ViscoTec
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2005
- HeadquartersSankt Martin Im Muhlkreis, Austria
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What ViscoTec does
ViscoTec is the plastics recycling technology division of Austrian family-owned industrial machinery manufacturer Starlinger & Co Gesellschaft m.b.H., headquartered in St. Martin im Mühlkreis, Austria. The division designs and manufactures capital equipment that converts post-consumer plastic waste into food-contact-grade recycled polymers, addressing the technically difficult problem of removing contaminants, odors, and inconsistent intrinsic viscosity (iV) from recycled feedstocks to meet EFSA and FDA food-safety standards.
The core technology platform rests on four proprietary pillars: the viscoZERO melt-phase decontamination reactor (launched October 2022) for processing polyolefins (PP, PE, PS) and PET; the viscoSTAR solid-state polycondensation (SSP) plant family for iV increase and decontamination, scaling up to the viscoSTAR 350 at 3.5 tons/hour; the deCON / deCON iV+ decontamination dryers for flake and skeleton-waste processing; and the viscoSHEET sheet extrusion lines that produce food-grade sheet from up to 100% rPET. Underpinning these is a patented First-in-First-out (FIFO) reactor architecture and dynamic vacuum treatment that the company credits for its cleaning-efficiency performance. Supporting the equipment portfolio is the in-house viscoLAB material-testing facility and the recoSTAR dynamic pelletizing line.
ViscoTec operates a B2B capital-equipment sales model, selling turnkey plants and individual modules directly to plastics recyclers, thermoformers, and packaging converters through the Starlinger Group's global sales infrastructure (including American Starlinger-Sahm Inc in Fountain Inn, SC) and direct enterprise field-sales engagement. Revenue mechanics span initial equipment sales, aftermarket spare-parts and service contracts, and food-grade regulatory compliance support packages. The installed base stands at more than 451 recycling lines and 4.49 million tons of installed capacity across more than 100 countries, with named customers spanning enterprise names (Valgroup, Oben Holding, Lacerta Group, PETman, Srichakra Polyplast) and mid-market converters, with no single customer disclosed as dominant.
ViscoTec firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ViscoTec
- Legal name
- Starlinger & Co Gesellschaft m.b.H.
- Website
- https://viscotec.at
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2005
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ViscoTec industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Plastics Recycling Machinery
- NAICS
- Materials Recovery Facilities (56292)
- SIC
- Miscellaneous Plastics Products (3080)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Plastic Recycling Equipment & Technology Providers (Sorting, Washing, Extrusion) (EUAIAKAM)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Food-Grade & rPET/rHDPE Recycling (Decontamination/SSP, Bottle-to-Bottle) (EUAIAKAD), Mechanical Recycling (Wash, Grind, Pelletize) (EUAIAKAB), Rigid Plastics Recycling (HDPE/PP, Injection/Blow Molded) (EUAIAKAF), Compounding & Additives for Recycled Plastics (Compatibilizers, Stabilizers, Color) (EUAIAKAJ), Recycled & Reprocessed Polymer Resin Manufacturing (rPET, rPP, rPE; PCR/PIR resins) (IMANAAAH), Packaging Waste Sorting & Recycling Technologies (Mechanical/Chemical Recycling, Sorting Systems) (IMALAMAL)
Keywords
Where ViscoTec is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Sankt Martin Im Muhlkreis
- HQ country
- Austria
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
ViscoTec business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Recycling Machinery & Plant Sales: ViscoTec designs, manufactures and sells complete turnkey recycling plants and individual machinery modules (viscoZERO, viscoSTAR, viscoSHEET, deCON, crystallizers) to plastics recycling companies. Revenue is generated through capital equipment sales, installation, and commissioning. Systems are sold as complete turnkey plants or as upgrades to existing extruder lines.
- Aftermarket & Service: Ongoing revenue from spare parts supply, technical support, supervision services, and field service engineers. The company offers food-grade compliance support packages to help recyclers navigate the regulatory landscape (EFSA/FDA approvals).
- Material Testing & Consulting (viscoLAB): ViscoTec operates in-house testing facilities (viscoLAB) where customers and prospects can run material tests. This supports sales of machinery and provides consulting revenue.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
ViscoTec product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ViscoTec designs, manufactures, and sells complete turnkey recycling plants and individual machinery modules that convert post-consumer plastic waste into food-grade recycled materials. Its offerings span melt-phase decontamination reactors (viscoZERO), solid-state polycondensation (SSP) plants (viscoSTAR), decontamination dryers and crystallizers (deCON), and sheet extrusion lines (viscoSHEET) producing up to 100% rPET food-grade sheet for thermoformed packaging.
