What ElringKlinger makes

ElringKlinger AG is a German automotive supplier organized around sealing technology, lightweighting, e-mobility, and an independent aftermarket business. Its oldest and largest franchise is sealing: Metaloflex metal cylinder-head gaskets, MetaloSeal metal bead gaskets, elastomer and metal-elastomer gaskets, specialty seals for transmissions and electric drives, and housing components such as valve covers and oil-pan modules. Much of this work supplies combustion and hybrid powertrains, where ElringKlinger has been a first-choice sealing partner to global engine makers for decades, alongside OEMs and other tier suppliers.

The lightweighting and plastics side runs on plastic-metal hybrid technology, thermoplastic composites, injection-molded and elastomer parts, and the ElroForm and ElroShield product families for battery housings, thermal insulation, and EV shielding. The e-mobility unit produces cell contacting systems, battery modules and packs, battery housings, and pressure equalizing elements, and it supplies fuel-cell stack modules and metallic bipolar plates through EKPO Fuel Cell Technologies, a joint venture in which ElringKlinger holds 60 percent. The company also runs a large in-house tool and die operation and an Elring-branded spare-parts business for the independent aftermarket.

Product development, production, and distribution are handled across the group's 45 sites in 19 countries. In North America, ElringKlinger runs manufacturing in Indiana and Michigan, a Texas site, and technical and engineered-plastics operations in Fort Wayne and Silicon Valley, holding US inventory close to its customers. Its published order backlog stood at EUR 1,134.9 million at the end of 2025, a measure of contracted future work rather than a one-year figure.

Financial performance

ElringKlinger reported group revenue of EUR 1,640.9 million for FY2025, down from EUR 1,803.1 million in 2024 on a reported basis. Almost all of that decline came from divestments and currency: the company cites EUR 159.7 million of M&A effects from selling subsidiaries in Switzerland, the United States, and the United Kingdom, plus EUR 40.4 million of negative exchange-rate effects. Stripping those out, organic revenue grew EUR 37.9 million, or 2.3 percent. Adjusted EBIT rose to EUR 88.6 million, lifting the adjusted EBIT margin to 5.4 percent from 4.9 percent in 2024, and operating free cash flow was EUR 33.1 million.

The balance sheet carries net financial debt of EUR 287.2 million against a net-debt-to-EBITDA ratio of 2.0 and an equity ratio of 35.2 percent, both figures the company reports as consistent with a conservative funding profile. Net income for the year was a loss of EUR 10.6 million, which the company attributes to transformation costs and one-time items rather than operating weakness. The board proposed a dividend of EUR 0.15 per share and guided 2026 toward slight organic revenue growth and an adjusted EBIT margin of roughly 6 to 7 percent. The strategy behind these numbers is SHAPE30, the group's stated plan to strengthen competitiveness and shift the portfolio toward electrified and non-combustion applications.

Ownership and history

ElringKlinger traces to 1879, when Paul Lechler founded a trading business in Stuttgart that grew into a sealing-materials maker. The modern company took its name and shape through the combination of the Elring and Klinger sealing businesses, and it is publicly listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (ISIN DE0007856023, ticker ZIL2). Headquarters and the main plants are in Dettingen an der Erms in Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany. The management board is led by CEO Thomas Jessulat, with Isabelle Damen as Chief Financial Officer, Dirk Willers as Chief Sales Officer, and Ulrich Zimmer as Chief Operating Officer.

The group holds a majority of EKPO Fuel Cell Technologies and consolidates a broad set of national manufacturing companies, including wholly owned entities across the United States, Mexico, Canada, Brazil, China, India, South Korea, Japan, Hungary, Romania, Turkey, and much of Western Europe. Recent years have been a period of active portfolio management, with the company divesting non-core subsidiaries in Switzerland, the US, and the UK to concentrate resources on its core sealing, lightweighting, and e-mobility franchises.

