GRATZ Gruppe

What GRATZ Gruppe does

GRATZ Engineering GmbH, headquartered in Weinsberg, Germany, is a privately held engineering services company founded in 1985 by Peter Gratz and led today by Managing Directors Peter Gratz and Carsten Scheuermann. The firm delivers integrated engineering services across the complete product development chain: consulting (quality management, ISO-GPS tolerances, CE marking, information security / TISAX, innovation management, construction methodology), mechanical and electrical/electronic development (CAD-supported using CATIA V5, Siemens NX, Creo, SolidWorks, Solid Edge, plus E-CAD in E³, EPLAN, and WSCAD), numerical simulation (ANSYS for FEM, CFD, MKS, thermal, and vibration analysis), and physical prototyping. Since 2015 the company has also operated a Sondermaschinenbau (special machine manufacturing) division producing presses, assembly systems, and fully automated robotic cells at the Weinsberg site; since 1 December 2021 the wholly owned GRATZ Prototypengie\u00dferei in Pfedelbach has provided in-house precision aluminum sand casting using the Cold-Box process at maximum 0.2 mm offset with in-house spectrometry, vacuum hydrogen testing, heat treatment, and X-ray quality control.

The firm operates seven German sites — Weinsberg (headquarters, ~2,000 sqm office plus 550 sqm production hall on a 4,000 sqm plot, relocated May 2025), Munich/Puchheim (vehicle technology and wiring harness), Dieburg (mechanical and electrical design), Stuttgart/Ditzingen (electrical construction and special machines), Hamburg (northern Germany engineering), Mannheim (vehicle electrification and electrical design), and Pfedelbach (foundry). Customers are enterprise OEMs and Tier-1/Tier-2 suppliers across automotive, commercial vehicles, agricultural machinery, and motorsport, including notable Formula 1 vehicle development work delivered within six-month programs, with capabilities demonstrated on urea-tank integration, 3-cylinder engine concepts, vacuum accumulators, and BLDC/IMU mechatronic demonstrators.

GRATZ generates revenue through project-based professional services (consulting, mechanical/electrical development, simulation, project management) and project-based hardware work (prototypes, cast parts, special machines). All engagements are quoted per project; no public pricing exists. Customer acquisition runs through area sales managers, trade fair participation (THE EXPO 24, Konstruktionsleiter Forum), university career fairs, and a strong referral/repeat-order network. Continuous ISO 9001 certification since 1997, TISAX assessment (2023), and the rare four-time French CIR R&D tax credit accreditation (2012-2025) underpin the firm's enterprise sales posture, with an EcoVadis Silver Medal awarded in 2025 reflecting sustainability positioning increasingly demanded by European OEMs. A related spin-off, GRATZ Luminance GmbH (PHOTURIS LED street lighting), is currently in liquidation.

Name

GRATZ Gruppe

Legal name

GRATZ Engineering GmbH

Website

https://gratz.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Short description

GRATZ Engineering GmbH, founded in 1985 in Weinsberg, Germany, provides end-to-end engineering services — consulting, mechanical/electrical/simulation development, prototyping (including in-house aluminum sand casting), and custom special machines — primarily serving automotive, commercial vehicle, agricultural machinery, and motorsport clients across Germany.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Weinsberg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Engineering Services (Beratung, Entwicklung): Fee-for-service engineering consulting and development covering quality management, manufacturing consulting, tolerance/ISO-GPS, CE marking, information security (ISMS/TISAX), innovation management, construction methodology, product development, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, simulation, and project management. Projects range from consulting engagements to full product development from concept through prototype.
2. Prototyping Services: Prototype and small-series manufacturing including sand casting, precision casting, vacuum casting, injection molding, sheet metal processing, CNC machining, 3D printing, finishing and painting, assembly, commissioning and testing, and reverse engineering. Services are quoted per project.
3. Special Machine Manufacturing (Sondermaschinen): Design, construction, and manufacture of custom special machines including presses, assembly systems, and fully automated robotic cells. Production occurs at the Weinsberg headquarters. Services include commissioning and after-sales service.
4. Aluminum Sand Casting Foundry: Precision aluminum sand casting from single pieces to small series, with lead times from 3 weeks. Services include material testing, heat treatment, X-ray quality control, and logistics.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

GRATZ Engineering GmbH is a German engineering services provider that delivers integrated process chains from the initial idea to the prototype and into small-series production. Its offering spans five service pillars — consulting (quality management, ISO-GPS, CE marking, ISMS/TISAX, innovation management), development (product, mechanical, electrical, simulation, project management), prototype manufacturing (sand casting, precision casting, vacuum casting, injection molding, 3D printing, CNC, assembly), custom special machine building, and aluminum sand casting foundry work — all delivered to enterprise industrial customers under one roof.