Product overview
ViscoTec is a division of Starlinger Group offering comprehensive recycling solutions for food-grade plastics. The product portfolio centers on three interconnected solution areas: melt phase decontamination (viscoZERO) for PP, PE, PS and PET; food grade rPET solutions (viscoSTAR, deCON series, crystallizer, vacuum systems) for bottle-to-bottle and tray-to-tray recycling; and sheet extrusion solutions (viscoSHEET lines) for converting recycled material into sheet. The viscoSTAR SSP reactors handle iV increase and decontamination, deCON units provide flake decontamination, crystallizers manage drying/dedusting, and viscoSHEET lines produce finished sheet. Supporting services include viscoLAB for material testing and recoSTAR dynamic for dynamic pelletizing.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- viscoZERO: Melt phase decontamination reactor for producing food-grade recycled polyolefins (PP, PE, PS) and food-grade iV-increased recycled PET. Enables super-clean post-consumer recyclate safe for direct food contact.
- viscoSTAR
- deCON / deCON iV+
- crystallizer
- viscoSHEET
- rPET100
- vacuum system
- viscoLAB
Products and services
- viscoZERO Melt phase decontamination reactor that produces food-grade recycled polyolefins (PP, PE, PS) and recycled PET resins using patented FIFO design and dynamic vacuum treatment for deep intrinsic cleaning, odor removal, and iV increase. Available as turnkey solutions or as upgrades to existing recycling extruders for plastics recyclers seeking food-contact-grade output.
- viscoSTAR SSP Plant Solid State Polycondensation (SSP) plant for intrinsic viscosity (iV) increase and decontamination of polyester pellets and flakes, used for bottle-to-bottle and tray-to-tray recycling into food-grade rPET. Available in models viscoSTAR 150, 180, 250, and 350 (the largest producing up to 3.5 tons/hour).
- deCON / deCON iV+ decontamination dryer Decontamination dryer for production of food-grade, iV-increased flakes or skeleton waste directly in front of production extruders, combining crystallization, drying, dedusting, and decontamination in a single unit. The deCON iV+ variant adds inline intrinsic viscosity recovery to enable direct food contact compliance for rPET.
- deCON 20 smart decontamination module Smart decontamination module for processing multiple types of material simultaneously, designed to provide flexible, multi-material food-grade rPET processing in front of production extruders.
- Crystallizer module Standalone module for crystallization, drying, and dedusting of recycled PET and polyolefin feedstocks, ensuring pre-dried input material reaches the extruder to prevent moisture-induced iV loss during sheet or pellet production.
- viscoSHEET sheet extrusion line Sheet extrusion line for producing food-grade and high-iV sheet from up to 100% rPET and inhouse flakes, including variants such as the viscoSHEET SE rPET mono-layer turnkey line. Fully automated with one-button startup, automatic recipe changes, high-capacity roll stack delivering up to +30% throughput, automated centerWINDER, and closed-loop process synchronization for packaging manufacturers in thermoforming, food packaging, and rPET sheet production.
- recoSTAR dynamic pelletizing line Dynamic pelletizing line combined with melt phase decontamination technology for recycling polyolefins and polystyrene into food-grade pellets, used by recyclers seeking to produce resin suitable for direct food contact applications.
- viscoLAB material testing service In-house laboratory offering material testing, characterization, documentation, inspection, and consulting services. Provides objectively verifiable results for customer decision-making on recycling processes and regulatory submissions for food-contact compliance.
- rPET100 sheet material Heat-resistant, fully recyclable sheet material made from 100% recycled PET, marketed as an output material product for food packaging applications including thermoformed containers.
Quantifiable outcome
- 451 recycling plants installed globally, growing +6% in 12 months
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use ViscoTec
Customer profileNamed customers20 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
ViscoTec technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature9 records
ViscoTec partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting and flagship.
- PETman (as PAC2PAC value chain partner)corePETman is a key partner in the PAC2PAC project led by BACHMANN GROUP for closed-loop Swiss PET packaging recycling. PETman processes collected PET packaging using ViscoTec deCON iV+ and viscoSHEET systems to produce recycled sheet that BACHMANN converts back into new packaging. This represents an integrated technology partnership within a circular economy value chain.
- SesotecsupportingSesotec is one of the four partners in the BACHMANN GROUP PAC2PAC project for Swiss packaging recycling. Sesotec provides sorting and detection technology that supports the recycling value chain feeding into the ViscoTec processing systems.
- KronessupportingKrones is one of four partners in the BACHMANN GROUP PAC2PAC project for closed-loop Swiss PET packaging recycling. Krones provides downstream processing equipment that works with ViscoTec systems in the recycling value chain.
- Origin MaterialscoreOrigin Materials partnered with ViscoTec for sheet extrusion technology to produce the world's first commercially scalable thermoformed PET bottle caps. ViscoSTAR reactors pre-treat material for food safety and iV increase, followed by viscoSHEET extrusion. Origin is expanding manufacturing capability with additional systems, representing a long-term co-development relationship.
