What LAC does

LAC, s.r.o. is a Czech private industrial furnace and refractory products manufacturer founded in 1992 by Ledl and Crhák, headquartered in Židlochovice with a second refractory production plant in Hrušovany nad Jevišovkou. The company operates two divisions: Furnaces and Dryers (industrial, laboratory, ceramic/glass, and additive manufacturing heat-treatment furnaces, including the PKRC gas-tight and PP chamber models for titanium, nickel, cobalt-chromium, and aluminum AM components) and Refractory Castable Shapes (over 20,000 custom shapes for boilers, fireplaces, and industrial equipment). Underlying technology is proprietary and grounded in programmable PID temperature controllers (the Ht series: Ht200, Ht205, HtIndustry, HtCeramic, Ht40 and Ht60 variants), HtMonit monitoring software, solid-state relay circuits, forced-air circulation, and 5-sided heating geometries, with optional third-party Bentrup TC75/TC95 controllers and RS232/RS485/LAN interfaces.

The business model is hybrid hardware-plus-services: equipment revenue comes from custom-engineered projects (approximately 6 per month) plus a catalog of more than 50 standard furnace and dryer models, while a 7-member service team performs 319 on-site visits per year for preventive maintenance, reconstruction, and spare parts, complemented by remote technical support. Pricing is quote-based for equipment and publicly disclosed hourly/daily rates for service (840-2,400 CZK/hour depending on task, 16 CZK/km travel). The go-to-market is direct enterprise sales supplemented by an e-shop for standard products, a multilingual website (Czech, English, German, Polish, Russian), and trade fair presence at International Engineering Fair (Brno) and Heating Tech (Warsaw). Customers span industrial heat treatment, metal casting, aerospace testing, materials science research, ceramics/glass, and additive manufacturing, with shipments to 35 countries. The company is founder-owned, employs approximately 250 people, and operates from more than 18,600 m² of production and storage space.

Name

LAC

Legal name

LAC, s.r.o.

Website

https://lac.cz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

LAC, s.r.o. is a Czech founder-owned manufacturer of industrial furnaces, dryers, and refractory castable shapes, serving industrial heat treatment, additive manufacturing, ceramics, glass, and research customers across 35 countries with custom engineering, 50+ standard models, and lifecycle service.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Zidlochovice

HQ country

Czechia

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Industrial Furnaces and Dryers: Manufacturing and sale of custom-made and standardized industrial furnaces and dryers. Products include bogie hearth furnaces, chamber furnaces, laboratory furnaces, furnaces for additive manufacturing, ceramic and glass kilns. Revenue generated through direct equipment sales with various temperature ranges (up to 1400°C).
2. Refractory Castable Shapes: Production and sale of refractory castable shapes for boilers, fireplaces, and industrial equipment. Custom shapes developed as superior alternative to fireclay plates and bricks. Includes cast ceramic components, accessories.
3. Furnace Maintenance and Repair Services: Comprehensive service including preventive maintenance, warranty and post-warranty repairs, furnace reconstruction, spare parts supply, and technical support. Service team performs 319 service visits per year.
4. Technical Support and Consultation: Remote and on-site technical support for furnace operation, controller programming, and process optimization. Includes training and documentation services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

LAC, s.r.o. designs, manufactures, and services industrial furnaces, dryers, kilns, and refractory castable shapes from its Czech production facilities. The portfolio comprises over 50 standard furnace models plus custom-engineered solutions for industrial heat treatment, additive manufacturing, ceramics, glass, and laboratory applications, complemented by a refractory castable shapes division producing over 20,000 distinct shapes for boilers, fireplaces, and industrial equipment. The company also provides installation, preventive maintenance, repair, reconstruction, and remote technical support services through its dedicated service team.

