CHEMICA GmbH & Co.

What CHEMICA GmbH & Co. does

CHEMICA GmbH & Co. KG is a privately held German contract manufacturer and brand owner of liquid non-food chemical products, headquartered in Sarstedt near Hannover with a second production site in Sondershausen, Thuringia. The company develops, produces, fills, and packages chemical solutions across five categories — automotive winter (antifreeze, screen de-icers), automotive summer (screen cleaners), automotive care (shampoo, wheel cleaners, cockpit care, insect remover), hobby/garden (denatured alcohol, lamp oil, cleaning solvents, algae removers), and distilled water — plus AdBlue (ISO 22241) and various solvents. Its output is sold both under multiple proprietary brands (KLAX, Carfit, Gut & Günstig, Priva, Ride + Go, DenkMit, Grüner Jan, Auto XS, Terra Flame, KLAR) and as private-label product for German retail chains and drugstore discounters.

Underlying capability is built around fully automated filling and packaging lines that handle container sizes from 500ml to 5L, supported by an integrated in-house PET preform production capability (introduced from 2006) that yields a 23% plastic-weight reduction versus standard HDPE canisters and a stated >90% reduction in CO2 emissions. Differentiated process features include proprietary wash-off label adhesive technology for recycling compatibility, EAN 128 pallet coding since 2004, EDI/ORDERS/INVOIC integration with retail partners, IFS HPC and ISO 9001 certifications at both sites, DEKRA-tested formulations, and REACH-compliant chemistry. Logistics are operated in-house via a 12-truck fleet, supporting nationwide German distribution with the two plant locations enabling short transport radii.

The business model is B2B sales-led, monetized through one-off product shipments (priced behind direct inquiry via a 'Produktanfrage für Händler' sales motion) to retail chains, automotive parts and accessories dealers, drugstore discounters, and trade/craft customers. Sustainment is anchored by long-tenured private-label contracts, EDI integration, multi-standard regulatory compliance, and recent sustainability positioning (30% recycled-content packaging since 2021, university research partnerships on greener formulations, and a 'FreiRaum' childcare initiative). No revenue, external funding, or M&A activity is disclosed; ownership transitioned to Sina Leonarte as sole shareholder and managing director in 2020–2021.

Name

CHEMICA GmbH & Co.

Legal name

CHEMICA Chemische Produkte GmbH

Website

https://chemica.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Short description

CHEMICA GmbH & Co. KG is a privately held German manufacturer and contract filler of liquid non-food chemicals (antifreeze, screen cleaners, car care, distilled water, denatured alcohol) selling under own brands and private labels to nationwide retail chains, automotive parts dealers, and drugstore discounters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Chemical Manufacturing

NAICS

Chemical Manufacturing (325), Other Chemical Product and Preparation Manufacturing (3259), Soap and Other Detergent Manufacturing (325611)

SIC

Chemicals & Allied Products (2800), Miscellaneous Chemical Products (2890)

akta.pro primary industry

Aftermarket Fluids, Lubricants & Chemical Products Manufacturing (Oils/Coolants/Additives/Cleaners) (IMACANAK)

Keywords

• Chemical contract manufacturing
• Liquid chemical filling
• Private label chemicals
• Automotive chemical products
• Household cleaning chemicals

Headquarters

HQ city

Sarstedt

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Chemical Product Manufacturing and Sales: CHEMICA develops, produces, and distributes high-quality chemical solutions including antifreeze, screen wash, distilled water, and cleaning agents under their KLAX brand and private label formats. Revenue is generated through product sales to retail chains, automotive parts dealers, and commercial customers.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

CHEMICA GmbH & Co. KG develops, formulates, fills, and packages liquid chemical products for automotive, household, garden, and workshop applications. The company operates two production facilities in Germany (Sarstedt and Sondershausen) producing antifreeze, screen wash, distilled water, cleaning agents, car care products, denatured alcohol, lamp oil, solvents, and AdBlue under its own brands (KLAX, Carfit, Priva, Ride + Go, Gut & Günstig) and as private label for retail chains, automotive parts dealers, and drugstore discounters.

Product overview

CHEMICA GmbH & Co. KG is a chemical products company that develops, produces, and distributes high-quality chemical solutions for everyday, automotive, and household use. The company operates a multi-brand portfolio strategy with own brands (Carfit, Gut & Günstig, Klax, Priva, Ride + Go) alongside private label capabilities. The product portfolio spans five main categories: Auto Winter (antifreeze products, screen de-icers effective from -20°C to -60°C), Auto Sommer (screen cleaners), Auto Pflege (car care products including shampoos, wheel cleaners, cockpit care, insect removers), Hobby/Freizeit und Garten (denatured alcohol, lamp oil, cleaning solvents, algae removers), and Destilliertes Wasser (distilled water for irons, batteries, and humidifiers). Additionally, the company offers AdBlue (urea solution 32.5% per ISO 22241), long-life engine coolants, and various solvents (petroleum, turpentine substitute, nitro thinner). All products are IFS-certified and DEKRA-tested, with REACH-compliant formulations. The company provides both ready-to-use and concentrate formulations across multiple package sizes (500ml to 5L), and offers private label production capabilities alongside its own brands.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Carfit: Automotive product brand offering antifreeze, windshield de-icers, and screen cleaners.
• Gut & Günstig
• Klax
• Priva
• Ride + Go

