What Villforth Siebtechnik does

Villforth Siebtechnik GmbH is a privately held, family-owned German manufacturer of high-precision forming fabrics, industrial sieves, and process belts used primarily in paper machines and adjacent industrial textile processes. Founded in 1870 in Reutlingen, Germany, where it still operates a single integrated manufacturing facility at Betzenriedstrasse, the company sells custom-engineered synthetic monofilament fabrics for forming, dewatering, transporting, pressing, filtering, and embossing applications across graphic paper, hygiene/tissue (including TAD), packaging, specialty/security paper (banknote), and nonwoven segments. Its products are differentiated by proprietary technologies including the TOPAZ NT three-fold thermo-fixing coating, Vextreme high-performance monofilaments, Loadrunner antistatic yarns for nonwoven/Airlaid machines, and TAD (Through Air Drying) fabrics engineered for hydrolysis resistance and dimensional stability under thermal stress.

The business operates a high-touch enterprise field-sales model, with regional sales representatives covering assigned territories worldwide supported by sales and service offices in over 25 countries and on-site technical mounting, measurement, and testing provided by specialist staff. Revenue is generated primarily through custom one-off fabric sales tied to specific paper machine configurations, supplemented by recurring technical-service revenue (mounting, measurements, consulting) and proprietary material testing services delivered through in-house R&D laboratories. Marketing relies on international trade fairs, a multilingual corporate website, and direct customer relationships.

Customer evidence includes named enterprise relationships with Essity (tissue, Prudhoe GB) — where Villforth's TAD fabric doubled the strongest competitor's runtime — and Papierfabrik Louisenthal GmbH (banknote and security paper), where a fabric remained in pristine condition after over 500 days in operation. The company holds ISO 9001:2015 quality management certification and AEO customs certification, conducts research in cooperation with Technische Universität Darmstadt, and in March 2026 acquired what it describes as the world's most modern projectile weaving loom to expand manufacturing capacity. Leadership consists of Thomas Villforth (CEO and owner), Lukas Villforth B.Sc. (Managing Director), Christopher Dehlinger (Prokurist), and Susanne Fiedler (HR Manager); the firm reports 11–50 employees and discloses no revenue figures.

Name

Villforth Siebtechnik

Legal name

Villforth Siebtechnik GmbH

Website

https://villforth.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1870

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Villforth Siebtechnik is a privately held, family-owned German manufacturer founded in 1870 that produces custom synthetic forming fabrics, industrial sieves, TAD fabrics, and process belts for paper mills and nonwoven producers worldwide, differentiated by its proprietary TOPAZ NT coating and Vextreme monofilament technologies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Paper Machine Clothing

NAICS

Broadwoven Fabric Mills (313210), Textile Mills (313)

SIC

Broadwoven Fabric Mills, Man Made Fiber & Silk (2221), Textile Mill Products (2200)

akta.pro primary industry

Technical Fabric Mills (Performance/Protective/Medical Substrates) (IMAOABAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Greige Woven Fabric Mills (IMAOABAA), Nonwoven Fabric Mills (Spunbond/Meltblown/Needle-punched) (IMAOABAC)

Keywords

• Paper machine clothing
• Forming fabrics
• Industrial textiles
• Synthetic woven fabrics
• Paper manufacturing supplies

Headquarters

HQ city

Reutlingen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Paper Machine Clothing Sales: Sale of high-end forming fabrics, industrial wires, and process belts to paper mills and manufacturing companies. Custom-made products tailored to specific machine types and applications. Includes technical on-site services for mounting, measuring, and testing.
2. Technical Services: On-site technical services including professional mounting of wires by specialist staff, measurements, and wire testing at customer facilities. Includes consulting with development engineers at customer sites.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Villforth Siebtechnik manufactures high-precision synthetic forming fabrics, industrial sieves, and process belts for paper machines and technical textile applications. All products are custom-made using monofilaments woven on the world's most modern projectile weaving loom at the company's Reutlingen facility. The portfolio spans forming, dewatering, transportation, pressing, filtration, and embossing applications for paper mills and industrial manufacturers.

