What Aucos does

Aucos AG is a privately held German industrial automation company, founded in 1979 in Aachen and converted to a stock corporation (AG) in 2014. The company designs and manufactures control systems for surface coating, electroplating, anodising, plating-on-plastic (PoP), and painting plants, serving enterprise customers across automotive, aerospace, surface finishing, furniture, and hardware manufacturing. Aucos has delivered more than 2,300 control systems in over 30 countries and employs 70+ engineers, technicians, and consultants, with regional offices in the USA (Plymouth, MA), China (Suzhou), and India (Pune) supporting global enterprise sales.

The company's technical stack combines proprietary hardware control systems with software. Core products include the Mixed Cycle System (motion control for transport logistics), Anti Sway anti-pendulum control (enabling crane speeds up to 250 m/min), Contactless Trolleys, and Digital Twin Simulation. Its flagship software platform, Auraizon (launched 2021), adds AI-driven process optimization, automatic time-path diagram generation, 2D/3D visualization, anomaly detection, and batch tracking, with cloud-based sensor capture via Aucos Sense. The system integrates with enterprise environments including SAP ERP, RTD systems, RFID, and Kanban logistics controllers. Select customers include BMW, Bosch, BIA, Collini, Kesseböhmer, MTU, and Prym; the company holds ISO 9001:2015 certification.

Aucos operates a direct enterprise GTM with dedicated inside sales (Aachen HQ) and field sales representatives in each region, supported by a 24/7 service hotline and remote maintenance. Revenue is generated through hardware sales of control systems and cabinets, software licenses/subscriptions (Auraizon, SCADA, Aucos Sense cloud), and professional services (consulting, engineering, 24/7 support). Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The company is led by a two-person Management Board (Florian Wimmenauer and Dr. Pascal Schug) following an October 2024 leadership transition, with the founder family represented as Supervisory Board Chairman by Dr. Robert Freund.

Name

Aucos

Legal name

AUCOS AG

Website

https://aucos.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Aucos AG is a German industrial automation company that designs control systems and AI-powered software (Auraizon) for surface coating, electroplating, and plating-on-plastic plants, serving enterprise customers in automotive, aerospace, and surface finishing across 30+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Automation Systems for Surface Coating Plants

NAICS

Instruments and Related Products Manufacturing for Measuring, Displaying, and Controlling Industrial Process Variables (334513)

SIC

Electrical Industrial Apparatus (3620), Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial Control Panels & Enclosures (Panel Building, MCCs, Integration) (IMAGABAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Industrial & Protective Coatings (IMAEAGAB)

Keywords

• Industrial automation systems
• Surface coating automation
• Electroplating control systems
• Production control software
• Plating plant automation

Headquarters

HQ city

Aachen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Control Systems and Hardware: Manufacture and supply of complex control systems for automation of production plants, including control computers and control cabinets
2. Software Licenses and Solutions: Software solutions including Auraizon (AI-powered process control), SCADA systems, and cloud platforms
3. Service and Support: 24/7 hotline service, remote maintenance, system extensions and customizations, and consulting services for plant planning and modernization

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Aucos designs, manufactures, and services automation control systems for surface coating plants, including control computers and cabinets for electroplating, anodising, painting, and plating on plastic (PoP) lines. The portfolio also includes the AI-powered Auraizon software platform for process and production control, the Aucos Sense cloud sensor data platform, digital twin simulation, and consulting plus 24/7 service for installed plants.

