What Kerling does

Kerling Kunststofftechnik GmbH is a family-owned German plastics manufacturer headquartered in Rednitzhembach, Bavaria. Founded in 1970 and led by Managing Director Thomas Kerling, the company operates two divisions: Plastics (technical injection molding on 50+ machines with clamping forces from 30 to 320 tons) and Metal Processing (stamping and bending). The company specializes in highly filled and flame-retardant compounds, with depth in tight-tolerance, technically demanding parts rather than commodity molding.

The business serves four primary end-markets: power electronics (the lead vertical and the strategic focus), electrical and electronics, automotive, and medical technology. Kerling holds IATF 16949:2016 certification for automotive customers, alongside ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO 50001, and has operated on a 100% climate-neutral basis since 2022. It is repositioning from a component supplier toward a system supplier for power electronics, combining in-house injection molding and metal stamping into integrated assemblies.

Revenue mechanics are B2B direct sales against customer specifications and drawings, with no disclosed pricing model, customer logos, or revenue split across verticals. Capex intensity is high relative to headcount, reflecting the asset base of 50+ injection molding machines plus the expanded metal stamping line. Public funding from BMWK and EU NextGenerationEU was used to co-finance the metal processing expansion, completed within 14 months of project start.

Name

Kerling

Legal name

Kerling Kunststofftechnik GmbH

Website

https://kerling-gmbh.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Kerling is a family-owned German plastics manufacturer in Rednitzhembach, founded 1970, operating 50+ injection molding machines and a metal stamping division to supply technical molded components and integrated assemblies primarily to power electronics, electrical, automotive, and medical technology customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Precision Plastics and Metal Contract Manufacturing

NAICS

Plastics Product Manufacturing (3261), Industrial Mold Manufacturing (333511)

SIC

Metal Forgings & Stampings (3460)

akta.pro primary industry

Custom Injection Molding & Contract Manufacturing (Job Shops/CMs) (IMANAFAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Electrical & Electronics Injection Molded Components (Connectors, Housings) (IMANAFAD), Automotive & Transportation Injection Molded Parts (IMANAFAB)

Keywords

• Plastic injection molding
• Metal stamping services
• Precision metalworking
• Hybrid plastic-metal parts
• Tool and mold making

Headquarters

HQ city

Rednitzhembach

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Plastic Injection Molding Parts: Manufacture and sale of precision plastic injection-molded parts from standard and technical thermoplastics, including highly filled compounds, flame-retardant materials, and high-temperature polymers. Products include free-fall parts, hybrid parts (plastic-metal), 2K components, and part assemblies.
2. Metal Stamped Parts and Components: Production of stamped parts, stamped-bent parts, and bent parts including contacts, leaf springs, and clamps. Processing of low-alloyed and alloyed steel, stainless steel, aluminum, non-ferrous metals, copper alloys, and pure nickel strips. Additional services include vibratory grinding, heat treatments, and tensile/compression testing.
3. Tooling and Mold Services: In-house design and manufacturing of injection molding tools, jigs, fixtures, handling equipment, and robot grippers. Services include tool modification and adaptation of customer-supplied tools with short lead times.
4. Ultrasonic Mold Cleaning Services: Ultrasonic cleaning service for injection molds - customers send tools for disassembly, ultrasonic cleaning, and reassembly to operational condition.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Kerling Kunststofftechnik GmbH manufactures precision plastic injection-molded parts and stamped/bent metal components for industrial customers, including standard thermoplastics, highly filled and flame-retardant compounds, high-temperature materials, two-component (2K) parts, and plastic-metal hybrid assemblies. Production is supported by in-house tool and mold making, AI-supported quality control, and finishing services (ultrasonic mold cleaning, tumble finishing, heat treatment) under a single-source system supplier model.

