DiTEC

What DiTEC does

DiTEC Dr. Kahlich & Langer GmbH is a German private software and automation company specializing in process control systems for surface treatment plants (galvanic, anodizing, KTL, powder coating, and post-treatment). Founded in 1995 in Heidelberg and now employing 40+ people with a branch in Poland, DiTEC has delivered 1,000+ installations across 25+ countries, with 250,000+ cumulative development hours invested in its product portfolio. The company's offerings are organized around the PROGAL.PLATTFORM, a modular software platform that runs on Siemens SPS (S7/TIA Portal) and integrates plant control, maintenance management, fixture/RFID tracking, wastewater control, robotic loading/unloading with computer vision, fire prevention via infrared monitoring, and a digital twin simulation service. The platform is modular — each module can run standalone or be combined — and supports 10+ languages, ERP integration (including SAP), and real-time KPIs across global deployments serving automotive, aviation, medical technology, mechanical engineering, and job coaters.

DiTEC's revenue model is multi-stream: one-time software licenses for the platform modules sold either directly to plant operators (for retrofits) or through plant builder partners (for new installations), recurring software service contracts (Softwareservicevertrag) covering updates, system checks, and a 24/7 helpdesk, plus professional services for commissioning, digital twin simulation, and consulting. Go-to-market is primarily sales-led with direct consultation, supplemented by trade show presence (Surface Technology), a monthly webinar program, content marketing via a German-language blog, and a service portal for existing customers. The company is family-owned (no external funding), with second-generation leadership being formalized through the appointment of Nico Kahlich as Prokurist.

Name

DiTEC

Legal name

DiTEC Dr. Siegfried Kahlich & Dierk Langer GmbH

Website

https://ditec-gmbh.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

DiTEC is a German family-owned software firm that develops the PROGAL.PLATTFORM — modular automation and control software for surface treatment plants (galvanic, anodizing, KTL, powder coating). It serves mid-market and enterprise operators in automotive, aviation, medical technology, mechanical engineering, and job coating across 25+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Automation Software (Surface Treatment)

NAICS

Instruments and Related Products Manufacturing for Measuring, Displaying, and Controlling Industrial Process Variables (334513), Other Measuring and Controlling Device Manufacturing (334519)

SIC

Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Process & Batch Control Software (Recipe Management, ISA-88) (IMAGABAH)

Keywords

• Surface treatment automation
• Industrial process control
• Coating plant software
• Galvanic automation systems
• Manufacturing automation software

Headquarters

HQ city

Heidelberg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Software Licenses (Anlagensteuerung & Platform Modules): DiTEC sells software licenses for its ProGal platform modules including plant control, service manager, fixture manager, wastewater control, and dynamics. Modules can be purchased individually or as an integrated platform. For new plant automation, licenses are sold in collaboration with plant builders. For retrofits, licenses are sold directly to plant operators.
2. Software Service Contract (Softwareservicevertrag): Recurring service contract included with the software covering updates, system checks, and support helpdesk. The contract ensures the control solution remains future-proof and grows with the customer's business. This is a key revenue stream providing recurring income and long-term customer retention.
3. Project Implementation & Commissioning: Implementation services for new automation projects, including commissioning of plants, digital twin simulation, consulting, and on-site support. Projects range from new plant automation with plant builders to retrofit of existing manual or semi-automatic plants.
4. Consulting & Digital Twin Simulation: Advisory services including process analysis, digital twin simulation for throughput optimization and bottleneck identification, and economic viability assessments. Consultation is offered as a standalone service to help customers plan investments before committing to software purchases.

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

DiTEC develops and sells the ProGal software platform (PROGAL.PLATTFORM) for automating and controlling surface treatment plants, including galvanizing, anodizing (Eloxal), KTL (cathodic dip painting), powder coating, and post-treatment lines. The platform is a modular, client-server system running on Siemens SPS (S7/TIA Portal) and covers plant control, digital maintenance and bath care, RFID-based fixture tracking, wastewater treatment, robotic loading/unloading with vision, AI-assisted operator support, and infrared fire prevention, complemented by a digital twin simulation service.