Product overview

LAC is a Czech industrial furnace and refractory products manufacturer with over 30 years of experience, producing more than 50 standard furnace and dryer models. The product portfolio consists of two main divisions: Furnaces and Dryers (industrial, laboratory, additive manufacturing, and ceramic/glass furnaces) and Refractory Castable Shapes. The furnace line includes custom-made and standardized models across categories including bogie hearth furnaces (VKK series), chamber kilns (K and KE series), top-loading furnaces (M and MGF series), and specialized additive manufacturing furnaces (PP and PKRC gastight series). Supporting products include a range of temperature controllers (Ht series from LAC and Bentrup TC series as third-party options), monitoring software (HtMonit), and cast ceramic components. The company serves customers in 35 countries worldwide with a 250-employee team and produces nearly 20,000 furnaces annually.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Custom Made Furnaces and Dryers Bespoke industrial furnaces and dryers tailored to specific customer requirements for various industrial applications including heat treatment, metal melting, ceramics firing, and additive manufacturing.
• Standardized Furnaces and Dryers Catalog of over 50 standard furnace and dryer models covering industrial, laboratory, ceramics, and additive manufacturing applications. Available for direct purchase and via the LAC e-shop.
• Industrial Furnaces and Dryers Heavy-duty industrial furnaces and dryers for manufacturing and production environments, covering processes such as annealing, hardening, tempering, stress relieving, and melting.
• Laboratory Furnaces Precision furnaces for laboratory applications including heat treatment, testing, and research, used by academic institutions, R&D centers, dental labs, and jewelry manufacturers.
• Furnaces for Additive Manufacturing Industrial furnaces designed for heat treatment of 3D components produced by additive manufacturing, including models for titanium, nickel alloys, aluminum, stainless steel, and cobalt-chromium alloys.
• VKK Bogie Hearth Furnace High-capacity bogie hearth furnace for professional ceramicists and production plants for firing ceramics, earthenware, glass, porcelain, and decors. Available in 12 sizes up to 1340°C with five-sided heating.
• Furnaces for Ceramics and Glass Ceramic kilns and glass fusing furnaces for professional ceramicists and production plants, including top-loading and chamber furnace variants for ceramics, earthenware, glass fusing, and decors production.
• PKRC Gastight Chamber Furnace for Additive Manufacturing Gas-tight chamber furnace with internal atmosphere circulation for precise temperature distribution and protective atmosphere (argon, nitrogen, moulding gas) for titanium and nickel alloy AM components up to 950°C.
• HtMonit Monitoring Software Universal monitoring software for 1 to 4 Ht-line devices or electrical energy meters, enabling monitoring of connected instruments, recording values in a database, displaying values on graphs, and programming profiles for HtIndustry controllers.
• Refractory Castable Shapes Custom refractory castable shapes as alternative to fireclay plates and bricks, with over 20,000 different shapes produced for boilers, fireplaces, and industrial equipment, with testing shaped blocks provided beforehand.
• Furnace Maintenance, Repair, and Reconstruction Services Reconstruction, repair, and preventive maintenance services for LAC furnaces and other manufacturers, delivered by a 7-member service team performing 319 service visits per year with 24-hour response time on working days.
• Technical Support and Consultation Remote and on-site technical support for furnace operation, controller programming, and process optimization, including training and documentation services.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduce energy costs through energy-efficient furnace designs
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature5 records

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Linn High Therm: German maker of industrial, laboratory, and dental furnaces with strong presence in metallurgy, ceramics, and glass. Comparable product breadth and custom-engineering profile, primarily serving European industrial customers.
• ALD Vacuum Technologies: German specialist in vacuum and controlled-atmosphere furnaces for advanced materials, including additive manufacturing heat treatment. Direct competitor to LAC's PKRC gastight furnaces serving titanium and nickel alloy AM customers.
• Nabertherm: German manufacturer of industrial and laboratory furnaces with a comparable catalog spanning chamber, bogie hearth, tube, and ceramic kilns. Closest direct competitor to LAC in product breadth, custom-engineering capability, and European mid-market customer base.
• SECO/WARWICK: Polish-headquartered heat-treatment furnace manufacturer serving metallurgy and aerospace. Geographic neighbor with overlapping product lines in chamber, bogie hearth, and vacuum furnaces; competes for the same European industrial customers.
• Carbolite Gero: UK/German manufacturer of laboratory and industrial furnaces up to 3000°C. Direct overlap with LAC's laboratory furnace line and custom-engineered industrial furnaces for materials research and heat treatment.

Broad incumbents

• Bühler Group: Swiss industrial solutions provider whose thermal processing division serves metallurgical and advanced materials customers. Adjacent competitor in high-temperature industrial process equipment with much broader scope and global reach.
• Inductotherm Group: Global manufacturer of induction melting and heating equipment for foundries and metals processing. Competes with LAC in metal melting furnace applications, including the crucible tilting melting furnaces LAC recently delivered to a Polish foundry.
• Mersen: French industrial materials group with a portfolio that includes high-temperature furnace components, graphite insulation, and refractory solutions. Overlaps with LAC's refractory castable shapes and high-temperature furnace auxiliary equipment.
• Ipsen International: Global leader in heat-treatment furnaces for aerospace, automotive, and commercial heat treating. Significantly larger than LAC with global service infrastructure; competes on large industrial heat-treatment projects where LAC's PKRC and VKK lines also compete.

Emerging players

• Rauschert: German manufacturer of technical ceramics and refractory components serving industrial furnace, boiler, and fireplace applications. Closest peer to LAC's refractory castable shapes business, serving overlapping boiler and industrial equipment customers across Europe.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/firma.lac
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lac-cz

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 LAC