DRT Group

What DRT Group does

DRT Group is a Portuguese industrial holding company founded in 1994 and headquartered in Marrazes-Leiria, Portugal. The group specializes in the design and manufacture of plastic injection moulds up to 25 tons, with tryout capacity on injection presses from 210 to 1,200 tons, primarily serving the automotive industry and its Tier 1/Tier 2 supplier base. The company operates a turnkey model spanning R&D, engineering (CAD/CAM/CAE using Catia, CREO, Siemens NX, Hypermill, Moldex 3D), feasibility studies, rapid prototyping, tryouts, and serial mould production, and is qualified by VW/Autoeuropa's KTM Purchasing Division for advanced-level injection tooling work.

The group's technical positioning rests on an advanced process portfolio — Stack Moulds, MuCell, Tandem, GID (Gas Internal Decoration), Multi-Component, Insert Moulds, Vario-cooling, and DMLS laser sintering — and an in-house R&D function that has co-developed an innovative mould cooling system with the University of Coimbra, targeting a 28% reduction in production cycle time. Beyond core mould-making, the group has built an ecosystem of wholly-owned subsidiaries including DRT Rapid (prototyping), DRT Micro (micro-moulds), DRT Plastic (parts), DRT Advance (SBI business intelligence software), DRT Tech, and Unite (turnkey solutions), plus non-core subsidiaries in yachts and lifestyle products. Software products SBI and Realyze (CAE simulation) extend the addressable surface beyond physical moulds.

DRT's revenue model is primarily project-based B2B sales of custom moulds and turnkey solutions to automotive OEMs and Tier 1/2 suppliers, with secondary exposure to houseware and lighting manufacturers. A nascent software licensing stream runs through SBI. Pricing is quote-based, non-public, and negotiated per project. The go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales, supported by trade show presence (Moulding Expo Stuttgart), industry publications, and government-backed Industry 4.0 initiatives with COTEC Portugal and IAPMEI. The company holds PME Líder status and has been recognized among Exame Magazine's 100 best companies to work for in Portugal.

Name

DRT Group

Legal name

DRT Group

Website

https://drtmoldes.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

DRT Group is a Portuguese industrial holding company founded in 1994 that designs and manufactures plastic injection moulds up to 25 tons for the automotive industry and its Tier 1/2 suppliers, offering turnkey services from R&D and CAE engineering through prototyping, tryouts, and serial production.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Tooling / Plastic Injection Mould Manufacturing

NAICS

Plastics Product Manufacturing (3261), Machine Tool Manufacturing (333517)

SIC

Special Industry Machinery (No Metalworking Machinery) (3550), Special Industry Machinery, Nec (3559)

akta.pro primary industry

Custom Injection Molding & Contract Manufacturing (Job Shops/CMs) (IMANAFAJ)

Keywords

• Plastic injection moulds
• Mould manufacturing services
• Automotive tooling solutions
• Rapid prototyping tooling
• CAE mould simulation

Headquarters

HQ city

Marrazes

HQ country

Portugal

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Plastic Injection Mould Manufacturing: Custom mould design and manufacturing for automotive industry, producing moulds up to 25 tons. Includes engineering, prototyping, tryouts, and turnkey solutions from design to complex mould manufacturing.
2. Rapid Prototyping & Tooling: Rapid prototyping services including DMLS laser sintering for quick time-to-market and project cost reduction. Rapid tooling services.
3. SBI Software Licensing: SBI - System for Business Intelligence developed by DRT Advance, available for market licensing. Originally developed for mould production but applicable to other industrial or service sectors.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

DRT Group is a manufacturer of custom plastic injection moulds up to 25 tons, delivered primarily to automotive OEMs and Tier 1/Tier 2 suppliers as turnkey solutions that span feasibility studies, engineering, CAE analyses, rapid prototyping, mould trials with 210–1200 ton injection capacity, and serial production. Beyond moulds, the group commercializes two software products — SBI (System for Business Intelligence) for production and process management, and Realyze for CAE simulation — and serves secondary segments such as houseware and lighting manufacturers.