Product overview

Kerling Kunststofftechnik GmbH operates as a precision manufacturing company with two core divisions: plastics technology (Kunststofftechnik) and metal processing (Metallbearbeitung). The plastics division produces injection molded parts including standard thermoplastics, highly filled/flame-retardant compounds, high-temperature materials, hybrid plastic-metal parts, two-component parts, and assembled components, supported by in-house construction, mold making, and quality services. The metal processing division, established over 50 years after the company's founding, offers stamping, stamp-bending, and post-processing of metals including steel, stainless steel, aluminum, and non-ferrous metals, with in-house tool making. Services span design engineering, mold/tool making, production, quality assurance with 3D measurement capabilities, ultrasonic mold cleaning, tumble finishing, and heat treatments. The company positions itself as a system supplier for power electronics rather than just a plastic parts supplier.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Plastic Injection Molded Parts (Kunststoffspritzgussteile) Manufacture of demanding plastic injection molded parts from all common thermoplastics, highly filled and flame-retardant plastic compounds, and high-temperature materials, produced on 50+ injection molding machines (30t to 320t clamping force) for industrial customers.
• Plastic-Metal Hybrid Parts (Hybridteile) Hybrid parts combining plastic and metal components into combined assemblies, representing the predominant product spectrum of the company for power electronics and automotive applications.
• Two-Component Injection Molded Parts (2K-Teile) Two-component (2K) injection molded parts combining two different plastic materials in a single molded part, manufactured in-house.
• Part Assemblies (Teilemontagen) Assembly of manufactured plastic and hybrid parts into higher-level subassemblies for industrial customers.
• Stamped and Bent Metal Parts (Stanzbiegeteile) Precision stamped and bent metal parts including contacts, leaf springs, and clamps, processed from low-alloyed and alloyed steel (0.1 to 1.5 mm strip thickness, up to 120 mm width) plus stainless steel, aluminum, and non-ferrous metals.
• Stamped Metal Parts (Stanzteile) Precision stamped metal parts manufactured using stamping presses up to 63t stamping force with press force monitoring for connector and contact system applications.
• Spring Steel Parts (Federbandstähle) Specialist processing of spring strip steels up to a strength of approximately 2000 N/mm² for demanding spring and contact applications.
• Non-Ferrous Metal Processing (Buntmetall-Verarbeitung) Processing of non-ferrous metals such as copper wrought alloys and special metals including pure nickel strips for electrical and electronic applications.
• Tool and Mold Making (Formenbau) Modern mold making department with mechanical processing facilities producing injection molds in nearly all standard cavity counts, including tools for highly filled and flame-retardant compounds using wear-resistant materials, plus adaptation of customer-supplied tools.
• Ultrasonic Mold Cleaning (Ultraschallreinigung) Ultrasonic cleaning service for injection molds in which customers send their tools and receive them disassembled, ultrasonically cleaned, and reassembled to operational condition.
• Tumble Finishing (Gleitschleifen) Tumble finishing services using Walter Trowal equipment with closed-loop extraction and process liquid treatment to improve surface quality and precision of metal parts.
• Heat Treatments (Wärmebehandlungen) Heat treatment services up to 450°C using microprocessor control to improve durability and resistance of metal parts.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% climate neutral manufacturing since 2022 through photovoltaic installation
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• FAU Erlangen (Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClose cooperation with FAU Erlangen university for knowledge exchange and joint research projects. The collaboration enables development of serial-ready manufacturing processes that can be directly transferred to production. University partnerships are part of the company's open innovation approach to identify new approaches and develop marketable solutions.
• Süddeutsches Kunststoffzentrum (South German Plastics Center)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional industry platform used to track technological innovations and expand cross-sector competencies. Part of Kerling's network strategy for identifying new approaches in plastics technology.
• Kunststoffnetzwerk Franken (Plastics Network Franconia)secondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional network platform for plastics industry collaboration and knowledge sharing in the Franconia region.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Rübsamen & Herr Maschinenbau GmbH: German precision metal stamping and forming specialist, including contact parts and electromechanical components. Comparable in precision stamping capability, customer verticals (electrical/electronics, automotive), and Mittelstand scale.
• Ensinger GmbH: German precision plastics manufacturer offering injection-molded and extruded engineering plastic parts across industrial, automotive, and electronics applications. Comparable in customer base, materials expertise, and Mittelstand scale.
• Simona AG: German manufacturer of thermoplastics including injection-molded and fabricated plastic parts for industrial applications. Similar Mittelstand scale, materials focus, and customer verticals (chemicals, electrical, automotive).
• Oechsler AG: German manufacturer of precision plastic and hybrid plastic-metal components for automotive, healthcare, and industrial customers. Directly comparable hybrid-parts capability, automotive focus, and Mittelstand positioning.
• Leonhard Kurz Stiftung & Co. KG: German precision stamping and surface finishing specialist serving automotive, electronics, and industrial customers. Comparable stamping technology, customer base, and tool-making integration.

Regional players

• Phoenix Contact GmbH & Co. KG: German specialist in electrical connectors, electronics, and automation technology. Comparable in power electronics and industrial customer base, though operates at substantially greater scale and with broader product portfolios.
• Wieland Electric GmbH: German manufacturer of electrical interconnection technology and stamped contacts serving similar electrical/electronics customers as Kerling. Overlaps on stamped metal components for power and signal applications.

Broad incumbents

• Röchling SE & Co. KG: Large German industrial plastics and composites group serving automotive, electronics, and industrial markets. Overlaps with Kerling on injection-molded and stamped parts but at substantially greater scale and global footprint.
• REHAU Industries SE & Co. KG: Large German polymer processing group with injection-molded and extruded parts for automotive, construction, and industrial markets. Overlaps in automotive and electrical plastics, though at much greater scale.
• ElringKlinger AG: German automotive Tier 1 with significant plastic and metal stamping operations, including hybrid components for drivetrain and power electronics. Comparable in automotive and hybrid-parts but much larger and publicly listed.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance4 records

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 Kerling