Colcrete Gruppe

What Colcrete Gruppe does

Colcrete Gruppe is a family-owned German specialty water-engineering (Spezial-Wasserbau) group operating since 1860 under Colcrete GmbH & Co. KG, headquartered in Rastede with additional operations in Ueckermünde (via the wholly-owned subsidiary Colcrete Wasserbau GmbH & Co. KG, spun off in 2015) and Münster (via the Hydrocrete distribution partner gewatech GmbH & Co. KG). The group employs more than 100 people across these three locations and delivers coastal protection, dike reinforcement, harbor and port construction, breakwaters, groynes, canal expansion, and offshore hydraulic-structure projects primarily for German and European public-sector clients.

The group's competitive foundation rests on its proprietary Colcrete-Mörtel — a patented colloidal mortar made from cement, water, and sand/gravel produced mechanically without chemical additives in a Colcrete special mixer — which underpins its positioning in green coastal protection. This is supplemented by exclusive German distribution rights for Hydrocrete, a hydrostable construction material from gewatech. In-house capabilities extend beyond materials into specialized construction services: excavation, pile driving and extraction (sheet pile walls, combined walls, steel/concrete/wood piles, dolphins, angled piles to 45°) using hydraulic rams, diesel/air hammers, vibration drivers, and presses across land, intertidal, water, and offshore environments; steel hydraulic engineering and welding; revetment construction; sealing-membrane installation; sink-piece fabrication; and the manufacturing and sinking of maritime structures. The group maintains an integrated workshop capable of maintaining equipment up to 130 tons, a fleet of roughly two dozen ships and pontons, and excavators ranging from 30 to 120 tons, enabling turnkey project delivery.

Commercially, Colcrete generates revenue through project-based B2B contracts awarded via German public procurement, competitive bidding, and direct negotiations with government agencies, dike associations (Deichbände), port authorities, and waterway authorities. Pricing is custom-quoted per project based on scope, complexity, equipment requirements, and duration, and is not publicly disclosed. Customer concentration is heavily skewed toward public-sector infrastructure spending, with a visible multi-year project pipeline (e.g., Nord-Ostsee-Kanal 2020-2025, Inselhafen Prerow 2022-2024, Heppenser Seedeich 2019-2022, Berthold-Beitz-Ufer Kiel 2021-2023, Mukran Port 2021-2023). The group also holds a dense stack of sector certifications — DQB pre-qualification, EN 1090-2 factory production control (EXC3), welding certifications, AMS BAU, Bundesanstalt für Wasserbau grouting suitability, and Gütezeichen Beton — that function as regulatory barriers to entry for public tenders.

Name

Colcrete Gruppe

Legal name

Colcrete GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://colcrete.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1860

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Colcrete Gruppe is a family-owned German specialty water-engineering group founded in 1860, delivering coastal protection, dike reinforcement, harbor construction, and canal expansion projects for government agencies, port authorities, and waterway authorities across Germany and Europe using patented Colcrete-Mörtel and proprietary heavy-equipment capabilities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water Construction Services

NAICS

Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction (237990)

SIC

Heavy Construction Other Than Bldg Const - Contractors (1600)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYIMAFAJAD

Revetments, Groynes & Beach Nourishment

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Construction & Civil Engineering/Marine & Coastal Construction (Ports, Harbors, Dredging)

Keywords

• Water construction services
• Coastal protection
• Port construction
• Hydraulic engineering
• Marine infrastructure

Headquarters

HQ city

Rastede

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Water Construction Services: Project-based construction services including coastal protection, flood defense, port construction, pier building, breakwaters, dikes, and specialized foundation work. Revenue generated through public infrastructure contracts and direct project awards.
2. Equipment and Machinery Services: Provision of working ships, excavators, and special equipment for construction sites, including rental and operation services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Colcrete Gruppe provides specialized water construction (Spezial-Wasserbau) services including coastal protection, dike reinforcement, harbor and port construction, quay walls, breakwaters, sheet pile driving, pile foundations, canal widening, and steel hydraulic engineering. The company sells its patented Colcrete-Mörtel (colloidal mortar for green coastal protection) and exclusively distributes Hydrocrete. Projects are delivered as turnkey contracts using in-house engineering, own fleet of working ships and excavators (30-120 tons), and certified welding capabilities for government and port authority customers across Germany and Europe.

