Hydro engineers GmbH

What Hydro engineers GmbH does

Hydro-Ingenieure Planungsgesellschaft für Siedlungswasserwirtschaft mbH is a privately held German engineering firm headquartered in Düsseldorf that has operated since October 1, 1982, delivering independent consulting and general planning services for municipal water and wastewater infrastructure. The group operates through three subsidiaries (Hydro-Ingenieure GmbH in Düsseldorf, Hydro-Ingenieure Energie & Wasser GmbH in Kaiserslautern/Karlsruhe/Darmstadt, and HI-Nord Planungsgesellschaft mbH in Osnabrück), employing 129 experts across five German locations and serving water associations, municipal drainage companies, utilities, cities, and selected industrial clients.

The firm's service portfolio is organized around six competencies: wastewater treatment plant planning (mechanical, biological, and 4th treatment stage for trace substance elimination), water resources and flood protection including Starkregenmanagement, energy recovery from wastewater (heat pumps, combined heat and power, energy autarky studies), BIM-based digital planning with digital twins and GIS integration, applied research and innovation, and micropollutant elimination. Technical delivery uses Autodesk Revit/Plant 3D/Civil 3D/Navisworks/Solibri, QGIS/ArcGIS, IFC 4, VDI 2552, and ISO 19650, with CFD and hydrodynamic simulation for hydraulic optimization. Reference projects include the world's largest cloth filter 4th treatment stage at Dortmund-Deusen (705,000 EW, commissioned April 2025), Kläranlage Luxembourg-Beggen general planning (~EUR 295M, 210,000 to 450,000 EW), and Klärwerk Emschermündung (1.6M EW).

Revenue is generated as professional services fees under the German HOAI (Honorarordnung für Architekten und Ingenieure) framework, with multi-year project-based contracts covering all service phases from feasibility studies through commissioning and operational support. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales targeting municipal and industrial buyers through public procurement (UVgO/VgV), direct client relationships, and industry event participation; there is no self-serve or productized channel. Ownership is concentrated among founding executives and management, with Björn Wunderlich as sole Managing Director since the end of 2022.

Name

Hydro engineers GmbH

Legal name

Hydro-Ingenieure Planungsgesellschaft für Siedlungswasserwirtschaft mbH

Website

https://hydro-ingenieure.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Hydro-Ingenieure is a privately held German engineering firm, founded 1982 and headquartered in Düsseldorf, that delivers independent general planning for municipal wastewater, water, and energy infrastructure across 5 locations and 129 experts, serving water associations, cities, utilities, and industrial clients under the HOAI fee framework.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Water and Wastewater Engineering Services

NAICS

Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213), Sewage Treatment Facilities (22132), Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (22131)

SIC

Water, Sewer, Pipeline, Comm & Power Line Construction (1623), Water Supply (4941)

akta.pro primary industry

Water, Wastewater & Hydraulics Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Design & Engineering for Renewal/Expansion (Pipelines, Pump Stations, Treatment Plants) (EUANALAD), Construction Management & Delivery (EPCM/CMAR/Design-Build Oversight) (EUANALAE)

Keywords

• Municipal wastewater engineering
• Water infrastructure planning
• BIM-based engineering services
• Micropollutant elimination
• Flood protection planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Düsseldorf

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Engineering and Planning Services (Generalplaner): Full-service engineering for municipal and industrial water/wastewater infrastructure: from feasibility studies through construction supervision and operational support. Revenue is project-based, generated across all HOAI (Honorary Order of Architects and Engineers) service phases, with projects ranging from small assignments to large-scale infrastructure projects (e.g., Luxembourg-Beggen at ~295M EUR).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Hydro-Ingenieure is an independent engineering consultancy providing full general planning (Generalplaner) for municipal water and wastewater infrastructure across all HOAI service phases (1–9), from feasibility study through commissioning and operational support. Core service lines cover wastewater treatment plant planning, water supply and flood protection, energy recovery from wastewater, BIM-based digital planning with digital twins, and specialized 4th treatment stage solutions for micropollutant elimination.

Product overview

Hydro-Ingenieure (Hydro-Ingenieure Planungsgesellschaft für Siedlungswasserwirtschaft mbH) is an independent engineering firm specializing in municipal wastewater management, water resources, and energy — founded in 1982 and headquartered in Düsseldorf with four additional offices in Kaiserslautern, Karlsruhe, Darmstadt, and Osnabrück. The company operates through three subsidiaries (Hydro-Ingenieure GmbH, Hydro-Ingenieure Energie & Wasser GmbH, and HI-Nord Planungsgesellschaft mbH) and employs 129 experts across its five German locations. The product portfolio consists of six core competency areas: (1) Abwasser — wastewater treatment plant planning including mechanical, biological, and chemical treatment stages, sludge processing, pumping stations, and sewer systems; (2) Wasser — flood protection, watercourse restoration, drinking water supply, heavy rainfall risk management, and sponge-city blue-green infrastructure; (3) Energie — wastewater heat recovery, combined heat and power, energy studies for energy autarky; (4) Digitale Planung — BIM-based planning with 3D modeling, digital twins, GIS integration (QGIS/ArcGIS), cloud collaboration (BIM 360/Dalux), and canal information systems; (5) Forschung & Innovation — active R&D in trace substance elimination, sludge treatment, energy recovery, and climate adaptation; and (6) Mikroverunreinigungen — the 4th treatment stage for trace substance elimination using ozonation, powdered/granular activated carbon, nanofiltration, and process combinations, backed by over 20 years of specialized expertise. As a Generalplaner (general contractor planner), the company integrates all HOAI performance phases from feasibility studies through commissioning and operation across all service lines.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Abwasser – Wastewater Treatment Plant and Sewer Planning
• Wasser – Flood Protection, Water Supply and Heavy Rainfall Management
• Energie – Wastewater Heat Recovery and Combined Heat and Power
• Digitale Planung – BIM-Based Planning, Digital Twins and GIS Integration
• Mikroverunreinigungen – 4th Treatment Stage / Micropollutant Elimination
• Forschung & Innovation – Water Sector R&D

