Backers Maschinenbau

What Backers Maschinenbau does

Backers Maschinenbau GmbH is a German family-owned mechanical engineering company headquartered in Twist, Lower Saxony, that develops, manufactures, and globally distributes starscreen (Sternsieb) machinery for size-based material separation. The firm traces its roots to a smithery founded in 1816 and has specialized exclusively in starscreen technology since 1989, when Heinz Christian Backers developed the first starscreen for the peat industry. Today, all final assembly of its machines is performed at the Twist site, where approximately 35 employees produce two principal product lines: 2-fraction and 3-fraction starscreens (mobile, semi-mobile, hook-lift, track, wheel-crawler, and skid/semi-trailer configurations) and convertible screening-and-mixing machines used for soil stabilization with lime, cement, or other binders, plus stationary screening plants and add-on modules (Grizzlyscreen, Windsichter, Magnetrolle, Dosierschnecke). The product range spans compact 120 m³/h hook-lift units to the 3-mal17 'Screen Monster' at 350 m³/h, with separation cuts adjustable from ~4 mm to 80 mm via CANBUS-controlled speed regulation and patented premium star configurations.

The company serves four primary use cases: waste disposal and recycling (construction & demolition debris, waste wood, compost), road construction and civil engineering (soil stabilization, pipeline and cable-trench backfill, liquid-soil production), mining and quarrying (aggregate and ballast processing), and agriculture/organic materials processing (peat, compost, bark, wood chips, top soil). Notable customers include Danish contractors SR-Gruppen A/S (operator of a fully electric Backers machine since summer 2024) and Vils Entreprenørforretning A/S, as well as Bol Peat (a Klasmann-Deilmann subsidiary) operating a 3-mao-17e at the port of Papenburg.

Backers generates revenue through (i) sale of new machines across multiple configurations, (ii) sale of used/refurbished machines, and (iii) an aftermarket stream consisting of spare parts (with typical 24-hour delivery from a dedicated warehouse) and service contracts. The company operates a hybrid go-to-market: direct enterprise sales from its German headquarters plus a global network of exclusive regional distributors covering 14 countries in Europe and Asia (including OKADA AIYON in Japan, Meldgaard Handel in Denmark, GEO Screentech in Italy, and Global Machinery Solutions in the UK). Pricing is not publicly disclosed and varies by model, configuration, and mobility option. Ownership and management remain entirely within the Backers family, now in its sixth and seventh generation under Heinz Backers (Geschäftsführer) and Christian Backers (Geschäftsführer), with no external investors, parent company, or institutional funding.

Name

Backers Maschinenbau

Legal name

Backers Maschinenbau GmbH

Website

https://backers.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1816

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Backers Maschinenbau GmbH is a family-owned German manufacturer (Twist, est. 1816) that designs, assembles, and globally distributes starscreen and screening-and-mixing machinery for material separation and soil stabilization, serving waste-recycling, road-construction, mining, and agriculture customers across 14 countries via exclusive regional distributors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Screening Machinery

akta.pro primary industry

Screening & Sizing Equipment (IMAHAMAG)

Keywords

• Starscreen machinery
• Soil screening equipment
• Material separation machines
• Soil stabilization equipment
• Mobile screening plants

Headquarters

HQ city

Twist

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Industrial Machinery Sales: Backers generates primary revenue through the manufacture and sale of starscreen machines, screening and mixing machines, and stationary screening plants. Products are sold as complete machines with various configurations (wheel, crawler, hook-lift, skid, semi-trailer). The company also sells used/refurbished machines.
2. Spare Parts and Aftermarket Service: The company maintains a large spare parts warehouse and offers rapid spare parts delivery (typically within 24 hours) both directly and through service partners. Service contracts and maintenance support represent an ongoing revenue stream.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels12 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Backers Maschinenbau designs, manufactures and sells industrial starscreen (Sternsieb) machines for separating bulk materials into 2 or 3 size fractions, as well as combined screening-and-mixing machines for soil stabilization with lime, cement and other binders. The product range includes mobile, semi-mobile and stationary screening plants, sold CE-conform and assembled exclusively at the Twist, Germany site, with throughputs up to 350 m³/h.

Product overview

Backers Maschinenbau GmbH offers industrial starscreen machinery and screening/mixing equipment for waste disposal, soil recycling, road construction, and civil engineering. The product portfolio includes two main product lines: (1) Starscreen machines for material separation, available as 2-fraction models (2-ha, 2-hta, 2-ma, 2-sa, 2-ta, 2-tb17, SPM17) and 3-fraction models (3-ma, 3-mal, 3-mal17, 3-mb, 3-mta, 3-mtal, 3-mtb, 3-mtbl, 3-sb, 3-ta, 3-tal, 3-tb), and (2) Screening and Mixing Machines (3-mtac, 3-mtbc, 3-mtblc) for soil stabilization with lime, cement, or other aggregates, and liquid soil production. Additionally, stationary screening plants and various optional components (Grizzlyscreen, Wind Sifter, Magnetic Roller, Dosing Screw) are available. All machines are manufactured in CE conformity at the Twist, Germany location.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 2-Fraction Starscreen Machines Mobile and semi-mobile starscreen machines that separate bulk materials into two size fractions (fine and coarse). Includes compact hook-lift models (2-ha, 2-hta), mobile versions (2-ma, 2-tb17), semi-mobile skid (2-sa), track-mounted radio-controlled units (2-ta), and the pipeline-specific SPM17. Throughputs range up to 280 m³/h. Sold to construction, recycling and agricultural buyers.
• 3-Fraction Starscreen Machines Starscreen machines that separate bulk materials into three size fractions (fine, medium, coarse) at adjustable separating cuts of 5–80 mm. Includes semi-trailer (3-ma, 3-mb), crawler/wheel-crawler (3-mta, 3-mtal, 3-mtb), skid (3-sb) and track-mounted (3-ta, 3-tal, 3-tb) variants, plus the 3-mal17 'Screen Monster' with up to 350 m³/h throughput. Sold to construction, mining, waste recycling and port-material handlers.
• Screening and Mixing Machines Convertible 3-fraction starscreens that can also operate as soil-stabilization mixing machines, dosing binding agents (lime, cement, aggregates) via belt scales and CANBUS-controlled force transducers for batch-recorded soil improvement. Includes 3-mtac, 3-mtbc and 3-mtblc variants with throughputs up to 250 t/h. Sold to road construction and civil engineering firms.
• Stationary Screening Plants Custom-designed stationary starscreen plants for integration into new or existing treatment facilities. Single or multi-stage screening at 5–80 mm separating cuts, supplied as complete plant-construction solutions for waste recycling, compost and aggregate processors.