Product overview

Villforth Siebtechnik is a specialized manufacturer of high-precision industrial fabrics and sieves for the paper and nonwoven industries, operating a single unified product architecture centered on Forming Fabrics as the core offering. The product portfolio comprises main product lines including Forming Fabrics, TAD Fabrics, Tissue Sieves, Loadrunner Antistatic Fabrics, Industrial Sieves, and Process Belts, which are enhanced and differentiated through proprietary technologies such as TOPAZ©NT Coating and Vextreme Monofilaments. The company provides supporting services including on-site technical mounting and a state-of-the-art Material Testing Laboratory for quality assurance and customer-specific product development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• TOPAZ©NT: Proprietary 3-fold thermofixation coating consisting of low-viscosity multi-component synthetic resin applied to forming fabrics. Provides high level of protection against abrasive wear and dirt, improved dimensional stability, retention, and faster dewatering. Resistant to chemical cleaning agents.
• Vextreme
• Loadrunner
• TAD Fabrics

Products and services

• Forming Fabrics High-precision synthetic forming fabrics for paper machines used in dewatering, sheet formation, and paper production across various grades including graphic papers, hygiene papers, board, and specialty papers. Custom-made products tailored to specific machine types and applications.
• TAD Fabrics (Through Air Drying) Specialized fabrics for Through Air Drying tissue production, featuring hydrolysis-resistant and dimensionally stable construction at high thermal loads with structured surfaces that ensure tissue softness and high volume.
• Loadrunner Antistatic Fabrics Electroconductive fabrics equipped with antistatic yarns for non-woven (Airlaid) machines, designed to divert electrostatic charge formed through fiber blowing onto the fabric, enabling excellent discharge in all three dimensions.
• Process Belts Technical process belts for diverse textile applications including pulp drainage, engineering, leather industry, food industry, glass fiber nonwoven, and nonwoven fabrics, available with various seam types and resistance properties.
• Tissue Sieves Specially developed fabrics for tissue and hygiene paper production that produce softer, more absorbent paper with higher volume, featuring reduced fabric thickness and extreme drainage capacity for high-speed paper machines.
• Industrial Sieves

Quantifiable outcome

• TAD fabrics doubled competitor runtime at Essity, Prudhoe
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Technische Universität Darmstadt (Technical University of Darmstadt)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVillforth conducts research in close cooperation with the Technical University of Darmstadt and industrial partners. This collaboration supports product development, special product engineering, and continuous product optimization. The partnership combines traditional weaving craftsmanship with modern high-tech research.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Nippon Filcon: Japanese manufacturer of industrial filter fabrics including paper machine clothing (forming fabrics). Comparable product offering with focus on technical woven fabrics for industrial applications.
• Albany International: Global leader in paper machine clothing (PMC) including forming fabrics, press fabrics, and dryer fabrics. Directly comparable product portfolio and serves the same paper mill customer base worldwide.
• Filzfabrik Fulda: German manufacturer of technical textiles including paper machine felts and process belts. Comparable product focus on industrial woven and needled fabrics for paper and filtration applications.
• AstenJohnson: Specialized manufacturer of paper machine fabrics including forming, press, and dryer fabrics. Closely comparable product offering and end-market exposure.
• Weavexx (formerly Huyck/Wangner): Manufacturer of paper machine clothing including forming fabrics. Directly competes with Villforth in PMC products for paper mills.
• Heimbach Group: German-headquartered technical textile manufacturer producing paper machine clothing and industrial woven fabrics. Closely comparable product focus and European customer base.
• Binet Group: French manufacturer of technical textiles and paper machine clothing. Comparable product portfolio of forming fabrics and industrial woven textiles serving the paper industry.

Broad incumbents

• ANDRITZ: Global supplier of pulp and paper technology, equipment, and services including paper machine clothing. Overlaps with Villforth in forming fabrics but operates across the full paper production value chain.
• Valmet: Leading global developer and supplier of process technologies, automation and services for pulp, paper and energy industries. Competes in paper machine clothing segments as part of broader offering.
• Voith Paper (Voith Group): Major supplier of complete paper machines and components including forming fabrics as part of a wider portfolio. Competes with Villforth in forming fabrics but offers much broader paper-making systems.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Villforth Siebtechnik