What ACU does

ACU PHARMA und CHEMIE GmbH (trading as ACU) is a German toll-processing and contract manufacturing company founded in 1995 in Apolda, Thuringia, specializing in the micronization, fine milling, cryogenic grinding, mixing, and HACCP-compliant filling and packaging of solid powders for regulated industries. Its core service offering is built around a diversified equipment base that includes fluidised-bed opposed jet mills (AFG), a cryogenic pin mill system (GSM 250) for temperature-sensitive and viscoelastic materials, a classifier mill (315 ZPS) for soft materials, Ploughshare mixers with liquid-addition and coating capability, and automated stainless-steel filling and palletizing lines; this asset set enables particle-size processing in the 2 µm to 500 µm range at campaign sizes from 5 tons to several hundred tons.

The company serves four primary verticals — pharmaceutical excipients, life science/food, cosmetics, and specialty chemicals — with named pain points around bioavailability, solubility, dispersion, and consistent particle-size distribution. In parallel with contract services, ACU produces and sells its own lithium derivatives, including lithium carbonate (technical and battery grades, multiple particle sizes) and lithium hydroxide monohydrate (dry, wet, and oil grades), refined and micronized in-house; it also lists lithium chloride anhydrous and lithium bromide anhydrous in its own-product portfolio. ACU has been a wholly-owned subsidiary of Brenntag Group since 2016, following the same-year acquisition of Delfino Pharma & Chemie AG's business, and maintains a dense certification stack covering FSSC 22000, ISO 9001:2015, ISO 22000, IPEC-GMP, Halal, Kosher, and Bio/Organic (EC 834/2007).

Revenue is generated through quote-based, project-specific multi-year contract manufacturing engagements, supplemented by own-product lithium sales; go-to-market is sales-led and consultative, with feasibility studies, pilot operating trials, and dedicated project management from inquiry through production. ACU operates a single Apolda headquarters and production facility and is currently investing in additional air-jet-mill capacity with a dedicated HVAC system scheduled for 2026 commissioning.

Name

ACU

Legal name

ACU PHARMA und CHEMIE GmbH

Website

https://acu-pharma.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Short description

ACU PHARMA und CHEMIE GmbH is a German toll micronizer and contract manufacturer (founded 1995, wholly-owned by Brenntag Group since 2016) that provides jet milling, cryogenic grinding, mixing, and HACCP filling for pharmaceutical excipients, food/life science, cosmetics, and specialty chemicals customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Contract Pharmaceutical Manufacturing

NAICS

Chemical Manufacturing (325)

SIC

Industrial Organic Chemicals (2860)

akta.pro primary industry

Application Equipment & Coating Services (Contract Coating, Surface Prep) (IMAEAGAL)

Keywords

• Contract micronization services
• Fine powder milling
• Cryogenic grinding services
• Pharmaceutical excipient processing
• Lithium compound production

Headquarters

HQ city

Apolda

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Contract Manufacturing/Micronization Services: Toll manufacturing and contract milling services where ACU processes customer materials at their facility. Services include micronization, fine milling, cryogenic grinding, mixing, and packaging. Revenue generated per batch or campaign basis based on material quantities and processing requirements.
2. Own Product Sales (Lithium Compounds): Sale of proprietary lithium derivatives including lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide monohydrate. Products sold in various grades (technical, battery, dry, wet, oil grade) and particle sizes. Value-added through refinement and micronization of raw materials.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

ACU provides contract micronization, fine milling, cryogenic grinding, mixing, sieving, homogenization, and packaging services for solid powders across the pharmaceutical, food, cosmetics, and specialty chemicals industries. The company also produces and sells its own lithium compounds (lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide monohydrate) refined to specific particle sizes, operating from its HACCP-compliant and GMP-aligned facility in Apolda, Germany.

