KOBER Steinwiesen

What KOBER Steinwiesen does

KOBER Steinwiesen GmbH & Co. KG is a family-owned German manufacturer of industrial porcelain and technical ceramics, headquartered and operating from a single facility in Steinwiesen, Frankenwald (Bavaria), with approximately 75 employees. The company was founded in 1912 as a doll's head factory and pivoted during industrialization to producing insulating electrical porcelain, ultimately becoming a specialist in technical porcelain components. Itself designs, tool-builds, and produces in-house, with the company claiming the position of European market leader in porcelain fittings components.

The core product offering comprises six industrial verticals: sanitary industry (lever handles, handles, inlay plates, and accessories for Grohe, Hansgrohe/Axor, Zucchetti, Horus); hardware/fittings (Galbusera, Fimet, Metakor); electrical and lighting porcelain (insulators, socket covers, lampshades for KOBER-branded and Less 'n' more / Ylux products); dental and cosmetic mixing trays (Renfert, GC Initial, Klema); chemical industry components (porous alumina catalyst carriers, cyclones, jet pumps, nozzles); and wear-protection ceramics (plow shares, thread guides, pipes). Production is executed via five complementary forming methods — isostatic pressing, slip casting, rolling, dry pressing, and wet pressing — supported by in-house mold construction and a mechanical-engineering arm that also markets RAM presses, sliding table presses, and custom jigs and fixtures.

The business model is B2B-led with direct enterprise sales to industrial OEM customers, quote-based pricing tailored to specifications and volumes, and short communication channels to decision-makers. A consumer-facing e-commerce channel (enterporcelain.de) has been added alongside paid porcelain-manufacturing workshops for diversification into design products and experiential revenue. Revenue is generated through one-off manufacturing contracts and direct sales rather than licensing or subscription models; specific prices, volumes, and unit economics are not publicly disclosed. Operating geography is concentrated in Europe (Germany primarily), with sustainability infrastructure on site (photovoltaic generation covering ~25% of electricity consumption and 40,000-liter heat-recovery buffer storage).

Name

KOBER Steinwiesen

Legal name

KOBER Steinwiesen GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://kober-porzellan.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1912

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

KOBER Steinwiesen is a family-owned German manufacturer of industrial porcelain and technical ceramics, producing sanitary fittings components, electrical porcelain, dental mixing trays, chemical-industry ceramics, and wear-protection components primarily for B2B industrial OEM customers in Europe from its Steinwiesen facility founded in 1912.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Steinwiesen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Industrial Porcelain Manufacturing: Manufacture and sale of porcelain components for industrial applications including sanitary industry (lever handles, handles, accessories), electrical/lighting (insulators, socket covers, lampshades), dental technology (mixing trays), chemical industry (catalyst carriers, cyclones, nozzles), and wear protection (plow shares, thread guides). Production ranges from efficiently manufactured large volumes to handcrafted individual pieces.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

KOBER Steinwiesen designs and manufactures technical porcelain and ceramic components for industrial applications across sanitary, electrical/lighting, dental, chemical, and wear protection sectors. The company produces both mass-produced series and handcrafted individual pieces, supported by in-house mold construction, mechanical engineering, and product design services.

