Hengst Filtration is transforming itself from an automotive supplier into a cross-industry filtration specialist. Targeted acquisitions and Hengst's own "start-ups" are crucial for this.
Our transformation from an automotive supplier to a cross-industry filtration specialist is the biggest change in our almost 70-year company history. We have changed in many areas since 2016 and will continue to do so. Our goal: to be a company that is fit for the future and to make our filtration expertise available to as many industries as possible.
But why actually?
In 1958, Walter Hengst founded our company and gave it his name. Since then, we have been a leading provider in the field of filtration, but for a very long time our focus was on the automotive industry.
However, in the course of the mobility transition towards electric vehicles and other drive systems, our market has changed. And as a result, the demand for fluid management modules, Oil filters, Fuel filters and other components is also decreasing - at least in the original equipment sector.
At the beginning of the great drive revolution, our owner Jens Röttgering and I asked ourselves critically: What is our DNA? Are we simply an automotive supplier? No, we are experts in the field of filtration. And then the answer was clear as to where the journey must go.
Christopher Heine
CEO Hengst Filtration
M&A activities, i.e. company acquisitions around the world, are crucial to Hengst's transformation. These expand our portfolio and our expertise in areas in which we were not previously active. We have made these acquisitions since 2016:
In 2016, the Danish process air specialist Nordic Air Filtration was acquired, which has since complemented the company's expertise in the field of process air filtration and expanded the range towards industrial clean air systems.
This was followed in 2018 by the acquisition of the German company Delbag from Herne, which contributes expertise in the field of indoor air quality (IAQ). This laid the foundation for the business with Filter Elements and filter systems in the field of indoor ventilation.
Both companies have been operating under the name Hengst Air Filtration since 2023.
In 2021, Hengst took over Bosch Rexroth's hydraulic filtration business, including the plant in Ketsch (around 190 employees, global sales in over 30 countries). The move marked the company's entry into applications for mobile and stationary hydraulic systems
2024 saw the acquisition of the Canadian-American specialist Main Filter. The acquisition significantly strengthens the market position in North America and ensures local product availability at short notice.
As a result, the North American subsidiaries were officially merged under the Hengst Filtration brand at the end of 2024.
In 2022, Hengst took over the Brazilian industrial air specialist Linter from São Paulo. 2024 also saw the addition of Aeroglass, also from São Paulo. Hengst is now the market leader in the air filter segment in Brazil.
In 2023, Hengst acquired a stake in artemis control AG from Schwiez and took it over completely in 2025. Hengst has thus laid the foundation for a long-term establishment in the field of trace gas filtration for semiconductor production.
In 2025, the Chinese air filtration specialist CSC Tech was added as a further piece of the puzzle for the cleanroom production of microchip manufacturers and for electronics production. This makes Hengst a full-service provider for the semiconductor industry.
However, our transformation is not limited to company acquisitions. This also includes Hengst's own "start-ups" such as the establishment of our medical technology division since 2020, our Sterile Process Air Filtration department for the food and beverage industry and, of course, the founding of our Tech Center Filtration in Münster. At our company headquarters in Germany, we bundle all our research and pre-development and create solutions that are new for Hengst or even new for the world.
Since 2016, the consistent combination of an international acquisition strategy, site expansion and technological innovation has turned the former automotive supplier into a globally diversified filtration company. Today, we offer a wide range of filtration solutions - from industrial air filters to hydraulic and medical applications. The transformation not only strengthens our product expertise, but also ensures sustainable growth and future viability.
We make the planet cleaner with our products. We also make the journey there as clean as possible.
We develop the filtration solutions of the future. For our customers and for society.
Our focus is on energy efficiency. This helps the environment and saves costs.