What Konrad Hornschuch Aktiengesellschaft does

Konrad Hornschuch Aktiengesellschaft (legally operating as Konrad Hornschuch GmbH under Continental AG ownership) is a German-headquartered manufacturer of surface materials in the artificial leather, furniture foil, and weather-resistant exterior film categories. The company is the operating nucleus of Continental's Surface Solutions Business Area, formed through the merger of Benecke-Kaliko in Hannover with Continental's existing operations in Weißbach, Baden-Württemberg. Its product portfolio is sold primarily under the skai® brand for interior applications (artificial leather and furniture foils) and under Continental Außenfolien branding for exterior façade and window-frame films. Output spans the Conti Mattex collection of structured matte materials, skai® Fango SFTN matt exterior foil, and a broader skai® Oberflächenmaterial product line covering interior, exterior, and mobility use cases.

The company serves four vertical segments: Automotive (interior surface materials for OEM seating and cabin applications), Living Solutions/Furniture (premium residential and contract furniture), Construction (building façades and window frames via the exterior foil range), and Do-it-Yourself. Customer engagement is B2B enterprise field sales delivered through a network of 20 sales offices and joint representatives across more than 60 countries, supported by 11 manufacturing sites in Germany, China, Mexico, Poland, Spain, and the USA, with roughly 4,800 employees in the broader Business Area.

The revenue model is industrial B2B material supply with quote-based pricing; no list pricing, licensing, or subscription mechanics are disclosed, and revenue is not separately broken out by Continental. Distribution is direct rather than reseller-driven, with the Continental parent providing procurement, capital, and brand leverage. The firmographic record lists 35 employees while all operational data points to ~4,800 staff in the Surface Solutions Business Area; the latter figure is treated as authoritative for analytical purposes given its consistency with the production and sales footprint.

Name

Konrad Hornschuch Aktiengesellschaft

Legal name

Konrad Hornschuch GmbH

Website

https://hornschuch.de

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Konrad Hornschuch GmbH, a Continental AG subsidiary operating in Continental's Surface Solutions Business Area, manufactures skai® artificial leather, furniture foils, and weather-resistant exterior films for automotive, furniture, construction, and DIY markets, with 11 production sites in 6 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Surface Materials Manufacturing

NAICS

Leather and Allied Product Manufacturing (316), Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing (337)

SIC

Leather & Leather Products (3100)

akta.pro primary industry

Automotive Surface Materials & Coatings for Interiors/Exteriors Manufacturing (Upholstery Materials/Decor Films/Paints for Trim) (IMACAKAL)

Keywords

• Surface materials manufacturing
• Artificial leather materials
• Furniture foils
• Automotive interior surfaces
• Exterior facade films

Headquarters

HQ city

Weißbach

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Surface Materials Sales: B2B sales of artificial leather and furniture films to automotive, furniture, construction, and DIY industries. Products sold under the skai® brand through direct sales network.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Konrad Hornschuch develops and manufactures functional and design-oriented surface materials under the skai® brand for the automotive, furniture, construction, and DIY industries. Its portfolio spans skai® artificial leather (Kunstleder) and furniture films (Möbelfolie) for interior use, weather-resistant Continental exterior foils for facades and windows, and mobility surface solutions for automotive interiors.

Product overview

Konrad Hornschuch operates as part of Continental's Surface Solutions business area, offering functional and design-oriented surface materials under the skai® brand. The product portfolio includes two main categories: skai® Kunstleder (artificial leather) and skai® Möbelfolie (furniture foil), both marketed under the unified skai® brand. These materials serve the automotive, furniture, and construction industries as well as the do-it-yourself sector. The skai® Oberflächenmaterial product line encompasses interior solutions (such as the Conti Mattex collection with structured matte materials), exterior solutions (including skai® Fango SFTN matt foil for weather-resistant facade applications), and mobility solutions for automotive interiors. The company maintains 11 manufacturing locations across Germany, China, Mexico, Poland, Spain, and the USA, with approximately 4,800 employees and global sales presence in over 60 countries through 20 sales offices.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• skai®: Brand for artificial leather (Kunstleder) and furniture films (Möbelfolie) used in high-quality residential furniture and design-oriented object applications.

