Development and production of mechatronic components, power electronics and connector systems for automotive and industrial applications.
Leopold Kostal GmbH & Co. KG
Lüdenscheid · Dortmund · Meinerzhagen · Hagen · Sofia · Pazardzhik · Cravinhos · São Bernardo do Campo · Shanghai · Changchun · Guiyang · Baoding · Guyancourt · Munich · Sindelfingen · IngolstadtNew on Amplifa
About KOSTAL
Leopold Kostal GmbH & Co. KG, headquartered in Lüdenscheid, is a family-owned technology company founded in 1912 with around 19,900 employees worldwide at 64 locations in 22 countries. The company develops and produces mechatronic components and systems for the automotive industry, including operating and comfort electronics, steering column modules, sensors, door control units, connector systems, and power electronics for electric and hybrid vehicles such as onboard battery chargers and onboard power supply converters. In the Industrial Electronics division, frequency inverters, drive controllers, measurement, control and regulation electronics, and photovoltaic components are manufactured; Solar Electric GmbH distributes inverters, wallboxes and storage systems. SOMA GmbH complements the portfolio with test and automation systems, dosing technology for lubricants, and operator assistance systems. Production encompasses the series assembly of electrical, mechanical and mechatronic assemblies; development and production take place predominantly in Germany, supplemented by plants in Brazil, Bulgaria and China. With more than 200 million euros in annual R&D investment, KOSTAL supplies the major automotive manufacturers worldwide, including Volkswagen (Group Award 2026) and Daimler.
- Site
- Lüdenscheid
- Processes
- Development and testing of electrical and mechatronic assemblies for the automotive industry, Design and manufacture of electrical, mechanical and mechatronic systems, Manufacture of electrical and mechatronic systems, Design and production of electromechanical components, in particular connectors, Development and production of frequency inverters, access systems, motor drives and, Preliminary, intermediate and final inspections in in-house laboratories and measurement rooms, Test and automation systems, dosing technology for industrial lubricants,, Manufacture of power electronics for electric and hybrid vehicles (onboard chargers,
- Materials
- Plastics, Plastics with surface specification, Copper alloys, Printed circuit boards (PCB, PCB Flex, PCB-A), Stamped and turned parts
- Certificates
- ISO 14001, IATF 16949
- Founded
- 1912
- Employees
- 19900
- Industries
- Automotive industry, Electromobility, Photovoltaics/solar energy, Drive technology, Industrial automation
- 01
Engineering and development
- 02
Injection molding and stamped parts (purchased)
- 03
Electronics manufacturing
- 04
Assembly of electrical and mechatronic assemblies
- 05
Testing and final inspection in in-house laboratories
- 06
Worldwide sales
Materials and Processes
Plastics
Thermoplastic injection-molded parts and granulates for housings and connectors.
Plastics with surface specification
Plastic components with defined surface specifications for visible and functional applications.
Copper alloys
Strip and raw materials incl. plating for current conduction and contacting in connectors.
Printed circuit boards (PCB, PCB Flex, PCB-A)
Carriers of the electronics for control units, power electronics and sensors.
Stamped and turned parts
Springs, screws and stamped parts for mechatronic assemblies.
Components and Systems
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Development and testing of electrical and mechatronic assemblies for the automotive industryAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Design and manufacture of electrical, mechanical and mechatronic systemsAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Manufacture of electrical and mechatronic systemsAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Design and production of electromechanical components, in particular connectorsAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Development and production of frequency inverters, access systems, motor drives andAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Preliminary, intermediate and final inspections in in-house laboratories and measurement roomsTesting | – | – | – | – | – |
| Test and automation systems, dosing technology for industrial lubricants,Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
| Manufacture of power electronics for electric and hybrid vehicles (onboard chargers,Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
Additional services
Reference customers
Quality
KOSTAL performs preliminary, intermediate and final inspections in its own laboratories and measurement rooms based on internal, globally uniform standards, and pursues the zero-defect target in development and series production.
| Evidence | Lüdenscheid | Hagen | Pazardzhik | Cravinhos | Shanghai |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ISO 14001 | |||||
| IATF 16949 |
History
- 1912
Company founded
- 1973
First plant abroad in Mexico
- 1987
Establishment of the sensor product area; first door control unit with anti-pinch protection
- 1988
New plant "An der Bellmerei" in Lüdenscheid, today's headquarters
- 1993
Foundation of KOSTAL Kontakt Systeme
- 1994
First market application of the rain sensor
- 1995
Diversification into the Automotive Electronics, Industrial Electronics and SOMA business divisions
- 1998
First mechatronics module: steering column module W220 for the Daimler S-Class
- 2006
Foundation of KOSTAL Solar Electric GmbH
- 2008
Andreas Kostal joins the company as the fourth generation; internationalization
- 2012
100 years of KOSTAL
- 2015
Driver assistance camera with automatic emergency braking function
- 2020
Onboard battery charger in series use
- 2023
Acquisition of Compleo Charging Solutions AG
- 2024
Launch of the software brand vaylens
- 2025
Foundation of KOSTAL Electro Mobility (KEM)