Otto Bechem & Co. KG

What Otto Bechem & Co. KG does

Otto Bechem & Co. KG is a specialist wholesale distributor (Fachgroßhändler) for SHK products — sanitary, heating, and air conditioning — serving professional trade customers across the Ruhr area of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Founded in 1898 by Otto Bechem as a tool and iron trade in Essen, the company evolved across four generations of family ownership (Bechem and Jüde families) into a focused sanitary wholesale business. Today it operates eight physical branch locations across Essen, Ratingen, Velbert, Herne, Oberhausen, and Bochum, each combining a pickup market (Abholmarkt) with bathroom and SHK showrooms (badpunkt Ausstellungen). The company employs over 100 people and positions itself as one of the largest specialist wholesalers in the Ruhr region.

The business model is B2B wholesale distribution: registered professional customers (SHK installers, heating contractors, building services tradespeople) procure materials for plumbing, heating, and air conditioning projects through counter sales at branches, on-site pickup, and the ELMER PRO online platform operated by the parent Elmer Unternehmensgruppe. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Since 2014, Bechem has operated as a sister company within the Elmer Unternehmensgruppe, gaining access to exclusive brand lines (Sanibel), shared logistics, and digital services. The company has no disclosed proprietary technology or AI capabilities; its core operational backbone is the physical branch network combined with the group's digital commerce platform.

Revenue is generated through transaction-based wholesale sales of SHK products to the trade customer base. No revenue figures, funding history, or financial disclosures are publicly available. The company is a privately held German Kommanditgesellschaft (limited partnership) with no subsidiaries, M&A activity, or external investors beyond the 2014 Elmer Gruppe affiliation. Management has remained within the founding family across multiple generations, with Hans Jüde (4th generation) joining the company in 2014 and current Geschäftsführer roles held by Konrad, Horst, and Armin Jüde.

Name

Otto Bechem & Co. KG

Legal name

Otto Bechem & Co. KG

Website

https://bechemco.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1898

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Otto Bechem & Co. KG is a specialist SHK (sanitary, heating, and air conditioning) wholesale distributor serving professional installers and contractors across the Ruhr area of Germany through eight branch locations with pickup markets and showrooms. Since 2014 it has operated as a sister company within the Elmer Unternehmensgruppe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Essen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Wholesale distribution of SHK products: Otto Bechem & Co. operates as a specialist wholesale distributor (SHK-Großhandel) serving professional trade customers in the Ruhr area. Revenue is generated through the sale of plumbing, heating, and air conditioning products and materials to installers and contractors. The company operates physical pickup markets (Abholmärkte) and showrooms at multiple locations, with digital ordering available through the Elmer Gruppe's ELMER PRO platform for registered professional customers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Otto Bechem & Co. KG is a specialist wholesale distributor (SHK-Fachgroßhandel) of sanitary, heating, and air conditioning products serving professional trade customers (plumbers, heating installers, building services contractors) in the Ruhr area. The company operates eight branch locations (Abholmärkte) and showrooms for product pickup and viewing, and provides access to exclusive proprietary brands (Sanibel) through its parent Elmer Unternehmensgruppe. Digital ordering is available via the ELMER PRO platform for registered professional customers.

Product overview

Otto Bechem & Co. KG operates as a specialized SHK (Sanitär, Heizung, Klima — sanitary, heating, and air conditioning) wholesale distributor in the Ruhrgebiet region of Germany. The company offers a unified offering centered on professional SHK and building technology products through multiple pickup market (Abholmarkt) locations and showrooms (Ausstellungen). As part of the Elmer Unternehmensgruppe since 2014, the company provides access to exclusive brands (Sanibel) alongside its core wholesale distribution services. The business model is built on physical retail branches rather than modular software products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SHK-Fachgroßhandel (Sanitary, Heating, Plumbing Wholesale) Specialist wholesale distribution of sanitary, heating, and air conditioning (SHK) products for SHK professionals and building technology projects in the Ruhr area region of Germany.
• Abholmarkt (Pickup Market) Physical pickup locations where professional trade customers can collect SHK products, with locations across the Ruhr area including Essen, Ratingen, Velbert, Herne, Bochum, and Oberhausen.
• badpunkt Ausstellungen (Showrooms) Bathroom and SHK exhibition/showroom spaces where professional customers can view and experience products before purchase.
• Exklusivmarken / Sanibel Exclusive brand offerings available through the Elmer Gruppe partnership, providing differentiated product lines for professional SHK customers.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Elmer Gruppe (Elmer Unternehmensgruppe)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Otto Bechem & Co. KG has been part of the Elmer Unternehmensgruppe since 2014. The company operates as a sister company (Schwestergesellschaft) within the group. This affiliation provides access to digital platforms (ELMER PRO), exclusive brands through Sanibel, shared logistics and digital services, and is intended to secure the company's continued existence in an increasingly competitive market.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Raab Karcher: Large German building-services and SHK distributor with nationwide coverage; serves the same installer customer base as Bechem but at significantly broader scale and product breadth.
• Ferguson Enterprises: Large North American plumbing and HVAC distributor with international presence; included as a comparable category leader whose business model — branch density serving trade contractors — closely mirrors Otto Bechem's wholesale operating model.
• GC-Gruppe (Cordes & Graefe): One of the largest SHK specialist wholesalers in Germany with national branch coverage; directly comparable to Otto Bechem in product categories and customer base, but materially larger and serving multiple regions beyond the Ruhr area.
• Richter+Frenzel: Major German SHK specialist wholesaler with broad national branch network serving professional installers; competes with Bechem across sanitary, heating and plumbing categories but at much greater geographic scale.
• STARK Group: European building materials and SHK distribution group with significant German presence; comparable in serving professional trade customers across sanitary and heating categories, though with broader portfolio.

Direct peers

• Obeta: German SHK specialist wholesaler with a regional branch network and installer customer base; directly comparable to Otto Bechem in business model, product range and trade-channel focus.
• HBG (part of Elmer Unternehmensgruppe): Sister company within the same Elmer Unternehmensgruppe; offers directly comparable SHK and building services wholesale to installers via a similar multi-branch model, and shares the ELMER PRO digital platform.
• BÄRO: German SHK and lighting specialist wholesaler with regional branch density and trade-counter focus; comparable to Otto Bechem in product mix and installer customer base.
• Wiedemann Gruppe: Regional SHK and building services wholesaler in Germany operating a multi-branch counter-trade model; closely comparable to Otto Bechem in scale, customer type and product offering.

Emerging players

• BTI (Befestigungstechnik Ingenieurbüro): German trade specialist with a strong SHK-adjacent product range and direct-to-installer distribution model; comparable as a regional specialist serving tradespeople, with growing digital ordering capabilities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/elmergruppe
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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 Otto Bechem & Co. KG