EFA Chemie

What EFA Chemie does

EFA Chemie GmbH is a privately held German specialty chemicals and plant-engineering company headquartered in Lügde, Germany, founded in 2008 and registered as a GmbH at Amtsgericht Lemgo (HRB 5241). The company develops and manufactures both chemical products and the proprietary treatment plants in which those products are used, covering the full chain from influent characterization (via its in-house Labor Forschung und Entwicklung in Falkenhagen) through dosing and separation to sludge dewatering. Core chemistry comprises powder and liquid reaction separation agents (EFAPUR, EFAMULS), coagulants (EFAGOL), flocculants (EFAFLOC), defoamers, biocides (incl. EFA Mikrobiozid 1856 C chlorine dioxide with LDSPS online control), corrosion inhibitors and hardness stabilizers for boiler and cooling water (EFACOREX, EFAPROTECT), heavy-metal precipitants (EFAPLEX), and biological odor-control agents (EFAZYM). Core equipment comprises automatic batch plants (EFAMAT PC 300 to PC 1250 — the PC line derives from the 2017 absorption of A. Steinmann's Erben production), RCA recycling plants, EFA Miniflot flotation, sedimentation, band filters, chamber filter presses up to 16 bar, softening plants, and reverse osmosis (OSMOTROL) systems, plus dosing stations (liquid and dry-goods). Documented outcomes include 30–60% reductions in paint-coagulation chemistry consumption, 50–70% reductions in residual sludge volume, and water-reuse enabled by the salt-free/sulfate-free EFAPUR 1400 series.

The company sells exclusively through direct technical sales, supported by seven regional field and application-technology offices across Germany (Nord, Mitte, West, Ost, Südwest, Solingen) and Austria, with the in-house laboratory providing customer-specific water analyses, feasibility studies, and process proposals. Pricing is project-/quotation-based and not publicly disclosed. Revenue is generated from consumable chemistry (one-time purchase of specialty chemicals) and equipment sales, with technical consulting and laboratory analysis as a supporting revenue stream. The company operates a multilingual web presence (German, English, French, Spanish, Dutch) and is certified to DIN EN ISO 9001:2015 (since 2009, re-certified 2017) and as a Fachbetrieb under § 62 WHG for industrial wastewater and water treatment plant operations. Customers are industrial — primarily industrial coating/surface treatment, with secondary use in vehicle washing, metalworking/degreasing bath maintenance, and process/utility water management — and documented reference applications span automotive suppliers, machine construction, furniture, window manufacturing, and large vehicle-wash facilities.

Management consists of two Geschäftsführer, Torben Engelhardt (who also acts as Datenschutzbeauftragter) and co-Managing Director Falkenhagen. Headcount sits in the 11–50 range, no external institutional investor or parent company is disclosed, and no public revenue, funding, or valuation data is available; the company has completed one acquisition (Steinmann batch-plant production) and one minor co-marketing partnership (Remmers GmbH) on the record.

Name

EFA Chemie

Legal name

EFA Chemie GmbH

Website

https://efa-chemie.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

EFA Chemie GmbH is a privately held German specialty chemicals and plant-engineering company that manufactures reaction separation agents, coagulants, flocculants, biocides, and water/wastewater treatment plants (batch plants, flotation, filtration, reverse osmosis), selling directly via regional technical-sales offices across Germany and Austria to industrial coating, vehicle-wash, metalworking, and process/utility-water customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial water and wastewater treatment chemicals

NAICS

Chemical Manufacturing (325), Other Chemical Product and Preparation Manufacturing (3259)

SIC

Chemicals & Allied Products (2800), Specialty Cleaning, Polishing And Sanitation Preparations (2842)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial Wastewater Treatment Chemicals (IMAEAJAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Biocides & Disinfection Chemicals (Non-Agricultural) (IMAEAJAL)

Keywords

• Industrial water treatment
• Wastewater treatment chemicals
• Process water systems
• Chemical-physical separation
• Cooling water treatment

Headquarters

HQ city

Lügde

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Chemical Products for Water and Wastewater Treatment: EFA Chemie manufactures and sells a comprehensive range of liquid and powder chemical products for industrial water and wastewater treatment, including EFAPUR reaction separation agents, EFAGOL coagulants, EFAMULS emulsion splitters, EFAFLOC flocculants, EFACOREX corrosion inhibitors/hardness stabilizers, EFAPROTECT cooling water products, EFA biocides, defoamers, and specialty products. Products are sold directly to industrial customers via technical sales force.
2. Water and Wastewater Treatment Equipment/Plants: EFA designs, manufactures and sells treatment plant equipment including EFAMAT batch/continuous plants (PC 300–PC 1250), RCA recycling plants, flotation systems, sedimentation systems, EFA-BKL bath circuit systems, band filters, filter presses, and dosing systems. Equipment sales are complemented by the chemical product line.
3. Technical Consulting and Laboratory Services: EFA provides feasibility studies, water analyses, and process proposals from its in-house laboratory (Labor Forschung und Entwicklung). Personal on-site consultation and support by application technicians is a core component of the go-to-market approach.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

