What CREAT GmbH does

CREAT GmbH is a privately held German engineering services company headquartered in Ingolstadt that provides specialized engineering services to automotive manufacturers across automotive lighting systems, E/E (electric/electronic) systems, head-up display development, and testing/validation. The company employs approximately 150 people across four German branch offices located in Ingolstadt, Wolfsburg, Osnabrück/Bissendorf, and Munich — geographic placements that are co-located with the engineering centers of key German premium OEMs including Audi, Volkswagen, and BMW. Founded over 15 years ago, CREAT has completed more than 400 customer projects spanning series-production lighting programs, motorsport applications, and concept vehicles.

The company's core offerings include automotive lighting development (concept through series production), hardware and software solutions for automotive control units (including EMC analysis, circuit design, and embedded algorithms), hardware-in-the-loop (HiL) testing across CAN, LIN, and Ethernet protocols, and comprehensive head-up display development (optical design, reflection simulation, PGU development, and HUD testing). In January 2025, CREAT productized a proprietary automated testing platform called LightCube, targeted at increasingly complex smart, adaptive, and digitally controlled exterior lighting systems. Notable project references include taillights for the Porsche 963 LMDh endurance racing car, exterior lighting for the Mercedes-Benz VISION EQXX show car, project management for the Audi e-tron GT, headlamps for the BMW M4 GT3, and OLED rear-lamp samples developed with OLED Works.

CREAT generates revenue through project-based professional services engagements (both werk- and dienstleistungen contracts) with automotive OEMs, with payment terms of 30 days and 1/3 advance payment for contracts above €100,000. The company maintains a flat-hierarchical structure led by CEO Matthias Abeln and operates a direct enterprise sales motion through its four regional branch managers, with no disclosed external institutional investors or parent company ownership. Active operating signals include consecutive kununu Top Company awards in 2023 and 2024, ongoing university recruiting, motorsport sponsorships, and a jobs portal hosted on a UnoMinda Europe domain that hints at a possible operational affiliation not formally disclosed.

Name

CREAT GmbH

Legal name

CREAT GmbH

Website

https://creat.de

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

CREAT GmbH is a privately held German engineering services company in Ingolstadt providing automotive lighting, E/E systems, HiL testing, and head-up display development to premium automotive OEMs across four German branch offices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Automotive Engineering Services

NAICS

Commercial, Industrial, and Institutional Electric Lighting Fixture Manufacturing (335132)

SIC

Electric Lighting & Wiring Equipment (3640)

akta.pro primary industry

Automotive Lighting Assemblies Manufacturing (Headlamps/Taillamps/Interior Lamps/DRLs) (IMACAKAG)

Keywords

• Automotive lighting engineering
• Automotive electronics development
• Hardware-in-the-loop testing
• Head-up display development
• Automotive testing systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Ingolstadt

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Engineering Services: CREAT provides engineering services for automotive lighting systems, E/E systems, testing, and HUD development. Services are rendered as both werk- (deliverable-based) and dienstleistungen (service-based) depending on contract terms. Revenue is generated through project-based engagements with automotive OEMs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

CREAT GmbH is a German engineering services company that provides specialized engineering services for automotive lighting systems, electrical/electronic (E/E) control units, automotive testing, and head-up display (HUD) development. The firm offers both deliverable-based (Werkleistungen) and service-based (Dienstleistungen) contracts to automotive OEMs, with project teams delivering concept, design, validation, and industrialization support. Its proprietary LightCube system provides automated testing of exterior lighting electronics for smart, adaptive, and digitally controlled headlamp systems.

