BUSSE

What BUSSE does

BUSSE GmbH is a privately held, founder-led German engineering company headquartered in Leipzig with over 35 years of experience in plant engineering. The company operates two principal business lines: industrial plant engineering services (plant commissioning, assembly coordination, and industrial plant labeling with exclusive rights for the Stell GmbH sign system in the new German federal states) and decentralized wastewater treatment technology. Its core product is the BUSSE-MF, a membrane bioreactor (MBR) sewage treatment system that uses microfiltration membranes to purify domestic wastewater to bathing water quality, representing the first implementation of membrane activation process in small-scale sewage treatment technology. Product variants include the BUSSE-GT floating treatment system, container plants (4-100 person equivalents), underground modules (MF-E-HKA, 8 to 200+ person equivalents), and special applications such as zero-discharge aquaculture systems.

The company generates revenue through quote-based project pricing across three streams: engineering services for industrial plant construction, sale and installation of membrane sewage treatment plants, and custom special-application solutions. The go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales with on-site engineering services delivered at construction sites worldwide, supplemented by a downloadable resource library of brochures, datasheets, and reference documents in German and English. Customers span at least eight verticals — hospitality, tourism, education, government, automotive, real estate, agriculture, and energy — with deployments across 14 countries including Germany, France, Greece, Namibia, Peru, the USA, and Oman. Reference customers include Hotel Oasis Greece, ADAC Grevenbroich, Wohnkomplex Grüne 9 Berlin, Schloss Merode, and an Oman desert camp.

BUSSE holds German type approvals (Bauartzulassung) valid until 2030 and a Letter of Reference from the Federal Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt), and maintains ongoing R&D collaboration with the Umweltbundesamt, Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt, and multiple universities. The company is SCC certified for safety and quality management and remains concentrated under the leadership of founder and Managing Director Dipl.-Ing. Ralf-Peter Busse, with no disclosed institutional investors, funding rounds, or M&A activity.

Name

BUSSE

Legal name

BUSSE GmbH

Website

https://busse-gmbh.de

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

BUSSE GmbH is a privately held Leipzig-based engineering company that designs and installs BUSSE-MF membrane bioreactor wastewater treatment systems and provides plant commissioning, assembly coordination, and industrial plant labeling services for industrial, hospitality, and decentralized applications across 14 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wastewater Treatment Equipment & Engineering Services

NAICS

Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213), Sewage Treatment Facilities (22132), Measuring, Dispensing, and Other Pumping Equipment Manufacturing (333914)

SIC

Electric, Gas & Sanitary Services (4900), Sanitary Services (4950), General Industrial Machinery & Equipment (3560)

akta.pro primary industry

Water & Wastewater Treatment Plant Equipment (Clarifiers, Aeration, Membrane Systems) (IMAHAEAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Separation & Filtration Equipment (Filters, Centrifuges, Membranes) (IMAHAEAB), Decentralized/Package Wastewater Systems (Small/Remote) (EUANADAE)

Keywords

• Decentralized wastewater treatment
• Membrane bioreactor systems
• Industrial plant commissioning
• Wastewater recycling systems
• Engineering services

Headquarters

HQ city

Leipzig

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Engineering Services: Engineering services for industrial plant construction including plant commissioning, assembly coordination, and plant labeling for construction sites worldwide.
2. Membrane Sewage Treatment Plants: Sale and installation of BUSSE-MF membrane sewage treatment plants for decentralized wastewater treatment. Products range from small residential units to systems for 500+ inhabitants.
3. Special Applications: Custom wastewater solutions including container plants, historic buildings, fish farming systems, and underground modules.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

BUSSE GmbH designs, manufactures, and installs decentralized membrane bioreactor (MBR) sewage treatment plants (BUSSE-MF) that purify domestic wastewater to bathing water quality for applications ranging from 4 to 500+ person equivalents. The company also provides industrial engineering services including plant commissioning, assembly coordination, and industrial plant labeling, with deployments across 14 countries worldwide.

Product overview

BUSSE GmbH is an independent engineering company that offers a unified portfolio of membrane bioreactor (MBR) products and engineering services. The core technology is the BUSSE-MF system, a compact wastewater treatment solution using microfiltration membranes to purify domestic sewage to bathing water quality. This core product is available in multiple variants: standard models (MF-HKA 4/8) for ground installation, ground-mounted variants (MF-G-HKA 4/8), underground modules (MF-E-HKA series from 8 to 200+ person equivalents), and container-based mobile units (4-100 person equivalents). The BUSSE-GT variant serves floating applications. These products are complemented by engineering services including plant commissioning, assembly coordination, and industrial plant labeling. The company also develops special applications such as zero-discharge aquaculture systems. All solutions target decentralized wastewater treatment across 14 countries worldwide, from single-family homes to hotels, historic buildings, and remote installations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BUSSE-MF: Membrane sewage treatment plant for decentralized wastewater recycling using microfiltration membranes
• BUSSE-GT
• BUSSE-Membrankläranlage

