What ACO GmbH does

ACO GmbH is a German manufacturer specializing in drainage and water management systems, headquartered in Büdelsdorf, Schleswig-Holstein. The company is organized into three primary verticals: Freiraum/GaLaBau (landscaping and outdoor spaces), Infrastruktur/Tiefbau (infrastructure and civil engineering), and Gebäude (buildings and basements). Its product portfolio spans linear drainage channels, point drainage, stormwater retention and infiltration systems, basement windows, light wells, pump stations, separators, and emergency drainage systems. Core technology is proprietary polymer concrete (Polymerbeton) with integrated Seal-in Technology for waterproof channel connections, and the newer NEXITE material innovation for the Multiline NX product line. The business operates under the "ACO WaterCycle" philosophy covering collection, cleaning, retention, and reuse of water, with sub-brands including ACO DRAIN, ACO Therm, ACO Stormbrixx, ACO SPORT, ACO Passavant Detego, and ACO Pfuhler.

The company generates revenue through two principal streams: hardware sales of drainage products and infrastructure solutions (unit-priced products listed publicly on aco.de and the ACO Shop e-commerce platform), and technical consulting services (application engineering including hydraulic dimensioning, installation planning, tender support, and quantity calculations) quoted separately per project. Distribution combines direct enterprise field sales via application engineers, an e-commerce storefront, and certified service partners for specialized products like flood-proof basement windows. Key customers are municipal and federal government entities (Stadt Korschenbroich, Cottbus, Berlin A100 extension, Stadt Sarstedt, Gemeinde Belm) and enterprise contractors (Leonhard Weiss GmbH), with named infrastructure projects including the A100 Berlin highway extension, multiple Trogbauwerke, and tunnel installations. The company has expanded through acquisitions of Detego (manhole covers) and Pfuhler (tunnel slit drainage), and via a strategic merger with ENREGIS to form the "Green City Family" for stormwater management and sponge city solutions. It is privately held, family-owned, and led by Managing Directors Alexander Airich, Thomas Bannas, and Sebastian Danckert-Ebens. The company has 114 employees, no public listing, and no disclosed funding rounds.

Name

ACO GmbH

Legal name

ACO GmbH

Website

https://aco.de

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

ACO GmbH is a privately held German manufacturer of drainage and water management systems serving civil engineering, building, and landscaping sectors with proprietary polymer concrete channels, stormwater retention products, and flood-proof basement windows across three verticals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Drainage and Water Management Systems

NAICS

Water, Sewage and Other Systems (2213)

SIC

Water, Sewer, Pipeline, Comm & Power Line Construction (1623), Pumps & Pumping Equipment (3561)

akta.pro primary industry

Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Treatment & Wet-Weather Capacity (EUANADAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Design & Engineering for Renewal/Expansion (Pipelines, Pump Stations, Treatment Plants) (EUANALAD), Stormwater Drainage & Culvert Systems (IMANADAH)

Keywords

• Drainage channel systems
• Stormwater management
• Polymer concrete drainage
• Basement waterproofing
• Civil engineering infrastructure

Headquarters

HQ city

Büdelsdorf

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Hardware Sales - Drainage Products: Sale of polymer concrete drainage channels, basement windows, light wells, pump stations, separators, and related infrastructure products through direct sales and e-commerce.
2. Technical Consulting Services: Application engineering services including hydraulic dimensioning, installation planning, tender support, quantity calculations, and project-specific installation consultation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

ACO GmbH manufactures and sells drainage and water management systems for infrastructure, buildings, and landscaping, including polymer concrete drainage channels, basement windows, light wells, pump stations, separators, and stormwater retention systems. The company also provides application engineering services and a digital planning tool called ACO WaterCycle that helps customers design complete water management solutions.

Product overview

ACO GmbH offers a comprehensive range of water management and drainage systems organized into three main divisions: Freiraum/GaLaBau (outdoor/landscaping), Infrastruktur/Tiefbau (infrastructure/civil engineering), and Gebäude (buildings/basements). The core product families include the ACO DRAIN® channel systems (Multiline Seal in, Multiline NX, KerbDrain, PowerDrain, Monoblock), stormwater management solutions (Stormbrixx, Stormclean), basement products (Therm windows, light shafts, backflow protection), and digital planning tools (ProjectManager, draindesign.aco, Rain4Me). The company also operates sub-brands including ACO Passavant Detego for manhole covers and ACO SPORT® for sports facility drainage. ACO follows the 'ACO WaterCycle' philosophy covering water collection (COLLECT), treatment (CLEAN), retention (HOLD), and reuse (REUSE) across its integrated product portfolio.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ACO DRAIN: Line drainage systems including Multiline, PowerDrain, and KerbDrain product lines
• ACO SPORT
• ACO Therm
• Stormbrixx
• NEXITE
• ACO WaterCycle
• ACO ProjectManager
• Stormclean
• ClimateBoxx