Product overview

GRATZ Engineering GmbH is an engineering services company offering integrated services across consulting, development, and prototyping. The core offerings include: Beratung (consulting services covering quality management, manufacturing, ISO-GPS tolerances, CE marking, information security/ISMS, innovation management, and construction methodology); Entwicklung (development services including product development, mechanical engineering, electrical/electronics engineering, simulation using Ansys, and project management); and Prototypen/Teile (prototype manufacturing including sand casting, precision casting, 3D printing, sheet metal processing, and assembly). Additional specialized services include Sondermaschinen (custom machine building since 2015) and Gießerei (aluminum foundry with Cold-Box precision sand casting). The company operates from headquarters in Weinsberg with branch offices in Munich, Dieburg, Stuttgart, Hamburg, and Mannheim, plus a prototype foundry in Pfedelbach.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GRATZ Prototypengießerei: Aluminum sand casting and rapid prototyping foundry acquired in December 2021; operates from Pfedelbach location.

Products and services

• Beratung (Consulting)

Quantifiable outcome

• ISO 9001:2015 certified continuously since 1997 without interruption
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• RW Prototypengießerei (RW Prototype Foundry)coreOthers · 1 December 2021Acquired on December 1, 2021, the RW Prototypengießerei became an integral part of GRATZ Engineering GmbH as the GRATZ Prototypengießerei. This acquisition expanded GRATZ's in-house prototyping capabilities with precision aluminum sand casting, eliminating the need for an external foundry partner for prototype casting work.
• BusinessBike GmbHminorOthers · 1 January 2019Employee benefit partnership providing bike leasing (Dienstrad-Leasing) to GRATZ employees through BusinessBike. Initiated in 2019 based on employee demand, with 37 employees already using the benefit by 2022. Represents a non-core HR/talent retention partnership.
• University of Wuppertal (Bergische Universität Wuppertal)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration partner in the Coupled innovation process. Conducted comfort behavior studies on an air-flow armrest in a funded cooperative research project. Demonstrates GRATZ's university collaboration model for joint technology development.
• GOLDBECK (construction company)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerConstruction partner for the new headquarters building in Weinsberg. GOLDBECK served as the general contractor for the approximately 2000 sqm office and 550 sqm production hall complex completed in 2025. GRATZ references this as a successful partnership in achieving the milestone of the new headquarters.
• IHK Rhein-Neckar (Chamber of Industry and Commerce)minorOthersEnergy consulting partnership for sustainability initiatives. IHK Rhein-Neckar energy experts conducted an energy check at the Mannheim branch to identify hidden energy consumption and implement optimization measures.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• M Plan Group: Mid-sized German engineering services provider offering development, consulting, and project management to automotive, industrial, and energy clients. Directly comparable to GRATZ in service mix and Mittelstand/customer profile, though with broader geographic reach.
• IAV GmbH: Major German automotive engineering services provider focused on powertrain, electronics, and vehicle development. Comparable to GRATZ in deep automotive engineering expertise and enterprise customer focus, but with a much broader portfolio including software-defined vehicle and electrification specializations.
• FEV Group GmbH: Internationally active German engineering services firm specializing in powertrain, vehicle, and energy systems development with prototyping and testing capabilities. Highly comparable to GRATZ in vehicle/mechanical engineering scope and enterprise customer base.
• Bertrandt AG: Publicly listed German engineering services firm specializing in automotive and mobility development, with strong mechanical/electrical engineering and prototyping capabilities. Closely comparable in service mix and German OEM customer base to GRATZ, but with national and international scale GRATZ lacks.
• Grob-Werke GmbH & Co. KG: German manufacturer of special machines and automation systems, including assembly lines and machining centers for automotive and industrial customers. Overlaps with GRATZ in the Sondermaschinen / custom automation offering, though Grob is a much larger machine builder.
• EDAG Engineering GmbH: One of the largest independent German engineering services providers to the automotive and manufacturing industries, offering vehicle development, prototyping, and production solutions. Directly comparable to GRATZ in scope and customer base, though at significantly larger scale.
• invenio AG: German engineering services firm specializing in product development, embedded systems, and software engineering for industrial and automotive customers. Closely comparable to GRATZ in engineering services scope and German mid-market customer focus.

Broad incumbents

• KUKA AG: Major German manufacturer of industrial robots, automation systems, and special machinery with deep automotive customer relationships. Comparable to GRATZ in the Sondermaschinen and robotics integration element of its offering, but operates as a global automation incumbent rather than a mid-sized engineering services firm.
• Capgemini Engineering (formerly AKKA Technologies): Global engineering services and R&D consultancy serving automotive, aerospace, and industrial clients with end-to-end development and digital engineering capabilities. Overlaps with GRATZ in mechanical and embedded systems development, but operates globally and at vastly greater scale under the Capgemini umbrella.

Regional players

• ALTEN Group: France-headquartered engineering and IT consulting group with significant automotive, industrial, and technology practices across Europe. Operates similar engineering services business model to GRATZ, but primarily out of France rather than Germany and at much larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 GRATZ Gruppe