Products and services

• BUSSE-MF Membrane Sewage Treatment Plant Membrane bioreactor (MBR) sewage treatment system using microfiltration membranes to purify domestic wastewater to bathing water quality for decentralized applications ranging from 4 to 500+ person equivalents.
• BUSSE-GT Floating Treatment System Floating wastewater treatment system based on MBR technology for houseboats, floating houses, and water-based installations.
• Underground Modules (MF-E-HKA Series) Underground or semi-underground MBR modules made from honeycomb-stabilized PP/PE plates, accessible for service, ranging from 8 to 200+ person equivalents.
• Container Plants Mobile wastewater recycling solutions installed in containers, available in sizes from 4 to 100 person equivalents for temporary or remote installations.
• Aquaculture Wastewater System Closed-loop fish farming wastewater treatment system using MBR technology that prevents environmental discharge and maintains high water quality in breeding tanks.
• Plant Commissioning Services Engineering services for commissioning industrial plants, ranging from chemical plants to environmental and energy production facilities.
• Assembly Coordination Construction and assembly management services for erection of industrial plants with nationwide deployment.
• Industrial Plant Labeling Plant identification and labeling services using the Stell GmbH sign system, with exclusive rights for the new federal states of Germany.
• Wastewater Recycling Systems Treatment systems that convert domestic wastewater to reuse water for toilet flushing, garden irrigation, and other non-potable applications, reducing water and wastewater fees.

Quantifiable outcome

• Operating costs for wastewater recycling are only a fraction of drinking water and wastewater fees
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers13 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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Umweltbundesamt (Federal Environment Agency)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClose collaboration in numerous research and development projects in the field of technical-biological processes in environmental technology.
• Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (German Federal Environmental Foundation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative research and development partnership in environmental technology projects.
• Various Universities, Colleges, and InstitutesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnerships with academic institutions for research and development in wastewater treatment technology.
• Stell GmbH BocholtcoreTechnology or IntegrationBUSSE GmbH holds exclusive rights for the new federal states to use the Stell GmbH sign system for industrial plant labeling - a system tried and tested for over 25 years.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Kingspan Klargester: One of Europe's leading manufacturers of packaged and decentralized wastewater treatment plants (e.g., BioDisc, BioTec), serving residential, commercial, and small municipal sites. Directly comparable to BUSSE-MF in product category, customer base, and regulatory-driven go-to-market.
• WPL Limited: UK-based manufacturer of package sewage treatment plants and MBR/biological systems for off-mains applications across residential, commercial, and small municipal markets. Closely matches BUSSE in decentralized wastewater use cases and regulatory-approval-driven sales motion.
• HUBER SE: German manufacturer of machines, plants, and components for municipal and industrial water/wastewater treatment, including membrane and MBR technologies. Comparable to BUSSE on technology (membrane-based wastewater treatment) and German/European regulatory environment, though at much larger scale.
• GRAF (Otto Graf GmbH): German manufacturer of rainwater management and decentralized wastewater treatment products (e.g., Klaro, ONE2clean), serving single-family homes and small commercial sites across Europe. Comparable to BUSSE on small-scale, off-grid wastewater treatment under EN 12566.
• ATB Water GmbH: European manufacturer of small-scale and decentralized biological wastewater treatment plants (e.g., AQUATOP, BG Series), competing with BUSSE-MF in the same residential and small-commercial segment under European standards (EN 12566).

Broad incumbents

• Xylem Inc. Global water technology company providing pumps, filtration, treatment, and analytics (e.g., Flygt, Wedeco, Leopold). Comparable to BUSSE on membrane/water treatment equipment but with a much broader portfolio and a primary focus on municipal/utility customers.
• Veolia Water Technologies: Global water-technology incumbent offering MBR systems (e.g., MemPulse, BioMem) and broader water/wastewater solutions. While BUSSE competes with Veolia in adjacent package-plant use cases, Veolia's portfolio spans municipal and industrial markets at vastly larger scale.
• SUEZ Water Technologies & Solutions: Global water and wastewater technology provider with MBR/membrane systems, packaged plants, and full-service offerings for municipal and industrial customers. Overlaps with BUSSE in decentralized and membrane-based treatment but operates as a broad incumbent.

Emerging players

• Organica Water: Hungarian-origin provider of decentralized biological wastewater treatment plants (e.g., Organica ECORACK, FCR-MBR), targeting residential complexes, hotels, and small municipalities. Closely matches BUSSE-MF in scale and decentralized-MBR positioning.
• Fluence Corporation: Provider of decentralized packaged MBR and wastewater treatment solutions (e.g., NIROBOX, SUBRE) for small municipalities, resorts, and industrial sites. Directly comparable to BUSSE on decentralized MBR product and use cases, including containerized plants.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/busse-gmbh

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 BUSSE