What Kautex, Inc. makes

Kautex, Inc. is the US arm of Kautex Textron, a Tier 1 automotive supplier built around blow-molded plastics. Its core product is the plastic fuel system: high-density polyethylene tanks and the Next Generation Fuel System (NGFS), which the company introduced in 2006 to move fuel-system components inside the tank. Alongside conventional and hybrid fuel systems, Kautex builds Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) systems for diesel vehicles, work it began developing in 2004.

The company has extended the same materials expertise into two growing lines. Pentatonic battery enclosures are thermoplastic composite housings for hybrid and full battery-electric vehicles, covering cell-pack technology, thermal management, and underbody protection skid plates. Clear Vision Systems (CVS), branded Allegro, are camera, sensor, and LiDAR cleaning systems for driver-assistance and autonomous programs from L1 through L5. A separate castings business, CWC Textron in Muskegon, Michigan, produces camshafts and crankshafts, and an industrial packaging division makes plastic containers.

Kautex serves automotive OEMs and the electric-vehicle market first, with the packaging line reaching industrial and consumer customers. Its US and North American footprint includes plastic fuel-system plants in Avilla, Indiana and Windsor, Ontario, a technical center in Detroit, a southeastern plant in Lavonia, Georgia, the CWC castings works in Muskegon, and nearshored fuel-system plants in Puebla and Silao, Mexico. The Avilla, Indiana plant is the primary US Kautex, Inc. manufacturing site.

Ownership and history

Reinold Hagen founded Kautex in Germany in 1935 as Kautschuk-Ex, first making seals, hoses, and profiles. The company developed the first blow-mold machine for processing polyethylene in Europe in 1949, produced a plastic fuel tank prototype for Ford in 1964, and put the first HDPE plastic fuel tank into serial production in a VW Passat in 1973. It expanded into North America with a plant in Windsor, Canada in 1986.

Kautex joined Textron in 1997. Today it operates within Textron's Industrial segment. Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) is home to Bell, Textron Aviation, Textron Systems, and its Industrial and Finance segments, with about 33,000 people in more than 25 countries. Kautex, Inc. is the US operating entity of the group, whose corporate headquarters remain in Bonn, Germany. Because Kautex reports inside a larger public parent, it does not publish standalone financial figures; results roll up into Textron's Industrial segment.

Certifications and quality

Kautex publishes current certifications for its automotive operations. Its IATF 16949 automotive quality management certificate is valid until December 4, 2026. It also holds ISO 14001 for environmental management and ISO 45001 for occupational health and safety, both on certificate cycles running to 2028, and ISO 50001 for energy management for 2025 through 2028. The Kautex Packaging division holds ISO 9001:2015. The CWC Textron castings business is certified by the Ductile Iron Society and is a State of Michigan Clean Corporate Citizen. The company also displays an EcoVadis Platinum sustainability rating. These are the standards Kautex states on its own certifications page.

Known customers

Most current Tier 1 fuel-system and battery-enclosure programs are disclosed without naming the buying OEM. The relationships on the public record are:

As a Tier 1 plastic fuel-system supplier with plants on three continents, Kautex serves most major global automakers; specific current program names are generally not publicly attributed.

Sourcing evidence

Kautex's US operations appear in customs bill-of-lading records under the importer entity Kautex Textron, based in Lavonia, Georgia. The record shows more than 4,000 US import shipments, with the most recent dated September 15, 2026, confirming an actively importing manufacturer. Named counterparties on the record include intercompany Kautex Textron flows plus Schrholz Stanztechnik, Stanley Engineered Fastening, and Vitesco Technologies Romania, a mix of stamping, fastening, and powertrain-electronics suppliers consistent with fuel-system and enclosure assembly.

Coverage caveats: these are US import records only, so domestic, air, and cross-border truck and rail movements do not fully appear. Some records name freight intermediaries rather than manufacturers, and product categories come from declared manifest codes, which are noisy. A detailed monthly series was not available for this profile, so no shipment trend chart is shown. Absence of a record is not evidence of absence.

Frequently asked questions

What does Kautex, Inc. make?

Kautex, Inc. is the US arm of Kautex Textron, a Tier 1 automotive supplier. It makes blow-molded plastic fuel systems and Next Generation Fuel Systems, SCR systems for diesel vehicles, Pentatonic battery enclosures for hybrid and electric vehicles, Allegro Clear Vision (camera and sensor cleaning) systems, camshaft and crankshaft castings through CWC Textron, and industrial plastic packaging.

Who owns Kautex?

Kautex is a division of Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) and reports within Textron's Industrial segment. Kautex was founded in Germany in 1935 by Reinold Hagen and joined Textron in 1997. Its corporate headquarters are in Bonn, Germany, and Kautex, Inc. is the US operating entity.

Where is Kautex located in the United States?

Kautex, Inc.'s primary US plant is at 210 Green Drive, Avilla, Indiana, which produces plastic fuel systems. The company also runs a technical center in Detroit, Michigan, a plant in Lavonia, Georgia, and the CWC Textron castings works in Muskegon, Michigan, plus a plant in Windsor, Ontario and plants in Puebla and Silao, Mexico.

Who are Kautex's customers?

Kautex serves major global automakers. Its documented relationships include Ford, for which it produced a plastic fuel tank prototype in 1964, and Volkswagen, whose Passat carried the first serial HDPE plastic fuel tank in 1973. More recently it won a BEV battery-housing contract in 2025 and a Pentatonic battery enclosure production award in 2026, both from OEMs disclosed without names.

What certifications does Kautex hold?

Kautex holds IATF 16949 for automotive quality (valid to December 2026), ISO 14001 for environment and ISO 45001 for health and safety (both to 2028), and ISO 50001 for energy management (2025 to 2028). Its packaging division holds ISO 9001:2015, and CWC Textron castings is certified by the Ductile Iron Society. Kautex also reports an EcoVadis Platinum rating.

Is Kautex investing in electric-vehicle products?

Yes. Kautex's Pentatonic battery enclosure line supports hybrid and full battery-electric vehicles, and it won a full-BEV thermoplastic composite battery-housing contract in 2025 and a Pentatonic production award in 2026. At the same time it continues to invest in fuel systems, moving bio-based plastic fuel tanks into production in the US and Canada in 2026.

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