Rhoba Chemie

What Rhoba Chemie does

RHOBA-Chemie GmbH is a Bielefeld, Germany-based specialty chemicals manufacturer founded in 1996 that develops and supplies cleaning, surface treatment, water treatment, aviation, and accessory products to industrial customers. The company operates five branded product lines — RHOBA LAVIA (cleaners), RHOBA SUPRA (surface treatment), RHOBA PURIA (water treatment), RHOBA ALTIA / rhobaAIR (aviation), and RHOBA UTILA (service and accessories) — and serves aviation, industrial manufacturing, paint and coatings, process industries, and surface treatment services segments.

The company's technology footprint is rooted in chemical formulation rather than software or AI; the most notable recent technical extension is a partnership with Brisco Systems that integrates automated fluid management into its offering. Aviation is the most regulated franchise, with product approvals from Boeing and Airbus and halal certification on the rhobaAIR line, supported by ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015, and ISO 45001:2018 certifications and a Responsible Care commitment.

RHOBA generates revenue through direct B2B sales of its branded specialty chemicals with a minimum-order pricing model, complemented by private-label manufacturing and toll-filling services. Go-to-market is a direct field-sales model with named sales representatives covering Germany, Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic plus a central Bielefeld contact. The company is a privately held GmbH within the A.P.A. Holding GmbH group, with sister company Jokisch GmbH, and is led by Managing Directors Andreas Pawlik and Kirstin Pawlik. With 31 employees, RHOBA is a small, family-influenced specialty-chemical SME.

Name

Rhoba Chemie

Legal name

RHOBA-Chemie GmbH

Website

https://rhoba-chemie.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

RHOBA-Chemie GmbH is a Bielefeld, Germany-based specialty chemicals manufacturer founded in 1996 that supplies cleaning, surface treatment, water treatment, and aviation products to industrial, manufacturing, coatings, process, and aerospace customers under five branded lines, with direct sales across Germany and Central Europe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Chemicals

NAICS

Chemical Manufacturing (325), All Other Chemical Product and Preparation Manufacturing (32599), Soap and Cleaning Compound Manufacturing (32561)

SIC

Chemicals & Allied Products (2800), Specialty Cleaning, Polishing And Sanitation Preparations (2842)

akta.pro primary industry

Water Treatment & Process Specialty Chemicals (IMAEABAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Industrial & Institutional (I&I) Cleaning Chemicals (IMAEABAG), Industrial Wastewater Treatment Chemicals (IMAEAJAC)

Keywords

• Specialty chemical formulations
• Industrial cleaning chemicals
• Aviation cleaning products
• Water treatment chemicals
• Surface treatment chemistry

Headquarters

HQ city

Bielefeld

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Specialty Chemical Products: Development, production, and sale of specialty chemicals under brand names RHOBA LAVIA (cleaners), RHOBA SUPRA (surface treatment), RHOBA PURIA (water treatment), RHOBA ALTIA/rhobaAIR (aviation), and RHOBA UTILA (service/accessories). Products sold in various container sizes from small bottles to IBC containers.
2. Contract Filling Services: Toll filling services for chemical products ranging from 60 ml/g to 1,000 l/kg. Flexible production quantities from small to large batches. Services include production, filling, packaging, and labeling with optional private label branding.
3. Private Label: Custom branding services allowing companies to sell premium chemistry products under their own brand name, with customized formulas, packaging, labeling, and marketing materials (data sheets, safety data sheets, product brochures).
4. Machine Cleaning Services: Professional industrial machine cleaning services using modern cleaning techniques and tailored cleaning solutions. Includes safe disposal of used chemicals.
5. Laboratory Services: Analytical laboratory services including wet chemical analysis, titration, precipitation reactions, photometric determinations, and microbiology testing for quality control and process optimization.
6. Training Center: Training services for customer employees with capacity up to 30 participants, including theoretical and practical training sessions with attached laboratory facilities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

