Manufacturer of industrial signs, nameplates, labels and technical parts made of metal and plastic since 1925.
Kilian Industrieschilder GmbH
HamburgNew on Amplifa
About Kilian Industrieschilder
Kilian Industrieschilder GmbH is a Hamburg family business in its fifth generation that has been producing industrial identification labels in-house since 1925. The portfolio includes etched and engraved metal signs made of aluminium, stainless steel and brass, plastic signs, labels, stickers and domings, serial data with barcodes and 2D codes, as well as technical parts such as double-sided etched layer thickness gauges, nozzle discs, belt clips and pipe clamps. Manufacturing processes are chemical etching, engraving, milling, die stamping/embossing, anodizing with color layer embedding (anodic dye undercut), screen printing, digital printing, painting, and back-side adhesive bonding with high-quality adhesive films. Stainless steel signs are produced in materials 1.4301, 1.4404 and 1.4571 in thicknesses from 0.3 to 3.0 mm; container signs according to DIN EN 12561-1 and CSC signs made of stainless steel in 2 to 4 mm. Core industries are automotive, aviation, shipping, mechanical engineering, container construction, offshore, the food industry as well as stage and media technology. The site with the sign factory is located in Hamburg-Jägerflag (Boberg).
- Site
- Hamburg
- Processes
- Metal etching / etched industrial signs (chemical etching), Engraving on metal signs, Milling of signs (without color embedding), Embossing / die stamping of signs, Anodizing with color layer embedding (anodic dye embedding), Screen printing (single- or multi-color, including special effects such as pearlescent,, Digital printing (non-contact, high positional accuracy), Production of labels/stickers and domings (sheet production)
- Materials
- Aluminium, Stainless steel, Stainless steel V4A (airworthy, 0.6 mm brushed), Brass Ms 58 (for engraving), Brass Ms 63 (for etching), Soft PVC film, Polyester, Polycarbonate
- Certificates
- DIN EN ISO 9001:2015, DIN EN ISO 14001:2015, Environmental Partnership Hamburg, ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015, Process Audit VDA2 (Automotive), Process Audit IATF (Aviation), Process Audit ISM Code (Shipping), IATF 16949 (FAI First Article Inspection Reports)
- Founded
- 1925
- Industries
- Automotive, Aviation, Shipping, Mechanical Engineering, Container Construction, Offshore
- 01
Consulting on material selection
- 02
Chemical etching / engraving / milling / embossing
- 03
Screen printing / digital printing / anodic dye embedding / painting
- 04
Serial data printing (barcode, QR, DataMatrix)
- 05
Back-side adhesive bonding / assembly
- 06
First article inspection reports (FAI)
- 07
Express / just-in-time delivery
Location
Hamburg
DEHeadquarters and sign factory (production)
- Part weight / size
- Signs 0.3–3.0 mm, container signs 2–4 mm
- Lot size
- Single pieces to large series
- Materials
- Aluminium, stainless steel 1.4301/1.4404/1.4571/1.4541, brass Ms 58/Ms 63, plastics
- Digital printing system
- Screen printing system
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metal etching / etched industrial signs (chemical etching)Surface | – | – | – | – | Stainless steel, Aluminium, Brass |
| Engraving on metal signsSurface | – | – | – | – | Brass (Ms 58), Aluminium, Stainless steel |
| Milling of signs (without color embedding)Machining | – | – | – | – | Brass, Stainless steel, Aluminium |
| Embossing / die stamping of signsForming | – | – | – | – | Aluminium, Stainless steel, Brass |
| Anodizing with color layer embedding (anodic dye embedding)Surface | – | – | – | – | Aluminium |
| Screen printing (single- or multi-color, including special effects such as pearlescent,Surface | – | – | – | – | Plastics, Polyester, Polycarbonate, Laminates, Aluminium, Brass |
| Digital printing (non-contact, high positional accuracy)Surface | – | – | – | – | Plastics, Polyester, Polycarbonate, Aluminium |
| Production of labels/stickers and domings (sheet production)Plastic | – | – | – | – | Soft PVC film, Polyester, Polycarbonate, Aluminium 0.5 mm (wielox®) |
| Roll label production (for series processing/automated processing)Plastic | – | – | – | – | Films/plastics, Soft PVC, Polyester, Polycarbonate |
| Paint protection labels for series production (temporary, before painting)Plastic | – | – | – | – | Films/plastics |
| Serial data printing (serial numbers, barcodes Code39/Code128/EAN-13, QR codes, DataMatrix, PDF417)Surface | – | – | – | – | Metal, Plastic, virtually any material |
| Plastic sign production (nameplates, contrast discs, warning/information signs,Plastic | – | – | – | – | Polyester, Polycarbonate, Laminates, Plastics |
| Metal sign production (nameplates, container signs according to DIN EN 12561-1, CSC signs,Surface | – | – | – | – | Aluminium, Stainless steel 1.4301, 1.4404, 1.4571 (0.3–3.0 mm), Stainless steel V4A 1.4541 (0.6 mm brushed), Brass Ms 58 / Ms 63 |
| Back-side adhesive bonding of signs with adhesive (adhesive films 3M 467/468 MP, 3M 966, 3MJoining | – | – | – | – | Plastic signs, Labels |
| Screw fastening/welding of stainless steel signs (assembly)Joining | – | – | – | – | Stainless steel |
| Production of technical parts (double-sided etched layer thickness gauges, nozzle discs,Surface | – | – | – | – | V2A, Aluminium, Polyester, Polycarbonate, Polypropylene |
| Painting of aluminium signsSurface | – | – | – | – | Aluminium |
2 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Digital printing system | – | – | – | – | Hamburg |
| Screen printing system | – | – | – | – | Hamburg |
Additional services
Quality and Certifications
The quality management system is certified to DIN EN ISO 9001:2015 (IFU-CERT, no. 50064, valid until 20.05.2029), the environmental management system to DIN EN ISO 14001:2015 (no. 50897, valid until 20.05.2029). Products are secured by first article inspection reports (FAI, according to IATF 16949); passed process audits according to VDA2 (automotive), IATF (aviation) and the ISM Code (shipping) demonstrate process capability.
| Evidence | Hamburg |
|---|---|
| ISO 9001:2015 | |
| ISO 14001:2015 | |
| Environmental Partnership Hamburg | |
| Process Audit VDA2 (Automotive) | |
| Process Audit IATF (Aviation) | |
| Process Audit ISM Code (Shipping) | |
| IATF 16949 (FAI First Article Inspection Reports) |
Company History
- 1925
Foundation of the metal etching works Fritz Kilian by Paul and Fritz Kilian on 2 October 1925 in Hamburg
- 1930
Purchase of the property at Jägerflag in the Hamburg district of Boberg
- 2025
100th company anniversary on 2 October 2025; generational change: Wolf-Uwe Kilian hands over management to Alexander Kilian