Product overview

DiTEC's product portfolio is organized around the PROGAL.PLATTFORM — a modular integrated software platform for surface technology automation. The platform's core product is the ProGal Anlagensteuerung (plant control system for galvanic, anodizing, KTL, and powder coating plants), which is supplemented by add-on modules: ProGal Servicemanager (digital maintenance and bath care management), ProGal Gestellmanager (rack/workpiece carrier management via RFID), ProGal Abwassersteuerung (wastewater treatment control), ProGal Dynamics (robot-based automated loading/unloading with vision inspection), ProGal Nachbehandlung (post-treatment control), ProGal Abluftsteuerung (exhaust air regulation), ProGal Mira (AI chatbot assistant), and ProGal Brandverhütung (infrared fire-prevention monitoring). All modules share a common data foundation, unified interface, and seamless integration within the platform. DiTEC also offers a Digitale Zwilling (Digital Twin) simulation service and 24/7 support. The platform supports flexible entry (any module can be the starting point) and modular expansion over time.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ProGal: Main product brand for automation and control software for surface treatment plants, encompassing the PROGAL.PLATTFORM and all its modules (Anlagensteuerung, Servicemanager, Gestellmanager, Abwassersteuerung, Dynamics, Abluftsteuerung, Nachbehandlung).
• PROGAL.PLATTFORM
• ProGal Servicemanager: Badpflege
• ProGal Mira
• ProGal Dynamics
• ProGuard
• ProGal Brandverhütung

Products and services

• PROGAL.PLATTFORM Integrated modular software platform that orchestrates all ProGal modules under a unified data foundation, single interface, and seamless integration, enabling data flow between automation, robotics, and IT in coating plants.
• ProGal Anlagensteuerung Plant control system for galvanic, anodizing (Eloxal), KTL, powder coating, and other coating plants, with flexible control logics (time-path diagrams, dynamic time-path diagrams, free flexible optimization) running on Siemens SPS (S7/TIA Portal) for maximum throughput, process safety, and reproducibility; supports retrofit, upgrade, and new-plant configurations.
• ProGal Servicemanager Digital maintenance management and bath care software providing time-, counter-, and condition-based maintenance with automatic reminders, digital checklists, task assignment, bath management, measurement recording, limit warnings, and automatic refill calculation; accessible via web app on tablet and smartphone.
• ProGal Servicemanager: Badpflege Web-based software module for digital electrolyte management that automatically calculates dosing quantities, integrates lab values, documents bath care automatically, manages tasks and escalations, monitors limit values, generates batch protocols, and plans sampling, reducing chemical consumption and extending bath life.
• ProGal Gestellmanager Software for managing the complete fixture rack park and all work carriers via RFID, logging every fixture movement, managing maintenance based on usage (through-cycles and bath times), and providing real-time transparency over availability and utilization.
• ProGal Abwassersteuerung Integrated wastewater treatment, measurement, and documentation system with continuous pH, redox, conductivity, and temperature monitoring; automatic chemical dosing; recipe/program operation for different wastewater streams; sequence control; limit management; and audit-ready logging and reporting.
• ProGal Dynamics Robot-based automated loading and unloading of workpiece carriers integrated into the PROGAL.PLATTFORM, featuring 2D/2.5D/3D cameras, laser scanning, area-scan technologies, bin picking for bulk parts, surface inspection, coat-thickness measurement (MMS, X-Ray), and intelligent process optimization under one unified control system.
• ProGal Mira AI chatbot integrated into ProGal that supports operators in daily plant operations, providing fast access to process data, answering questions about plant operation, generating simple evaluations, and providing plant status information via natural-language interaction.
• ProGal Brandverhütung (Fire Prevention) Fire prevention module using infrared monitoring cameras continuously monitoring critical plant components such as rectifiers, with two configurable thresholds (warning and targeted emergency shutdown of the affected rectifier only) and redundant safety shutdown (STB per DIN EN 14597); includes fill-level monitoring.
• Digitale Zwilling (Digital Twin) Simulation Service Virtual simulation model of real coating plants that virtually models transport cars, racks, baths, process steps, movements, loading/unloading, and production programs to test scenarios without affecting real production, calculate optimal investment decisions, and identify hidden capacity reserves.
• Softwareservicevertrag (Software Service Contract) Recurring service contract bundled with the ProGal platform covering updates, system checks, and priority helpdesk support to keep the customer's control solution future-proof.