Products and services

• skai® Kunstleder (Artificial Leather) High-quality synthetic leather surface material used in premium residential furniture and design-oriented object/contract sector applications, sold B2B to furniture manufacturers and interior designers.
• skai® Möbelfolie (Furniture Foil) Furniture foil surface material marketed under the skai® brand for furniture surface applications, sold B2B to furniture manufacturers and interior designers.
• Continental Außenfolien (Exterior Foils) Weather-resistant exterior surface foils marketed under Continental branding for facade, window frame, and other building applications, sold B2B to construction firms and building envelope system suppliers.
• skai® Fango SFTN matt Folie Weather-resistant exterior surface foil with matte finish designed for facades and window frames, part of the Continental Außenfolien exterior foils line.
• Conti Mattex Kollektion Collection of structured surface materials in matte finishes, including matt black variants, sold to interior and furniture industry customers as part of the skai® interior surface portfolio.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Continental AGcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKonrad Hornschuch merged with Continental AG. The company organized its competence and know-how through the merger of Benecke-Kaliko in Hannover with Continental in Weißbach. Now operates as part of Continental's Surface Solutions Business Area with segments in Automotive and Living Solutions.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• San Fang Chemical Industry: Taiwanese manufacturer and one of the largest global producers of artificial leather (PU and microfiber) for automotive, footwear, and furniture. Directly comparable to Konrad Hornschuch's core Kunstleder business and competes in the same OEM supply chains, particularly in Asia.
• LG Hausys: Korean manufacturer of surface films, decorative laminates, and finishing materials for furniture, interior, and construction. Directly comparable to Konrad Hornschuch's Möbelfolie (furniture films) and exterior surface films, competing in furniture OEM and architectural surface markets.
• Renolit: German manufacturer of surface films and laminates for furniture, construction, and automotive applications. Directly comparable to Konrad Hornschuch's Möbelfolie (furniture film) and exterior foil product lines, competing in the same European B2B surface materials market with overlapping customer base in furniture OEMs and construction.
• Kolon Industries: Korean chemical/materials company producing artificial leather (Kolon) for automotive seating, fashion, and furniture. Direct competitor to skai® Kunstleder in automotive OEM interiors and Asia-Pacific furniture markets, with overlapping technology in PU/PVC surface materials.
• Teijin: Japanese materials group with surface materials and artificial leather products serving automotive interiors, construction, and industrial applications. Comparable to Konrad Hornschuch's diversified Surface Solutions portfolio across automotive, furniture, and construction end-markets.
• Toray Industries (Ultrasuede): Japanese materials producer of Ultrasuede premium microfiber artificial leather for automotive interiors and high-end applications. Directly comparable to Konrad Hornschuch's premium skai® Kunstleder positioning in design-oriented automotive and contract/furniture segments.
• Kuraray (Clarino): Japanese chemical company producing Clarino artificial leather (non-woven microfiber) for automotive interiors, fashion, and footwear. Directly competes with skai® Kunstleder in automotive OEM seating and premium interior applications, and serves similar automotive OEM customers globally.

Others

• Stahl: Dutch specialty chemicals and coatings supplier providing leather finishing, coatings, and surface treatment chemicals. Adjacent value-chain player to Konrad Hornschuch's artificial leather and film production, supplying enabling chemistry to many surface material producers and serving overlapping automotive/leather customers.

Emerging players

• Serge Ferrari: French manufacturer of technical textiles and coated surface materials for architecture, industry, and furniture. Comparable to Konrad Hornschuch's exterior foil business (Continental Außenfolien) in weather-resistant architectural and façade surface applications.
• Mayur Uniquoters: Indian PVC-based artificial leather producer serving automotive seating, furniture, and footwear end-markets. Comparable product technology to skai® Kunstleder in PVC artificial leather, with growing presence in automotive OEM supply but more focused on cost-competitive volume tiers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/konrad-hornschuch-aktiengesellschaft

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Konrad Hornschuch Aktiengesellschaft