What Cretec does

Cretec GmbH is a privately held German precision aluminum manufacturer founded in 2000 in Villingendorf near Rottweil, specializing in sterilization containers and related components for the medical technology sector, alongside industrial marking and labeling products. Its core production combines in-house CNC machining (milling, grinding, sandblasting) with proprietary sub-anodic printing (Eloxaldruck) and digital anodized printing (Digitaleloxaldruck) processes that embed pigments into the aluminum oxide layer, yielding finishes rated for temperatures up to 650°C and resistant to chemicals, steam sterilization, and abrasion. The company also produces implant trays, membrane and silicone keyboards for harsh environments, front and operating panels, system profiles, scales, and machine and identification plates, supplemented by a small line of Rottweiler-themed consumer souvenirs.

Cretec holds DIN EN ISO 13485:2016 certification for medical device manufacturing and operates as an OEM supplier to surgical instrument, dental instrument, implant, and medical device manufacturers, as well as industrial OEMs requiring durable labels and front panels. Its go-to-market is exclusively direct sales via website inquiry, phone, and email, with no resellers, e-commerce, or self-service ordering; products are manufactured to customer specifications with consultation. Pricing is on a project/per-order basis with a €30 net minimum order value and an €8 surcharge on sub-threshold orders; German VAT of 19% applies. The company is family-controlled, co-founded by Volker Dinies and Cajus Dinies, with Cajus serving as General Manager since 2005 and Michaela Dinies-Behrens handling accounting/HR; Oliver Köflitz-Schneider also appears as a Managing Director (Geschäftsführer). Geographic scope is concentrated in the DACH region, leveraging proximity to Tuttlingen, Europe's medical technology cluster. No external investors, funding rounds, subsidiaries, or acquisition activity are disclosed.

Name

Cretec

Legal name

Cretec GmbH

Website

https://cretec-design.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Cretec GmbH is a German precision aluminum manufacturer producing sterilization containers, implant trays, and anodized-printed industrial marking products for medical technology OEMs and industrial customers in the DACH region, with DIN EN ISO 13485:2016 certification.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Medical Device Components Manufacturing

NAICS

Surgical Appliance and Supplies Manufacturing (339113)

SIC

Coating, Engraving & Allied Services (3470), Plastics Products, Nec (3089)

akta.pro primary industry

Sterilization Consumables & Packaging (Wraps, Pouches, Indicators, Trays/Containers) (HLAHANAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Aluminum Trays, Pans & Foil Containers (Semi-Rigid) (IMALADAH)

Keywords

• Aluminum sterilization containers
• Medical device components
• Anodized printing services
• Industrial marking labeling
• CNC precision machining

Headquarters

HQ city

Villingendorf

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Aluminum Manufacturing: One-stop custom manufacturing of aluminum products including sterilization containers, implant trays, front panels, and bedienfronten (operating panels). Combines mechanical production and printing/finishing in-house.
2. Surface Finishing Services: Provides anodized printing, digital anodized printing, screen printing, laser engraving, and CNC engraving services on customer-supplied or company-manufactured aluminum parts and profiles.
3. Assembly and Wiring Services: Optional assembly and wiring of equipment units, including equipping and wiring of devices as value-added service alongside front panel manufacturing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Cretec manufactures aluminum sterilization containers, implant trays, membrane and silicone keyboards, front panels, operating panels, system profiles, scales, and identification plates for medical technology and industrial customers. The company combines in-house CNC machining with proprietary anodized printing (Eloxaldruck) and digital anodized printing (Digitaleloxaldruck) to deliver durable, sterilization-resistant and high-temperature-resistant finished products manufactured to customer-specific specifications.

