Wichelhaus Gruppe

What Wichelhaus Gruppe does

Wichelhaus Gruppe is a privately held, owner-managed German mechanical engineering group headquartered in Solingen, founded in 1904 and controlled since 1994 by managing partner Jörg Demtröder. The group operates through three core entities — Wichelhaus KG (special machines, automation, robotics), Enilution GmbH (engineering competence center), and WICO Production GmbH (fixture construction and special machines for electrical engineering) — supported by an international network of technology and service partners. Its broader portfolio spans textile machinery (customized Jigger and Vario Line Jigger dyeing systems), custom automation and robotics, IoT/digitalization modules (Guard2B Health, Guard2B MDE), bending technology, and full engineering services from hall planning through assembly and commissioning.

The company derives revenue primarily from one-time special machine construction projects, engineering services, and assembly/commissioning work, supplemented by after-sales support, managed services (Suhner equipment), and nascent recurring IoT subscriptions. Its go-to-market is engineering-led direct sales executed through a single contact partner across the project lifecycle, with international reach into Europe, China, the USA, and the Middle East. Customers are split between German Mittelstand firms and global corporations across automotive, electrical engineering, high-voltage, textile, hardware, environmental, and medical technology industries. Operational scale is small for the addressable market — approximately 50 employees across Solingen and Karlsruhe/Rheinzabern — but the company has been actively reinvesting via capacity expansion (tripled production area in 2019 and 2022, new 2,500 m² technology center in 2020), product launches (Guard2B 2021, 3D printing 2021), and acquisitions (HK electronic in 2013, Kista technical division in 2006).

Name

Wichelhaus Gruppe

Legal name

Wichelhaus GmbH & Co. KG Maschinenfabrik

Website

https://wichelhaus-co.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1904

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Wichelhaus Gruppe is a 120-year-old German mechanical engineering group specializing in custom special machines, automation, robotics, and IoT-enabled textile machinery, serving Mittelstand firms and global corporations across automotive, electrical, textile, and medical technology industries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Solingen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Special Machine Construction: Customized special machine construction projects for automation solutions. Revenue generated through design, development, and fabrication of bespoke machinery tailored to customer requirements.
2. Engineering Services: Comprehensive engineering from hall planning through manufacturing concept. Includes machine control system development, electrical engineering, and PLC programming.
3. Textile Machinery: Production and sale of customized jigger machines (AT and HT) for textile processing, including industrial dyeing systems.
4. Assembly and Commissioning: On-site assembly and commissioning services for machines and plants, including customer site integration.
5. IoT and Digitalization Solutions: Industry 4.0 solutions including Guard2B health and MDE modules, remote monitoring, and data analytics services.
6. After-Sales Support: Ongoing support, maintenance, and service for installed systems and machinery.
7. Service Partnership (Suhner): Service and maintenance of Suhner equipment with spare parts warehouse and short response times.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Wichelhaus Gruppe is an owner-managed German engineering group specializing in special machine construction (Sondermaschinenbau), industrial automation, and IoT/digitalization. The group operates through three subsidiaries — Wichelhaus KG, Enilution GmbH, and WICO Production GmbH — serving the automotive, electrical engineering, textile, high-voltage, medical, and environmental industries with customized machinery, automation solutions, and digital products such as the Guard2B IoT platform.

Product overview

Wichelhaus Gruppe is a specialized engineering and manufacturing group offering comprehensive solutions in special machine construction. The portfolio consists of core companies Wichelhaus KG (special machines, automation, robotics), Wico Pro (fixture construction, electrical engineering), and Enilution GmbH (engineering competence center). Key product lines include textile machinery (customized Jigger machines), special machine construction, automation solutions, and IoT/Digitalisierung services. The group also offers the Guard2B system for contact tracing and health protection. Additional services encompass bending technology (via Struck partnership), SPS programming, and MES solutions. The group serves customers from small medium-sized companies to global players across automotive, electrical engineering, textile, high-voltage, hardware, environmental, and medical technology industries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Enilution: Engineering competence center within the Wichelhaus Group, offering services from initial idea through hall planning to complete manufacturing concept.
• Wico Pro (WICO Production GmbH)
• Guard2B
• Wichelhaus KG

