azo.

What azo. does

AZO (A. Zimmermann GmbH + Co. KG) is a German family-owned industrial automation specialist founded in 1949 in Osterburken by Adolf Zimmermann and now operated as a Kommanditgesellschaft. The company engineers turnkey systems for receiving, storing, conveying, dosing, mixing, and discharging bulk materials, supported by proprietary product families such as COMPONENTER, KASTOR, AZO-Mixomat, and the AZO GroupMANUAL platform. Its customer base spans the food, pet food, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, chemical, plastics, battery, and additive manufacturing industries, with roughly 1,056 employees worldwide and a network of 47 sales, service, and partner locations providing local engineering, commissioning, and aftermarket support.

AZO monetizes through project-based capital equipment sales, long-cycle engineering contracts, and recurring service and spare-parts revenue tied to its global installed base. The 2023 spin-off of the AZO Global Product Center (around 240 staff) shifted a portion of the business toward standardized, modular product platforms, while the myAZOplus digital customer portal (launched 2021) extends the recurring digital relationship with customers. More recent product moves include an AI-based depalletizing system using 3D camera detection that won the VDMA Allianz Industrie 4.0 Award in 2023, and a 2025 acquisition of India's Vedic Pac Systems to add local presence and software engineering capacity. Generational leadership transition to Lukas Zimmermann is scheduled for January 2026, marking a formal continuity of family ownership while the firm invests in capacity, new verticals such as battery containment, and digital industrial automation.

Name

azo.

Legal name

AZO GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://azo.be

Company type

Private

Founded year

1949

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

AZO is a family-owned German industrial automation firm, founded in 1949, that engineers turnkey bulk material handling and process systems for the food, pharma, chemical, plastics, and battery industries via proprietary platforms and a 47-location global service network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Bulk Material Handling & Process Automation Equipment

NAICS

Industrial Machinery Manufacturing (33324), Food Product Machinery Manufacturing (333241)

SIC

Special Industry Machinery (No Metalworking Machinery) (3550), Construction, Mining & Materials Handling Machinery & Equip (3530)

akta.pro primary industry

Bulk Solids Handling & Processing Equipment (Conveying, Silo, Feeders) (IMAHAEAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Manufacturing ERP (Discrete, Process, Batch) (HDAEAEAB)

Keywords

• Bulk material handling
• Process automation systems
• Plant engineering
• Raw material handling
• Industrial dosing systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Osterburken

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices9 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. Plant Engineering and Equipment Sales: AZO designs, engineers, and manufactures custom bulk material handling plants and automation systems. Revenue is generated through project-based capital equipment sales including design, production, installation, and commissioning. The company also established AZO Global Product Center GmbH & Co. KG in 2023 as a new entity handling product development, production, and documentation worldwide.
2. After Sales Service and Spare Parts: Ongoing revenue from after-sales service including global assembly supervisors, spare parts supply through myAZOplus digital platform, and technical support services.
3. Engineering and Consulting Services: Pre-engineering, plant planning, 3D scanning, VR technology services, and modernization consulting for existing production plants.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

AZO designs, engineers, and manufactures automated raw material handling and bulk material processing systems for industrial production. Its portfolio covers plant engineering, process technology, and automation — including storage/discharge, pneumatic conveying, screening, dosing/weighing, mixing, and batch-oriented process control — delivered as turnkey solutions for the food, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, chemical, plastics, and battery industries.

Product overview

AZO offers a comprehensive portfolio of bulk material handling systems and process automation solutions organized as integrated product families. The core offering includes the COMPONENTER® family (Step, circular, linear arrangements) for automated micro and small component weighing, supplemented by ManDos (manual weighing center), ShuttleDos® (high-speed automatic batching), and the DosiBox®/DOSINENTER®/DosiLogistic® system for frequently changing small quantities. Plant control is managed through the KASTOR batch-oriented process control system. Specialized equipment includes AI-supported automatic bag depalletizing, Big-Bag emptying stations with glovebox containment, Klumpenbrecher (lump breakers), and hygienic design filling hoppers. Supporting services include myAZOplus digital spare parts catalog, VR technology for virtual plant visualization, 3D scanning, and the Technikum testing laboratory. Services span engineering, after-sales support, and turnkey solutions for food, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, chemical, plastics, and battery industries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• AZO COMPONENTER: Automated weighing and dosing systems for small components
• AZO COMPONENTER Step
• AZO ShuttleDos
• AZO ManDos
• DosiBox
• Kastor
• AZO Global Product Center

Products and services

• AZO COMPONENTER® Step Automated micro-ingredient weighing system performing gram-precise dosing of small and smallest components such as pigments, colorants, and flavors for batch production.
• AZO COMPONENTER® (Circular Arrangement) Circular arrangement of storage containers around a collection vessel, enabling parallel weighing and charging of multiple mixing lines at up to 40 batches per hour.
• AZO COMPONENTER® (Linear Arrangement with Mobile Container) Linear arrangement of storage containers in rows with individual discharge and dosing, weighing components additively into a mobile-scale container; suitable for contamination-free solutions with many components at 10 batches per hour.
• AZO ManDos Operator-guided manual weighing center combining scales, storage containers, work tables, extraction systems, barcode scanners, and label printers; functions standalone or as a networked batch production system with full documentation.
• AZO ShuttleDos® Fully automatic recipe compilation system handling up to 20 batches per hour with up to ten precisely weighed components in the 100 g to several hundred kilogram range; closed system with strict line separation and contamination prevention using mobile containers.
• DosiBox® / DOSINENTER® / DosiLogistic® System Economic automation solution for frequently changing small quantities, combining multi-use containers (PE plastic or chrome-nickel steel) with dust-tight docking, tracking & tracing, and just-in-time production support.
• KASTOR Process Control System Batch-oriented process control system combining MES, batch, and visualization functions in one platform; supports operator guidance, tracking & tracing, allergen management, and mobile/stationary operation via barcode or RFID.
• AZO Automatic Bag Depalletizing (AI-supported)

