What Linde Kryotechnik does

Linde Kryotechnik AG is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Linde plc (NYSE: LIN), headquartered in Pfungen, Switzerland, and a world-leading specialist manufacturer of cryogenic helium and hydrogen liquefaction and refrigeration plants. The company's core business is the planning, design, and construction of systems operating between -193 °C (80 K) and -271.5 °C (1.5 K), spanning standardized L-Series helium liquefiers (L70, L140, L280 turbine-expander and L1410, L1610, L1620 piston-expander variants delivering 20-290 l/h of liquid helium), standardized LR-Series helium refrigeration plants (100-2,500 W at 4.5 K), Special Liquefaction Plants (350-3,500+ l/h), and Special Refrigeration Plants scaling to more than 18,000 W at 4.5 K with cold compressor subsystems reaching below 1.5 K. Underlying technology includes turbine expanders with gas-bearing dynamic bearings, piston expanders, oil-injection screw compressors, vacuum-insulated cold boxes, aluminium-plate-fin heat exchangers, TED expansion turbines, and Siemens-based control systems, supported by proprietary accessories such as the HCF20 compressor oil and the Multi Component Detector (MCD) for helium purity monitoring.

The company monetizes through a multi-stream model: one-time capital sales of custom-engineered cryogenic plants, multi-year modular maintenance contracts (up to six years), a 10-year spare parts guarantee, modification/revamp engineering, full plant operations management, and customer training. Pricing is quote-based and tied to formal RFP processes with no public disclosure. Distribution is exclusively direct enterprise field sales to a small set of high-value customers — predominantly Big Science government laboratories and flagship universities (CERN since 1962, ESS, DESY since 1987, PSI, ETH Zurich, Fermilab, JLAB, KEK, Max Planck Institutes), complemented by gas producer and industrial customers. Since 1992, when Linde acquired Sulzer's cryotechnology department, Linde Kryotechnik has installed more than 600 cryogenic systems worldwide, supported by manufacturing in Pfungen and Schalchen, Germany, and the broader global reach of its Linde plc parent (80+ countries, $34B in 2025 revenue). The company holds Gold Membership in the Cryogenic Society of Europe and is actively positioning for growth in fusion and hydrogen economy applications.

Name

Linde Kryotechnik

Legal name

Linde Kryotechnik AG

Website

https://linde-kryotechnik.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Linde Kryotechnik AG is a Swiss subsidiary of Linde plc that designs and manufactures cryogenic helium and hydrogen liquefaction and refrigeration plants (80 K to 1.5 K) for Big Science laboratories, universities, and gas producers, with 600+ systems installed worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cryogenic Equipment Manufacturing

NAICS

Air-Conditioning and Warm Air Heating Equipment and Commercial and Industrial Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturing (333415), Ventilation, Heating, Air-Conditioning, and Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturing (3334), Air and Gas Compressor Manufacturing (333912), Industrial Gas Manufacturing (32512)

SIC

Air-Cond & Warm Air Heatg Equip & Comm & Indl Refrig Equip (3585), Refrigeration & Service Industry Machinery (3580)

akta.pro primary industry

Chillers & Cooling Plant Equipment (IMAHAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Compressors, Refrigeration Components & Condensing Units (IMADANAG), Cryogenic Liquids & Distribution (IMAEACAK), I&C / Controls & Automation Commissioning (DCS/PLC/SCADA) (EUAEAJAD)

Keywords

• Cryogenic equipment manufacturing
• Helium liquefaction systems
• Hydrogen liquefaction plants
• Cryogenic refrigeration systems
• Helium recovery systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Pfungen

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Cryogenic Equipment Sales: Sale of helium and hydrogen liquefaction and refrigeration plants, including standard L-Series and LR-Series systems as well as custom special systems. Equipment includes cold boxes, compressors, heat exchangers, expansion turbines, storage tanks, and control systems.
2. Maintenance and Service Contracts: Modular maintenance contracts providing ongoing support throughout plant lifecycle. Includes preventive maintenance, inspections, remote support, and optimization services. Customers can plan costs for up to six years.
3. Spare Parts and Components: Supply of original and compatible spare parts throughout plant lifecycle with guarantee for ten years. Includes components like Multi Component Detectors, compressor oils, and remote monitoring equipment.
4. Modifications, Revamps and Engineering: Upgrades and modernization services for existing facilities including compressor replacements, turbine modifications, control system retrofits, efficiency upgrades, process design, and software optimization.
5. Plant Operations Management: Full operation management services for cryogenic helium or hydrogen plants, providing single point of accountability for plant availability and operational reliability.
6. Customer Training: Training programs for employees working with cryogenic plants, held at company headquarters in Pfungen or on-site at customer locations. Covers standardized TCF- and L-Series liquefiers as well as special cryogenic plants.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Linde Kryotechnik AG plans, designs, manufactures, and services cryogenic helium and hydrogen liquefaction and refrigeration plants operating in the ultra-low temperature range from -193°C (80 K) to -271.5°C (1.5 K). The product portfolio includes standardized L-Series and LR-Series systems as well as custom-engineered special plants for bulk liquefaction and large-scale refrigeration. The company supports its installed base with full lifecycle services including preventive maintenance, remote monitoring, operations management, customer training, spare parts, and modification/revamp engineering.

