GDS GmbH & Co. KG

What GDS GmbH & Co. KG does

GDS GmbH & Co. KG is a privately held, owner-managed German specialty manufacturer (full name: GDS – Gesellschaft für Dichtende Systeme) founded in 1998 by Hartmut Ortlieb and headquartered at Rainstrasse 8, 91560 Heilsbronn. The firm designs and produces high-performance waterproof and airtight sealing components built on thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) coatings applied to textile carrier materials, manufactured using High Frequency Welding, adhesive bonding, and lamination. Its product platform comprises three registered trademark families: TIZIP waterproof/airtight zippers rated to IPX8, TITAPE TPU-coated straps and bands, and TIDURA TPU-coated fabrics. All production is conducted in-house at the single Heilsbronn facility, and the firm explicitly avoids PVC and solvents in its formulations.

GDS sells B2B into at least five distinct verticals — outdoor and protective equipment, medical and healthcare, marine and water sports, industrial and automotive, and fashion/lifestyle (including equestrian) — serving customers worldwide from Alaska to New Zealand. The business model is consultative direct sales supplemented by an authorized-reseller network designed to combat counterfeits, with three product-specific branded websites (tizip.com, titape.com, tidura.com) functioning as both information and sales channels. The firm holds DIN EN ISO 9001:2015 certification, is a signatory to the UN Global Compact, and operates as a limited partnership (Kommanditgesellschaft) without external investors, parent company, or disclosed subsidiaries.

Despite 25+ years of operation and global reach, the firm is small (7 employees), has no disclosed revenue, has raised no external funding, and has no recorded M&A activity or leadership transitions beyond the founder. Distribution is direct plus reseller; pricing is not publicly disclosed and contracts are governed by standard B2B terms.

Name

GDS GmbH & Co. KG

Legal name

GDS GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://gds-systems.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

GDS GmbH & Co. KG is a privately held German manufacturer of TPU-coated waterproof and airtight sealing systems — zippers (TIZIP), coated straps (TITAPE), and coated fabrics (TIDURA) — sold B2B to automotive, medical, marine, outdoor, and fashion OEMs worldwide from its Heilsbronn facility.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Sealing Systems

NAICS

Fabric Coating Mills (31332), Gasket, Packing, and Sealing Device Manufacturing (339991)

SIC

Coating, Engraving & Allied Services (3470)

akta.pro primary industry

Elastic, Tapes & Webbing Manufacturing (Elastic Bands/Binding/Strapping/Webbing) (IMAOALAD)

Keywords

• Waterproof zippers
• TPU coated fabrics
• Industrial sealing systems
• Technical textile manufacturing
• Coated textile straps

Headquarters

HQ city

Heilsbronn

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Sealing System Products: GDS generates revenue through manufacturing and selling specialized sealing products including waterproof/airtight zippers (TIZIP), coated straps (TITAPE), and coated fabrics (TIDURA). Products are sold B2B to customers across automotive, medical, construction, marine, fashion, and industrial sectors. Production is entirely in-house at the Heilsbronn facility in Germany.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

GDS GmbH & Co. KG manufactures waterproof and airtight sealing systems under three product lines: TIZIP® zippers, TITAPE® coated straps/bands, and TIDURA® coated fabrics. The company uses TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane) high-performance materials coated onto textile carriers, with 100% in-house production in Heilsbronn, Germany. It supplies OEM customers across outdoor/protective gear, medical, marine, and fashion/apparel industries.

Product overview

GDS GmbH & Co. KG is a manufacturer of sealing systems comprising three core product lines: TIZIP® waterproof and airtight zippers, TITAPE® TPU-coated straps and bands, and TIDURA® TPU-coated fabrics. All products are produced exclusively in Germany at the Heilsbronn facility and are characterized by their PVC-free composition, resistance to UV, oil, gasoline, and saltwater, and long service life. The products serve diverse industries including automotive, medical technology, chemical, construction, yacht and sailing, fashion, and equestrian equipment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• TIZIP®: Waterproof and airtight zippers for technically demanding applications
• TITAPE®
• TIDURA®

Products and services

• TIZIP® waterproof zippers
• TITAPE® coated straps/bands
• TIDURA® coated fabrics

Quantifiable outcome

• IPX8 waterproof rating on zipper products

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• UN Global CompactcoreOthersGDS is a signatory to the 10 Principles of the UN Global Compact, committing to principles covering human rights, labor standards, environmental protection, and anti-corruption.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Serge Ferrari: French manufacturer of technical coated textiles for architectural, marine, and industrial applications. Directly comparable to TIDURA in coated fabric technology with overlapping customer verticals in marine and outdoor.
• Riri Group: Swiss premium zipper manufacturer producing high-end metal and technical zippers for fashion, outdoor, and industrial applications. Directly comparable to GDS as a specialty zipper maker competing in the same waterproof/technical zipper segment served by TIZIP.
• Salmi: Italian zipper manufacturer specializing in technical, waterproof, and industrial zippers. Directly comparable to TIZIP in the specialty industrial zipper space with similar B2B selling motion.
• Sioen Industries: Belgian manufacturer of coated technical textiles for industrial, marine, protective, and architectural applications. Directly comparable to TIDURA as a coated fabric specialist serving similar end markets including marine and protective equipment.
• Opti: Italian zipper manufacturer producing technical and waterproof zippers for outdoor and industrial end markets. Directly comparable to TIZIP within the specialty technical zipper category.
• Heytex: German manufacturer of technical coated textiles for industrial, marine, outdoor, and protective applications. Directly comparable to TIDURA as a specialty coated fabric producer with similar geographic positioning and customer verticals.

Broad incumbents

• Freudenberg Performance Materials: German technical textiles manufacturer (formed via acquisition of Low & Bonar) producing coated fabrics and technical textiles for industrial, construction, and apparel applications. Broad incumbent in the technical coated textiles space adjacent to TIDURA.
• Trelleborg: Swedish industrial group with sealing solutions and engineered coated fabrics divisions serving automotive, marine, and industrial customers. Broad incumbent offering overlapping capabilities in both industrial sealing (vs. TIZIP/TITAPE) and coated textiles (vs. TIDURA).
• YKK: Global zipper giant headquartered in Japan with waterproof zipper product lines and far broader reach. Operates as a broad incumbent offering overlapping capabilities across many zipper categories including waterproof variants that compete with TIZIP.
• Coats Group: UK-based industrial textile and thread manufacturer with industrial zipper heritage serving apparel, footwear, and industrial markets. Broad incumbent operating across similar end markets with overlapping capabilities in technical textiles and fasteners.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gds-heilsbronn

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 GDS GmbH & Co. KG