Product overview

Aucos is a global technology and market leader in automation of surface coating systems, offering a portfolio of hardware control systems and software solutions. The core product is the Aucos control system for surface treatment plants, complemented by the AI-powered Auraizon software platform for process and production control. Add-on products like Anti Sway provide specialized functionality. The company serves diverse plant types including Plating on Plastic, Anodising, Electroplating, Painting, and Special Plants, supported by Consulting & Engineering services and 24/7 Service support. Over 2,300 control systems have been delivered worldwide across more than 30 countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Auraizon AI-powered software solution for process and production system control that integrates artificial intelligence to optimize productivity and flexibility of manufacturing lines. Features modular architecture with 2D/3D visualization, automatic time-path diagram generation, batch tracking from goods receipt to shipping, and ERP integration capabilities. Available for both manually controlled and fully automated processes.
• Anti Sway Add-on anti-pendulum control module for transport technology enabling high-speed cranes to reach up to 250m/min without product carriers swinging off course, used in plastic electroplating lines.
• Plating on Plastic (PoP) Automation solutions for plastic electroplating plants coordinating motion sequences with multiple carriages to deliver high system capacities. Includes IN-LINE BUFFERS for flexibility with high productivity; used by automotive and decorative chrome plating customers such as BIA.
• Anodising Plant Control systems for modern anodising plants addressing complex transport challenges due to wide layouts. Features include speeds over 100m/min via electronic shafts, contactless trolleys, and freely definable processes for oblique stroke operations.
• Electroplating Plant Control systems for batch sizes of 1 and diverse galvanic coating methods with 1:1 simulation capabilities for complex control technology implementation. Over 2,300 electroplating plants installed worldwide across more than 30 countries.
• Painting Plant Automation solutions for Power & Free and KTL/ATL coating systems with optimized precalculated plant loading, extensive logging, and quality assurance. Integrates with ERP systems such as SAP.
• Special Plants Custom control solutions for special applications including storage systems, solar systems, centrifuge installations, end-line assembly, and curing ovens. Over 300 systems realized for solar wave treatment.
• Consulting & Engineering Consulting services for plant layout planning and optimization using advanced modeling tools and simulation technologies, with special expertise in plating on plastic and anodising plant optimization for industrial customers.
• Service 24/7 hotline service with experienced engineers and technicians for remote maintenance worldwide, plus system extensions and customizations for installed Aucos control systems.

Quantifiable outcome

• Typical throughput rate of 50 car carriers per hour with 20 transport trolleys and approx. 150 process baths
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

AI capability7 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Linnhoff & Partner GmbHminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Galvano-Zirkel network, a DACH & Benelux electroplating industry network focused on direct interaction and collaboration among manufacturers and partners in the galvanotechnology sector.
• Mazurczak GmbHminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Galvano-Zirkel network for the electroplating industry in DACH & Benelux region, presenting products and delivering expert talks in a welcoming and informal atmosphere.
• Munk GmbHminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Galvano-Zirkel network, part of the strong network of manufacturers and partners from the electroplating industry.
• Sager + Mack GmbHminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Galvano-Zirkel network for the electroplating industry, presenting products and delivering expert talks.
• Harter GmbHminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost of the 8th Galvano-Zirkel 2026 in the Allgäu region. Strong partner in the electroplating industry network.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• ABB Ltd: ABB provides industrial automation, motion control, and robotics used across surface-treatment plants. As a broad incumbent, ABB overlaps with Aucos in plant controls and drives/motors but operates across many industries beyond surface finishing.
• Rockwell Automation: Rockwell is a major industrial automation incumbent (Allen-Bradley PLCs, FactoryTalk software) competing for control-system slots in surface-treatment and finishing lines. Its software-centric strategy parallels Aucos' Auraizon direction but at vastly greater scale.
• Schneider Electric: Schneider Electric offers industrial control, automation, and EcoStruxure software platforms comparable to Aucos' hardware-plus-software stack. It is a broad incumbent that overlaps in plant controls and increasingly in AI-driven process optimization.
• KUKA AG: KUKA provides industrial automation and robotics for surface-finishing applications (painting, coating). It is a broad incumbent that overlaps with Aucos in automated surface-treatment lines but is primarily known for robotic systems rather than process-control software.
• Siemens AG: Siemens is a broad incumbent in industrial automation (SIMATIC controllers, TIA Portal, Opcenter MES). Aucos competes with and complements Siemens at the plant-control level for surface-treatment applications; Siemens offers far broader industrial-automation breadth than Aucos' niche focus.

Direct peers

• ATS Corporation: ATS designs and builds custom automated manufacturing systems, including surface-treatment and finishing lines. Like Aucos, ATS provides turnkey automation solutions to automotive, aerospace, and industrial OEMs, making it a direct peer in project-based plant automation.
• Gebr. Schmid GmbH: Schmid is a German manufacturer of surface-treatment, wet-chemical, and PCB production equipment with integrated automation. It competes with Aucos in providing complete process lines plus control systems for electroplating and surface-finishing customers.
• Dürr AG: Dürr is a direct peer in surface finishing and painting plant automation (including its HOMAG and Dürr Systems divisions). Both companies engineer and automate painting, coating, and surface-treatment plants, often competing for the same automotive and industrial customers.
• Eisenmann (Dürr subsidiary): Eisenmann, now part of Dürr, historically built painting and surface-finishing plants with proprietary control technology, making it one of the closest historical direct peers to Aucos in turnkey surface-treatment plant automation.

Emerging players

• Manz AG: Manz AG is a German equipment maker with wet-chemical surface-treatment and automation capabilities for electronics and battery production. It is an emerging peer as it expands into battery and EV-related surface-treatment automation adjacent to Aucos' traditional markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 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 Aucos