fluids (cora con®), water treatment equipment (softening plants, reverse osmosis systems, AC-mat automation, Testomat analyzers), and supporting professional services including VDI-certified training, risk assessments, and laboratory analytics.

Product overview

Aqua Concept offers a comprehensive portfolio of water treatment products and services organized into two main competence centers: Industrial Water (Industriewasser) and Heat Transfer Fluids (Wärmeträgerfluids), supported by a Research and Development Laboratory and Service & Energy division. The product portfolio includes three major chemical product lines: coragard® (corrosion protection products including CS 342 for sprinkler systems, CS 330, CS 380, CS 381, CS 709), fontagard® (fountain care products including R1, K1, S2, M1/M2), moracid® and AC-BION (biocide and disinfection products), and AC-QUEST (hardness stabilizers). Equipment offerings include AC-mat automated blowdown controllers, Testomat 2000 analysis systems, water softening plants (DWF series), and reverse osmosis systems (UON/UOR series). Services encompass hazard assessments per VDI 2047, training programs as VDI-certified partner, laboratory analytics, system cleaning and disinfection, and compliance with German regulations including 42. BImSchV and VDI guidelines. The company also provides drinking water solutions through subsidiary Schicht GmbH.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• cora con®: Product line for environmentally friendly heat transfer fluids for industrial, building technology, geothermal, and solar thermal applications.
• fontagard®
• coragard®
• moracid®
• AC-QUEST
• AC-BION
• careblue®
• AC-mat
• Bioticare

Products and services

• coragard® Corrosion Protection Products Proprietary corrosion inhibitor product line including CS 330 (frost protection coolant), CS 342 (VdS-certified for sprinkler systems), CS 380/381 (environmentally friendly inhibitors for closed and semi-open circuits), and CS 709 (low-conductivity inhibitor for deionized water systems), for industrial cooling and heating circuits.
• AC-QUEST Hardness Stabilizers Specialized hardness stabilizers (AC-QUEST 100, 370, 400, 405, 410, 415) for industrial cooling water circuits that prevent limescale deposits, featuring low-phosphate and environmentally friendly formulations.
• moracid® and AC-BION Biocides Broad-spectrum biocides and bio-dispergators including moracid® 120, 331, 506, 550, OX 125, OX 193 and AC-BION OX 100, 300, 512, 851 for industrial water circuit Legionella and biofilm control, with AOX-free formulations.
• fontagard® Fountain Care Products Complete fountain care program including R1 (acidic cleaner), R2 (neutralization), K1 (disinfection), S2 (hardness stabilization), and M1/M2 (biocides) for professional decorative fountain maintenance.
• cora con® Heat Transfer Fluids Heat transfer fluid product line for geothermal, solar thermal, and industrial applications combining highest efficiency, safety, and environmental protection, including frost protection and glycol products.
• AC-mat Automation Systems AC-mat 315 and AC-mat 320 MT microprocessor-controlled blowdown control systems for industrial water circuits with conductivity control and biocide dosing automation.
• Water Softening Systems (DWF Series) Industrial water softening plants using ion exchange technology for removing calcium and magnesium ions, available as single and double systems with capacities from 35 to 2,000 m³×d.
• Reverse Osmosis Systems (UON/UOR Series) Reverse osmosis systems for full desalination of water in industrial applications, ranging from 90 l/h to 10,000 l/h capacity.
• Industrial Water Treatment Services Comprehensive water treatment services including physical water treatment, chemical water treatment, systems engineering, analytics, risk assessments per VDI 2047, and compliance with 42. BImSchV and VDI 3679 for industrial facilities.
• Laboratory Services In-house laboratory research, development, optimization, analytics, antifreeze measurements, and anticorrosive measurements for chemical and microbiological water parameters.
• VDI-Certified Training Programs Certification training for VDI 2047 Blatt 4 (evaporative cooling systems) and VDI 3679 (wet separators), conducted as VDI-certified training partner with six authorized instructors, delivered in-person, online, and in-house.
• VDI 2047 Hazard Assessment Services Professional risk assessment services according to VDI 2047 guidelines including risk analysis, risk evaluation, and action planning for evaporative cooling towers and wet separators.
• Bioticare Green Product Line Environmentally friendly product line for industrial water treatment emphasizing green chemistry and reduced environmental impact.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1mm limescale buildup reduces heat transfer efficiency by 20%
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SCHICHT GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSCHICHT GmbH is a wholly-owned subsidiary of aqua-concept GmbH specializing in drinking water solutions. The subsidiary handles all drinking water treatment services including drinking water hygiene, analyses, disinfection and cleaning, drinking water treatment, and installation and maintenance. The subsidiary operates under the motto 'Unser Fachbetrieb für Ihr Trinkwasser' (Our specialist company for your drinking water).
• Geiger Facility ManagementminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGeiger Facility Management is listed as a reference customer, indicating a working relationship for water treatment services in facility management operations.
• VDI (Verein Deutscher Ingenieure)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAqua Concept is a VDI-certified training partner (VDI-GBG Schulungspartner) with six authorized instructors. The company has been actively involved in developing the VDI 6044 guideline and offers certified training programs for VDI 2047 and VDI 3679 guidelines.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Solenis: Global specialty chemicals manufacturer focused on water-intensive industries including industrial water treatment, with a comparable product portfolio of biocides, scale inhibitors, and corrosion protection chemicals. Directly comparable in B2B industrial water chemistry and recurring chemical model.
• ChemTreat (Danaher): US-based subsidiary of Danaher providing industrial water treatment chemicals and equipment for cooling, boiler, and process water. Directly comparable in proprietary chemical formulations (corrosion inhibitors, biocides, scale inhibitors) and recurring service model.
• Kurita Water Industries: Japanese-headquartered global specialty chemicals and water treatment company supplying corrosion inhibitors, biocides, and process water chemicals to industrial customers. Directly comparable in product categories (cooling/heating water chemicals), regulatory-led value proposition, and recurring consumable model.
• BWT AG (Best Water Technology): Austrian-headquartered European water treatment company offering chemicals, equipment, and services for industrial, commercial, and residential water applications. Closely comparable to Aqua Concept in geography (DACH/Europe), product breadth (chemicals + hardware + service), and target segments (industrial cooling, heating, drinking water).
• Accepta Water Treatment: UK-headquartered specialty chemical manufacturer focused on industrial water treatment chemicals and equipment for cooling towers, boilers, and closed systems. Comparable in product categories, customer segments (industrial facility operators), and regulatory-driven value proposition.

