Kümpers

What Kümpers does

Kümpers GmbH is a privately held, family-owned German manufacturer of fiber-based technical textiles, founded in 1886 in Rheine, Westphalia, and currently in its fourth generation of family ownership under sole Managing Director Dr.-Ing. Rudolf Bonse. The company produces technical yarns (via ring, rotor, and DREF friction spinning), technical fabrics (woven, finished, and confectioned), textile roller towels for hygiene dispensers, and composite prepregs/towpregs using carbon, glass, basalt, and aramid fibers with proprietary matrix systems (KRS001-KRS006). Its core technology stack spans the full textile value chain — spinning, twisting (up to 30-ply), weaving, in-house developed finishing (singeing, coating, calendaring, laser cutting up to 340cm width), and rubber-friendly yarn impregnation — with modern production split between the German Rheine-Gellendorf site and a cost-competitive spinning/twisting mill in the Czech Republic (Kümpers Textil s.r.o.).

The company sells exclusively B2B on a custom-manufacturing basis with quote-based pricing, targeting enterprise customers across five verticals: automotive (airbag fabrics, clutch yarns, GFRP/CFRP springs, H2 tanks), protective clothing/Protech, medical/hygiene (plaster fabrics, kinesiology tapes, roller towels), general industry (drive belts, conveyor belts, hose fabrics), and composites. It holds IATF 16949 automotive certification alongside ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO 50001, and its go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales with deep co-development partnerships from initial idea through large-scale production. Historically, Kümpers operated the SGL Kümpers joint venture (2007-2018) for composites, repurchased it as Kümpers Composites in 2018, then sold a majority stake to an international investor in 2020; that composites entity now operates separately and is excluded from Kümpers GmbH's current scope.

Name

Kümpers

Legal name

Kümpers GmbH

Website

https://kuempers.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1886

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Kümpers GmbH is a family-owned German technical textile manufacturer (founded 1886, 120+ employees) producing technical yarns, finished fabrics, roller towels, and composite prepregs for automotive, medical, protective clothing, industrial, and composite-industry customers across Germany and the Czech Republic.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Technical Textiles Manufacturing

NAICS

Fabric Mills (3132), Fiber, Yarn, and Thread Mills (31311), Textile Mills (313)

SIC

Textile Mill Products (2200), Broadwoven Fabric Mills, Man Made Fiber & Silk (2221), Apparel & Other Finishd Prods Of Fabrics & Similar Matl (2300), Miscellaneous Fabricated Textile Products (2390)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYIMAOABAH

Technical Fabric Mills (Performance/Protective/Medical Substrates)

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Textiles, Apparel & Leather Manufacturing/Fabric & Textile Mills (Woven/Knitted/Nonwoven)

SECONDARYIMAOABAI

Coated & Laminated Base Fabric Mills (Pre-finish Substrates)

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Textiles, Apparel & Leather Manufacturing/Fabric & Textile Mills (Woven/Knitted/Nonwoven)

SECONDARYIMAOAAAF

Textured & Specialty Yarn Manufacturing (Textured/Chenille/Bouclé)

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Textiles, Apparel & Leather Manufacturing/Fiber & Yarn Manufacturing

SECONDARYIMAOADAA

Protective & Safety Textiles (FR/Arc/Heat/Cut/Chemical)

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Textiles, Apparel & Leather Manufacturing/Technical & Industrial Textiles Manufacturing

SECONDARYIMAOADAN

Packaging & Wrapping Technical Textiles (FIBCs/Big Bags/Industrial Sacks/Strapping Substrates)

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Textiles, Apparel & Leather Manufacturing/Technical & Industrial Textiles Manufacturing

Keywords

• Technical textiles
• Technical yarns
• Composite materials
• Industrial fabrics
• Textile manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Rheine