RHOBA-Chemie develops, produces and distributes specialty chemicals for industrial applications including water-based and solvent cleaners (RHOBA LAVIA), surface pretreatment, paint stripping and corrosion protection (RHOBA SUPRA), process and wastewater treatment chemistry (RHOBA PURIA), and internationally aviation-approved cleaning and deicing products (RHOBA ALTIA/rhobaAIR). The company also offers toll filling, private label, automated fluid management, machine cleaning, laboratory analysis and training services to industrial customers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• RHOBA LAVIA: Cleaning products for water-based cleaning, solvent cleaning, and specialty cleaners for industrial applications.
• RHOBA SUPRA
• RHOBA PURIA
• RHOBA ALTIA
• RHOBA UTILA
• rhobaAIR

Products and services

• RHOBA LAVIA Cleaners

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced maintenance costs through stabilized process water treatment
• +4 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Brisco SystemscoreTechnology or IntegrationBrisco Systems provides the eMix1500 and FCM 810 automated fluid management technology used by RHOBA-Chemie for intelligent cutting fluid monitoring and dosing. RHOBA integrates these systems with their chemical products to offer automated fluid management services to industrial customers.
• A.P.A. Holding GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRHOBA-Chemie GmbH is part of A.P.A. Holding GmbH, which aims to conduct business activities efficiently, responsibly, and profitably across all areas. The holding company provides strategic direction and resource allocation for subsidiary companies.
• Jokisch GmbHminorOthersSister company of RHOBA Chemie GmbH. Both companies participate together in community events like the AOK Company Run Bad Salzuflen, demonstrating corporate culture and team building activities.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Henkel AG: Multinational leader in industrial cleaning, surface treatment (Bonderite), and specialty maintenance chemistries — directly competing with RHOBA LAVIA and SUPRA lines for manufacturing customers but with much broader portfolio and global presence.
• BASF SE: Global chemical incumbent with large industrial cleaners, surface treatment, water treatment and aviation-related chemical divisions — overlapping every RHOBA product line but operating at vastly larger scale across geographies.

Direct peers

• Callington Haven: Specialty chemical manufacturer with a focused aviation approved chemistry portfolio (aircraft cleaners, degreasers, disinfectants) — the closest direct functional peer to RHOBA ALTIA / rhobaAIR for the aviation segment.
• Surtec International: Specialty chemicals company focused on surface treatment chemistries including cleaners, pretreatment, and corrosion protection — a close functional match to RHOBA SUPRA for industrial parts cleaning and pretreatment applications.
• Zeller + Gmelin GmbH & Co. KG: German family-owned specialty chemicals and lubricants manufacturer, comparable in scale and Mittelstand profile to RHOBA-Chemie, with overlapping industrial cleaning, metalworking fluids, and surface treatment product ranges for B2B customers in DACH.
• C.H. Erbslöh GmbH & Co. KG: German specialty chemicals company producing inorganic specialty chemicals, surface treatment, and process chemicals, overlapping with RHOBA's specialty chemistry portfolio for industrial customers in Germany and Europe.
• Houghton International: Global supplier of metalworking fluids, hydraulic fluids, and fluid management solutions, comparable in its RHOBA PURIA water and process treatment, automated fluid management, and industrial cleaning chemistries for manufacturing customers.
• Chem-Trend (Freudenberg Chemical Specialties): Specialty chemicals manufacturer focused on release agents, casting products, and surface treatment chemistry — closely aligned to RHOBA SUPRA's surface pretreatment, paint stripping, and protective coating offerings for industrial manufacturers.
• Kluthe GmbH & Co. KG: Established German specialty chemicals producer offering industrial cleaners, degreasers, and process chemicals — a closely overlapping product portfolio with RHOBA LAVIA and SUPRA lines, serving similar industrial and manufacturing customers in Germany and internationally.
• Petrofer GmbH: German-headquartered specialty chemicals company focused on industrial process fluids, metalworking fluids, water treatment, and surface treatment — directly overlapping RHOBA's PURIA and fluid management offerings, with comparable B2B industrial customer base.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xxing.com/pages/rhoba-chemiegmbh
• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=UJHM0PXOJQ0
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rhoba-chemie-gmbh
• Facebookfacebook.com/rhoba.chemie

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Rhoba Chemie