ZAT

What ZAT does

ZAT Automobiltechnik GmbH is a privately held German professional services firm founded in 1989 and headquartered in Stuttgart (with founding roots in Göppingen) that operates as a globally acting sales organization for automotive and industrial suppliers. The firm embeds its experts directly at OEM and Tier 1 procurement and development centers across Germany, China, Mexico, the USA, Japan, South Korea, and India, providing six integrated service modules: Business Creation, Key Account Management, Supplier Qualification, Global Footprint/Network, Customer Expertise, and Innovation/Scouting. Its core function is to acquire profitable orders for supplier clients, qualify them against individual OEM requirements, and strengthen long-term customer relationships across regions.

The company's revenue model is professional services, charging customized fees for sales representation, key account management, and supplier qualification engagements; pricing is not publicly disclosed. ZAT serves two primary customer segments: automotive and industrial suppliers seeking global market access and OEM/Tier 1 qualification, and OEM and Tier 1 buyers that need qualified suppliers for components, materials, software, and services. Case study outcomes include scaling a supplier from EUR 15 million to over EUR 70 million in revenue, qualifying a Japanese IMD/IML parts supplier for a new OEM customer, establishing a Chinese raw material supplier as a leading EV-battery supplier at major German OEMs, and supporting a Japanese Tier 1's expansion that led to a new production plant in Mexico.

The firm operates with 11-50 employees and is led by Managing Director and CEO Gerald Zimmermann alongside General Manager Stefan Braitsch and a global leadership team of country-level General Managers and Senior Directors. ZAT is founder/management-controlled with no disclosed external investors, parent entities, funding rounds, M&A activity, patents, or trademarks. Its go-to-market is enterprise field sales conducted through direct B2B relationships, supplemented by industry events; there are no public marketing channels, no app presence, no public APIs or SDKs, and no AI/ML capabilities referenced in available materials.

Name

ZAT

Legal name

ZAT Automobiltechnik GmbH

Website

https://zat-automobiltechnik.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ZAT Automobiltechnik GmbH is a privately held German sales organization, founded in 1989, that helps automotive and industrial suppliers acquire orders, qualify for OEM and Tier 1 requirements, and manage global customer relationships through offices in eight countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Göppingen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Sales Services for Automotive Suppliers: ZAT generates revenue by providing customized sales services to automotive and industrial suppliers, helping them acquire orders, enter global markets, and strengthen customer relationships with OEM and Tier 1 buyers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

ZAT is a globally acting sales organization that helps automotive and industrial suppliers acquire profitable orders, qualify for OEM and Tier 1 customer requirements, and expand into global markets. The firm provides customized services including business creation, key account management, supplier qualification, and customer expertise through a matrix organization of sales experts embedded at procurement and development centers worldwide.

Product overview

ZAT is a globally acting sales organization that provides a unified portfolio of services for automotive and industrial suppliers. The core offering consists of six integrated service modules: Business Creation (bringing supplier products into mass production), Key Account Management (sales power and market presence), Supplier Qualification (meeting OEM standards), Global Footprint/Network (worldwide expert presence), Customer Expertise (connecting suppliers and OEMs), and Innovation/Scouting (identifying market opportunities). These services work together to help suppliers acquire orders, strengthen customer relationships, and achieve sustainable profitability in global markets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Business Creation Customized sales service for automotive and industrial suppliers in global markets; develops business and brings supplier components, materials, software and services into mass production use.
• Key Account Management Adds high-performance sales power across all phases of business creation, increases local market presence and maximizes customer proximity for suppliers with OEM and Tier 1 accounts.
• Supplier Qualification Supports suppliers in meeting automotive standards and individual OEM requirements, qualifying suppliers with specific expertise for professional and long-term supply.
• Global Footprint | Network Provides globally acting sales organization with experts present daily at procurement and development centers worldwide, offering trustful relationships and joint experiences.
• Customer Expertise Connects suppliers and OEMs while contributing leading information and high-quality sales work for business success.
• Innovation | Scouting Supports suppliers in creating value for customers through enthusiasm for innovation, meeting customer expectations and opening doors for market success.

Quantifiable outcome

• Supplier revenue growth from 15 Mio. EUR to over 70 Mio. EUR

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• IAV: Automotive engineering services firm working alongside OEMs and Tier 1s on powertrain, electronics, and vehicle development; comparable in its combination of deep technical know-how and direct customer-side presence that ZAT also leverages.
• AKKA Technologies: European engineering and digital services consultancy with a strong automotive practice, helping suppliers and OEMs qualify, develop, and deploy components — closely analogous professional services positioning to ZAT.
• Berylls Strategy Advisors: Munich-based management consultancy dedicated to the automotive industry, advising OEMs and suppliers on strategy, operations, and supplier development — overlaps with ZAT in automotive supplier-side advisory and customer expertise.
• FEV Group: Independent automotive engineering services firm specializing in powertrain, vehicle, and software development for OEMs and suppliers; comparable B2B services firm operating globally with embedded customer expertise.
• Bertrandt: Automotive engineering services provider offering supplier qualification, development support, and embedded engineering across vehicle programs; serves many of the same OEM and Tier 1 customers as ZAT with a similar project-based services model.
• EDAG Engineering: Germany-headquartered engineering services firm serving automotive and industrial clients globally with supplier development, project execution, and customer-side embedded teams — comparable B2B professional services model targeting OEM customers.
• Staufen AG: German operational and organizational consultancy with automotive and industrial supplier practices; comparable mid-sized B2B professional services firm helping industrial companies improve performance and qualify for OEM requirements.

Broad incumbents

• Roland Berger: Global management consultancy with one of the largest dedicated automotive practices, advising OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers on strategy, sourcing, and supplier development — adjacent consulting services targeting the same automotive value chain.
• Porsche Consulting: Subsidiary of Porsche AG offering management and operational consulting to automotive and industrial clients globally, including supplier development — broader portfolio than ZAT but overlapping in automotive supplier-side services.
• Capgemini Engineering: Global engineering services and R&D arm of Capgemini with deep automotive and industrial supplier practice; broader scale and scope than ZAT, but directly comparable in helping suppliers win OEM business and qualify for production.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/zat-automobiltechnik-gmbh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

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 ZAT