What Emitec Technologies makes

Emitec Technologies is a specialist in metal-based exhaust aftertreatment. Its core product is the METALIT metallic substrate, a rolled foil carrier that replaces the ceramic honeycomb inside a catalytic converter, and metallic diesel particulate filters built on the same foil technology. The company says it has produced more than 360 million METALIT and EMICAT substrates since 1986, supplying passenger cars, trucks, motorcycles, and the non-road sector, meaning tractors, agricultural and construction machinery, ship engines, and diesel locomotives.

The higher-value line is electrically heated aftertreatment. The EMICAT is an electrically heated catalyst that warms the exhaust at cold start, when a conventional catalyst is still below light-off temperature and most tailpipe emissions occur. Emitec offers it in 12, 24, and 48 volt inputs across a power range from roughly 1 kW to 10 kW, coated as a diesel oxidation catalyst, an SCR catalyst, or a three-way catalyst. The company positions EMICAT as a way for engine makers to meet upcoming EU 7, US Ultra-Low NOx, and CARB Clean Cars II limits, and states the device is already in serial production. A newer derivative, the EHD electrically heated disc, is a 40 mm exhaust heater designed to package into existing exhaust systems without a redesign, which the company describes as in launch phase with several OEMs.

Around those flagship parts sit a family of foil and packaging technologies: the CS Crossversal Structure design, which drops the flat foil layer to cut material, thermal mass, and backpressure for faster light-off; the CompactCat, mounted at the turbocharger outlet to use exhaust heat where it is hottest; and the Ringcat, in production for diesel oxidation catalysts. Emitec also runs a non-automotive line built on the same substrate design, including the EmiRec solar absorber, substrates for wood and gas fireplaces, fuel-reforming catalysts, and flame-arresting elements.

Ownership and history

Emitec's metal-substrate story starts long before the company. A group of engineers at Interatom, a Siemens subsidiary, solved the problem of joining high-strength steel foils, which earlier attempts at metal catalysts had never cracked. Emitec Emission Technologies was founded in 1986 as a joint venture between Siemens and GKN to commercialize that work.

The corporate parent changed hands several times over the following decades. In 2007, after Siemens VDO was sold to Continental, Emitec became a 50/50 joint venture between Continental and GKN. In 2014 Continental bought out GKN's stake, and Emitec became part of Continental's powertrain division, later spun off as Vitesco Technologies. In July 2023 the business became independent again as Emitec Technologies GmbH under the Dubag Group, with ownership held by Lenbach Equity Opportunities II GmbH & Co KG, an investor advised by the group. The acquisition completed on August 1, 2023.

Today the company is headquartered in Lohmar, Germany, near Cologne, with production in Lohmar and Eisenach in Germany and in Pune, India, and a development and test center in Germany. It supports customers through sales offices in the United States, China, Japan, and South Korea; the US presence, Emitec Technologies USA, operates from Michigan. The company reports more than 1,000 employees worldwide and holds over 1,100 patents. It has been named a German TOP 100 Innovator more than once and received the Hidden Champions Award from the German federal state of Thuringia.

Engineering and testing

Emitec runs its own development and test center in Germany and sells engine and chassis dyno testing with full emissions measurement as a service to customers, for both light and heavy duty vehicles. That in-house capability is part of how a substrate supplier works with an engine maker: aftertreatment sizing, light-off behavior, and backpressure all have to be validated against a specific engine and duty cycle before a part reaches serial production part approval. The company describes itself as a long-standing development partner to engine and vehicle manufacturers rather than a catalog parts vendor, and much of its product range, from the CS foil to the EHD heater, is framed around packaging and thermal-management problems that only surface deep in a vehicle program.

Known customers

Emitec describes its customers as the major car, truck, and motorcycle manufacturers worldwide, plus non-road producers of tractors, agricultural machinery, construction equipment, ship engines, and diesel locomotives. The EMICAT electrically heated catalyst is stated to be in serial production, which implies at least one volume OEM program, and the EHD is described as in launch phase with several OEMs. No individual OEM program is named on public sources, which is normal for a Tier-2 substrate and component supplier that sells into catalyst systems rather than badging finished modules. This profile does not publish a named customer list because none meets the documented-evidence bar.

Sourcing evidence

US customs records show a historic import footprint for an Emitec entity at 400 S Nelson Dr, Fountain Inn, South Carolina: 141 ocean shipments on record, with the most recent dated October 2019. The named foreign suppliers, Continental Emitec, Fischer Rohrtechnik, Fischer Edelstahlrohre, and Wall Colmonoy, fit a metal-substrate maker, meaning catalyst foil, precision tube, and brazing alloy rather than finished goods.

These records predate the company's 2023 return to independence and reflect the Continental era of the US operation, so they describe past activity, not current trade. They are also US ocean-freight records only: air, truck, and rail movements do not appear, some entries name freight intermediaries rather than manufacturers, and product categories come from declared manifest codes, which are noisy. Absence of a recent record is not evidence of absence, and Emitec's current manufacturing sits in Germany and India rather than the United States.

Frequently asked questions

What does Emitec Technologies make?

Emitec Technologies makes metallic substrates (METALIT) for catalytic converters, metallic diesel particulate filters, and electrically heated catalyst devices (EMICAT and the EHD electrically heated disc). Its substrates go into exhaust aftertreatment systems for cars, trucks, motorcycles, and non-road engines, and it also supplies non-automotive catalyst and heat-transfer products.

Who owns Emitec Technologies?

Emitec Technologies GmbH has been independent under the Dubag Group since July 2023, with ownership held by Lenbach Equity Opportunities II GmbH & Co KG. It was founded in 1986 as a Siemens-GKN joint venture, later became part of Continental and then Vitesco Technologies, before the 2023 carve-out, which completed on August 1, 2023.

Where is Emitec Technologies headquartered?

Emitec Technologies is headquartered in Lohmar, Germany, near Cologne (Hauptstrasse 128, 53797 Lohmar). It has production in Lohmar and Eisenach in Germany and in Pune, India, plus sales offices in the United States, China, Japan, and South Korea. The US office, Emitec Technologies USA, operates from Michigan.

What is the EMICAT electrically heated catalyst?

EMICAT is Emitec's electrically heated catalyst, which warms the exhaust at cold start to reach catalyst light-off faster and cut the emissions that occur before a conventional catalyst is hot. It is offered in 12, 24, and 48 volt versions from about 1 kW to 10 kW and can be coated as a diesel oxidation, SCR, or three-way catalyst. Emitec states it is in serial production and aimed at meeting EU 7, US Ultra-Low NOx, and CARB Clean Cars II requirements.

Who are Emitec Technologies' customers?

Emitec supplies major car, truck, and motorcycle manufacturers worldwide, along with non-road engine makers for tractors, agricultural and construction machinery, ships, and locomotives. Specific OEM programs are not publicly named, which is typical for a substrate and component supplier that sells into catalyst systems.

How large is Emitec Technologies?

Emitec reports more than 1,000 employees worldwide and over 1,100 patents, and says it has produced more than 360 million metal substrates since 1986. It does not publish audited revenue figures; it is privately held under the Dubag Group.

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