ACU PHARMA und CHEMIE GmbH (A Brenntag Group Company)

What ACU PHARMA und CHEMIE GmbH (A Brenntag Group Company) does

ACU PHARMA und CHEMIE GmbH is a B2B contract manufacturer (toll manufacturer / Lohnhersteller) founded in 1995 and headquartered in Apolda, Thuringia, Germany, specializing in micronization and fine grinding of solids into powders and fine powders for pharmaceutical, life science/food, cosmetics, and chemical industry customers. Its core technology stack spans air jet mills (Fluidised Bed Opposed Jet Mills), pin mills, classifier mills, and cryogenic milling systems using liquid nitrogen, with the ability to reach particle sizes below 100 μm and as fine as 5 μm, supported by on-site sieve analysis and Sympatec Helos laser diffraction particle sizing. Production is structured around a HACCP and GMP-near quality concept, with physically separated production rooms, dedicated material/personnel locks, and an extensive certification stack (FSSC 22000 v5.1, ISO 9001:2015, ISO 22000:2018, HACCP, IPEC-GMP, Halal, Bio per EC 834/2007, Kosher) that allows the same facility to serve both regulated food/pharma and technical-chemical workloads. The go-to-market is enterprise field sales: customers initiate direct consultation, followed by feasibility studies, pilot trials (from a few kilograms to several tons), and full-scale production of contract-manufactured product, with revenue generated through processing fees rather than unit sales. Alongside contract manufacturing, ACU produces and sells its own lithium compounds — lithium carbonate (multiple particle sizes including battery grade) and lithium hydroxide monohydrate (Dry/Wet/Oil Grade) — plus lactic acid, sodium nitrite, and zinc sulphate heptahydrate, distributed from the single Apolda site. Since March 2016, ACU has been a wholly-owned subsidiary of Brenntag Group, the global chemical distribution leader, and is managed by Managing Directors Mike Dudjan and Christian Korr.

Name

ACU PHARMA und CHEMIE GmbH (A Brenntag Group Company)

Legal name

ACU PHARMA und CHEMIE GmbH

Website

https://acu-pharma.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ACU PHARMA und CHEMIE GmbH, a Brenntag Group subsidiary in Apolda, Germany, is a B2B contract manufacturer specializing in micronization, fine grinding, and cryogenic milling of pharmaceutical, food, cosmetics, and chemical powders, with particle sizes down to 5 μm, full FSSC/ISO/HACCP/IPEC-GMP certification, and a small own-product line of lithium compounds.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pharmaceutical Contract Manufacturing (Toll Micronization)

NAICS

Other Chemical Product and Preparation Manufacturing (3259), Chemical Manufacturing (325)

SIC

Chemicals & Allied Products (2800), Miscellaneous Chemical Products (2890)

akta.pro primary industry

Formulation R&D, Scale-Up & Tech Transfer Services (AFABAIAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Packaging, Filling & Repacking Services (bottling, bagging, relabeling) (AFABAIAG), Food & Beverage Process & CIP/Sanitation Chemicals (IMAEAJAK)

Keywords

• Contract micronization services
• Fine grinding toll manufacturing
• Cryogenic milling services
• Pharmaceutical excipients processing
• Lithium compounds supply

Headquarters

HQ city

Apolda

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Contract Manufacturing / Toll Manufacturing (Lohnfertigung): ACU provides contract manufacturing services including micronizing, grinding, cryogenic milling, sieving, homogenizing, mixing, filling and packaging. Customers provide raw materials which are processed according to their specifications. Revenue is generated through processing fees based on quantity, complexity, and particle size requirements.
2. Own Products (Lithium Compounds): ACU manufactures and sells its own products, primarily lithium compounds including Lithium Carbonate (various particle sizes and grades including battery quality) and Lithium Hydroxide Monohydrate (Dry/Wet/Oil Grade). Also distributes lactic acid, sodium nitrite, and zinc sulphate heptahydrate.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

ACU PHARMA und CHEMIE GmbH provides contract (toll) manufacturing services for fine grinding and micronization of solids into powders and fine powders, serving pharmaceutical, food/life science, cosmetics, and chemical industry customers. Core capabilities include jet milling, pin milling, classifier milling, cryogenic milling, mixing, sieving, and HACCP-compliant filling and packaging. The company also manufactures and sells its own branded lithium compounds, including lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide monohydrate.

