B. Kathmann Bauunternehmung GmbH u. Co. KG

What B. Kathmann Bauunternehmung GmbH u. Co. KG does

B. Kathmann Bauunternehmung GmbH u. Co. KG is a family-owned general construction company headquartered in Bremen, Germany, in continuous operation since approximately 1944. The firm delivers structural construction (Rohbau), turnkey building delivery (Schlüsselfertigbau), renovation and modernization (Sanieren, Renovieren & Modernisieren), conversion and adaptive reuse (Umnutzung), and integrated real-estate project development (Projektentwicklung) across North Germany, serving residential developers and housing companies, commercial and office clients including financial institutions, the public sector, and specialized industrial customers such as aerospace prime OHB. Technical capabilities center on reinforced concrete (Stahlbeton) and masonry execution, formwork and reinforcement planning, sustainable building standards (DGNB, KfW-55), and digital project management with lean construction (Lean-Verfahren) methods; construction is executed as general contractor (Generalunternehmer) or general developer (Generalübernehmer).

The business model is project-based, generating revenue primarily through fixed-price construction contracts, supplemented by property sales and development fees routed through the in-house project development arm and by recurring property management and brokerage fees on a managed residential portfolio. Go-to-market is relationship-driven — direct outreach, project references, joint ventures such as the ARGE with Zechbau on the Sparkasse Bremen headquarters, and long-term partnerships with housing companies and institutional clients — with no public pricing or paid digital marketing channels. Notable engagements include the Sparkasse Bremen headquarters (ARGE with Zechbau), the OHB PLATO satellite integration hall (~€14 million project value), the Europahafen residential and office complex, the Cuxhaven-Döse holiday apartment complex (51 units, completed February 2022), and the Leer assisted-living development (17,500 sqm land acquired January 2021).

The group operates through five wholly-owned subsidiaries: Plambeck Bauunternehmung (100%, Hamburg-area construction), kathmann Projekte (project development), Backmann (plastic building elements and fire protection), wika (residential property sales, rental and administration), and Brock (aluminium windows and facades). This subsidiary ecosystem provides vertical integration from land acquisition through construction execution and ongoing property management, and is the central element of the firm's market position in the Bremen and North German regional construction market.

Name

B. Kathmann Bauunternehmung GmbH u. Co. KG

Legal name

Bernhard Kathmann Bauunternehmung GmbH u. Co. KG

Website

https://kathmann-bau.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1944

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Family-owned German construction company, founded ~1944 in Bremen, delivering Rohbau, Schlüsselfertigbau, renovation, conversion, and project development across North Germany for residential, commercial, public-sector, and industrial clients via a five-subsidiary group.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Construction Services

NAICS

Nonresidential Building Construction (2362), Commercial and Institutional Building Construction (23622), Residential Building Construction (23611), Residential Remodelers (236118)

SIC

General Bldg Contractors - Residential Bldgs (1520), General Bldg Contractors - Nonresidential Bldgs (1540), Operative Builders (1531)

akta.pro primary industry

Renovation, Remodeling & Tenant Improvements (General Contracting) (IMAFAAAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Office & Corporate Building Construction (IMAFACAA), Multi-Family Residential Construction (Apartments, Condos, Townhomes) (IMAFABAB), Residential Design-Build & Renovation-Integrated Builders (IMAFABAE), Residential Land Development & Subdivision Homebuilding (Build-to-Sell Communities) (IMAFABAL), Architectural Reconfiguration & Structural Alterations (HSAPAEAB)

Keywords

• General construction services
• Turnkey construction
• Structural concrete work
• Building renovation modernization
• Real estate project development