EFA Chemie GmbH manufactures and sells chemical products (reaction separation agents, flocculants, coagulants, emulsion splitters, defoamers, biocides, corrosion inhibitors, hardness stabilizers) and proprietary treatment-plant equipment (batch plants, recycling plants, flotation, sedimentation, filter presses, dosing systems, softening, reverse osmosis) for industrial water and wastewater treatment. Sales are executed via direct technical field sales supported by an in-house laboratory that performs wastewater analyses, feasibility studies and custom formulation development for industrial customers primarily in Germany and Austria.

Product overview

EFA Chemie GmbH is a manufacturer of chemical products and plant technology for water and wastewater treatment. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of liquid and powder-formulated products organized into product groups: EFAGOL (1000-1099) liquid coagulants for solvent-based lacquers, EFAPUR (1100-1699) powder-formulated reaction separation agents for emulsion splitting and flocculation, EFAMULS (1200-1299) liquid emulsion splitters for water-based lacquers, EFAFLOC (1300-1799) flocculant aids, ENTSCHÄUMER (1800-1849) defoamers, EFACID/Mikrobiozide (1850-1860) broad-spectrum microbicides, and EFACOREX/EFAPROTECT (2000-2999) corrosion inhibitors and hardness stabilizers for boiler and cooling water systems. Equipment offerings include EFAMAT PC batch plants (PC 300 to PC 1250), RCA recycling plants, flotation systems, sedimentation systems, belt filters, chamber filter presses, softening plants, and reverse osmosis systems. The company also provides laboratory analysis services and operates under ISO 9001:2015 and WHG certifications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• EFAPUR: Product line of powdered reaction separating agents for water and wastewater treatment
• EFAMAT
• EFAFLOC
• EFAGOL
• EFAMULS
• EFACOREX
• EFAPROTECT
• EFAMikrobiozid
• EFA Analytik Labor

Products and services

• EFAPUR Powder Reaction Separation Agents Powder reaction separation agents combining emulsion splitters (Al/Fe sulfates), adsorption agents (bentonites/zeolites), polyelectrolyte flocculants and pH regulators for one-step wastewater treatment in industrial coating, metalworking and car wash operations.
• EFAMULS Liquid Emulsion Splitters High-performance liquid emulsion splitting agents for aqueous lacquer systems, dispersions, latex emulsions and oily emulsions in industrial wastewater.
• EFAFLOC Flocculation Aids Concentrated flocculant aids supplied as liquid emulsion/dispersion polymers or granular polyacrylamides, used in strong dilution as secondary flocculants and flotation aids.
• EFAGOL Paint Coagulants Liquid or paste coagulants for debonding and flocculation of solvent-containing paint particles in water-sprayed paint systems; works through purely physical adsorption without chemical reaction.
• EFACOREX Boiler Water Treatment Chemicals Corrosion inhibitors, oxygen binders, hardness stabilizers and scale preventives (including EFA-SAF-ACID 2006 scale dissolver) for warm/hot water, district heating, steam, heating and condensate systems.
• EFAPROTECT Cooling Water Treatment Chemicals Multi-substance corrosion protection and deposit-prevention products for open and closed cooling water circuits, hot water systems, and service water systems, formulated for carbon steel, non-ferrous metals and cast iron.
• ENTSCHÄUMER Defoamers Highly effective defoaming products in silicone-containing, silicone-free and mineral oil-free variants for aqueous paint systems, plastic dispersions, biological wastewater treatment plants and metalworking process liquids.
• EFACID / Mikrobiozid Biocides Broad-spectrum microbicides (including inorganic chlorine dioxide Mikrobiozid 1856 C with LDSPS online dosing control) for controlling bacteria, fungi and algae in industrial cooling and circulating water systems.
• EFAZYM and EFAPLEX Specialty Chemicals Specialty chemicals including EFAZYM biological odor eliminators for combating odor emissions, slime and bacterial infestation, and EFAPLEX heavy metal precipitants and chromate reduction agents for complex-bearing industrial wastewater.
• EFAMAT PC Batch Treatment Plants Automatic batch treatment plants for industrial wastewater treatment, with capacities from PC 300 (up to 1,000 L/day) up to PC 1250 (more than 6 m³/day), designed for combined use with EFAPUR reaction separation agents and achieving up to 20% flock sludge content.
• RCA Wastewater Recycling Plants Compact recycling plants for treatment and reuse of rinse waters, cleaning solutions, wastewater from crack inspection and screen printing, and other liquid production residues.
• EFA Flotation Plants (including Miniflot) Flotation systems in which floc sludge is floated by injected air and skimmed from the water surface; includes pneumatic skimmer technology and the EFA Miniflot for paint spray booth applications.
• Sedimentation Plants Continuous flow sedimentation systems using Dortmundbrunnen or lamella separators to separate floc sludge from clarified water in industrial wastewater treatment lines.
• Liquid Dissolving and Dosing Stations Dissolving and dosing stations for liquid splitting and flocculant products, including chlorine dioxide measurement and control systems for biocide dosing in cooling water.
• Powder Dosing Systems (Trockengut Dosierer) Powder dosing systems for reliable feeding of powder-formulated separation agents, equipped with vibrator, fill level control and mouth heating.
• EFA Chamber Filter Presses Chamber filter presses for dewatering larger sludge quantities at up to 16 bar, reducing residual waste volume by 50–70% versus unpressed sludge and yielding dry filter cakes that can be reclassified into a more favourable waste category.
• Belt Filters and Filter Fleeces Continuous belt filter systems with filter cloths for solid-liquid separation, with optional fleece winder for separating sludge from filter fleece.

