- Business
- Manz AG, a high-tech engineering company headquartered in Reutlingen, Germany, and founded in 1987, develops and manufactures customized production equipment utilizing automation, laser processing, metrology, wet chemistry, and roll-to-roll processing technologies for industries including automotive, electromobility, electronics, energy, and battery production. The company operates in two primary segments: Mobility & Battery Solutions, focused on lithium-ion battery cells, modules, and systems production equipment including assembly lines, cell contacting systems, and handling solutions; and Industry Solutions, providing systems for electronic components and devices such as displays, touch sensors, printed circuit boards, chip carriers, smartphones, wearables, power electronics, inverters, and electric powertrain components, alongside contract manufacturing, simulation, factory planning, process development, customer training, and after-sales services. Manz maintains production sites in Germany, Hungary, Italy, Slovakia, China, and Taiwan, with sales and service operations in the United States, South Korea, India, and other regions worldwide. In recent developments, the company filed for insolvency in December 2024 with preliminary proceedings opening shortly thereafter, followed by full insolvency proceedings initiated by the Stuttgart District Court in February 2025 under administrator Martin Mucha; it completed sales of key assets including parts of its Reutlingen site and over 300 employees to Tesla Automation GmbH, its U.S. subsidiary to ekvip automation GmbH, its Hungarian subsidiary to Greatech Technology Berhad, its Slovakian operations to Greatech, and its Asian subgroup via management buy-out, as part of a comprehensive restructuring and efficiency program launched in July 2024 that involved management board changes, organizational consolidation, and a shift toward semiconductor wet chemistry solutions. Prior to insolvency, Manz executed a 20% cash capital increase in October 2024 with strategic investor Eng Kee Tan of Greatech Technology Berhad and sold its battery cell production equipment business in late 2024. The company, formerly Manz Automation AG until its name change in 2011 and listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under ticker M5Z (OTC: MANZF), previously held strategic partnerships such as with Daimler Truck AG since 2022 for battery pilot lines and collaborations with GROB-Werke and Dürr on lithium-ion battery production.