Product overview

Linde Kryotechnik is a world-leading manufacturer of cryogenic equipment specializing in helium and hydrogen liquefaction and refrigeration systems. The product portfolio centers on the L-Series standardized helium liquefiers (L70, L140, L280 with turbine expanders; L1410, L1610, L1620 with piston expanders) and corresponding LR-Series refrigeration plants, ranging from 100 W to 2,500 W at 4.5 K. For larger requirements, the company offers special/customized liquefaction plants (350 to over 3,500 l/h) and refrigeration systems (up to 18,000+ W at 4.5 K, including cold compressor systems down to 1.5 K). Supporting the core systems are helium recovery systems, equipment accessories (Multi Component Detector MCD, Compressor Oil HCF20), and comprehensive customer services spanning the entire plant lifecycle including maintenance, remote monitoring/control (RMCS), operations management, training, spare parts, and modification/revamp engineering. All systems operate in the cryogenic temperature range of -193°C (80 K) to -271.5°C (1.5 K).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• L-Series Helium Liquefiers

Quantifiable outcome

• PSI reduced energy needs by 133,000 kWh/year (22% savings) through compressor system modernization
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Cryogenic Society of Europe (CSE)notableOthersLinde Kryotechnik holds Gold Membership in the Cryogenic Society of Europe, an organization promoting knowledge sharing and networking in cryogenic applications. The 2026 General Meeting of CSE will be held as a satellite event to ECD-2026 in Grenoble.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• SIAD Macchine Impianti: Italian industrial gas and engineering company with cryogenic equipment capabilities, primarily serving the European and Middle Eastern markets. Provides competing cryogenic plants and equipment, particularly for industrial gas and research applications in regions where Linde Kryotechnik also competes.

Emerging players

• Bruker Energy & Supercon Technologies: Manufactures superconducting magnet systems and related cryogenic equipment for research and medical imaging (NMR, MRI). Represents an adjacent competitor with overlapping customers in the superconducting magnet cooling space where Linde Kryotechnik provides liquefaction.
• Oxford Instruments NanoScience: Manufacturer of cryogenic systems for quantum computing, low-temperature physics, and nanotechnology research. Competes in the high-end dilution refrigerator market that increasingly overlaps with Linde Kryotechnik's deep-temperature specialty plants.
• Bluefors Cryogenic Systems: Leading supplier of dilution refrigerators for quantum computing applications. While focused on smaller modular systems, Bluefors represents the technology direction potentially disrupting traditional large-scale helium liquefaction plants like Linde Kryotechnik's offerings.
• Stirling Cryogenics: Specializes in Stirling-cycle cryocoolers and cryogenic refrigeration systems for research, semiconductor, and space applications. Competes in sub-4K and 4-80 K cooling markets, particularly where smaller modular systems are preferred over large liquefaction plants.

Direct peers

• Air Liquide Advanced Technologies: Direct competitor in cryogenic helium and hydrogen liquefaction equipment manufacturing, serving the same Big Science, gas producer, and research institution customers globally. Both Linde and Air Liquide are the two dominant industrial gas majors with comparable cryogenic engineering capabilities.
• Wessington Cryogenics: Specialized manufacturer of cryogenic dewars, valves, and transfer systems for helium and other cryogenic fluids. Complements and partially overlaps with Linde Kryotechnik's helium recovery and storage systems offerings.
• Sumitomo Heavy Industries (SHI Cryogenics): Manufacturer of cryocoolers and cryogenic refrigeration systems, particularly Gifford-McMahon and pulse-tube cryocoolers. SHI Cryogenics competes with Linde Kryotechnik in research and accelerator cryogenic cooling applications, especially in the Asian market.
• Cryostar (Air Liquide subsidiary): Air Liquide-owned manufacturer of cryogenic equipment including helium liquefiers and refrigeration systems, directly competing with Linde Kryotechnik's L-Series and Special Liquefaction Plants product lines in the research and industrial gas markets.

Broad incumbents

• Chart Industries: Broader cryogenic equipment manufacturer supplying industrial gas, LNG, and biomedical markets. While Chart focuses more on industrial gas processing and LNG heat exchangers than research-grade helium liquefiers, it competes in adjacent cryogenic equipment segments served by Linde Kryotechnik.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/linde-kryotechnik-ag

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 Linde Kryotechnik