What Gerster does

Gerster TechTex GmbH is the technical-textiles and composites division of the family-owned Gustav Gerster GmbH & Co. KG, headquartered in Biberach an der Riß, Germany. The firm manufactures customized reinforcement textiles and composite materials — including tapes, knitted and woven fabrics, biaxial fabrics, preforming materials, hybrid textiles for organo sheets, hoses, profiles, flow aids, and antistatic brushes — combining fibers such as carbon and flax through weaving, knitting, and braiding processes. It serves B2B customers across seven verticals: aviation, wind energy, automotive, sports technology, orthopedic technology, authorities/military, and industrial/mechanical engineering, with proprietary sub-brands including Drapfix (highly drapeable biaxial fabric) and NFW® (non-flammable fiber composite material, demonstrated at Düsseldorf Airport).

The business model is sales-led and project-based: Gerster positions itself as a development partner rather than a catalog supplier, engaging customers through direct contact, custom engineering, prototype-to-series manufacturing, inspection and traceability services, and trade show presence (JEC World, JEC Forum DACH/Central Europe/Italy, Enforce Tac). Pricing is quote-based per individual agreement, transactions are B2B with merchants only under German law, and delivery tolerances of +/-10% apply. The firm holds ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001:2015 certifications (both successfully recertified/acquired in 2025) and employs 180 staff including an active apprenticeship pipeline of 20 trainees in 2025.

Gerster TechTex operates within a 140+ year family-owned parent group alongside a separate HeimTex decorative-curtains division. The firm is led by Managing Directors Jens Gerster and Philipp Gerster, with no external private equity involvement disclosed. Geographic reach centers on the DACH region with active sales engagement into France, Poland, and Italy, supported by a single manufacturing site in Biberach. No revenue, funding events, or customer logos are publicly disclosed.

Name

Gerster

Legal name

Gerster TechTex GmbH

Website

https://gerster-techtex.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1880

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Gerster TechTex GmbH is a German family-owned B2B manufacturer of customized technical textiles and composite reinforcement materials (carbon, flax, hybrids), serving aerospace, wind energy, automotive, defense, and industrial customers via a custom development partnership model from its Biberach facility.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Technical Textiles Manufacturing

NAICS

Textile Product Mills (314), Other Textile Product Mills (3149)

SIC

Broadwoven Fabric Mills, Man Made Fiber & Silk (2221), Textile Mill Products (2200), Knitting Mills (2250)

akta.pro primary industry

Composite Reinforcement Textiles (Carbon/Glass/Aramid Fabrics & Preforms) (IMAOADAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Technical Fabric Mills (Performance/Protective/Medical Substrates) (IMAOABAH), Automotive & Transportation Technical Textiles (Interiors/Airbags/Seatbelts/Acoustic) (IMAOADAE), Aerospace & Defense Technical Textiles (Ballistic/Parachute/Radar-Absorbing/Composites Reinforcement) (IMAOADAF)

Keywords

• Technical textiles
• Composite materials
• Industrial fabrics
• Textile manufacturing
• Custom textile development

Headquarters

HQ city

Biberach

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Technical Textiles and Composite Products: Gerster TechTex generates revenue through the manufacture and sale of customized technical textiles and composite reinforcement materials. The company serves B2B customers in aerospace, wind energy, automotive, sports, orthopedic, military, and industrial sectors with products including tapes, fabrics, knits, profiles, and flow aids. Terms indicate business-to-business transactions with merchants only, with delivery tolerances of +/-10% and payment terms per individual agreements.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Gerster TechTex manufactures and sells customized technical textiles and composite reinforcement materials — including tapes, biaxial fabrics, textile profiles, flow aids, hoses, woven fabrics, preforming materials, and hybrid textiles for organo sheets. Products are developed in partnership with B2B customers and produced at the company's Biberach facility for industries including aviation, wind energy, automotive, sports, orthopedic, defense, and industrial manufacturing.