Product overview

Colcrete Gruppe operates as a specialized water engineering company (Spezial-Wasserbau) offering a combination of proprietary materials and comprehensive construction services. The core product portfolio consists of the patented Colcrete-Mörtel (a colloidal mortar for green coastal protection) and Hydrocrete (a hydrostable building material). The company provides full-service water engineering including excavation, pile driving, coastal protection structures, port construction, and offshore work across three locations in Germany (Rastede, Ueckermünde, and Münster). Projects span harbor construction, sea dikes, coastal protection, canal expansion, and specialized maritime infrastructure.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Colcrete-Mörtel: Patented colloidal mortar system for green coastal protection, made from cement, water and sand/gravel without chemical additives.
• Hydrocrete

Products and services

• Colcrete-Mörtel (Colcrete Mortar) Patented colloidal mortar compound made from cement, water, and sand/gravel, produced mechanically without chemical additives in the Colcrete special mixer. The intensive processing gives the mortar its colloidal properties. Used as the company's core proprietary material for green coastal protection applications and other specialized water engineering projects. Sold to public sector and infrastructure customers.
• Hydrocrete

Quantifiable outcome

• 2,000 square meters of land reclaimed at Berthold-Beitz-Ufer Kiel through construction of new quay wall
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• gewatech GmbH & Co. KGcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerExclusive distribution partnership for Hydrocrete hydrostable construction material. gewatech is based in Münster and provides Colcrete with a unique selling point in special water engineering. This partnership allows Colcrete to offer the exclusive Hydrocrete product alongside their own Colcrete mortar, providing comprehensive solutions for specialized water construction projects.
• VfB OldenburgminorOthersOfficial partner of VfB Oldenburg football club. Regional sponsorship and community engagement partnership supporting local sports.
• ARGE Inselhafen (Arbeitsgemeinschaft)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture consortium for Inselhafen Prerow project consisting of Colcrete and three other specialized firms. Working together as a consortium (ARGE) to deliver the complete island harbor including the 720m pier, wave protection structures, berths, and operating buildings by mid-2024.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Depenbrock Bau GmbH & Co. KG: Mid-sized German family-owned contractor with similar profile to Colcrete in scale and regional orientation; competes on civil engineering, hydraulic works, and infrastructure projects across northern Germany.
• Wayss & Freytag Ingenieurbau AG: German specialist civil engineering contractor (Royal BAM subsidiary) executing complex foundation, tunneling, and marine works; competes with Colcrete on heavy foundation and port-related tenders in the DACH region.
• Heinrich Hirdes GmbH: German specialist dredging and marine contractor owned by Boskalis; the closest direct peer to Colcrete in terms of service mix (dredging, port construction, coastal protection, subaqueous works) and customer base in the German market.

Broad incumbents

• Bilfinger SE: German industrial services and infrastructure provider serving similar industrial and public-sector customers on construction and maintenance of water-related assets; broader portfolio but with overlapping capabilities in heavy civil execution.
• Jan De Nul Group: Belgian marine and civil contractor executing German port, coastal, and waterway projects; directly comparable service mix (dredging, coastal protection, quay construction) but with global scale and balance sheet far exceeding Colcrete's.
• Van Oord: Dutch marine contractor with active German coastal defense and offshore wind balance-of-plant work; overlaps with Colcrete on dike reinforcement, beach nourishment, and port infrastructure but at significantly larger scale.
• Royal BAM Group: Dutch construction group with marine and civil engineering divisions active in German infrastructure; overlaps with Colcrete on quay walls, port facilities, and waterway construction through BAM subsidiaries.
• Hochtief AG: Germany's largest construction contractor and ACS subsidiary; competes with Colcrete on large public infrastructure tenders including ports, bridges, and civil works as part of a broader portfolio rather than as a water-engineering specialist.
• Boskalis Nederland: Global marine contractor and dredging major operating in German ports and coastal waters through its Heinrich Hirdes subsidiary; competes with Colcrete on larger coastal protection and port construction tenders as part of a much broader portfolio.
• Strabag AG: Austrian-listed construction major with German subsidiary Ed. Züblin AG active in heavy civil, marine, and foundation engineering; overlaps with Colcrete on piling, port construction, and hydraulic engineering but at substantially larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/colcretewasserbau

Compliance9 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Colcrete Gruppe