- Marmara PET (as pioneer customer)flagshipMarmara PET in Turkey was the first Turkish sheet manufacturer to produce food-grade rPET according to EFSA and FDA standards using ViscoTec's deCON supercleaning unit. Also notably was the first ViscoTec plant installed remotely, demonstrating Industry 4.0 capabilities during COVID-19 travel restrictions.
- American Starlinger-Sahm Inc (ASSI)coreAmerican Starlinger-Sahm Inc is the wholly-owned North American subsidiary of Starlinger Group, headquartered in Fountain Inn, South Carolina. It serves as the regional hub for ViscoTec product sales, service, spare parts, and technology demonstrations in North America. Operates an in-house tech center showcasing complete ViscoTec recycling solutions including recoSTAR dynamic and viscoZERO systems.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
ViscoTec competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Bandera (Luigi Bandera SpA): Italian extrusion machinery manufacturer producing sheet and film lines for plastics. Competes with ViscoTec's viscoSHEET systems in PET and rPET sheet extrusion for thermoformed packaging.
- Gneuss: German manufacturer of melt filtration, extrusion and recycling systems for plastics, including PET and polyolefin recycling. Overlaps with ViscoTec's decontamination and sheet extrusion offerings for food-contact rPET.
- AMUT: Italian manufacturer of extrusion and recycling lines for plastics, including PET sheet extrusion. Direct competitor in sheet extrusion equipment for thermoformed packaging applications.
- NGR (Next Generation Recyclingmaschinen): Manufacturer of plastics recycling machinery including extrusion and filtration systems for PET bottle-to-bottle and polyolefin recycling. Competes with ViscoTec in food-grade rPET decontamination and pelletizing equipment.
- Starlinger (recoSTAR): ViscoTec's parent company and sibling recycling brand offering recoSTAR PET and dynamic pelletizing lines. Closely comparable technology portfolio, with internal cannibalization and cooperation dynamics within Starlinger Group.
- Erema: Austrian-headquartered manufacturer of plastics recycling machinery, including extrusion and decontamination systems for PET and polyolefins. Direct competitor to ViscoTec's viscoSTAR, deCON and viscoSHEET product lines across bottle-to-bottle and food-contact recycling applications.
- Sorema (Previero): Italian manufacturer of plastics recycling and washing lines, including PET bottle-to-bottle systems. Comparable in mechanical recycling equipment scope and food-grade PET processing capability.
Broad incumbents
- Bühler Group: Swiss family-owned industrial machinery group with broad food and packaging processing portfolio. Comparable in scale and family-ownership governance model; serves overlapping packaging customers though not focused on recycling.
- TOMRA: Global leader in sorting and recycling technology with broad portfolio spanning collection, sorting (MRF), and increasingly recycling. Comparable upstream in the plastics recycling value chain, complementing ViscoTec's downstream processing equipment.
Emerging players
- Sesotec: German manufacturer of sorting and detection equipment for plastics recycling. Active partner alongside ViscoTec in the BACHMANN PAC2PAC project and comparable as an equipment provider to MRFs and recyclers in the same value chain.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
ViscoTec social profiles
Digital presenceViscoTec compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance11 records
ViscoTec financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ViscoTec leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
ViscoTec funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ViscoTec M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about ViscoTec
What does ViscoTec do?
ViscoTec designs, manufactures, and sells complete turnkey recycling plants and individual machinery modules that convert post-consumer plastic waste into food-grade recycled materials. Its offerings span melt-phase decontamination reactors (viscoZERO), solid-state polycondensation (SSP) plants (viscoSTAR), decontamination dryers and crystallizers (deCON), and sheet extrusion lines (viscoSHEET) producing up to 100% rPET food-grade sheet for thermoformed packaging.
Is ViscoTec a public or private company?
ViscoTec is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was ViscoTec founded?
ViscoTec was founded in 2005. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is ViscoTec based?
ViscoTec is headquartered in Sankt Martin Im Muhlkreis, Austria, in the Europe region.
How does ViscoTec make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Recycling Machinery & Plant Sales are the primary driver. The others are aftermarket & Service and material Testing & Consulting (viscoLAB).
Who are ViscoTec's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Bandera (Luigi Bandera SpA), Gneuss, AMUT, NGR (Next Generation Recyclingmaschinen), Starlinger (recoSTAR), Erema and Sorema (Previero). Broad incumbents are Bühler Group and TOMRA. Sesotec is listed as an emerging player.
Does ViscoTec have an API?
No public API is recorded for ViscoTec.
What industry is ViscoTec in?
ViscoTec's product category is Plastics Recycling Machinery. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUAIAKAM, Plastic Recycling Equipment & Technology Providers (Sorting, Washing, Extrusion), with a secondary code of EUAIAKAD, Food-Grade & rPET/rHDPE Recycling (Decontamination/SSP, Bottle-to-Bottle). Its NAICS code is 56292 and its SIC code is 3080.