K+S Group

What K+S Group does

K+S Aktiengesellschaft is a Germany-headquartered (Kassel) mining and minerals company founded in 1889 that supplies potash, salt, and related mineral products across four end-markets: Agriculture (soil, fertigation, and foliar fertilizers plus agronomic advice), Industry (animal nutrition, industrial applications for plastics, mineral oil, textiles, and glass, plus food processing, water treatment, and pharma-grade minerals for dialysis, infusion, and electrolyte solutions), Consumers (branded and private-label salt for seasoning, dishwashing, water softening, and de-icing), and Communities (municipal de-icing salts). The core technology is mining and mineral processing for potash and salt, augmented by a dedicated Transportation & Logistics function that controls end-to-end supply chain delivery. Revenue is generated through one-time sale of physical mineral products across these segments. K+S operates with approximately 11,000 employees across 51 sites, with production in Europe and North America and distribution extending into Africa and Asia. The business is led by a Board of Executive Directors chaired by Dr. Christian H. Meyer, with Dr. Harald Schwager chairing the Supervisory Board; K+S Minerals and Agriculture GmbH operates as a key subsidiary handling B2B customer operations through the myK+S Customer Portal.

Name

K+S Group

Legal name

K+S Minerals and Agriculture GmbH

Website

https://kpluss.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1889

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

K+S Aktiengesellschaft is a German mining and minerals company supplying potash, salt, and related products to farmers, industrial customers (animal nutrition, food, water treatment, pharma), consumers, and municipalities for de-icing, with ~11,000 employees across 51 global sites.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Potash and Salt Mining

NAICS

Kaolin, Clay, and Ceramic and Refractory Minerals Mining (212323)

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Potash Mining (IMAKAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Kombucha & Other Fermented Non-Alcoholic Beverages (AFAFABAK), Potash Fertilizers (MOP/SOP) (IMAEAEAC)

Keywords

• Potash mining
• Mineral fertilizers
• Industrial salts
• De-icing salts
• Agricultural minerals

Headquarters

HQ city

Kassel

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Agriculture Products: Sale of soil, fertigation, and foliar fertilizers to farmers worldwide, along with agricultural advice services to help achieve high yields and crop quality.
2. Industrial Products: Sale of mineral products for industrial applications including animal nutrition, plastics, mineral oil, textiles, glass manufacturing, food processing, water treatment, and pharmaceutical applications.
3. Consumer Products: Sale of salt products for home use including seasoning, dishwasher salt, water softening, and de-icing applications under branded and private label products.
4. Community Products: Sale of de-icing salts to cities and communities for winter road safety.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

K+S is a multinational mining and minerals company that extracts and processes potash and salt to produce fertilizers, industrial minerals, food-grade and pharmaceutical-grade salts, consumer salt products, and de-icing salts. The company organizes its business around four segments — Agriculture, Industry, Consumers, and Communities — and supports customers globally through direct sales, a global distribution network, and the myK+S B2B Customer Portal.