Products and services

• ACO Drain (polymer concrete drainage channels) Polymer concrete drainage channels used for surface water drainage in roads, ports, airports, commercial buildings, and landscaped areas. Built around ACO's Seal-in Technology and polymer concrete (Polymerbeton) material expertise.
• ACO Stormbrixx (stormwater retention/storage) Geocellular stormwater management and retention system for storing and infiltrating rainwater underground, used in infrastructure, commercial, and urban development projects.
• ACO Basement Window Basement windows for residential and commercial buildings, providing light and ventilation to below-grade spaces while supporting waterproofing.
• ACO LightWell (light wells) Light wells installed around basement windows to bring daylight into below-grade rooms and improve egress, used in residential and landscaping applications.
• ACO Passavant (separators) Separator systems (e.g., oil/fuel and grease separators) for treating wastewater before discharge, used in commercial, industrial, and infrastructure applications.
• ACO Pumping Stations Prefabricated pumping/lifting stations for moving wastewater and stormwater where gravity drainage is not feasible, used in buildings and infrastructure projects.
• ACO WaterCycle (digital planning tool) Digital planning tool that helps engineers, planners, and contractors design complete ACO water management solutions across the surface-to-sewer cycle.
• ACO Service (application engineering) Application engineering service providing technical support, planning, and consulting for ACO water management systems, targeted at planners, contractors, and municipalities.
• ACO Shop (online retail) Direct-to-consumer online shop selling ACO products (such as basement windows, light wells, and small drainage items) to homeowners and DIY buyers.

Quantifiable outcome

• IKT-certified leak-tightness for 72+ hours
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• ENREGIScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic fusion combining ACO and ENREGIS into the 'Green City Family'. ENREGIS specializes in stormwater management and infiltration solutions, expanding ACO's capabilities in sustainable urban water management and sponge city solutions.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• NDS (NormaLink / NDS-DSI): US-based drainage solutions and stormwater management provider (channels, catch basins, infiltration products). Comparable product category to ACO DRAIN and Stormbrixx but operates predominantly in North America rather than in ACO GmbH's German/European market.

Broad incumbents

• Aliaxis Group: Global manufacturer of plastic fluid handling solutions including drainage, sewer, and stormwater management through brands such as Nicoll, Marley, and GPS. Operates as a broad incumbent across water/wastewater markets that overlap with ACO's drainage and stormwater retention products.
• Saint-Gobain PAM (Pont-à-Mousson): Major manufacturer of ductile iron and cast iron products for water supply, sewerage, and road drainage (manhole covers, gully gratings). Competes with ACO Passavant Detego and ACO DRAIN gratings in infrastructure drainage markets as part of a much broader water infrastructure portfolio.
• Wavin (Orbia Advance Corporation): Global plastic pipe and water management systems provider offering stormwater infiltration/retention, drainage, and sewage solutions. Competes with ACO in stormwater management and plastic drainage channel categories, but as part of a much broader plastic pipe portfolio.
• ACO Group (parent ACO Severin Ahlmann GmbH & Co. KG): Global parent/related entity with thousands of employees across drainage, separation, and water management worldwide. Operates an overlapping portfolio at much greater scale; ACO GmbH's offerings essentially mirror a subset of ACO Group's drainage and stormwater lines, but as part of a much broader international portfolio.

Direct peers

• Hauraton GmbH & Co. KG: German drainage specialist headquartered in Rastatt, directly competing with ACO DRAIN Multiline/Monoblock/KerbDrain polymer concrete and channel systems in civil engineering, infrastructure, and landscaping tenders. Highly comparable product portfolio and specification-led sales motion.
• BIRCO GmbH: German manufacturer of concrete and polymer concrete drainage channels, manhole systems, and stormwater management products. Competes head-to-head with ACO's Multiline, Monoblock, and infrastructure drainage lines in DACH-region tenders.
• MEA Water Management / MEA Bausysteme: Manufacturer of drainage channels, manhole covers, and stormwater/infiltration systems serving infrastructure and landscaping markets across Europe. Overlaps with ACO's ACO DRAIN, ACO Passavant Detego, and Stormbrixx product lines in municipal tenders.
• ULMA Architectural Solutions: Manufacturer of polymer concrete drainage channels, slot channels, and gratings for civil engineering, landscaping, and architectural applications. Direct product overlap with ACO DRAIN Multiline, PowerDrain, and KerbDrain lines in European specification projects.
• Fränkische Rohrwerke (FRÄNKISCHE): German family-owned manufacturer of plastic pipes, drainage systems, and stormwater management products including infiltration and retention solutions. Overlaps with ACO Stormbrixx and plastic drainage channel categories in DACH building and infrastructure markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/ACO
• Facebookfacebook.com/ACO
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aco-gmbh
• Instagraminstagram.com/ACO

Compliance9 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries3 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 ACO GmbH