What Leiße & Söhne does

Leiße & Söhne GmbH & Co. KG is a privately held German Mittelstand machinery manufacturer, founded in 1910 in Winterberg-Siedlinghausen (Sauerland region), that designs and builds turnkey production plants and specialized machinery for the wood-processing industry. Its core product lines are Sägewerkstechnik (sawmill technology), covering round-wood handling, sawmill mechanization, sorting/stacking, planing, and residual-wood disposal; and Leimholzanlagen (glued-timber systems), covering KVH/BSH lines, CLT production plants, finger-jointing, and commissioning systems. Supporting offerings include conveyor and transport systems, custom special machinery (Sondermaschinenbau), electrical engineering with SPS/PLC programming (Siemens Step 7 and TIA Portal), contract manufacturing (2D/3D laser cutting, tube/profile laser, CNC turning/milling, robotic welding), assembly and commissioning, and after-sales parts and service. Technology stack is built around nine CreoElements/CoCreator CAD workstations, in-house proprietary machine control software, and a modern metalworking fleet including Mazak (tube laser, turning), DMG CTX gamma 3000 TC turning-milling, Cloos MAG welding robot, Trumpf TruBend press brake, and 3D laser cutting capability.

The company operates as a single-source general contractor with an enterprise field-sales motion: custom projects are quoted within a 30-day validity, with consultative sales from requirement analysis through on-site commissioning. Revenue is generated predominantly from one-off capital equipment sales of machines and turnkey plants, supplemented by contract manufacturing (Lohnfertigung) for external customers, professional services for assembly and commissioning, and recurring after-sales parts, maintenance, and service. Customers are primarily sawmill and glued-timber producers in Germany and neighboring countries (with worldwide delivery), with secondary exposure to automotive suppliers, logistics, and steel/foundry custom machinery. Anchor customer W. u. J. Derix GmbH & Co. has publicly endorsed multi-site mass-timber production using Leiße lines. The firm holds DIN EN 1090, ISO 3834-2 welding certifications, and CPR factory-production-control compliance, and was named Holzindustrie Ausstatter des Jahres 2024. The family-owned business is led by Felix Leiße and Ferdinand Asmuth with a management team covering sales, project management, technical, manufacturing, programming, electrical, sheet-metal, service, and procurement functions, across approximately 100–120 employees and two production sites in Winterberg.

Name

Leiße & Söhne

Legal name

Leiße & Söhne GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://leisse.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1910

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Leiße & Söhne is a German, family-owned machinery manufacturer (founded 1910) that designs and builds turnkey production plants, custom machinery, and automation systems primarily for the sawmill and glued-timber (KVH/BSH/CLT) industries, serving customers in Germany and abroad with project-based B2B sales, contract manufacturing, and after-sales service.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wood Processing Machinery Manufacturing

NAICS

Sawmill, Woodworking, and Paper Machinery Manufacturing (333243), All Other Miscellaneous General Purpose Machinery Manufacturing (333998)

SIC

Special Industry Machinery (No Metalworking Machinery) (3550)

akta.pro primary industry

Engineered Wood Product Distribution & Fabrication Services (IMAMACAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Planing Mills & Lumber Surfacing (IMAMABAE), Softwood Lumber Sawmills (IMAMABAA), Engineered Wood Products Distribution (LVL, I-joists, Glulam, CLT) (IMAMAIAD)

Keywords

• Wood processing machinery
• Sawmill mechanization systems
• Glulam production plants
• Custom conveyor systems
• Contract metal fabrication

Headquarters

HQ city

Winterberg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom machinery and plant sales (turnkey): Design, manufacture, and delivery of custom machinery and complete turnkey production plants for sawmills and glued timber manufacturers. This is the primary revenue stream. Machines include KVH/BSH production lines, CLT production plants, sawmill mechanization, sorting and stacking systems, and custom conveyor and transport systems.
2. Contract manufacturing (Lohnfertigung): Fee-based metal fabrication services including laser cutting (2D and tube/pipe), CNC turning, CNC milling, welding, and forming. Offered both as part of own plant production and as standalone services for external customers.
3. Assembly and commissioning services: On-site assembly, installation, and commissioning of delivered machines and plants, including personnel training.
4. After-sales services, spare parts, and maintenance: Spare parts supply, maintenance and repair services, and technical support. Standard parts shipped within 1 week; custom parts on request. Service hotline available for rapid support.
5. Refurbished / used machines (occasional): Occasional sale of refurbished used machines, inspected and brought up to current standards.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Leiße & Söhne designs, manufactures, and delivers custom industrial machinery and turnkey production plants primarily for the wood processing industry. Core offerings include sawmill mechanization systems (round wood handling, sorting, stacking, planing, residual wood disposal), glulam production plants (KVH/BSH lines, CLT plants, finger jointing, commissioning systems), and conveyor/transport systems, complemented by bespoke special machine construction, electrical engineering, contract metal fabrication, on-site assembly, and after-sales services.

