What Hilker GmbH & Co. KG does

Hilker GmbH & Co. KG is a third-generation, family-owned environmental logistics and waste management company headquartered in Friesoythe, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1974 by Otto Hilker and led today by Stefan Hilker, the company operates across five German locations (Friesoythe, Landkreis Rostock, Wilhelmshaven, Ostwestfalen/Harsewinkel, and Neuenkirchen-Vörden) with a fleet of more than 100 vehicles and approximately 150 employees. Its service portfolio spans waste transport (sludge, refuse, bulk goods, roll-off containers, hazardous goods), liquid transport via the 2022-acquired Martin Nienaber Transporte subsidiary, pipe and canal cleaning (including the proprietary 'Sehende Nordseedüse' camera-monitored cleaning nozzle and TV-inspection diagnostics), landfill and sewage plant operations (Sedelsberg landfill for Landkreis Cloppenburg since 2007), and waste marketing/green-waste composting under the Hilker Verwertung division.

The company's technology stack is asset-based rather than software-based: high-pressure water jetting, vacuum suction, integrated water recovery vehicles, telescopic suction/spray systems, and high-resolution camera inspection equipment. The firm has built a sustainability platform around an 850 kWp photovoltaic installation at Friesoythe (making that site CO2-neutral), two electric trucks, BIO-LNG tractor units, and forest/grassland CO2-offset holdings. Multiple mandatory certifications — Entsorgungsfachbetrieb, GMP+ B4.1, Güteschutz Kanalbau, NIWO (Netherlands), EU-REDcert, and cross-border freight authorizations — are core to its regulated-market positioning.

Revenue is generated on a transaction/quote-based fee-for-service model across four primary customer verticals: municipalities (long-term contracts for landfill and canal cleaning), food industry companies (liquid transport and industrial cleaning), agricultural operations (manure, digestate, nutrient transport), and wastewater treatment firms (sewage sludge logistics and canal maintenance). Marketing is relationship-driven rather than digital-led: direct B2B field sales, a corporate website, modest social-media presence, and trust signaled through industry certifications. The company is privately held with no external institutional investors and has historically funded growth through retained earnings and one disclosed acquisition (Nienaber Transporte, 2022).

Name

Hilker GmbH & Co. KG

Legal name

Hilker GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://hilker.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Hilker GmbH & Co. KG is a third-generation, family-owned environmental logistics company in northern Germany providing waste transport, liquid/tanker transport, pipe and canal cleaning, landfill/sewage operations, and recycling to municipalities, food industry, agriculture, and wastewater customers across five regional sites.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental logistics and infrastructure services

NAICS

Waste Collection (5621), Hazardous Waste Collection (562112), Waste Treatment and Disposal (5622), Transportation and Warehousing (48-49)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953), Trucking & Courier Services (No Air) (4210)

akta.pro primary industry

C&D Waste Collection, Hauling & Container Services (Roll-off/Dumpsters) (EUAIAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

C&D Waste Disposal (C&D Landfills) (BPALAJAH), Bulk Water & Wastewater/Sludge Hauling (TLADALAF), Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Collection & Transfer (BPALABAF), Bulk Item Pickup & Hauling (Outdoor/Residential) (HSAIAOAE)

Keywords

• Waste transport services
• Pipe and canal cleaning
• Liquid waste logistics
• Landfill operations
• Environmental logistics