Quantifiable outcome

• Efficiency potential of up to 30% identified per plant through digital twin analysis
• +6 more outcomes

Segments6 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 capability9 records

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Topa GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTopa GmbH is a co-presenter in DiTEC webinars on fire prevention in galvanizing. Robert Halbritter from Topa GmbH appeared as a guest speaker demonstrating thermal imaging technology alongside DiTEC's ProGal fire prevention system. The partnership combines Topa's thermal imaging expertise with DiTEC's control and monitoring capabilities for comprehensive fire prevention solutions in galvanic operations.
• Universities and Research PartnerssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerDiTEC collaborates with universities and research partners for continuous development, AI-powered optimization, and innovation in surface treatment automation. The company leverages these partnerships to advance its technology roadmap and integrate cutting-edge research into its products.
• Plant Builders (Anlagenbauer)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDiTEC works with plant builders as channel partners for new plant automation projects. Plant builders integrate DiTEC's ProGal software and control systems into new surface treatment plants. This partnership model enables DiTEC to reach customers at the point of new plant investment and ensures seamless integration of automation systems from project inception.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights8 records

Broad incumbents

• Yaskawa: Yaskawa (Motoman) provides industrial robots and motion control widely used in surface treatment automation. Comparable as a broad incumbent in the same robotics/automation ecosystem that ProGal Dynamics integrates into.
• Rockwell Automation: Rockwell's FactoryTalk and Logix platforms serve the same industrial automation buyers DiTEC targets (coating plants, process manufacturers). Comparable as a broad incumbent offering plant control software alongside hardware, competing for the same modernization and digitalization budgets.
• ABB: ABB's Ability and System 800xA platforms deliver process control and plant digitalization across discrete and process industries, including surface treatment. Comparable as a broad incumbent with installed bases in many of the same automotive and industrial end customers DiTEC serves.
• KUKA: KUKA provides industrial robotics and automation software used to load/unload coating lines and other production cells. Comparable as a broad incumbent whose robotics portfolio intersects with DiTEC's ProGal Dynamics vision-guided robot loading/unloading module.
• Schneider Electric / AVEVA: AVEVA (under Schneider Electric) provides industrial software including process simulation, plant digital twin, and operations control. Comparable as a broad incumbent whose digital-twin and process-optimization capabilities overlap with DiTEC's ProGal Digitaler Zwilling and Anlagensteuerung.
• Siemens Digital Industries: Siemens provides the SIMATIC S7/TIA Portal PLC platform that DiTEC's PROGAL.PLATTFORM runs on, plus broader industrial automation software (WinCC, MindSphere). Comparable as the dominant incumbent whose stack DiTEC extends with surface-treatment-specific control, optimization, and modules.

Direct peers

• Dürr AG: Dürr (including the former EISENMANN surface-treatment business) builds coating and surface-treatment plants and supplies their control and automation software. Comparable as a direct competitor offering integrated plant and control systems for painting, KTL, and pretreatment lines.
• GFOS (Gesellschaft für Fertigungstechnik und Organisation): GFOS provides MES and workforce/operations software for manufacturing, including maintenance, production-data acquisition, and traceability. Comparable as a German SME offering software modules adjacent to ProGal Servicemanager and PROGAL.PLATTFORM in industrial environments.
• Forcam: Forcam delivers MES and shop-floor analytics software to discrete and process manufacturers. Comparable as a peer providing production-data, OEE, and digitalization layers that overlap with ProGal's dashboards, predictive analytics, and maintenance management.

Regional players

• atp (atp-gmbh) / Coatmaster: atp is a German MES/process-control specialist serving manufacturing customers including surface treatment lines; Coatmaster provides inline coating measurement. Comparable as regional/specialist peers in the same DACH surface-treatment and process-control software market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ditecgmbh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 DiTEC