Headquarters

HQ city

Bremen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. General construction contract revenue: Revenue is generated through fixed-price contracts for construction projects. The company acts as general contractor (Generalunternehmer) or general developer (Generalübernehmer). Project types include turnkey delivery (Schlüsselfertigbau), structural work (Rohbau), renovation (SanReMo), and conversion (Umnutzung). Revenue is project-based, one-time per contract, with some long-term client relationships generating repeat engagements.
2. Project development and property sales: The subsidiary kathmann Projekte acquires land, develops property concepts, and either sells completed developments or transfers to the construction arm for execution. Revenue includes property sales and development fees.
3. Property management and brokerage: The wika subsidiary handles sale, rental, and administration of residential and ownership objects (WEG and Miete), generating management and brokerage fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Family-owned general construction company delivering Rohbau (structural work), Schlüsselfertigbau (turnkey construction), Sanieren/Modernisieren (renovation), Umnutzung (conversion/repurposing), and Projektentwicklung (project development) across residential, commercial, industrial and social infrastructure projects in Northern Germany.

Product overview

Kathmann is a family-owned general construction company offering a full lifecycle range of services from Rohbau (structural construction) and Schlüsselfertigbau (turnkey delivery) to Sanieren, Renovieren & Modernisieren (SanReMo) and Umnutzung (conversion/repurposing), supplemented by Projektentwicklung (project development) for self-developed or client-commissioned projects. The group comprises five subsidiaries: Plambeck Bauunternehmung (100%-owned, covering the Hamburg area), kathmann Projekte (project development/general developer), Backmann (plastic building elements and fire protection), wika (property sales, rental, and administration), and Brock (aluminum windows and facades). Services span residential, commercial, industrial, social/education, and hospitality building types. The company operates primarily in northern Germany (Bremen, Hamburg, Lower Saxony). The portfolio is a set of coordinated service lines and affiliated companies rather than a unified software product or platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• kathmann Projekte: Project development subsidiary handling property acquisition, planning, construction law, project management and marketing
• Plambeck
• Backmann
• wika

Products and services

• Rohbau (Structural Construction) Core structural construction service covering foundation, concrete work, masonry and load-bearing elements, delivered by own team or partner firms for residential, commercial and industrial projects.
• Schlüsselfertigbau (Turnkey Construction) General contractor service delivering complete buildings from planning through handover, coordinating all trades for residential, commercial and industrial projects as a single point of responsibility.
• Sanieren, Renovieren & Modernisieren (Renovation, Refurbishment & Modernization) Comprehensive renovation, refurbishment and modernization of existing buildings, including additions, conversions, energy upgrades and concrete repair work, often delivered while buildings remain in use (e.g. schools, kindergartens).
• Bauen im Bestand & Umnutzung (Conversion & Repurposing) Conversion and repurposing of existing structures for new uses such as offices to residential or industrial to educational, adapting buildings to changed requirements and creating new utility from existing assets.
• Projektentwicklung (Project Development) End-to-end real estate development including land acquisition, feasibility studies, planning, permitting, financing and marketing, delivered through the subsidiary kathmann Projekte as general developer with construction execution by Kathmann Bauunternehmung.
• Plambeck Bauunternehmung (Hamburg construction subsidiary) Wholly-owned (100%) subsidiary construction company covering the Hamburg metropolitan area, operating under the Kathmann group to deliver construction projects in that region.
• kathmann Projekte (Project Development Subsidiary) Project development subsidiary handling property acquisition, planning rights, project management and marketing; acts as general developer with construction execution transferred to Kathmann Bauunternehmung.
• Backmann (Plastic Building Elements & Fire Protection Subsidiary) Specialist subsidiary providing design, manufacturing and installation of plastic building components and fire protection systems for the Kathmann group.
• wika (Property Management & Brokerage Subsidiary) Property management subsidiary handling sales, rental and administration of residential and ownership properties (WEG and rental), including long-term client relationship management.
• Brock (Aluminium Windows & Facades) Specialist subsidiary designing, constructing, manufacturing and installing aluminium windows and aluminium facade systems for the Kathmann group.

