What Willibald does

J. Willibald GmbH is a privately held, family-owned German manufacturer of mobile recycling and biomass processing machinery, founded in 1965 by Josef Willibald and headquartered in Sentenhart, Baden-Württemberg. The company designs and produces three core product categories: slow-speed shredders (EP 5500 SHARK 5, MS 3000 MINISHARK, UZ 80), mobile screening systems (FLEXSTAR 3000), and drum-belt compost windrow turners (TBU 3P, TBU XL), with each category available in both diesel and electric (EPower) variants. Its proprietary Willma telemetry system provides remote monitoring across the installed base. Willibald serves four primary customer segments: disposal and recycling companies, municipalities and communal operations, biomass and compost producers, and hired service providers (Maschinenringe), with applications spanning green waste, demolition wood, biological waste, biogas substrates, bark, root wood, pallets, and trunks.

The business model is hardware sales through a hybrid direct-and-channel go-to-market: direct enterprise field sales covers the DACH region with regionally assigned representatives by postal code zone, while international markets are served through authorized dealers in the UK, Poland, Czech Republic/Slovakia, Italy, Spain, Denmark, Slovenia, and Portugal. Pricing is quote-based with no public disclosure, and the company runs a recurring spare and wearing parts business through its Logistics Center and three German service points (Sentenhart, Unterbreizbach, Leese). Annual revenue is approximately EUR 30 million on ~70 employees and ~100 large machines produced, with the 700th SHARK shredder milestone reached in October 2025. Following founder Josef Willibald's death in April 2026, his son Alexander Willibald continues as sole Managing Director.

Name

Willibald

Legal name

J. Willibald GmbH

Website

https://willibald-gmbh.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Willibald is a family-owned German manufacturer of mobile shredders, screening machines, and compost turners serving waste management, municipal, biomass, and contract service providers across Europe via direct DACH sales and an international dealer network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Recycling Machinery Manufacturing

NAICS

Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing (3333), Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing (333310)

SIC

Special Industry Machinery (No Metalworking Machinery) (3550)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial Waste Handling & Compaction Equipment (Balers, Compactors) (IMAHALAI)

Keywords

• Mobile shredding machines
• Recycling machinery manufacturing
• Compost turners
• Biomass processing equipment
• Waste screening plants

Headquarters

HQ city

Sentenhart

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Industrial Machinery Manufacturing and Sales: Willibald manufactures and sells mobile processing machines (shredders, screening machines, compost turners) to disposal, recycling, and biomass industries. Revenue is generated through direct machine sales. The company produces approximately 100 large machines per year with annual turnover around EUR 30 million. Machines are sold with supporting documentation including operating manuals and spare parts lists.
2. Spare and Wearing Parts Sales: Willibald maintains a large stock of spare and wearing parts for all machine versions at its Logistics Center. Parts are supplied through the spare parts sales team, with service points in Germany and via international dealers. Includes wearing parts such as milling strips, shredding baskets, power belts, plug-in shafts, flails, and filter/service kits.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

J. Willibald GmbH manufactures and sells mobile processing machines for the recycling and environmental technology industry. Its core offerings are mobile shredders (EP 5500 SHARK, MS 3000 MINISHARK, UZ 80), mobile star-screen screening plants (FLEXSTAR 3000), and drum-belt compost turners (TBU 3P, TBU XL), all available in diesel and electric (EPower) variants. The company also distributes spare and wearing parts and integrates the Willma telemetry system for remote machine monitoring.