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Technical Textiles Manufacturing: Manufacture and sale of technical yarns, technical fabrics, textile roller towels, and composite materials to industrial customers. Customized solutions developed in partnership with customers from idea to finished product.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Kümpers GmbH manufactures fiber-based technical textiles including technical yarns (Open-End, Ring, and DREF-spun from synthetic fibers in finenesses from Nm 2 to Nm 60), technical fabrics (raw, finished, or confectioned with finishing widths up to 340cm), textile roller towels for hygiene dispensers, and composite prepregs/towpregs using carbon, glass, basalt, and aramid fibers with proprietary thermoset matrix systems (KRS001-KRS006). The company delivers customized solutions from initial product idea and raw material selection through to large-series industrial production for B2B customers in automotive, medical, hygiene, protective clothing, and composite industries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Technical Yarns
• Technical Fabrics
• Textile Roller Towels
• Composite Materials (Prepregs and Towpregs)

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SGL GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2007Joint venture established in 2007 under leadership of Franz-Jürgen Kümpers. The product area 'Fabrics and Braids' was incorporated into the joint venture company 'SGL Kümpers'. Sales multiplied within a few years and SGL Kümpers became a recognized partner to automotive and wind industries. In 2018, Kümpers family acquired all shares and renamed to 'Kümpers Composites'. In 2020, international investor acquired majority of shares.
• Kümpers CompositesminorOthersFormer joint venture with SGL Group. In 2018, Kümpers family acquired all shares and renamed to 'Kümpers Composites'. In 2020, majority shares sold to international investor. Now operates under new ownership at two locations in Germany and one in China. Separate entity from Kümpers GmbH.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• V Technical Textiles (VTT): UK supplier of technical textiles, filtration media, coatings, and laminates for automotive, aerospace, industrial, and protective applications — directly comparable mid-sized peer with similar custom-engineering and finishing model.
• SGL Carbon: German carbon fiber and composite materials specialist; former JV partner of Kümpers via SGL Kümpers (2007–2018), serving automotive and wind energy with composite materials — directly comparable in carbon fiber fabrics, braids, and towpreg/prepreg offerings.
• Technical Fibre Products (TFP): UK manufacturer of nonwoven technical textiles and advanced materials for aerospace, defence, energy, and industrial applications — comparable to Kümpers' technical nonwoven-adjacent composite substrates and high-performance finishes.
• Bally Ribbon Mills: US-based manufacturer of narrow woven technical textiles and 3D woven structures for aerospace, automotive, medical, defence, and industrial markets — comparable to Kümpers' technical woven fabrics and specialty yarn twisting capabilities.
• Porcher Industries: French technical textile manufacturer producing reinforcement textiles, coated fabrics, and composite reinforcements for automotive, aerospace, industrial, and protective markets — directly comparable to Kümpers' technical yarn, fabric, and finishing portfolio serving similar end markets.
• Heathcoat Fabrics: UK-based technical weaver and finisher producing technical textiles for automotive, defence, aerospace, medical, and industrial applications with proprietary finishing capabilities — closely mirrors Kümpers' woven technical fabrics and finishing model.
• Saertex: German manufacturer of non-crimp fabrics, multiaxial reinforcements, and glass/carbon fiber composite materials for wind, automotive, aerospace, and boatbuilding — comparable to Kümpers Composites' prepreg and towpreg offerings for transportation and wind customers.

Broad incumbents

• Teijin Limited: Japanese materials group producing aramid fibers (Twaron), carbon fiber (Tenax), technical textiles, and composite materials serving automotive, aerospace, and protective markets — broader incumbent whose aramid yarn and composite portfolios overlap with Kümpers' specialty yarn and prepreg offerings.
• Toray Industries: Global Japanese materials company producing synthetic fibers, carbon fiber (Torayca), technical textiles, and prepregs for aerospace, automotive, and industrial markets — broader incumbent with extensive overlap in synthetic technical yarns and composite feedstocks.
• Hexcel Corporation: US-listed advanced composites supplier of carbon fiber, prepregs, and honeycomb core for aerospace, automotive, wind, and industrial markets — broader incumbent in the same composite prepreg/towpreg space where Kümpers sells its KRS-series matrix systems.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights1 record

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Kümpers