What Kempf GmbH does

Kempf GmbH is a German precision tool manufacturer headquartered in Reichenbach an der Fils, Baden-Württemberg, founded in 1960 and operating with approximately 22 employees under Managing Director Steffen Hedrich. The company specializes in cutting tools and deburring solutions for CNC metalworking, with a portfolio spanning deburring tools, PCD/CBN tools, drilling and milling tools, turning and parting tools, superfinishing/rolling tools, and diamond-tipped tools. Its flagship offerings include award-winning systems such as the Back-Burr Cutter & Path (Product of the Year 2018), the Burrless Chamfering Cutter (Best of Industry Award 2023), the ibex deburring system, and the ExBurrDrill, with several of these sourced through an exclusive German distribution partnership with Japanese manufacturer Xebec.

The company's business model combines standard catalog sales with custom special tool development (Sonderwerkzeuge), sold through a regional direct sales force covering German states and international territories (Austria, Switzerland, Scandinavia, France, UK, Eastern Europe). Kempf operates a sales-led GTM supplemented by trade show presence (AMB, EMO, Deburring Expo), online seminars, and an online Deburring Guide tool. Customers span automotive, aerospace, medical technology, hydraulic systems, food and pharmaceutical equipment, and general CNC machining, with named enterprise customers including DMG MORI, SCHUNK, SAMSON Group, VETEC Ventiltechnik, Binder, and Deloro Wear Solutions. The company is ISO 9001:2015 certified, privately held, and self-funded with no disclosed external investment, partnerships, or M&A activity.

Name

Kempf GmbH

Legal name

Kempf GmbH

Website

https://kempf-tools.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1960

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kempf GmbH is a German precision tool manufacturer specializing in deburring and cutting tools for CNC metalworking, serving automotive, aerospace, medical, hydraulic, and food/pharma customers across Germany and Europe via direct sales and exclusive Xebec distribution.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Precision Cutting Tools & Deburring Solutions

NAICS

Cutting Tool and Machine Tool Accessory Manufacturing (333515)

SIC

Metalworkg Machinery & Equipment (3540)

akta.pro primary industry

CNC Machine Tools (Turning, Milling, Machining Centers) (IMAHADAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sheet Metal Machinery (Laser/Plasma/Waterjet Cutting, Punching) (IMAHADAD)

Keywords

• Precision cutting tools
• CNC deburring solutions
• PCD CBN tooling
• Ceramic fiber brushes
• Custom special tools

Headquarters

HQ city

Reichenbach/Fils

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Standard Tool Sales: Sale of standard precision cutting tools and deburring equipment including ceramic fiber brushes, drill bits, milling cutters, and turning tools. Products sold directly through sales representatives and at trade shows.
2. Custom/Special Tool Development: Development and sale of custom special tools (Sonderwerkzeuge) tailored to specific customer applications. If standard tools don't meet requirements, KEMPF develops appropriate custom solutions.
3. Xebec Product Distribution: Exclusive distribution of Xebec ceramic fiber tools and deburring systems in Germany, including the Back-Burr Cutter product line.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Kempf GmbH manufactures and sells precision cutting tools and deburring solutions for CNC metalworking machines, with a portfolio spanning standard tools (deburring, PCD/CBN, drilling, milling, turning, superfinishing/rolling, diamond-tipped) and custom Sonderwerkzeuge built for specific customer applications. The company is the exclusive German distributor of Xebec (Japan) ceramic fiber deburring technology and operates a direct field-sales model with regional representatives across Germany and neighboring European countries, supported by an e-commerce shop and major trade show presence.