Broad incumbents

• Ecolab: US-headquartered global leader in water, hygiene, and infection-prevention solutions, including the Nalco Water division for industrial cooling and boiler water treatment. Overlaps with Aqua Concept's industrial water chemicals and service portfolio but at vastly greater scale and global reach.
• Pentair: US-headquartered global water solutions company offering industrial water treatment equipment, filtration, and flow control. Overlaps with Aqua Concept's equipment portfolio (softening, reverse osmosis) but operates at significantly larger scale across multiple end markets.
• Suez Water Technologies & Solutions: Global water treatment and waste management division of Suez offering chemicals, equipment, and services for industrial and municipal water applications. Comparable in cooling-water chemistry, boiler treatment, and industrial service offerings but at vastly larger scale and broader geographic reach.
• Veolia Water Technologies: Global water-treatment division of Veolia offering chemicals, equipment, and services for industrial cooling, boiler, and process water. Overlaps heavily with Aqua Concept's industrial water and heating-system offerings but serves a much broader international customer base.

Regional players

• Grünbeck Wasseraufbereitung: German family-owned water treatment company specializing in softening, filtration, and disinfection equipment plus service for residential and light-commercial customers. Comparable as a German mid-sized water-treatment specialist but skewed more toward drinking-water/residential than industrial process water.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xxing.com/companies/aqua-conceptgesellschaftf%C3%BCrwasserbehandlungmbh
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCS7nTAgUFSdMbHS_o7TVbjQ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aqua-concept-gmbh

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Aqua Concept