Quantifiable outcome

• 705,000 EW treatment plant (Dortmund-Deusen) equipped with world's largest cloth filter installation for 4th treatment stage, achieving high removal rates of pharmaceuticals and industrial chemicals.
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers18 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration18 records

AI capability4 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• WiW mbH (Wupperatal)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2024Hydro-Ingenieure GmbH partnered with WiW mbH and ISA RWTH Aachen on the LANUV NRW project 'Mikroschadstoffreduktion NRW' (Micropollutant Reduction in NRW), commissioned in October 2024. The project collected operational data from fourth treatment stage facilities across North Rhine-Westphalia to produce a technical handbook on costs, sustainability, and process selection for 4th treatment stages.
• ISA RWTH Aachen (Institut für Siedlungs- und Wasserwirtschaft)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2024Collaborating on the LANUV NRW 'Mikroschadstoffreduktion NRW' project alongside WiW, delivering the technical handbook for 4th treatment stage process selection in North Rhine-Westphalia.
• Tectraa e.V.minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2024Partnered at the 'Energie- und Wasserstoffkongress der Großregion 2024' in Trier to present a feasibility study on utilizing electrolyzer oxygen on a wastewater treatment plant (for aeration or ozone generation in 4th treatment stages). Hydro-Ingenieure, Tectraa, and RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau collaborated on this initiative.
• RPTU Kaiserslautern-Landau (formerly TU Kaiserslautern)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2024Co-presented a feasibility study on electrolyzer oxygen utilization on wastewater treatment plants with Hydro-Ingenieure and Tectraa at the Energy and Hydrogen Congress of the Greater Region 2024.
• Forschungsinstitut für Wasserwirtschaft und Klimazukunft an der RWTH Aachen (FiW)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive research partnership with FiW at RWTH Aachen University. FiW is a key research institute for water management and climate future research, and Hydro-Ingenieure maintains membership and collaborative research activities with FiW.
• IWW Institut für Wasserforschung gemeinnützige GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration with IWW Institute for Water Research. Hydro-Ingenieure holds membership in this institute focused on water research and innovation.
• DWA (Deutsche Vereinigung für Wasserwirtschaft, Abwasser und Abfall e.V.)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive membership and participation in DWA working groups (e.g., ES 2.5 on flood risk management, M 285-2 on ozonation). Hydro-Ingenieure staff contribute directly to national guidelines and standards development in wastewater management.
• Fraunhofer Institut (specifically referenced in Weilerbach project)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFraunhofer Institut conducted additional tests for optimal design of high-load digestion at the Gruppenkläranlage Weilerbach, supporting energy autarky objectives.
• BIM2Water InitiativeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHydro-Ingenieure participates in the BIM2Water initiative, an annual event series focused on BIM in the water sector, supporting knowledge sharing and standard-setting in digital planning for water infrastructure.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Arcadis: Global design and consultancy firm with a strong European water practice; competes with Hydro-Ingenieure on major municipal wastewater and flood-resilience tenders and brings integrated digital/twin capabilities.
• AFRY (formerly Pöyry): Nordic-headquartered global engineering consultancy with a substantial water and wastewater practice serving German municipal utilities; competes on large-scale wastewater and treatment-plant mandates where Hydro-Ingenieure also bids.
• Ramboll: Danish engineering consultancy with a deep European water and wastewater practice, regularly bidding on German and Benelux municipal projects where Hydro-Ingenieure is also active.
• Sweco: Swedish-headquartered European engineering consultancy with a dedicated water practice; competes with Hydro-Ingenieure on large municipal WWTP and water infrastructure tenders across Germany and the DACH/Benelux region.
• CDM Smith: Global water and environmental engineering consultancy with European operations; competes with Hydro-Ingenieure on larger municipal wastewater and flood-protection programs.

Regional players

• Holinger AG: Swiss engineering firm specialized in water, wastewater, and energy infrastructure planning with a comparable HOAI-equivalent service profile; competes for cross-border DACH-region municipal mandates.

Direct peers

• Dahlem Beratende Ingenieure GmbH & Co. KG: Independent German engineering firm specialized in municipal water and wastewater planning, structurally comparable in size, scope (HOAI service phases 1–9), and customer base (municipal utilities, associations, and industry).
• Unger Ingenieure GmbH: German independent engineering firm focused on municipal water/wastewater planning and hydraulic engineering, with similar HOAI Generalplaner positioning and comparable municipal client base.
• BPI Ingenieurgesellschaft mbH: German engineering consultancy focused on water/wastewater and environmental infrastructure, with comparable scope across HOAI service phases and an overlapping municipal customer base in Germany.
• Steinbacher + Igel Ingenieure GmbH: Mid-sized German water and environmental engineering consultancy offering wastewater, water supply, and hydraulic engineering services to municipal clients — directly competing with Hydro-Ingenieure on tenders and serving overlapping geographies.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hydro-ingenieure

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Hydro engineers GmbH