Product overview

CREAT GmbH is an engineering services company specializing in automotive lighting systems, E/E systems, and testing. The core offerings include Automotive Lighting Development (design and engineering), Hardware and Software Solutions for Control Units, HIL Testing Services, and Head-Up Display Development Services. The company also developed LightCube, an automated testing system for exterior lighting electronics. These services work together as an integrated engineering partnership: lighting development creates the optical systems, hardware/software solutions provide the control electronics, HIL testing validates the systems, and LightCube enables efficient automated testing throughout the development process.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• LightCube Automated Testing System Automated testing system for automotive exterior lighting electronics that enables efficient, intelligent automation of test configurations with adjustable test loads, flexible hardware setup, and comprehensive failure injection for validating lighting electronics and control units. Allows early-stage testing regardless of fixture or electronic setup availability.
• Automotive Lighting Development Services Engineering services for automotive lighting systems spanning the concept phase through series production, focusing on design, styling, and technical perfection using interdisciplinary expertise and state-of-the-art technologies. Serves automotive OEMs requiring lighting program support.
• Hardware and Software Solutions for Control Units Engineering services for automotive control units covering project and supplier management, system concepts, circuit design and layout, EMC analysis, thermal behavior simulation, manufacturing, and algorithm/software development for embedded systems.
• Automotive HiL Testing Services Hardware-in-the-loop testing services for automotive electronics including requirements management, manual and automated testing, component tests, networked tests, and development of test benches with cross-platform support for CAN, LIN, and Ethernet protocols.
• Head-Up Display (HUD) Development Services Comprehensive HUD development partner services including optical design, reflection simulations, picture generation unit development, electronics and software development, CFD simulation, measurement laboratory services, and HUD evaluation for automotive OEMs.

Named customers5 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

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.

• Christian EngelhartminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Motorsport sponsorship partnership with Christian Engelhart, Lamborghini works driver and racing professional. Partnership includes brand visibility at racing events, ADAC GT Masters, and team engagement activities. Connected through shared passion for motorsport and pursuit of top performance.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Valeo Lighting: Global Tier-1 automotive lighting supplier offering complete headlamp and signal lamp systems. Comparable to CREAT in the lighting-systems domain, but as a product manufacturer rather than engineering services provider.
• HELLA (FORVIA): Major Tier-1 supplier of automotive lighting and electronics, including headlamps, tail lamps, and body electronics. Comparable to CREAT because it owns automotive lighting development end-to-end, but operates at massive scale with in-house product manufacturing.
• Visteon Corporation: Supplier of cockpit electronics including head-up displays and driver information systems. Comparable to CREAT's HUD development capability, but at much larger scale and as a product manufacturer.
• Magneti Marelli (now Marelli): Global Tier-1 supplier of automotive lighting and electronics, including adaptive headlamps and rear lamps. Comparable to CREAT in the automotive lighting domain, but as a large product company rather than specialized services firm.
• Continental Automotive (HUD/Lighting): Global automotive Tier-1 with automotive lighting and HUD product lines. Comparable to CREAT in automotive lighting and HUD development, but as a large diversified supplier offering finished products.

Direct peers

• FEV Group GmbH: International automotive engineering services provider specializing in powertrain, vehicle, and electronics development. Comparable to CREAT in services-driven model and European premium-OEM relationships, with broader powertrain/EV focus.
• Bertrandt AG: Publicly listed German engineering services firm serving automotive OEMs with development, validation, and electronics expertise. Comparable to CREAT in lighting/electronics/testing services and premium-OEM customer overlap.
• AKKA Technologies (Capgemini Engineering): European engineering and consulting services firm serving automotive and aerospace with embedded systems, electronics, and validation capabilities. Comparable to CREAT in project-based engineering services for OEMs, now part of Capgemini.
• EDAG Engineering GmbH: Engineering services company offering vehicle, production, and electronics development to global automotive OEMs. Comparable to CREAT in B2B engineering services model and premium OEM customer base, though broader in scope.
• IAV GmbH: German automotive engineering services provider covering E/E systems, lighting, HIL testing, and software development for OEMs. Directly comparable to CREAT in service portfolio and customer base, but at much larger scale (several thousand engineers).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/people/CREAT-GmbH/61550587252988
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/creat-gmbh
• Instagraminstagram.com/creat_gmbh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 CREAT GmbH