Product overview

WILLIBALD is a family-owned German manufacturer specializing in mobile processing machines for the recycling and environmental technology industry. The product portfolio centers on three core machine types: shredders (EP 5500 SHARK, MS 3000 MINISHARK, UZ 80), screening machines (FLEXSTAR 3000), and compost turners (TBU 3P, TBU XL). All machine types are available in both diesel and electric (EPower) versions. The machines serve applications in green waste processing, wood recycling, demolition waste, biogas substrate preparation, and composting operations. The company also offers the Willma telemetry system for remote machine monitoring.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• EP 5500 SHARK High-performance mobile shredder, now in its fifth generation (SHARK 5), designed for shredding wood waste, green waste, demolition wood, and biomass materials. Available in diesel and electric (EPower) versions with various configurations including tracked and three-axle versions. Target customers are disposal, recycling, biomass, and municipal operators.
• MS 3000 MINISHARK Entry-level mobile shredder offering cost-effective shredding capabilities for smaller-scale biomass and waste processing operations. Target customers are smaller-scale recycling and biomass operators.
• UZ 80 Universal shredder designed for versatile shredding applications in waste processing and recycling operations. Target customers are waste management and recycling operators.
• FLEXSTAR 3000 Mobile three-fraction star screen for screening and separating organic materials into multiple fractions. Available in diesel and electric (EPower) versions. Target customers are composting, biomass, and recycling operations.
• TBU 3P Drum-belt compost turner (Umsetzer) for windrow turning in composting and biomass preparation. PTO-powered for agricultural applications. Target customers are composting operators and agricultural service providers.
• TBU XL Large-scale drum-belt compost turner for processing larger windrows in industrial composting operations. Target customers are industrial composting and large-scale biomass operators.
• EP 5500 SHARK 5 EPower Electric version of the EP 5500 SHARK 5, equipped with two electric motors providing combined output of 360 kW (315 kW rotor drive + 45 kW hydraulic system), featuring plug & work functionality for emission-free shredding applications.
• EPower-MINISHARK 3000 Electric version of the MS 3000 MINISHARK with 90 kW electric drive for sustainable, emission-free shredding operations.
• EPower-FLEXSTAR 3000 Electric version of the FLEXSTAR 3000 screening machine with 90 kW electric drive for emission-free screening operations.
• Spare and Wearing Parts Willibald maintains a large stock of spare and wearing parts for all machine versions at its Logistics Center, including milling strips, shredding baskets, power belts, plug-in shafts, flails, and filter/service kits. Parts are supplied through the spare parts sales team, service points in Germany, and international dealers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Turnover of approximately EUR 30 million annually with ~100 large machines produced per year
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Doyle MachinerycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUK-based Willibald dealer that sells and delivers SHARK 5 machines to UK customers. Sold and delivered their first SHARK 5 to Harrington & Jessup Ltd. Represents Willibald at UK trade events including RWM in Birmingham.
• ForagricoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCzech Republic dealer that organized a two-day customer and prospect tour of the Willibald factory in Sentenhart, along with Willibald sales, for customers from the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
• POWERS MASZYNY Sp. z o.o.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPolish Willibald distributor that presented a SHARK 5 at the Poleco exhibition in Poland (October 2022), representing Willibald at the Polish trade show.
• Knoblauch LandtechnikminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal partner that facilitated the delivery of a Kramer KT 407 telescopic loader to Willibald. Represents the equipment supplier relationship for internal operations.
• Raiffeisen Agil Leese eGcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerService point Germany North, providing service and support for Willibald machines in Northern Germany (ZIP areas 17-19, 20-29, 49). Contact: [email protected], Tel: +49(0)5761/92110.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Vermeer: Large US-based industrial equipment manufacturer with chippers, horizontal grinders, and recycling equipment alongside its broader ag/construction portfolio. Broad incumbent offering overlapping capabilities in wood/biomass processing within a much larger product mix.
• Terex Ecotec: Terex division providing shredders, trommel screens, and star screens for recycling and waste-handling applications. Broad incumbent competing on similar mobile recycling equipment but as part of Terex's larger global industrial portfolio.

Emerging players

• Backhus (Eggersmann): Manufacturer of windrow turners and in-vessel composting systems under the Eggersmann Group. Emerging/specialized peer focused on the compost-turning category that overlaps with Willibald's TBU product line.

Direct peers

• Bandit Industries: US-based manufacturer of hand-fed and whole-tree chippers, plus horizontal grinders and shredders serving tree-care, biomass, and recycling operations. Direct peer in industrial wood/biomass shredders, albeit serving North American markets more directly.
• Hammel Recyclingtechnik: German producer of slow-speed shredders, screening machines, and recycling equipment for waste wood and biomass. Direct peer with similar product philosophy (heavy-duty mobile shredders) and overlapping customer types in commercial/industrial recycling.
• Arjes: German manufacturer of industrial slow-speed shredders for wood, green waste, and biomass. Direct peer in the mobile shredder category competing for recycling, composting, and biomass-fuel customers across Europe.
• Jenz: German specialist in wood chippers, biomass processors, and shredders for agricultural, landscaping, and biomass-energy customers. Direct peer overlapping in mobile wood/green-waste processing machinery for biomass-prep and composting use cases.
• Komptech: Austrian manufacturer of shredders, star screens, and windrow turners for composting, biomass, and wood-recycling operations. Direct peer with comparable workflow coverage (shred-screen-turn) and similar municipal/composting end markets.
• Doppstadt: German manufacturer of mobile shredders, screening machines, and windrow turners for green-waste, wood, and biomass processing. Closest direct peer to Willibald — overlapping product types, similar mobile-machine approach, and overlapping DACH customer base in recycling and composting.
• Eggersmann Group (Terra Select): German group providing shredders, screening machines, and composting/biomass processing equipment under Terra Select and FORUS brands. Direct peer competing for composting, biomass, and waste-recycling customers in Germany and Europe.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/j_willibald
• YouTubeyoutube.com/JWillibaldGmbH
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php?id=61563394110383
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/j.-willibald-gmbh
• Instagraminstagram.com/j.willibaldgmbh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Willibald