Product overview

Leiße & Söhne is a mid-sized German machinery manufacturer specializing in complete plant systems for the wood processing industry, primarily serving sawmills and glulam manufacturers. The product portfolio centers on two core areas: Sägewerkstechnik (sawmill technology) covering round wood handling, sawmill mechanization, sorting/stacking systems, and planing; and Leimholzanlagen (glulam systems) encompassing KVH/BSH production plants, CLT production systems, finger jointing, and commissioning systems. Supporting these are conveyor and transport systems, custom machine construction, electrical engineering, and contract manufacturing services. The company offers engineering, assembly, and after-sales services as integrated add-ons, providing customers with complete solutions from planning through commissioning. With approximately 120 employees and over 229 successful projects worldwide, Leiße operates as a general contractor delivering turnkey production lines for the glued timber and sawmill industries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Leimholzanlagen (Glulam Production Plants) Turnkey production plants for glued timber (Leimholz) including KVH, BSH, CLT, finger jointing and commissioning systems. Designed and built for manufacturers of dimensionally stable engineered wood products used in construction and mass timber applications.
• Sägewerkstechnik (Sawmill Technology) Complete mechanization solutions for sawmills covering round wood handling, debarking and cross-cutting, internal conveyor technology, sorting and stacking, residual wood disposal, planing, and restacking of sawn timber. Serves small to medium sawmills and large industrial sawmills with both standard and customized equipment.
• Fördertechnik + Transportanlagen (Conveyor and Transport Systems) Conveyor and transport systems ranging from simple belt conveyors to complex computer-connected facilities, including vertical conveyors for space-efficient logistics. Supports material movement and inventory management across sawmills, glulam plants and other industrial operations.
• Sondermaschinenbau (Custom Machine Construction) Custom machine manufacturing from simple rollers to complex, fully automatic transport systems with computer connectivity. Serves diverse industries including sawmills, automotive suppliers, and logistics operators requiring tailored special machinery.
• Lohnfertigung (Contract Manufacturing) High-quality contract metal fabrication services including 2D and 3D laser cutting, pipe and tube laser processing (Rohrlaser), CNC turning, CNC milling, MAG welding using the Cloos welding robot, and plasma cutting. Offered both as part of own plant production and as standalone services for external customers.
• Elektrotechnik (Electrical Engineering) Electrical engineering services including control cabinet design, SPS programming in Siemens Step 7 and TIA Portal, switchgear construction, system connection, and maintenance for seamless integration with Leiße machinery and plants.
• Engineering Customized plant concept development with systematic, function-oriented and analytical product development approaches applied across industries in mechanics and mechatronics. Underpins Leiße's turnkey plant delivery from planning through commissioning.
• Montage (Assembly and Commissioning) On-site assembly, installation and commissioning of delivered machines and plants, including personnel training. Delivered directly by Leiße teams on customer sites worldwide.
• After Sales Services Comprehensive after-sales support including spare parts procurement (standard parts shipped within one week, custom parts on request), maintenance and repair services, technical support, and a service hotline for rapid assistance.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 229 successful plant projects completed worldwide
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• System TM: Danish supplier of optimized sawmill lines, including scanning, sorting, and material handling solutions for softwood and hardwood sawmills. Direct peer in sawmill mechanization and sorting/stacking automation, complementary to Leiße's sawmill portfolio.
• Kallesoe Machinery: Danish manufacturer of complete BSH/glulam and CLT production lines with a strong European installed base. Direct peer offering turnkey plants in the same engineered wood category Leiße serves, including finger jointing, pressing, and packaging systems.
• Ledinek: Slovenian manufacturer specializing in turnkey plants for glulam (BSH) and CLT production, including finger jointing, pressing, and automation systems. One of Leiße's closest direct competitors in the German and Central European engineered wood plant market.
• Linck Holzverarbeitungstechnik: German manufacturer of sawmill machinery, including log processing, optimization lines, and chipper-canter systems. Direct peer serving the same European softwood sawmill mechanization customer base.

Broad incumbents

• Siempelkamp: Siempelkamp is a German manufacturer of complete plants and press systems for wood-based panels, engineered wood, and metal forming. Comparable as a turnkey plant builder for engineered wood producers, though it primarily serves the panel/board side rather than the sawmill mechanization niche.
• Homag Group: Homag Group is a leading global manufacturer of woodworking machinery and plants for the furniture and timber industries. Comparable as a broad incumbent in custom machinery and turnkey plants, though it is much larger and more focused on furniture/cabinet lines than on sawmill mechanization.
• Dieffenbacher: Dieffenbacher supplies complete production systems for wood-based panels, engineered wood, and forming. Comparable as a major turnkey engineered-wood plant builder, but again primarily panel-focused rather than the sawmill-side mechanization and CLT finishing line work Leiße specializes in.
• Weinig Group: Weinig is a German-based global leader in solid wood processing machinery, including sawmill-side equipment, moulders, and cross-cutting systems. Directly comparable as a major machinery supplier serving sawmill and solid-wood producers, but at significantly larger scale and broader product breadth.

Regional players

• USNR / John King: USNR is a North American supplier of sawmill equipment, log processing, and material handling systems (formed from the merger of USNR and John King). Comparable in sawmill and engineered wood machinery, but primarily serves North American markets rather than the DACH region Leiße targets.

Emerging players

• Microtec: Microtec develops scanning, optimization, and automation systems for sawmills and wood processing industries. Comparable as a technology-driven supplier into the same sawmill customer base Leiße serves, though more focused on scanning/sensor technology than mechanical plant systems.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 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 Leiße & Söhne