Kleinmetall

What Kleinmetall does

Kleinmetall GmbH is a privately held German manufacturer and direct-to-consumer retailer specializing in crash-tested pet transport and in-vehicle pet safety products, headquartered in Erlensee, Germany. The company was founded in 1973 and operates with 11-50 employees, building its brand over more than five decades around the German engineering and automotive accessories tradition. Its core product portfolio comprises aluminum and steel dog transport boxes (Alustar, MultiCage, Variocage including the Black Edition premium variant), Masterline vehicle-specific dog guards and grilles, Starliner trunk liners and cargo protection, plus harnesses, ramps, and related travel accessories. Product fit is engineered at the SKU level for more than 50 automotive brands, which functions as a technical catalog asset and a barrier to generic substitution.

The commercial model is a hybrid of direct-to-consumer e-commerce, a proprietary physical Box Depot (Boxen-Depot) pickup and installation network across Germany, and a B2B dealer channel. Pricing spans €19.80 for entry accessories to over €1,360 for premium crash-tested boxes. Kleinmetall has positioned itself around TÜV certification and UN-R126 crash-test compliance — a regulatory standard that became mandatory for in-vehicle pet transport in July 2024 across the EU — and has extended limited shipping and an English-language site beyond Germany. The bespoke 'Exclusiv' program adds a custom-manufacturing layer for non-standard vehicle dimensions or premium customer requirements. No revenue, funding, or AI capability disclosures were present in the source data, so quantitative scale cannot be triangulated beyond the 11-50 employee band.

Name

Kleinmetall

Legal name

Kleinmetall GmbH

Website

https://kleinmetall.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kleinmetall is a privately held German manufacturer and D2C/B2B retailer of crash-tested dog transport boxes, vehicle-specific grilles, trunk liners, and pet travel accessories, serving German and limited EU consumers and dealers with TÜV- and UN-R126-certified products.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pet Safety Equipment

SIC

Motor Vehicle Parts & Accessories (3714)

akta.pro primary industry

Pet Bedding, Crates & Carriers Retail (CRALAHAF)

Keywords

• Pet safety equipment
• Dog transport boxes
• Vehicle dog grilles
• Custom trunk liners
• Pet travel accessories

Headquarters

HQ city

Erlensee

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Kleinmetall manufactures and sells crash-tested dog transport boxes (VarioCage, MultiCage, Alustar), vehicle-specific dog grilles (Masterline, Universal, Exclusiv), custom-fit trunk liners (Starliner), dog safety harnesses, seat covers, and telescoping dog ramps. Operations are based in Erlensee, Germany, with products designed for UN-R126 compliance and TÜV certification.

Product overview

Kleinmetall is a German e-commerce company specializing in high-quality dog accessories for vehicles, operating for over 50 years. The product portfolio is organized into six main categories: (1) Hundetransportboxen (dog transport boxes) comprising Alustar (aluminum universal boxes), MultiCage & Care² (crash-tested for vans/pickups), and Variocage (crash-tested with deformation zone including Black Edition); (2) Hundegitter (dog grates) featuring Masterline vehicle-specific grates with lifetime warranty, universal grates including TraficGard, and custom Exclusiv solutions; (3) Kofferraumwannen (trunk liners) including Starliner custom-fit liners, Starliner Deluxe, bumper protectors, and universal options; (4) Gurte & Decken (belts and blankets) including DogMaster 2.0 safety belts, Allsafe products, and seat protection covers (AllsideClassic, AllsideComfort, AllsidePrestige); (5) Zubehör (accessories) including Dogwalk³ TÜV-tested aluminum ramps, theft protection, bicycle holders, beds, and grooming items; (6) Exclusiv custom-made products manufactured to order in Erlensee. The company emphasizes safety certifications including TÜV and UN-R126 crash testing standards.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• VarioCage Dog Transport Boxes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Trixie Heimtierbedarf: One of Europe's largest pet accessories brands with a comprehensive dog and cat range, including transport and car-safety products. Not focused exclusively on dog-in-car safety, but competes with broader pet-accessory catalogue and superior scale/distribution.
• Ruffwear: Premium outdoor/adventure dog gear brand including vehicle travel accessories. Larger, broader pet-outdoor brand with comparable positioning on quality and safety for active dog owners.
• WeatherTech Europe: Major North American and growing European vehicle-protection brand (cargo liners, bumper protectors, pet barriers). Direct overlap with Kleinmetall's Starliner trunk liners, bumper protection, and universal grilles categories across the EU pet-owner segment.

Direct peers

• Sleepypod: US-based maker of crash-tested pet carriers (ClickIt Sport) certified for vehicle travel. Directly comparable in crash-tested safety positioning for dog/pet transport in cars, though primarily North American.
• PetEgo by Posh Paws / PetEgo Italia: European-Italian brand offering crash-tested dog travel crates and accessories. Overlapping product positioning (certified vehicle transport for dogs) in the EU consumer market.
• 4pets (Autoform): Swiss manufacturer of crash-tested dog transport boxes (e.g., ProLine, PetEgo) and vehicle accessories. Operates in the same niche and target segment (dog-owning car owners seeking certified safety solutions), selling direct-to-consumer across DACH-region markets.
• Kurgo: Brand offering dog seat belts, hammocks, back-seat barriers, and travel accessories marketed around crash-testing and vehicle safety — directly comparable to Kleinmetall's Gurte & Decken and Hundegitter lines.
• MIM Safe (MIM Construction AB): Swedish manufacturer of the original crash-tested Variocage dog crates and SafeCrate systems. MIM Safe is the originator of Variocage technology which Kleinmetall sells under the Variocage brand, making it a direct product peer and de facto upstream partner in the German market.
• Sturdi Products: US manufacturer of crash-tested pet travel carriers and vehicle accessories. Competes in the same 'crash-tested dog transport' category but primarily serves the North American market.

Others

• Kongsberg Automotive: Listed automotive supplier with seating, interior trim, and lightweighting expertise relevant to vehicle cargo-area products (seat covers, trunk liners, custom grilles). Adjacent supplier-tier player that could supply or compete with custom-vehicle interior components.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/kleinmetall1
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kleinmetall

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Kleinmetall