Product overview

KOBER Steinwiesen is a German porcelain manufacturer established in 1912, specializing in industrial porcelain products and technical ceramics. The company operates a unified manufacturing and service offering encompassing: (1) Core porcelain product lines for sanitary industry (handles, levers, accessories), electrical/lighting porcelain (insulators, socket covers, lampshades), dental/cosmetic mixing trays, chemical industry components (catalyst carriers, cyclones, nozzles), technical ceramic wear protection, and design porcelain objects; (2) Proprietary machinery including RAM presses, sliding table presses, and custom jigs/fixtures; and (3) Value-added services including in-house product design, mold/tool development, and porcelain manufacturing workshops. The company produces both efficiently manufactured large volumes and handcrafted individual pieces, serving primarily industrial customers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Porcelain Sanitary Products Lever handles, handles, inlay plates, and accessories made of hard porcelain for the sanitary industry, serving as hygienic supplements to chrome fixtures for brands including Grohe, Zucchetti, Horus, and Hansgrohe/Axor.
• Porcelain Hardware/Fittings Components Components made of solid porcelain for upgrading hardware fittings, with constructive consultancy for installation and design. European market leader for porcelain fittings components, serving brands including Galbusera, Metakor, and Fimet.
• Electrical Porcelain Products Socket covers, lampshades, and insulators made from insulating porcelain, leveraging temperature stability, aging resistance, and light translucency properties for brands including Ylux-Less 'n' more and Babula-krools.
• Dental and Cosmetic Porcelain Products Mixing trays for dental and cosmetic applications with self-moistening function that protect brushes and can be hygienically cleaned by firing, for brands including GC Initial, Klema, and Renfert.
• Chemical Industry Porcelain Products Porous alumina catalyst carriers, packing materials, cyclones, jet pumps, and motive nozzles ranging from millimeters to human height, from individual precision-ground nozzles to mass production of packings.
• Technical Ceramic Wear Protection Wear-resistant alumina plow shares, thread guides, bends, and pipes. Technical ceramics superior to most materials for industrial wear protection applications.
• Design Porcelain Products High-quality porcelain design objects for innovative product ideas, leveraging the durability and environmental compatibility of porcelain. Collaborative brands include Zeitraum Furniture, studio_niruk, and others.
• RAM Press Machines RAM press machines tailored for specific applications, built with reliable quality components and designed for easy maintenance.
• Sliding Table Press 60t Sliding table press machines with 60-ton capacity, customized for customer applications with reliable quality components.
• Custom Jigs and Fixtures Custom jigs and fixtures including rotary machines (Rundläufer) and handling systems, designed to be reliable, easy to operate, and functional for streamlining production processes.
• Porcelain Manufacturing Services Comprehensive in-house services including product design, tool and mold development, and production from small series to industrial volume manufacturing.
• Design and Development Services Material-oriented product design consultancy by trained designers who help realize customer wishes in porcelain, from concept through production.
• Porcelain Manufacturing Workshops Educational workshops providing insight into porcelain manufacturing with over 100 years of experience, covering various production techniques and practical slip casting production at enterporcelain.de.

Quantifiable outcome

• Approximately 25% of electricity generated from own renewable photovoltaic system
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Villeroy & Boch: Large German manufacturer of ceramic sanitary ware, tableware and bathroom accessories; comparable to KOBER's sanitary segment exposure and as a potential customer for porcelain fittings components.
• Rosenthal GmbH: Heritage German porcelain manufacturer (Selb, Bavaria) producing both consumer tableware and technical/industrial porcelain; comparable to KOBER in German porcelain craftsmanship and material expertise, though much larger and more consumer-focused.
• Haldenwanger (Morgan Technical Ceramics): European producer of technical ceramics and porcelain for laboratory, chemical and industrial applications; comparable to KOBER's technical ceramic and chemical-industry portfolio, though part of a larger global group.
• Saint-Gobain Performance Ceramics & Refractories: Global manufacturer of ceramic and refractory products for industrial processes including chemical, wear protection and high-temperature applications; directly comparable to KOBER's chemical and wear-protection ceramic offerings but far larger and multinational.
• CeramTec GmbH: One of the largest global technical ceramics manufacturers, producing advanced ceramic components for medical, automotive, electronic and industrial applications; comparable to KOBER on the technical/industrial ceramics side though operating at vastly greater scale.

Direct peers

• Duravit AG: German sanitary ware manufacturer that uses ceramic components in premium bathroom fittings; comparable to KOBER as a downstream European sanitary industry buyer that uses porcelain hardware/handle components in its own finished products.
• Friatec (Friedrichsfeld): German manufacturer of technical ceramics and porcelain components for chemical, electrical and sanitary-industrial applications; closely comparable to KOBER's technical ceramic and chemical-industry product lines.

Regional players

• Porzellan Manufaktur Nymphenburg: Hand-made Bavarian porcelain manufacturer producing premium tableware and bespoke objects; comparable to KOBER as another regional German porcelain specialist with deep heritage and custom manufacturing capability.
• Karlsruher Majolika: German historic porcelain/ceramics manufacturer producing both decorative and functional pieces; comparable to KOBER as a German-made specialty ceramics producer with deep heritage.
• Staatliche Porzellan-Manufaktur Meissen: Germany's oldest porcelain manufacturer producing high-end porcelain objects and limited industrial applications; comparable to KOBER in German porcelain heritage and bespoke technical capability, though far more luxury-focused.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/KOBERPorzellan
• Instagraminstagram.com/koberporzellan

Compliance1 record

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 KOBER Steinwiesen