Products and services

• Antifreeze and Frost Protection Products Ready-mix and concentrate antifreeze products for vehicle cooling systems, offered in multiple temperature grades (-20°C, -30°C, -60°C) and package sizes (1L, 2L, 5L). Sold under the KLAX, Carfit, Priva, Gut & Günstig, and Ride + Go brands and as private label to retail chains and automotive aftermarket dealers.
• Screen Wash and Windshield Cleaners Ready-to-use screen cleaner, concentrated summer screen wash, and windshield de-icer sprays for windscreen washer systems in vehicles. Includes KLAX Scheibenreiniger Fertigmix, KLAX Sommer concentrate (1:10), and KLAX Enteiser effective to -60°C.
• Distilled Water (Destilliertes Wasser / KLAR) Distilled water produced via reverse osmosis for use in steam irons, batteries, air humidifiers, and as a solvent. Distributed under the KLAR brand and stocked by drugstore discounters as a household staple.
• KLAX Car Care Product Line KLAX-branded car care product range including auto shampoo, wheel/rim cleaner, dashboard and interior plastic care, insect remover, carpet and upholstery cleaner, and two-wheeler cleaner for motorcycles and bicycles.
• Denatured Alcohol (Brennspiritus) Standard and premium denatured alcohol for household cleaning, fuel for spirit stoves, and hobby applications. Sold under multiple brand labels (KLAX, KLAX Premium, Gut & Günstig, Priva, DenkMit) including as private label.
• AdBlue Diesel Exhaust Fluid Diesel exhaust fluid (32.5% urea solution) compliant with ISO 22241 for use in selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems in modern diesel vehicles.
• Long-Life Engine Coolants Long-life engine coolants (long-life radiator antifreeze) available in standard blue and purple/violet (G11/G12 type) formulations for vehicle cooling system protection.
• Industrial Solvents Range of solvents including petroleum (for heating and cleaning), turpentine substitute, universal nitro thinner (for paints and lacquers), washing and cleaning benzene (Wasch- und Reinigungsbenzin), and bio ethanol for heating and lighting applications.
• Algae and Green Deposit Removers Concentrated and ready-to-use algae and green deposit removers for cleaning outdoor surfaces (patios, garden paths, walls). Sold under KLAX (concentrate) and Grüner Jan (ready-mix) brands.
• Terra Flame Lamp Oil Lamp oil product line under Terra Flame brand for indoor and outdoor decorative lighting applications in oil lamps and garden torches, available in 1L and 5L package sizes.
• Grease and Nicotine Remover KLAX Fett- und Nikotinlöser (grease and nicotine remover) for cleaning surfaces contaminated with tobacco residue, grease, and oily deposits in household applications.

Quantifiable outcome

• CO2 emissions reduced by over 90% through PET in-house production (saving 42,665 tons CO2 for 1.5 million 5L canisters)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Universities and Research InstitutesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative research partnerships with universities to develop alternative, environmentally compatible ingredients for chemical products. Research is in early stages focused on finding natural ingredients that are equally or more effective than current formulations with less material usage.
• FreiRaum InitiativeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting employee childcare initiative 'FreiRaum' providing additional childcare services for employees' children starting May 2026, including a parent office for gentle and flexible return to work.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• BASF SE: World's largest chemical company producing glycols and antifreeze intermediates sold into the same automotive aftermarket channels as CHEMICA. Operates as an upstream chemistry incumbent rather than a finished-goods specialist comparable to CHEMICA.
• Würth Group: Global automotive aftermarket and industrial supplier offering chemical products alongside fasteners and tools. Comparable to CHEMICA's KFZ-Ersatzteil- und Zubehörhändler distribution motion, but at vastly greater scale across many categories.
• Henkel AG & Co. KGaA (Nigrin): Global chemicals/FMCG giant that owns the Nigrin automotive care brand in Germany. Overlaps with CHEMICA in automotive cleaning and care products, but operates at massive scale with a much broader portfolio beyond auto chemicals.

Direct peers

• Liqui Moly GmbH: German motor oils, additives, and automotive chemical specialist serving workshops and parts dealers. Comparable to CHEMICA's KFZ-Ersatzteil- und Zubehörhändler channel focus and antifreeze/additive product overlap, though at much larger scale.
• Dr. Wack Chemie GmbH: German automotive care products manufacturer (F100, A1, etc.) covering screen wash, antifreeze, and detailing. Directly comparable to CHEMICA in product categories, German B2B retail channels, and small-mid market chemical manufacturing profile.
• SONAX GmbH: German manufacturer of premium automotive care products including screen wash, antifreeze, and detailing cleaners. Directly comparable to CHEMICA on product categories (auto winter/summer, car care) and German B2B distribution via automotive aftermarket and retail.
• TUNAP GmbH & Co. KG: German automotive chemicals specialist producing additives, cleaners, and workshop chemicals for the automotive aftermarket. Comparable to CHEMICA in automotive chemistry focus, B2B distribution through parts dealers, and German manufacturing footprint.
• Arteco NV/SA (Recy): Belgian-European specialist in glycol-based antifreeze and coolant concentrates, supplying OEMs and aftermarket. Comparable to CHEMICA's antifreeze and coolant focus, with broader European geographic reach.

Regional players

• Krafft S.L. Spanish manufacturer of automotive lubricants, antifreeze, and maintenance chemicals serving Iberia. Comparable product portfolio to CHEMICA but operates in a different geographic market without German direct competition.
• Prestone Products Corporation: US-headquartered antifreeze and coolant specialist (now part of Recy/Arteco) with strong North American distribution. Comparable antifreeze product category to CHEMICA but does not directly compete in the German market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 CHEMICA GmbH & Co.