Product overview

ACU PHARMA und CHEMIE GmbH is a toll manufacturing company specializing in high-quality fine grinding and micronization services for the pharmaceutical, life science, cosmetics, and chemical industries. The company operates a multi-product portfolio combining contract manufacturing services (micronizing, grinding, cryogenic milling, mixing, and packaging) with proprietary lithium compound products. The core offering consists of toll manufacturing using jet mills, pin mills, and classifier mills to achieve particle sizes down to less than 100 μm, supplemented by proprietary products including Lithium Carbonate, Lithium Hydroxide Monohydrate, Lactic Acid, Sodium Nitrite, and Zinc Sulphate Heptahydrate. Since 2016, the company has been part of the Brenntag Group, the global market leader in chemical distribution.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Contract Manufacturing / Toll Manufacturing Services Comprehensive contract (toll) manufacturing services for pharmaceutical, life science/food, cosmetics, and chemical industry customers, including micronizing, grinding, cryogenic milling, sieving, homogenizing, pilot and laboratory testing, and packaging. Customers supply raw materials which ACU processes according to specifications.
• Micronizing, Milling & Cryogenic Milling Fine grinding and micronization services using jet mills, pin mills, and classifier mills, achieving particle sizes below 100 μm (and up to 5 μm fineness), with cryogenic processing using liquid nitrogen for temperature-sensitive, viscous, elastic, or tough materials.
• Mixing Services Contract mixing services using Plowshare Mixers (Pflugschar-Mischer) and a laboratory mixer, suitable for processing bulk goods including powders, granules, and fibers, with liquid addition capabilities.
• Filling & Packaging Services HACCP-compliant filling and packaging services for solids and powders into various containers including valve sacks, open sacks, cartons, and drums, using automated packaging and palletizing robots in the HACCP area.
• Pilot and Laboratory Trials Operating trials and feasibility studies for new products, ranging from a few kilograms up to several tons, conducted under real production conditions to support customer product development and scale-up.
• Lithium Carbonate Own-brand lithium carbonate (CAS No. 554-13-2) in various particle sizes (20 μm, 40 μm / 325 mesh, 100 μm, 250 μm / 60 mesh) in technical and battery grades, for industrial customers.
• Lithium Hydroxide Monohydrate Own-brand lithium hydroxide monohydrate (CAS No. 1310-66-3) available in Dry Grade, Wet Grade, and Oil Grade for industrial customers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Particle fineness down to 5 μm achievable
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Delfino Pharma & Chemie AGcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016In 2016, ACU acquired the business of Delfino Pharma & Chemie AG. This acquisition enabled ACU to expand beyond contract manufacturing services to also offer own products, including lithium compounds and other specialty chemicals. ACU now handles purchasing of raw materials which are refined according to customer specifications.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Brenntag Group (parent): Global market leader in chemical distribution (~EUR 19.4B revenue, ~600 sites in 72 countries) and ACU's parent company. Comparable as the broader corporate owner/distributor that channels demand and sets strategic direction for ACU.

Others

• Sympatec: German supplier of laser diffraction and image-analysis particle sizing instruments (including the Sympatec Helos BF used at ACU). Adjacent enabling technology provider rather than direct competitor — relevant because particle-size QC tooling is core to ACU's value proposition.

Regional players

• LB Bohle Maschinen + Verfahren: German manufacturer and processor of solid dosage forms and granulation equipment for the pharmaceutical industry, with DACH-located processing services. Comparable in serving pharma contract-manufacturing customers in Germany.
• Glatt Group: German specialist in fluid bed processing, granulation, coating and contract manufacturing for pharma, food, and fine chemicals — overlaps with ACU in serving regulated fine-particle processing customers in the DACH region.

Direct peers

• Hosokawa Alpine (Augsburg): German-based manufacturer of jet mills, classifier mills and contract grinding systems with toll processing services for fine and ultra-fine powders — directly competes in ACU's core micronization space from a nearby DACH location.
• Jet Pulverizer Co. US-based toll processor specializing in jet milling, micronization and cryogenic grinding for pharmaceutical, food, and chemical customers — a like-for-like North American peer in the same micronization/toll-manufacturing niche.
• Hosokawa Micron Group: Japanese-German group offering jet milling, classifier mills, and contract processing for pharma, food, and chemicals. Closest like-for-like competitor in micronization technology and toll processing services, serving overlapping pharmaceutical and chemical customers.
• Netzsch Feinmahltechnik: German-based manufacturer of fine-impact mills, classifiers and toll grinding services for chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and food — comparable in technology stack (jet mills, classifiers) and in serving German/European industrial customers.

Emerging players

• Frewitt (China / Switzerland): Swiss-headquartered manufacturer of milling and sieving equipment with toll grinding services for pharma and chemicals — comparable in micronization technology and regulated-end-market focus.
• Kemutec Group (Kek, Gardner): UK-based milling, sifting and mixing equipment and services provider serving chemical, food and pharmaceutical processors — comparable contract processing and size profile to ACU.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/acu-pharma-und-chemie-gmbh

Compliance7 records

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 ACU PHARMA und CHEMIE GmbH (A Brenntag Group Company)