Development and production of plastic fuel systems, battery housings, cleaning systems, cast components and industrial packaging.
Kautex Textron GmbH & Co. KG
Bonn · Bonn (Duisdorf) · Bonn (Holzlar) · Waldkirch · Leer (East Frisia) · Mallersdorf-Pfaffenberg · Tessenderlo (BE) · Kněžmost (CZ) · Guararema (BR) · Puebla (MX) · Silao (MX) · Windsor (CA)New on Amplifa
About Kautex
Kautex Textron is an internationally active automotive supplier headquartered in Bonn and part of the US group Textron Inc. The company develops and produces plastic fuel systems (conventional and hybrid/pressurized), SCR urea tank systems, Pentatonic battery housings for hybrid and electric vehicles as well as Clear Vision Systems (Allegro) for cleaning camera and LiDAR sensors. Other product areas are cast components and camshafts/crankshafts (CWC Textron) as well as industrial plastic packaging using mono- and coextrusion blow molding from 10 ml bottles to 60 l balloons. Manufacturing processes include extrusion blow molding with barrier layers (PA or EVOH, 4- and 6-layer construction), injection molding, rapid prototyping via 3D printing as well as machine and fixture building in Bonn. Materials are mainly HDPE, LDPE, PP, PVC, PETG, PA, EVOH and post-consumer recyclate. Kautex supplies automotive OEMs as well as the chemical, agrochemical, pharmaceutical and food industries and laboratories. With more than 5000 employees at over 30 sites in 13 countries, the company ranks among the highest-revenue automotive suppliers worldwide. The climate targets were validated in 2024 by the Science Based Targets initiative.
- Site
- Bonn
- Processes
- Extrusion blow molding (mono and coextrusion blow molding) for packaging (bottles, canisters,, Coextrusion blow molding with barrier layer (PA or EVOH, 4- and 6-layer construction), Production of plastic fuel tank systems (tank systems) conventional and, Production of technical plastic parts and injection-molded parts, Production of battery systems (Pentatonic battery housings made of thermoplastic, Production of Clear Vision Systems / Allegro cleaning systems for cameras and LiDAR (water-, Production of SCR systems (selective catalytic reduction, urea tank systems), Production of castings and crankshafts (at CWC Textron)
- Materials
- HDPE (high-density polyethylene), LDPE (low-density polyethylene), PP (polypropylene), PVC (polyvinyl chloride, rigid), PETG (co-polyester), PCR (post-consumer recyclate), PE (polyethylene), PA (polyamide)
- Certificates
- ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015, ISO 45001:2018, ISO 50001:2018, IATF 16949, Halal certification (packaging, sites Bonn-Duisdorf, Waldkirch,, REACH Compliance, Ecovadis Platinum
- Founded
- 1935
- Employees
- >5000
- Industries
- Automotive (OEMs, Tier 1), Chemicals, Agrochemicals / Crop protection, Pharmaceuticals, Food, Laboratory
- 01
Product development (CAD, simulation)
- 02
Rapid prototyping (3D printing)
- 03
Tool, machine and fixture building (Bonn)
- 04
Extrusion blow molding (mono/coex) or injection molding
- 05
Assembly (tank systems, CVS)
- 06
Quality inspection and sales
Materials and Processes
High-density polyethylene
Main material for fuel tanks, canisters and bottles with high chemical resistance.
Low-density polyethylene
For flexible packaging applications in blow molding.
Polypropylene
For custom bottles and canisters in blow molding.
Polyvinyl chloride (rigid)
For individual packaging solutions in blow molding.
Co-polyester
For custom packaging with high transparency.
Post-consumer recyclate
Recycled material for sustainable packaging in the Green+ program.
Polyamide
Barrier layer in coextrusion blow molding against solvents and CO2 permeation.
Ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer
Barrier layer with especially good oxygen and aroma tightness.
Mono- and coextrusion blow molding
Main process for packaging and fuel tanks, 4- and 6-layer construction possible.
Injection molding
Production of technical plastic parts at the Leer and Bonn-Duisdorf plants.
Rapid Prototyping
Fast prototypes and samples in packaging development, Bonn-Holzlar.
Components
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extrusion blow molding (mono and coextrusion blow molding) for packaging (bottles, canisters,Plastics | – | – | – | – | HDPE, LDPE, PP, PVC, PETG, PCR, PA, EVOH |
| Coextrusion blow molding with barrier layer (PA or EVOH, 4- and 6-layer construction)Plastics | – | – | – | – | HDPE, PA (polyamide), EVOH |
| Production of plastic fuel tank systems (tank systems) conventional andPlastics | – | – | – | – | HDPE, Polyamide |
| Production of technical plastic parts and injection-molded partsPlastics | – | – | – | – | Plastics (HDPE among others) |
| Production of battery systems (Pentatonic battery housings made of thermoplasticPlastics | – | – | – | – | thermoplastic composite, material hybrids |
| Production of Clear Vision Systems / Allegro cleaning systems for cameras and LiDAR (water-Assembly | – | – | – | – | plastics |
| Production of SCR systems (selective catalytic reduction, urea tank systems)Plastics | – | – | – | – | plastics |
| Production of castings and crankshafts (at CWC Textron)Casting | – | – | – | – | Ductile Iron (cast iron with lamellar/nodular graphite) |
| Production of camshaftsAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Prototype production / rapid prototyping (3D printing) for packaging development,Engineering | – | – | – | – | PE, PP, PVC, PETG |
| Machine and fixture building (production of blow molding machines historically; machine buildingEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
2 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blow molding machine | Kautex (in-house production since 1949) | – | – | – | Bonn |
| 3D printer (rapid prototyping) | – | – | – | – | Bonn-Holzlar |
Additional services
Reference customers
Quality and Certifications
Kautex works according to lean manufacturing principles and the internal Kautex Business System with the goals of 0 scrap and 0 unplanned downtime. Production follows Six Sigma methods; the certifications are audited by TÜV Rheinland.
| Evidence | Bonn | Bonn (Duisdorf) | Waldkirch | Leer (East Frisia) | Mallersdorf-Pfaffenberg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ISO 9001:2015 | |||||
| ISO 14001:2015 | |||||
| ISO 45001:2018 | |||||
| ISO 50001:2018 | |||||
| IATF 16949 |