Quantifiable outcome

• Processing capacity of up to 250 tonnes per hour for screening and mixing operations
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Z&P Baumaschinenservice GmbHcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive distributor for Backers Maschinenbau in Germany. Located at Alemannenstraße 1, 85290 Ilmendorf, Germany. Handles sales, service, and support for German customers alongside direct factory sales.
• Van der Spek NVcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive distributor for Backers Maschinenbau in Belgium. Located at Industrielaan 10, BE-1740 Ternat, Belgium.
• Van der SpekcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive distributor for Backers Maschinenbau in the Netherlands. Located at De Limiet 14, NL-4130 EB Vianen (U), Netherlands.
• Meldgaard Handel A/ScoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive distributor for Backers Maschinenbau in Denmark. Located at Askelund 10, 6200 Aabenraa, Denmark. Has been instrumental in establishing Backers starscreen technology in the Scandinavian market.
• ERMAC Matériels et installations sur mesurecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive distributor for Backers Maschinenbau in France. Located at 1611, route du Tram, F-38690 Colombe, France.
• GEO Screentech SrlcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive distributor for Backers Maschinenbau in Italy. Located at Via dell'Industria 67, 36030 Sarcedo, Italy.
• OKADA AIYON CorporationcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive distributor for Backers Maschinenbau in Japan. Located at 4-1-18 KAIGAN-DORI, JAP-552-0022 Osaka, Japan.
• Tekno-Nor AScoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive distributor for Backers Maschinenbau in Norway. Located at Myräsdalen 7, NO-1407 Vinterbro, Norway.
• Haberl Baumaschinen GmbHcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive distributor for Backers Maschinenbau in Austria. Located at Wiesenstraße 8, A-5201 Seekirchen, Austria.
• Norditek ABcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive distributor for Backers Maschinenbau in Sweden. Located at Ormvråksvägen 52, S-439 74 Fjärås, Sweden.
• AVESCO AGcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive distributor for Backers Maschinenbau in Switzerland for mineral applications. Located at Hasenmattstraße 2, CH-4901 Langenthal, Switzerland.
• Vertec AGcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive distributor for Backers Maschinenbau in Switzerland for organic applications. Located at Industriestraße 33, CH-9524 Zuzwil, Switzerland.
• Global Machinery Solutions LtdcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive distributor for Backers Maschinenbau in the United Kingdom. Located at Global Way, Long Bennington, Newark, Nottinghamshire NG23 5TU, UK.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Kleemann (Wirtgen Group): Wirtgen Group brand producing mobile jaw crushers and screening plants for natural stone and recycling. Overlaps with Backers in mobile recycling/quarrying applications though focused on vibrating screens rather than starscreens.
• Komptech GmbH: Larger German manufacturer of shredders, screens, and separators for wood and waste recycling. Offers overlapping screening capability as part of a broader recycling machinery portfolio rather than a starscreen specialty.
• Terex Finlay: Global manufacturer of mobile screening and crushing equipment serving quarrying, recycling, and construction. Competes with Backers in mobile screening for aggregates and C&D waste but at typically larger throughput scales.
• Sandvik Mining and Rock Technology: Global mining and infrastructure OEM offering crushing and screening equipment for quarrying and aggregates. Competes with Backers in mining/quarrying screening use cases as part of a much broader equipment portfolio.
• McCloskey International: Manufacturer of mobile screening, crushing, and stacking equipment for aggregates, composting, and recycling. Overlaps with Backers in mobile screening for C&D, compost, and recycling but emphasizes vibrating screens and trommels.
• Doppstadt GmbH: Established German manufacturer of mobile recycling, screening, and separation machines (e.g., SM series starscreens). Competes with Backers in mobile screening for compost and green waste, but with a broader product portfolio.

Direct peers

• Eggersmann Anlagenbau GmbH: German manufacturer of recycling and composting plants, including starscreen-based screening modules for waste/biomass processing. Competes with Backers in stationary and mobile screening solutions for waste management customers.
• Presto Siebmaschinen GmbH: German manufacturer of mobile and stationary starscreen (Sternsieb) machines for composting, soil, and recycling applications. Directly competes with Backers in the same starscreen product category, serving overlapping construction, recycling, and peat/biomass customers.
• Terra Select GmbH: German-based maker of mobile starscreens and screening machines marketed under the Terra Select brand. Targets the same compost, soil, and green-waste screening use cases as Backers and overlaps in European distribution channels.
• Backhus Maschinenbau GmbH: German manufacturer of windrow turners and screening/separating equipment for composting and organic-waste applications. Adjacent competitor in the screening niche with overlap on compost, peat, and biomass customers served by Backers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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 Backers Maschinenbau