Product overview

Kempf GmbH is a German precision tool manufacturer offering a comprehensive portfolio of metalworking tools, with a focus on deburring solutions. The core offering consists of six main product categories: Entgratwerkzeuge (deburring tools), PKD & CBN tools, drilling & milling tools, turning & parting tools, superfinishing/rolling tools, and diamond-tipped tools. The company also develops custom special tools (Sonderwerkzeuge) for specific customer applications. The deburring tool portfolio is particularly extensive, featuring named products like the Back-Burr Cutter & Path (award-winning 2018), Burrless Chamfering Cutter (Best of Industry Award 2023), ibex deburring system, HSD tool, Turning Brush, ExBurrDrill, ceramic fiber tools, and RevCut. These products are complemented by digital tools like the Deburring Guide for product selection and online seminars for customer education. KEMPF positions itself as a specialist for burr-free production directly from the machine, serving industries including automotive, aerospace, medical technology, and general mechanical engineering.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Entgratwerkzeuge (Deburring Tools) Comprehensive range of deburring tools for automated burr removal directly on CNC machines, covering holes, edges, and threads. Includes brushes, cutters, and specialized systems for various materials and applications, sold to industrial metalworking and CNC machining customers.
• PKD & CBN Tools Polycrystalline Diamond (PKD/PCD) and Cubic Boron Nitride (CBN) precision tools for machining non-ferrous metals and hardened steels, featuring extended tool life and high cutting performance, sold to industrial metalworking customers.
• Drilling & Milling Tools (VHM Solid Carbide) Solid carbide (VHM) drilling and milling tools, including specialty drills for various materials, sold to CNC machining and metalworking customers requiring precision hole-making and milling.
• Turning & Parting Tools Precision turning and parting tools for lathe operations, designed for high precision, extended tool life, and cost-effectiveness in metal machining, sold to CNC and conventional lathe users.
• Superfinishing / Rolling Tools (Glattwalz-Werkzeuge) Superfinishing and rolling tools, including diamond-tipped roller burnishing tools, for achieving perfect surface finishes on internal, external, and planar surfaces, sold to customers requiring precision surface finishing.
• Diamond-Tipped Tools Custom and standard tools with diamond tips for precision machining applications requiring exceptional hardness and wear resistance, sold to industrial customers with demanding materials.
• Sonderwerkzeuge (Custom/Special Tools) Custom-designed special tools developed for specific customer applications, produced quickly, cost-effectively, and in KEMPF quality standards, sold to industrial customers whose applications exceed the capability of standard catalog tools.
• Back-Burr Cutter & Path Innovative deburring system combining a spiralized ball endmill with a custom NC dataset for contour-parallel deburring of complex contours, cross-holes, and thread exits, sold to CNC machining customers needing automated deburring of complex geometries.
• Burrless Chamfering Cutter World's first V-shaped cutting edge chamfering cutter that prevents secondary burr formation, eliminating the need for post-chamfering deburring, sold to CNC machining customers to reduce tooling and production costs for chamfering operations.
• ibex Deburring System Deburring system with adjustable compensating holder for deburring undefined contours, particularly suitable for cast components, featuring 3 adjustable pressure levels for consistent deburring results, sold to metalworking customers machining cast and complex-edge parts.
• HSD High-Speed Deburring Tool High-speed deburring tool activated by internal air pressure (6–8 bar) that deploys cutting edges into recesses for process-safe deburring of cross-holes and grooves, sold to CNC machining customers needing reliable deburring of internal features.
• Turning Brush First ceramic fiber deburring tool that can be used directly on turning machines for on-lathe deburring, sold to turning/machining customers seeking integrated deburring without secondary operations.
• ExBurrDrill Specialized drill bit producing near-burr-free hole exits, eliminating the need for subsequent deburring; can be supplied as a stepped drill with integrated chamfering step, sold to CNC machining customers aiming to combine drilling, chamfering, and deburring in one operation.
• Ceramic Fiber Tools (Xebec, distributed in Germany) High-performance ceramic fiber brushes, cross-hole brushes, and surface brushes with self-sharpening cutting edges made of 80% technical ceramic for deburring and polishing, distributed in Germany under exclusive arrangement with manufacturer Xebec (Japan).
• KEMPF RevCut Custom back-chamfering (reverse-side chamfer) tool for machining reverse-side chamfers on bores, using eccentric insertion to maximize shaft strength, sold as a Sonderwerkzeug to customers requiring rear-side chamfering beyond the capability of standard tools.
• MultiDrill TriCut

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced manual deburring by approximately 90% through ibex system implementation
• +8 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature10 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Xebec (Japan)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive distribution partner for Xebec ceramic fiber tools and deburring systems in Germany. Xebec is a Japanese manufacturer specializing in high-performance ceramic fiber brushes and the Back-Burr Cutter technology. KEMPF distributes the full Xebec product range including ceramic fiber brushes, ceramic fiber discs, flexible grinding sticks, and the award-winning Back-Burr Cutter & Path and Burrless Chamfering Cutter systems.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Gühring: German family-owned precision cutting tool manufacturer offering drills, milling cutters, and deburring tools. Directly comparable as a German specialty toolmaker serving CNC machining, automotive, and aerospace customers with a similar direct-sales model.
• Mapal: German precision tool manufacturer specializing in drilling, reaming, and PCD/PCBN tools for automotive and general metalworking. Closely comparable as a privately held German specialty toolmaker with custom tooling capability.
• Ceratizit: Luxembourg-headquartered cutting tool manufacturer offering hard metal and PCD tooling. Comparable as a European precision tool specialist with overlapping product categories in drilling, milling, and custom tooling.
• Tungaloy: Japanese cutting tool manufacturer with extensive European sales network. Comparable product overlap in turning, milling, drilling, and PCD tooling for CNC metalworking.
• OSG Tooling: Japanese-origin precision cutting tool manufacturer with strong European presence. Competes directly with Kempf in taps, drills, and end mills, particularly for automotive and general machining applications.
• Xebec: Japanese manufacturer of ceramic fiber deburring tools and the Back-Burr Cutter technology. Xebec is both Kempf's exclusive supplier and its most direct competitor in the German market; the partnership is effectively a dual-license arrangement that defines Kempf's core product line.

Broad incumbents

• Walter Tools (Sandvik): German-origin premium cutting tool brand now part of Sandvik Machining Solutions. Overlaps with Kempf in precision milling, drilling, and turning tools, with broader catalog and global reach but less specialization in deburring.
• Kennametal: US-based global tooling manufacturer offering metalworking solutions across turning, milling, and drilling. Competes with Kempf at the broader portfolio level but is far less specialized in deburring.
• Mitsubishi Materials (Tooling): Japanese conglomerate's cutting tool division offering a comprehensive milling, turning, and drilling portfolio. Comparable as a global player in the same tooling market with significantly broader scope.

Emerging players

• ATI (Allegheny Technologies) — Stellite Alloys & Tooling: Specialty materials and component maker whose Stellite cobalt-chromium alloys are processed using Kempf's custom tools (per Deloro case study). Adjacent in the value chain as a tooling consumer and material provider rather than a tool maker.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/KempfTools
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kempftools
• Instagraminstagram.com/kempftools

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 Kempf GmbH