Product overview

ACU is a contract manufacturing company specializing in micronization, milling, and fine grinding of solid materials. The company operates as a single integrated service offering combining three core processing capabilities: Micronizing/Milling/Cryogenic Milling (using jet mills, pin mills, and classifier mills), Mixing (using Ploughshare® Mixer), and Packing & Assembling. ACU also produces and distributes own products including Lithium Carbonate and Lithium Hydroxide Monohydrate, which are refined to specific particle sizes through their micronization processes. The company serves regulated industries including pharmaceutical excipients, life science/food, cosmetics, and specialty chemicals, offering complementary services such as operating trials and customer project management to support clients from feasibility testing through production.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Micronizing, Milling & Cryogenic Milling Contract micronization, milling, and cryogenic (cold) grinding of solid materials using jet mills, pin mills, and classifier mills, achieving particle sizes from 2 µm to 500 µm for pharmaceutical, food, cosmetics, and chemical customers.
• Mixing Services Contract mixing of powders, granules, and fibrous materials using Ploughshare mixer and laboratory mixer, including liquid addition and coating capabilities.
• Packing & Assembling Filling and packing services under HACCP conditions for solid materials and powders into valve bags, open bags, cartons, and drums, with labeling capabilities and automated palletizing.
• Lithium Carbonate Own-produced lithium carbonate in technical grade and battery grade with defined particle sizes (20 µm, 40 µm/325 mesh, 100 µm, 250 µm/60 mesh), serving construction chemicals, cements, mortars, adhesives, and dental ceramics.
• Lithium Hydroxide Monohydrate Own-produced lithium hydroxide monohydrate in Dry Grade, Wet Grade, and Oil Grade variants for use in greases, high-performance lubricants, and batteries.
• Operating Trials Pilot and laboratory testing services enabling customers to develop new products or determine optimal particle sizes, with trial runs from kilograms up to a few tons before committing to full-scale production.
• Customer Project Management Tailored project management service for contract manufacturing, including feasibility studies, process development, and validation support from product development through to market readiness.

Quantifiable outcome

• Particle sizes achievable down to 5 micrometers (d97)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Feature5 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Glen Mills: US-based supplier of laboratory and production milling equipment; partial overlap with ACU's particle size reduction services, particularly for smaller-scale pharmaceutical and food processing applications.

Direct peers

• Lödige Process Technology: German manufacturer of mixers and processing equipment with ploughshare and continuous mixer lines directly overlapping ACU's mixing services; serves pharma, food, cosmetics, and chemical end markets.
• Hosokawa Micron Group: Global leader in powder and particle processing technology with jet mills, classifier mills, and mixers; serves pharmaceutical, food, cosmetics, and chemical industries with similar micronization services and equipment portfolio as ACU.
• Quadro Engineering: Canadian manufacturer of conical mills and particle processing equipment; serves pharmaceutical, food, and chemical industries with similar size reduction and milling capabilities as ACU's classifier mill operations.
• NETZSCH-Feinmahltechnik: German-based manufacturer of fine grinding, jet milling, and dispersion equipment with a contract services arm; directly comparable to ACU in fine milling technology, target customers (chemical, pharma, food), and particle size capabilities (down to sub-micron ranges).
• IKA-Werke: German manufacturer of milling and processing equipment with pharmaceutical and food industry focus; comparable to ACU's milling equipment capabilities and target customer segments.
• Jet Pulverizer Company: US-based contract micronizer using jet milling technology; comparable to ACU in providing custom particle size reduction services for pharmaceutical, food, and chemical industries.
• Bauermeister (now part of Probst & Class): German manufacturer of grinding and classifying equipment including jet mills and classifier mills; directly comparable to ACU in fine particle processing technology for industrial applications.
• Frewitt: Swiss manufacturer of milling and sieving equipment with contract processing services; comparable to ACU in serving regulated pharmaceutical and food industries with fine grinding capabilities.

Broad incumbents

• Eurofins CDMO: Large-scale contract development and manufacturing organization serving pharmaceutical excipients and APIs; broader scope than ACU but competes for pharmaceutical micronization outsourcing contracts.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/acu-pharma-und-chemie-gmbh

Compliance9 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 ACU