Quantifiable outcome

• ~55+ projects referenced in portfolio
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

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

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ZechbaucoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Joint venture (ARGE — Arbeitsgemeinschaft) for the Sparkasse Bremen headquarters project. Kathmann handled commercial management (kfm. Geschäftsführung), Zechbau handled technical execution. JV formed after joint participation in pre-construction process (Preconstruction-Verfahren) beginning 2018. Long-standing partnership referenced.
• Plambeck Bauunternehmung (100% subsidiary)coreOthersFully owned subsidiary of Kathmann, covering construction projects in the Hamburg area. Enables Kathmann group to extend geographic reach to the Hamburg market. Operates under its own brand.
• kathmann Projekte (subsidiary)coreOthersIntegrated project development subsidiary. Handles land acquisition, planning permissions, project steering, and marketing. Construction execution transferred to the Kathmann Bauunternehmung. Creates seamless end-to-end project capability.
• Backmann (subsidiary)minorOthersSubsidiary specializing in plastic building elements and fire protection systems (Kunststoff-Bauelemente und Brandschutz). Provides specialized components for Kathmann construction projects.
• wika (subsidiary)minorOthersSubsidiary handling sale, rental, and administration of residential properties (WEG and Miete). Provides property management and brokerage services for Kathmann-developed properties.
• Brock (subsidiary)minorOthersSubsidiary specializing in aluminium windows and aluminium facades. Plans, constructs, produces, and installs facade systems for Kathmann projects.
• I.D.-WohnungsbaugesellschaftcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership for residential construction projects. Multiple completed projects including Steubenallee 5 in Achim (two multi-family houses, 11 units each). Relationship described as trust-based and growing 'Project für Projekt'.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Leonhard Weiss GmbH & Co. KG: Major German construction group delivering commercial, civil and infrastructure projects. Comparable to Kathmann through its general-contracting and turnkey capabilities, but with national geographic spread and far larger headcount.
• Goldbeck GmbH: Large, established German turnkey commercial and industrial contractor with a system-building approach. Comparable because both deliver Schlüsselfertigbau across commercial, industrial and public-sector buildings, though Goldbeck operates at materially greater national scale.
• Max Bögl Stiftung & Co. KG: Large German construction group covering turnkey commercial, civil engineering and high-tech prefabrication. Comparable to Kathmann in turnkey delivery but materially larger and more diversified across Germany.
• Depenbrock Bau GmbH & Co. KG: North German general contractor (headquartered in Stemwede/NRW with strong Northern presence) offering turnkey commercial, residential and civil construction. Comparable to Kathmann in regional general-contracting focus and full-lifecycle delivery.
• Köster GmbH: German general contractor offering Schlüsselfertigbau, Rohbau and renovation across office, residential, logistics and retail. Comparable to Kathmann in service scope and integrated delivery model, but operating at broader national scale.

Direct peers

• Zechbau GmbH: German general contractor and part of the Zech Group, headquartered in Bremen. Direct comparable because Kathmann partners with Zechbau on the Sparkasse Bremen HQ via ARGE, making them direct collaborators and competitors for commercial general-contracting work in Northern Germany.
• Eduard Michel GmbH & Co. KG: Mid-sized German general contractor delivering turnkey commercial, residential and industrial buildings with a comparable regional/specialized profile to Kathmann.
• Aug. Prien Bauunternehmung GmbH & Co. KG: Hamburg-based general contractor (since 1873) delivering turnkey commercial, residential and industrial construction across Northern Germany. Closely comparable to Kathmann in regional Northern German footprint and integrated Schlüsselfertigbau offering.
• Bremer Bauunternehmung GmbH & Co. KG: Bremen-based general contractor with Schlüsselfertigbau and Rohbau services across Northern Germany. Direct comparable because of shared Bremen headquarters market, similar service mix and overlapping client base (housing developers, commercial clients).

Regional players

• Gebr. Bunte Bauunternehmung GmbH & Co. KG: Mid-sized German construction group active in commercial, residential and infrastructure across Western/Northern Germany. Comparable in service mix to Kathmann but operates primarily outside the Bremen/Northern Germany core.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/b-kathmann-bauunternehmung

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries4 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 B. Kathmann Bauunternehmung GmbH u. Co. KG