Product overview

K+S is a multinational minerals and chemicals company organized around four primary business segments: Agriculture, Industry, Consumers, and Communities. The Agriculture segment offers soil, fertigation, and foliar fertilizers for farmers worldwide. The Industry segment encompasses diverse applications including Animal Nutrition, Industrial Applications (plastics, mineral oil, textiles, glass), Food Production, Water Treatment, and Pharma (dialysis, infusion, electrolyte solutions). The Consumer segment provides salt products for home use including seasoning, dishwasher salt, water softening, and de-icing. The Communities segment supplies de-icing salts for municipal road safety. Transportation & Logistics services manage global supply chain operations. The company operates production sites in Europe and North America with approximately 11,000 employees across 51 sites worldwide. K+S also offers the myK+S Customer Portal as a self-service platform for account and order management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Agriculture Fertilizers Wide range of soil, fertigation, and foliar fertilizers with accompanying agricultural advice, helping farmers worldwide achieve high yields and best crop qualities.
• Animal Nutrition Natural mineral products for pets and livestock feeding that meet all quality standards of the feed industry, contributing to healthy animal development.
• Industrial Applications Mineral products used as components in plastics, mineral oil and textile industries, and in glass manufacturing, forming an indispensable part of industrial added value.
• Food Production Mineral products that enhance food taste while meeting the highest quality standards of the food industry.
• Water Treatment Mineral products that prevent limescale deposits and ensure perfect operation of water softeners, essential for gastronomy, car washes, and hospitals.
• Pharma Vital minerals supplied for the pharmaceutical and medical industry, including applications for dialysis, infusion, and electrolyte solutions (ORS).
• Consumer Salt Products Salt range for home use including food seasoning, dishwasher salt for limescale protection, water softening, and de-icing salt for paths and driveways, sold as branded and private label products.
• Communities (De-icing Salts) De-icing salts providing clear and safe roads in cities and communities, using a particularly pure and effective mixture of fine and coarse salt crystals.
• Transportation & Logistics Supply Chain Management service that controls and monitors the entire supply chain to ensure reliable worldwide delivery to customers at competitive prices.
• myK+S Customer Portal Online B2B customer portal for account management, product ordering, and access to K+S services for professionals and business customers.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Yara International ASA: Global nitrogen-based fertilizer leader with a broad agricultural solutions platform. Comparable to K+S as a global fertilizer supplier serving farmers, though with a different primary nutrient focus.
• SQM (Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile): Global specialty chemicals and plant nutrition company producing specialty plant nutrition, lithium, iodine, and industrial chemicals. Comparable to K+S as a diversified specialty minerals player serving agricultural and industrial customers.
• Nutrien Ltd. World's largest fertilizer producer and a major potash miner via its Saskatchewan operations. Directly comparable to K+S as a global potash-fertilizer supplier serving agriculture customers, with a broader integrated nitrogen, phosphate, and retail footprint.

Direct peers

• Compass Minerals International: Produces salt, including de-icing salt for communities, and sulfate of potash (SOP). Directly comparable to K+S in the Communities/de-icing salt business and in specialty potash fertilizer (SOP), with overlapping consumer salt categories.
• ICL Group Ltd. Israel-based specialty minerals and fertilizer company producing potash, phosphate, and specialty fertilizers. Comparable to K+S across potash, specialty fertilizer, and industrial mineral applications, with similar geographic and end-market exposure.
• The Mosaic Company: One of the world's largest potash and phosphate producers, with a comparable product mix of fertilizers and agricultural minerals. Closely competes with K+S in global potash markets and shares exposure to agricultural commodity cycles.
• Belaruskali: One of the world's largest potash producers, state-owned and based in Belarus. Directly competes with K+S in global MOP markets and is a key marginal price-setter for the potash industry.
• EuroChem Group: Vertically integrated nitrogen, phosphate, and potash producer with its own potash mining capacity. Comparable to K+S as a global fertilizer and mineral supplier with industrial end-market exposure.

Emerging players

• Israel Chemicals (ICL) Specialty Fertilizers division peers — K+S Aktiengesellschaft competitors in pharma-grade salts: Merck KGaA Life Science: Comparable to K+S Pharma segment as a supplier of high-purity salts and minerals for pharmaceutical, biopharma, and life-science applications. Differs in scale and breadth but overlaps in regulated pharma-grade minerals.

Regional players

• Jiangxi Salt业 Group / Jiangxi Salt Industry Group: State-owned Chinese salt and mineral group active in industrial salt and brine chemicals. Comparable to K+S in salt production and supply, but operates primarily in China rather than competing head-to-head in Europe and North America.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCj5n0V0dukLmqlowA8aZB6A
• Facebookfacebook.com/kplussinternational
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/427081
• Instagraminstagram.com/kplussinternational
• Xx.com/k_plus_s_en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 K+S Group