Product overview

DRT Group operates as a manufacturer of plastic injection moulds and related services. The core product is DRT Moulds, plastic injection moulds up to 25 tons primarily serving the automotive industry. The company offers two software products: SBI (System for Business Intelligence) for business management and decision-making, and Realyze for CAE analysis simulations. DRT provides comprehensive services including R&D, Engineering, CAE Analyses, Feasibility Studies, Prototyping, Tryouts, and Turnkey Solutions. The company employs advanced manufacturing technologies including Stack Moulds, MuCell, Tandem, GID, Multi Component Moulds, Insert Moulds, Vario-cooling, and DMLS Laser Sintering. The product portfolio includes moulds for automotive applications such as Belt Guard, Recliner, Lighting, Chrome Mirrors, Wing Mirror, Battery Cover, and various industrial/household products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Realyze: A CAE analysis platform that provides simulation services for injection mould production, enabling quick and flexible decision making during the production process.

Products and services

• DRT Moulds (Plastic Injection Moulds) Custom plastic injection moulds up to 25 tons designed and manufactured primarily for the automotive industry (wing mirrors, belt guards, lighting/optics, battery covers, chrome parts, grilles, recliners) and secondary houseware/lighting segments. Sold via turnkey projects.
• SBI - System for Business Intelligence Proprietary management and business intelligence software developed by DRT Advance that enables real-time management of employee tasks, equipment monitoring, and process management from quotation through delivery; available as a mobile application for customer tracking. Licensed to external customers.
• Realyze CAE simulation platform providing rheological and structural analyses for injection mould production, allowing users to evaluate scenarios and select optimal solutions.
• Turnkey Mould Solutions End-to-end mould development service covering product design, engineering, CAE analyses, prototyping, mould manufacturing, and tryouts delivered as a single managed project for automotive and industrial customers.
• R&D Services In-house research and development of pioneering mould technologies, including partnerships with the University of Coimbra and IPL, focused on cycle-time reduction, cooling innovation, and Industry 4.0 integration.
• Rapid Prototyping & Tooling (DRT Rapid) Rapid prototyping and tooling services for initial project phases, enabling functionality checks, fast time-to-market, and project cost reduction through techniques including DMLS laser sintering.
• Mould Tryouts Mould trial services using in-house injection presses with 210–1200 ton clamping capacity, supporting serial tools and advanced technologies such as GID, multi-component, and vario-cooling moulds.
• Engineering Services Professional engineering service using CAD/CAM/CAE tools (Catia V5-6 R2014, CREO 2.0, SIEMENS NX10, Hypermill, Powershape, Lenoin, Moldex 3D) covering project development and follow-up across the mould lifecycle.
• CAE Analyses Computer Assisted Engineering service that simulates the injection process at the project initiation stage through rheological and structural analyses, optimizing injection points, cooling, and predicting warpage and shrinkage.
• Feasibility Studies Initial analysis of plastic parts and mould concepts to identify critical areas and recommend solutions that optimize mould lifetime and manufacturability.

Quantifiable outcome

• 28% reduction in production cycle time achieved through innovative cooling system developed with University of Coimbra
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• University of CoimbracoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDRT developed an innovative cooling system in partnership with University of Coimbra. This R&D collaboration aims to reduce production cycle time of plastic parts by 28%. The partnership represents DRT's commitment to innovation and integration of pioneering technologies.
• IPL - Instituto Politécnico de LeiriacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDRT collaborated with IPL (Instituto Politécnico de Leiria) on an R&D project within Portugal 2020 scope, co-financed by Compete 2020. The SBI system for moulds production was developed as part of this collaboration.
• COTEC PortugalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCOTEC Portugal partnered with DRT to host Open Shop Floor events as part of the government initiative 'Industry 4.0'. These sessions address how companies adopt different concepts of Industry 4.0 and promote sharing of experiences.
• IAPMEIminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIAPMEI co-powered Open Shop Floor events at DRT facilities as part of the Industry 4.0 government initiative, promoting technology adoption and knowledge sharing among Portuguese companies.
• Volkswagen/AutoeuropacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVW Autoeuropa's KTM Purchasing Division has recognized DRT as the ideal partner for technical training on Injection Tooling Technologies at Advanced Level. This partnership demonstrates DRT's expertise and recognition in the automotive sector.
• DRT MicrocoreOthersPart of DRT Group ecosystem, DRT Micro specializes in micro mould manufacturing and complements the group's capabilities.
• DRT PlasticcoreOthersPart of DRT Group ecosystem, DRT Plastic provides plastic injection services complementing the mould manufacturing operations.
• DRT AdvancecoreOthersDRT Advance develops and commercializes SBI (System for Business Intelligence) software, representing the group's digital transformation and software capabilities.
• UniteminorOthersPart of DRT Group ecosystem, Unite operates as another group company providing specialized services.

Scale indicators8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/drt-group

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries10 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 DRT Group