Product overview

Cretec GmbH is a German manufacturing company specializing in industrial marking, labeling, and precision metalworking for medical technology and industrial applications. The company operates a one-stop-shop model offering mechanical manufacturing (CNC processing) combined with various printing and engraving techniques. Core products include aluminum sterilization containers and components for medical technology (representing their primary business), membrane and silicone keyboards for harsh environments, operating panels and front panels, and industrial identification products including system profiles, scales, machine plates, and identification plates. The company also offers consumer products featuring Rottweiler dog imagery. Manufacturing processes include digital anodized printing, anodized printing, CNC processing, CNC engraving, screen printing, laser marking, and etching.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sterilization Containers (Sterilisationsbehälter) Aluminum sterilization containers with customer-specific milled contours for surgical instruments, dental instruments, implants, and medical devices. Features color-coded anodized printing for identification, withstanding repeated steam sterilization and high temperatures.
• Sterilization Container Components Components for sterilization containers including lids, screw mounts, and inserts manufactured entirely by Cretec with color printing applied via the anodizing process.
• Implant Tray Aluminum implant trays combining a plastic enclosure (PPSU) with a milled aluminum insert. Features removable trays for sterilization and color coding to identify implant placement positions.
• Membrane Keypads (Folientastaturen) Membrane keyboards for safe data entry in greasy, moist, or dusty environments. Available with embossed keys, transparent windows, and snap domes, suitable for medical, pharmaceutical, and food industries.
• Silicone Keyboards (Silikontastaturen) Silicone keyboards for industrial and medical applications, offering sealed protection against moisture and contaminants.
• Operating Panels (Bedienfronten) Complete operating panels with mechanically manufactured front plates, anodized printing or screen printing, optional front foil or membrane keyboard, and backend assembly and wiring services.
• Front Panels (Frontplatten) Front panels manufactured from aluminum, steel, stainless steel, and plastic with options for anodized printing, screen printing, mechanical engraving, or laser marking.
• System Profiles (Systemprofile) Aluminum system profiles up to 2.50 meters finished with anodized printing or CNC engraving. Includes scales, rulers, dials, prismatic rods, and aluminum system profiles.
• Scales (Skalen) Precision scales and rulers for industrial applications, available in anodized printing (up to 2.50m) or CNC engraving (up to 1m for tubes). Includes arc scales and installation rulers.
• Machine Plates (Maschinenschilder) Machine and industrial signs including warning signs, information signs, and identification plates, produced via anodized printing, engraving, or laser cutting in various materials.
• Identification Plates (Typenschilder) Identification and type plates with anodized printing and laser engraving for machines, motors, vehicles, and equipment, featuring variable data customization.
• Rottweiler Keychains and Wall Art Rottweiler-themed keychains and wall art featuring local dog images, produced using digital anodized printing on aluminum, marketed as souvenirs from Rottweil.

Quantifiable outcome

• Temperature resistance up to 650°C for printed aluminum products
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Steris plc: Global leader in sterilization products and infection prevention services with extensive sterilization container and consumables catalog. Comparable in the same end-product category but operates at vastly larger scale and with broader geographic reach than Cretec.
• Medline Industries: Large U.S. medical supplies manufacturer offering sterilization packaging, instrument containers, and sterile-processing consumables. Operates as broad medical-supply incumbent serving hospital sterile-processing departments.
• Getinge AB: Swedish provider of sterilization equipment, infection control, and operating room solutions including sterilization containers and consumables. Competes with Cretec in reusable sterile processing but as a broad-portfolio medtech incumbent.
• 3M Health Care: Global manufacturer with sterilization packaging, sterilization monitoring, and infection prevention product lines. Competes broadly in sterile-processing consumables through massive scale and established hospital relationships.
• Aesculap (B. Braun): Subsidiary of B. Braun, Aesculap is a major German manufacturer of surgical instruments and sterilization containers. Offers overlapping sterilization container products as part of a much broader surgical portfolio, competing for the same OEM and hospital customers.

Direct peers

• Hu-Friedy: Manufacturer of dental and surgical instruments plus sterilization container systems (IMS — Instrument Management System). Directly comparable in serving dental/surgical OEM customers with reusable sterilization packaging solutions.
• Ritter Concept GmbH: Germany-based manufacturer of aluminum sterilization containers and sterilization accessories for medical technology. Closest direct competitor to Cretec, with overlapping product portfolio and similar customer base of surgical instrument and dental implant OEMs.
• Belintra: Belgium-based provider of sterilization logistics solutions including instrument trays and sterilization container systems. Competes with Cretec in reusable sterile-processing packaging for hospitals and instrument manufacturers.

Regional players

• Hawo GmbH: German manufacturer of heat-sealing devices and validation systems for sterilization packaging. Adjacent in the sterilization consumables workflow rather than container fabrication, but serves an overlapping DACH-region medical packaging customer base.
• Wipak (Wihuri Group): Finland-based producer of sterilization packaging films and pouch systems. Overlaps with Cretec in sterile barrier packaging for medical instruments but focuses on flexible films rather than rigid aluminum containers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cretec-gmbh

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Cretec