Products and services

• Special Machines (Sondermaschinenbau)

Quantifiable outcome

• Water savings up to 70% with specially designed jigger machines
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• BIMANU GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-development partnership for Guard2B Health module, developed together to address health protection and production continuity needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. BIMANU contributed technology expertise for contact tracing and health monitoring solutions.
• Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAOflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnology partnership for joint events and technology center inauguration. Fraunhofer IAO participated in opening of Wichelhaus technology center to demonstrate Industry 4.0 opportunities and digitalization in automation technology.
• HK electroniccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIntegration of HK electronic into the group in 2013 to establish WICO Production GmbH at the Karlsruhe location, expanding capabilities in production and manufacturing.
• Kista (Wuppertal)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnical division of Wuppertal-based machine manufacturer Kista integrated into the group in 2006, expanding technical capabilities.
• Enilution GmbHflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerEngineering competence center within Wichelhaus Group, established in 2018. Offers all process steps from rough idea to hall planning to complete manufacturing concept, creating transparency regarding project economics.
• WICO Production GmbH (WiCo Pro)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCore company of the group established with integration of HK electronic. Located in Karlsruhe/Rheinzabern, focuses on fixture construction and special machines for electrical technology, with expanded manufacturing capabilities.
• bimanu GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnology partner for digitalization and IoT solutions. Co-hosted events on predictive maintenance, learning systems, and Internet of Things at Wichelhaus technology center.
• CREATIVUM GmbH WerbeagenturminorOthersCreative agency responsible for website design and concept.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Grenzebach Maschinenbau GmbH: German family-owned special machine builder with comparable Mittelstand roots, providing automation and digitalization solutions for global industrial customers. Similar organizational structure, target market, and engineering-led sales model.
• Manz AG: German special machine manufacturer for electronics, automotive, and battery production. Directly comparable as a custom automation and Industry 4.0 solutions provider, though publicly listed and serving a different industrial vertical mix.
• Benninger AG: Swiss textile machinery manufacturer specializing in dyeing, finishing, and coating equipment. Directly comparable to Wichelhaus's Jigger textile machinery division with similar sustainability-focused product positioning and Mittelstand scale.
• Thies GmbH & Co. KG: German textile machinery manufacturer specializing in dyeing and finishing equipment, directly comparable to Wichelhaus's Jigger textile machinery line. Similar Mittelstand scale with focus on industrial textile processing sustainability and resource efficiency.
• Heitec AG: German industrial automation and special machine builder serving similar Mittelstand and global enterprise customers. Comparable in scale, offering complexity, and automation/digitalization focus across multiple industrial verticals.

Broad incumbents

• Krones AG: Large German special machine manufacturer for beverage and packaging industry. Comparable business model of custom engineering-led sales for global enterprise customers, though significantly larger (€4B+ revenue) and publicly listed.
• HOMAG Group AG: German special machine manufacturer for the woodworking industry with full-service engineering, automation, and digitalization offerings. Directly comparable business model of custom one-off machinery applied to a different manufacturing vertical.
• Trumpf SE + Co. KG: German family-owned global technology company specializing in machine tools and laser technology. Comparable as a Mittelstand-rooted manufacturer of industrial production equipment with strong automation focus, though much larger (€5B+ revenue).
• Festo AG & Co. KG: Major German industrial automation specialist with massive scale (€4B+ revenue). Comparable in offering automation and pneumatic solutions to industrial customers, though much broader portfolio and global footprint than Wichelhaus's custom machine builder model.

Emerging players

• Beckhoff Automation GmbH & Co. KG: German automation specialist offering PC-based control technology, drives, and IoT solutions. Partially comparable in Industry 4.0 and digitalization offerings, though Beckhoff is a component vendor rather than custom machine builder.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wichelhaus-gruppe

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Wichelhaus Gruppe