Headquarters

HQ city

Friesoythe

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Abfalltransporte (Waste Transport): Transport of waste materials including sludge, refuse, bulk goods, roll-off containers, and hazardous goods. One of the company's core business areas and primary revenue driver.
2. Flüssigtransporte (Liquid Transport): Liquid transport services through Martin Nienaber Transporte, specializing in nutrients (manure, digestate), food residues, and slaughter by-products for agriculture, food industry, and energy sector.
3. Rohr- und Kanalreinigung (Pipe and Canal Cleaning): Pipeline and canal cleaning services including drain cleaning, canal cleaning, septic tank and separator cleaning, container cleaning, sinkhole cleaning, tightness testing, and TV inspections. Available 24 hours, 365 days.
4. Deponie- und Kläranlagenbetrieb (Landfill and Sewage Plant Operations): Operation of Sedelsberg landfill for Landkreis Cloppenburg since 2007, handling waste transshipment and burial. Also includes internal sewage sludge logistics at larger treatment plants.
5. Recycling and Waste Recovery: Marketing of wastes and production of green compost through Hilker Verwertung, established in 2019. Also includes CO2 compensation through own forest and greenland areas.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Hilker GmbH & Co. KG is a family-owned environmental logistics and infrastructure services company that transports waste, bulk goods, and hazardous materials; cleans pipes, canals, separators, and sinkholes (24/7/365); operates the Sedelsberg landfill and sewage sludge logistics for municipalities; runs liquid/tanker transport of nutrients, food residues, and slaughter by-products via the Martin Nienaber Transporte sub-brand; and produces green-waste compost through Hilker Verwertung. Services are delivered across northern Germany using an owned fleet of more than 100 vehicles.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Transporte (Waste, Nutrient, Bulk Goods and Hazardous Goods Transport) Road transport services covering waste (sewage sludge, refuse), nutrients, bulk goods (Schüttgut), roll-off containers (Abrollcontainer), and hazardous materials (Gefahrgut) operated with a fleet of over 100 vehicles serving northern Germany. Targeted at municipalities, food industry, agriculture, and wastewater companies.
• Rohr- und Kanalreinigung (Pipe and Canal Cleaning) Professional pipe, drain, canal, separator, container, and sinkhole cleaning available 24 hours/day, 365 days/year, including TV inspection, leak/tightness testing, and ergonomic catch-basin cleaning. Uses proprietary Sehende Nordseedüse live-camera cleaning nozzles and water-recovery vehicles. Serves municipalities, Tiefbau firms, food industry, and wastewater operators.
• Deponie- und Kläranlagenbetrieb (Landfill and Wastewater Plant Operations) Operation of the Sedelsberg landfill for Landkreis Cloppenburg, handling waste transshipment and burial, plus internal sewage sludge logistics for larger treatment plants. Serves municipal authorities and wastewater utilities.
• Nienaber Flüssigtransporte (Liquid / Tanker Transport) Liquid/tanker transport under the Martin Nienaber Transporte brand, specializing in nutrient trading (agricultural fertilizers, manure, digestate), food residues, and slaughter by-products (including flotate) for the agriculture, food industry, and energy/bioenergy sectors. GMP+ B4.1 certified and NIWO licensed for cross-border Dutch operations.
• Hilker Verwertung (Recycling and Green-Waste Composting) Marketing of waste materials plus production and processing of green-waste compost under the Hilker Verwertung division. Includes owned waste intermediate storage facilities and CO2 compensation through company forest and green-land areas.

Quantifiable outcome

• Friesoythe site operated CO2-neutral as of 2023
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

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.

• Martin Nienaber Transporte GmbH & Co. KGcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcquired in 2022 from Garrel, Martin Nienaber Transporte specializes in liquid transport (tanker logistics) for agriculture, food industry, and energy sector. This acquisition expanded Hilker's service portfolio to include tanker logistics, complementing the waste logistics business. Operations continue under the Nienaber brand with dedicated NIWO licenses for the Netherlands.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• REMONDIS GmbH & Co. KG: One of the largest privately held waste management and environmental services companies in the world, operating across Germany and globally with comprehensive waste collection, recycling, canal services, and industrial cleaning offerings directly overlapping Hilker's service portfolio but at vastly greater scale.
• PreZero (Schwarz Group): Environmental services arm of the Schwarz Group (Lidl/Kaufland parent), offering collection, sorting, recycling, and closed-loop services across Germany; competes with Hilker for municipal contracts and large enterprise waste streams.
• Veolia Umweltservice GmbH: German subsidiary of global environmental giant Veolia, providing municipal and industrial waste collection, recycling, and water/wastewater services directly competing with Hilker in many of the same northern German regions.
• ALBA Group (ALBA Recycling & INTERSEROH): Major German-headquartered recycling and waste management group with full-service offerings in waste collection, sorting, and material recovery; comparable to Hilker through its municipal and industrial waste services and canal-cleaning adjacent capabilities.

Direct peers

• KURZ Entsorgung GmbH: Mid-sized German waste disposal and recycling company operating container services, hazardous waste handling, and material recovery in southern Germany; comparable regional peer with similar product mix and B2B municipal/industrial customer profile.
• INWATEC GmbH: Specialized German provider of industrial wastewater, sewage sludge, and hazardous liquid waste services, including transport and treatment; directly comparable to Hilker's Nienaber tanker and sludge logistics business.
• Lobbe Industrieservice GmbH & Co. KG: German industrial services and environmental company specializing in waste disposal, hazardous goods transport, canal and pipe cleaning, and tank/container cleaning with a multi-region presence; closest mid-market comparable to Hilker's integrated service portfolio.
• RETERRA Service GmbH: German recycling and waste management specialist offering glass recycling, container services, and municipal/industrial waste collection; comparable to Hilker for its regulated recycling, container service, and waste logistics operations in regional German markets.

Regional players

• FCC Environment Germany (FCC Environment CEE): European environmental services group with German municipal and industrial waste operations; comparable through its integrated collection, treatment, and disposal portfolio, though typically serving larger metropolitan and pan-European contracts.
• AVEA GmbH & Co. KG: Regional waste management company serving the Bergisch Land area in North Rhine-Westphalia with municipal waste, recycling, and sewage services; relevant comparable for regional contract structure, although operating in a different geographic catchment from Hilker.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hilker-gmbh-&-co.-kg

Compliance10 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries2 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 Hilker GmbH & Co. KG