Quantifiable outcome

• 30–60% cost reduction in paint coagulation operations by switching to modern EFAGOL/EFAPUR products
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Remmers (Remmers GmbH)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerJoint marketing and sales action with Remmers regarding the Remmers water lacquer product range. EFA produced an application video demonstrating paint rinse water cleaning using EFAPUR reaction separation agents combined with the CES filter box system, which Remmers uses as part of its sales collateral. The video was created as part of a shared distribution promotion for Remmers water lacquer customers.
• A. Steinmann's Erben Feinmechanik + ApparatebauminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEFA Chemie acquired a portion of the production of Steinmann's PC (batch cleaning) plant operations. The EFAMAT PC product line is derived from this acquisition. Steinmann's production capability was absorbed into EFA's manufacturing operations, expanding EFA's plant engineering portfolio.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• EnviroChemie GmbH: German-based industrial water and wastewater treatment specialist offering both proprietary chemical products and treatment plant engineering — the closest direct peer to EFA Chemie's integrated chemistry-plus-equipment model, serving overlapping DACH industrial customers.
• Solenis LLC: Global specialty chemicals supplier focused on water treatment and process chemistries for industrial customers; directly comparable in product category (water treatment chemistry) and target market (industrial process water and wastewater).

Broad incumbents

• BWT Aktiengesellschaft: Austrian-headquartered water-treatment company with a broad portfolio across point-of-entry, industrial process water, and water-treatment chemicals; comparable customer base in DACH and overlapping chemistry-and-equipment offering, though at much larger scale.
• Ecolab Inc. Global leader in water, hygiene, and infection-prevention solutions with a substantial industrial water-treatment chemicals business; comparable chemistry portfolio and overlapping industrial customer base, though at vastly larger scale and broader scope.
• Veolia Water Technologies: Global water and wastewater treatment major offering chemicals, equipment, and services to industrial customers; overlaps with EFA in industrial wastewater chemistry and engineered treatment plants, particularly in European industrial markets.
• Kurita Water Industries Ltd. Global specialty chemicals and water-treatment equipment supplier serving industrial and semiconductor customers; directly competes in industrial water treatment chemistry and offers plant engineering solutions relevant to EFA's product portfolio.
• SUEZ Water Technologies & Solutions: Global water-treatment chemicals and equipment provider serving industrial customers; overlaps with EFA in industrial water chemistry and engineered treatment systems, with significant European presence.

Regional players

• Stockmeier Chemie GmbH & Co. KG: German specialty chemicals distributor and formulator with water-treatment product lines; comparable as a DACH-based specialty chemicals player serving industrial customers, though Stockmeier is more distribution-heavy than EFA's integrated manufacturing-and-engineering model.
• Grillo-Werke AG: German chemical company with historical roots in inorganic chemistry (sulfur, zinc, iron salts) supplying water-treatment and industrial chemistry; comparable as a DACH industrial chemicals manufacturer in adjacent water-treatment chemistry.

Emerging players

• Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Solutions: Specialist in fluid-handling and dosing equipment for water and wastewater treatment applications; partial overlap with EFA's dosing-station and treatment-plant equipment portfolio, particularly in industrial dosing and chemical-feed applications.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 EFA Chemie