Certifications and quality

ElringKlinger reports IATF 16949 and ISO 9001 quality certification across its manufacturing plants, the automotive-sector norm for a supplier of safety-relevant sealing and structural parts. The company's certification register lists IATF 16949 at its Dettingen head office and Plant 2, Runkel, and Geretsried-Gelting sites, with current-cycle certificates running to 2026 and 2027. It also documents ISO 14001 environmental, ISO 50001 energy, ISO 45001 occupational health and safety, and ISO 27001 and TISAX information-security certifications at multiple German sites, and it publishes certification records by country. These are the company's own posted certificates; buyers should confirm scope for the specific plant serving a program.

Known customers

ElringKlinger names most customers only at the sector level, as is normal for a tier supplier. One recent program is on the public record through the company's own announcements.

Beyond these, ElringKlinger's combustion-era sealing business has supplied most major global engine and vehicle makers, and its US import record reflects an internal manufacturing supply chain rather than a customer list.

Sourcing evidence

The entity "ElringKlinger USA" appears in US customs records with 7,650 sea shipments from January 2015 through September 2026, the most recent dated September 19, 2026. The bill-of-lading record is dominated by intra-group flows and component inputs rather than finished goods for resale, the signature of a manufacturer importing to feed domestic production. The largest named shippers:

Origin countries, by shipment volume: Germany (roughly 4,400 shipments), China (about 670), Poland (about 400), Switzerland (about 345), and Italy (about 246). By HS classification, the mix leads with gaskets and similar metal joints (8484.10), aluminum, and automotive parts. Customs-derived estimates put cumulative ocean shipping spend at roughly USD 17.4 million with cost data covering 66 percent of shipments, an order-of-magnitude figure rather than an audited one. The German-heavy origin mix is relevant to buyers weighing tariff exposure and any nearshoring of European-sourced content.

Coverage caveats: these are US ocean-freight records only. Air, truck, and rail movements do not appear; some records name freight intermediaries rather than manufacturers; and product categories come from declared manifest codes, which are noisy. Absence of a record is not evidence of absence.

Frequently asked questions

What does ElringKlinger make?

ElringKlinger makes sealing technology, lightweighting and plastic-metal hybrid parts, e-mobility components, and fuel-cell systems for the automotive industry. Its core products include metal and elastomer cylinder-head gaskets, specialty seals, battery cell contacting systems, battery housings, and, through EKPO, fuel-cell stacks and bipolar plates. It also runs an Elring-branded independent aftermarket spare-parts business.

Who owns ElringKlinger?

ElringKlinger AG is a publicly listed company traded on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (ISIN DE0007856023). It was founded in 1879 and is headquartered in Dettingen an der Erms, Germany. The company consolidates manufacturing subsidiaries worldwide and holds a 60 percent majority in the fuel-cell joint venture EKPO Fuel Cell Technologies.

What was ElringKlinger's revenue?

ElringKlinger reported group revenue of EUR 1,640.9 million for FY2025, with an adjusted EBIT margin of 5.4 percent. Reported revenue fell from EUR 1,803.1 million in 2024, but that decline was driven by divestments and currency effects; organic revenue grew 2.3 percent. The company guided 2026 toward slight organic growth and a 6 to 7 percent adjusted EBIT margin.

Where is ElringKlinger headquartered?

ElringKlinger is headquartered in Dettingen an der Erms, in the Baden-Wurttemberg region of Germany, near Stuttgart. The group operates 45 sites across 19 countries, including US manufacturing in Indiana and Michigan and additional operations in Texas, Fort Wayne, and Silicon Valley.

Who are ElringKlinger's customers?

ElringKlinger supplies global vehicle and engine manufacturers and names most customers only at the sector level. One documented recent program is a multi-year contract from the BMW Group for cell contacting systems for the "Neue Klasse" platform, announced in May 2023 with start of production in 2025. Its sealing business has historically supplied most major engine makers.

What certifications does ElringKlinger hold?

ElringKlinger reports IATF 16949 and ISO 9001 quality certification across its manufacturing plants, along with ISO 14001, ISO 50001, ISO 45001, ISO 27001, and TISAX certifications at multiple sites. Its head office and several German plants carry current-cycle IATF 16949 certificates running to 2026 and 2027, per the company's published certification register.

Last verified September 27, 2026. Is this your company? Request a correction.