K+S Group
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.
- Company typePublic
- Founded1889
- HeadquartersKassel, Germany
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
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.
K+S Group firmographics
Firmographics- 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
K+S Group industry classification
Industry- 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
Where K+S Group is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Kassel
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
K+S Group business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
K+S Group product offering
Product offeringCore 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.
Companies that use K+S Group
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
K+S Group technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
K+S Group partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
K+S Group competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad 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
K+S Group social profiles
Digital presenceK+S Group financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
K+S Group leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
K+S Group funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
K+S Group M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about K+S Group
What does K+S Group do?
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.
Is K+S Group a public or private company?
K+S Group is a public company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.
When was K+S Group founded?
K+S Group was founded in 1889. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is K+S Group based?
K+S Group is headquartered in Kassel, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does K+S Group make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Agriculture Products are the primary driver. The others are industrial Products, consumer Products and community Products.
Who are K+S Group's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Yara International ASA, SQM (Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile) and Nutrien Ltd.. Direct peers are Compass Minerals International, ICL Group Ltd., The Mosaic Company, Belaruskali and EuroChem Group. Israel Chemicals (ICL) Specialty Fertilizers division peers — K+S Aktiengesellschaft competitors in pharma-grade salts: Merck KGaA Life Science is listed as an emerging player. Jiangxi Salt业 Group / Jiangxi Salt Industry Group is listed as a regional player.
Does K+S Group have an API?
No public API is recorded for K+S Group.
What industry is K+S Group in?
K+S Group's product category is Potash and Salt Mining. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAKAGAB, Potash Mining, with a secondary code of AFAFABAK, Kombucha & Other Fermented Non-Alcoholic Beverages. Its NAICS code is 212323 and its SIC code is 2000.