Product overview

Gerster TechTex operates as a product division (TechTex) of Gustav Gerster GmbH & Co. KG, offering two core product categories: Composite Textiles and Technical Textiles. Composite Textiles include tapes, textile profiles, flow aids, hoses, fabrics, preforming, woven fabrics, and hybrid textiles for organo sheets. Technical Textiles encompass tapes, knitted fabrics, manufacturing/confections, hoses, cords and piping, woven fabrics, antistatic brushes, and functional textiles. The company provides specialized products including Drapfix (highly drapable biaxial fabric), NFW® non-flammable fiber composite material, corner reinforcements, flow channels, and spiral fabrics. Supporting the product portfolio are service offerings including custom development, production technologies and material selection, quality assurance with traceability, and prototype through series production capabilities. Applications span aviation, wind energy, automotive, sports technology, orthopedic technology, authorities and military, and industrial mechanical engineering.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Composite Textiles (Composite Textilien) High-tech composite textiles including tapes, textile profiles, flow aids, hoses, fabrics, preforming materials, woven fabrics, and hybrid textiles for organo sheets, combining fibers such as carbon and flax for wind power, automotive, orthopedics, and other composite applications.
• Technical Textiles (Technische Textilien) Technical textiles including tapes, knitted fabrics, manufacturing/confections, hoses, cords and piping, woven fabrics, antistatic brushes, and functional textiles for specialized industrial applications.
• Drapfix Highly drapable biaxial fabric and draping solution for composite material processing, with published test results from KTM Technologies and LCC-POLE-PEAK demonstrating drapeability performance.
• Non-flammable fiber composite material NFW® Non-flammable fiber composite material (NFW®) developed for airport applications, providing fire-resistant composite solutions as demonstrated in the Düsseldorf Airport project.
• Corner reinforcement (Eckverstärkung) Corner reinforcement textile products for structural strengthening in composite applications.
• Flow channel (Fließkanal) Flow channel products for managing resin flow in composite manufacturing processes.
• Spiral fabric (Spiralgewebe) Spiral woven fabric products for specialized composite applications.
• Custom development services (Kundenspezifische Entwicklung) Individual development services working as a development partner to create customized technical textile and composite solutions for specific customer applications.
• Production technologies & material selection consulting Expert consultation on production technologies and material selection for optimal textile solutions.
• Inspection, quality assurance and traceability services Comprehensive quality management services including inspection, quality assurance, and full product traceability.
• Prototype, small & series production (Muster-, Klein- & Serienproduktion) Manufacturing capabilities from prototype development through small batch to full-scale series production.

Quantifiable outcome

• Successful ISO 14001 and ISO 9001 recertification with emphasis on process reliability and environmental responsibility

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Saertex: Saertex is a German manufacturer of non-crimp fabrics, multiaxial reinforcements, and core materials for composite applications in wind energy, aerospace, automotive, and boatbuilding. It is the most direct peer to Gerster TechTex given overlapping product families (biaxial/multiaxial fabrics, preforms) and shared primary end-markets.
• Porcher Industries: Porcher Industries is a French-headquartered specialty textile manufacturer producing technical textiles and composites for aerospace, automotive, defense, and industrial markets. It is highly comparable to Gerster TechTex in product scope (woven, knitted, and coated technical textiles) and customer base overlap.
• Technical Fibre Products (TFP): TFP is a UK-based manufacturer of nonwoven veils, mats, and specialty substrates used as composite reinforcement and surface layers in aerospace, wind, automotive, and electronics. Comparable niche player serving similar composite end-markets with overlap on functional/technical nonwovens.
• SGL Carbon: SGL Carbon produces carbon fiber-based products, textile reinforcements, and composite materials for automotive, wind energy, aerospace, and industrial applications. Comparable to Gerster's composite reinforcement business with a focus on carbon fibers, though at materially larger scale.
• Fibertex Nonwovens: Fibertex Nonwovens is a Danish manufacturer of specialty nonwovens and technical textiles for composites, automotive, filtration, and industrial applications. Comparable in product type and end-markets, particularly for reinforcement substrates and industrial technical textiles.
• Bally Ribbon Mills (BGF): Bally Ribbon Mills manufactures specialized narrow woven tapes, webbing, and braided textiles for aerospace, defense, medical, and industrial applications. Comparable to Gerster's tapes, cords, and narrow technical textiles portfolio.

Broad incumbents

• Freudenberg Performance Materials: Freudenberg Performance Materials produces technical nonwovens, woven, and specialty textiles for automotive, construction, apparel, and industrial customers. A broad incumbent that overlaps with Gerster's technical textiles offering across multiple end-uses, particularly automotive and industrial.
• Hexcel Corporation: Hexcel is a global leader in advanced composites, supplying carbon fiber, reinforcements, prepregs, and honeycomb core materials primarily to aerospace, wind, and automotive OEMs. Operates in the same composite reinforcement space as Gerster but at much larger scale and broader portfolio.
• Teijin Carbon: Teijin Carbon (formerly Toho Tenax) produces carbon fibers and composite materials for aerospace, automotive, wind energy, and pressure vessels. Overlaps with Gerster's carbon-fiber reinforcement work in wind and aerospace, though at significantly larger scale and as a primary fiber producer.

Regional players

• Trofil GmbH: Trofil is a German manufacturer of technical textiles, yarns, and filaments for industrial, automotive, and medical applications. A regional DACH peer with comparable woven and knitted technical textile capabilities, though smaller and less focused on composite reinforcement.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/100067696312673

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 Gerster