Quantifiable outcome

• 50% increase in visitor contacts at Powtech 2025 trade fair compared to 2023
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Hochschule Heilbronn (Heilbronn University)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 September 2024AZO started a cooperation with Heilbronn University involving handover of a test system for pneumatic conveying. The partnership supports education and research in bulk material handling technology, providing real-world equipment for student training.
• Allianz Industrie 4.0 Baden-WürttembergcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020AZO participates in this VDMA-coordinated network initiative supported by the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Economic Affairs. The partnership focuses on Industry 4.0 organizational development, digital transformation, and self-organization. A case study and film were produced about AZO's organizational transformation.
• REMEX GmbH (REMBE)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerREMBE provided spectacular explosion protection demonstrations at AZO's 75th anniversary event, showcasing modern explosion protection technology relevant to AZO's industrial applications.
• Fraunhofer Institut für Arbeitswirtschaft und Organisation (IAO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFraunhofer IAO realized the case study and film about AZO's organizational development as part of the Allianz Industrie 4.0 project, funded by the Ministry for Economic Affairs, Labor and Housing of Baden-Württemberg.
• All for One GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAZO participated in the Open Days event hosted by All for One Group, demonstrating modern technologies like AI, VR, and intelligent data utilization for process optimization.
• TecPart - Verband Technische Kunststoff-Produkte e.V.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrank Stammer, Technical Expert for Circular Economy at TecPart, moderated AZO's Technology Day on Recycling and Circular Economy, contributing industry expertise and regulatory context.
• Vecoplan AGminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTim Hamer from Vecoplan AG spoke at AZO's Technology Day on material preparation techniques for plastic recycling, covering the first process step in packaging waste recycling.
• Leistritz Extrusionstechnik GmbHminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSebastian Fraas from Leistritz presented smart recycling solutions in mechanical recycling (e.g., PET bottles) at AZO's Technology Day.
• KraussMaffei Extrusion GmbHminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLorena Gräfe from KraussMaffei Extrusion presented on chemical recycling at AZO's Technology Day, covering advanced recycling technologies.
• Boller BauminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerConstruction partner for AZO's new logistics hall project in Osterburken, responsible for building the modern multifunctional logistics facility with integrated carpentry.
• Architekturbüro LinkminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerArchitecture firm responsible for planning and implementation of AZO's new logistics hall in Osterburken.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Coperion (formerly Werner & Pfleiderer / Hillenbrand): Coperion is a leading global manufacturer of bulk material handling, feeding, and compounding systems for plastics, chemicals, food, and pharmaceuticals, including pneumatic conveying and dosing—directly comparable to AZO's core bulk solids handling and process technology offerings.
• Gericke Group: Gericke specializes in bulk material feeding, pneumatic conveying, dosing, and mixing systems for food, chemical, and pharmaceutical industries with similar vertical focus and similar engineering-driven project delivery as AZO.
• Schenck Process (now Qlar): Schenck Process / Qlar supplies industrial weighing, feeding, conveying, and screening technologies with similar bulk material handling capabilities across food, chemicals, and mineral processing—overlapping closely with AZO's COMPONENTER dosing and conveying product lines.
• Flexicon Corporation: Flexicon manufactures bulk material handling equipment including flexible screw conveyors, bulk bag unloaders, and integrated systems serving food, pharma, plastics, and chemicals—an overlapping product portfolio with AZO's pneumatic conveying and big-bag emptying systems.
• Motan (Motan-Colortronic): Motan specializes in raw material handling, dosing, conveying, and granulate drying for the plastics processing industry, with adjacent food and chemical applications—positioned as a near-twin to AZO's COMPONENTER-driven micro-ingredient dosing systems.
• Zeppelin Systems: Zeppelin Systems designs and manufactures bulk material handling plants for plastics, chemicals, and food including pneumatic conveying, storage, and dosing—sharing AZO's turnkey plant engineering and project-based delivery model.
• Hosokawa Alpine: Hosokawa Alpine provides processing and handling technology for bulk solids including classification, mixing, drying, and conveying for chemicals, pharmaceuticals, food, and minerals—comparable process technology scope to AZO's dosing and screening portfolio.
• Haver & Boecker: Haver & Boecker manufactures industrial sieving, mixing, and conveying technology (Niagara, Rhewum subsidiaries) used in chemicals, food, plastics, and pharmaceuticals—directly overlapping with AZO's screening, mixing, and conveying product families.

Broad incumbents

• Bühler Group: Bühler is a much larger Swiss food and feed processing technology incumbent that also supplies bulk material handling, dosing, and process control solutions—competing with AZO in food processing while operating a substantially broader portfolio including milling, sorting, and extrusion.
• GEA Group: GEA is a large industrial group supplying process technology for food, dairy, pharma, and chemicals including mixing, dosing, and separation equipment—overlapping with AZO in core industrial customer segments but at substantially greater scale and breadth.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/AZOGroup
• Facebookfacebook.com/azogroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/azo-gmbh-co-kg
• Instagraminstagram.com/azo_karriere

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries8 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 azo.