ZELL System Inc.
German-origin manufacturer of modular workpiece carrier systems enabling robot-assisted handling, cleaning, and intralogistics in precision manufacturing.
ZELL Group is a German industrial company founded in 1991 by Josef Zell in Volkersheim, Germany, initially as a shot-blasting and surface-treatment business (Zell Oberflächentechnik). In 2008 the group launched a second division, Zell Metalltechnik GmbH (later renamed Zell Systemtechnik GmbH in 2020), focused on modular workpiece carrier systems — marking the birth of the product line now marketed internationally as ZELL System. The group's headquarters is at Zum Tannenesch 24, 89584 Ehingen-Volkersheim, Germany, with a US subsidiary — ZELL System Inc. — incorporated in 2023 with a sales office at 150 North Michigan Avenue, 35th Floor, Chicago, Illinois 60601. The US team launched active North American sales and logistics in early 2024.
ZELL Systemtechnik GmbH holds DIN EN ISO 9001:2015 certification and has received the German Packaging Award (DVP Award, material flow category, 2024) and second place in the EMO MX Value Award 2025. The group employs approximately 60 people and has customers in automotive, medical, pharmaceutical, aerospace, defence, electrical, tooling, battery technology, and materials handling sectors, including Tesla, Trumpf, Bosch, Hilti, Valeo, and WIKA.
The core product range centres on modular plastic and stainless-steel workpiece carrier systems designed for robot-assisted pick-and-place machine loading, industrial cleaning, intralogistics, and heat treatment. Key product lines include ZELL Factory System (world's first modular standard system for part transport, production, cleaning, storage and logistics, released 2022), ZELL Carrier (3-in-1 solution combining tray, cleaning basket, and small-parts carrier with height-adjustable and stackable geometry, released 2024), ZELL BOX (flexible bulk-material and component charging carrier, released 2024), ZELL Battery System (formation trays for prismatic battery cells with stable charge/discharge during formation process, released 2025), ZELL Stainless Steel (high-temperature-rated grid carriers for hardening up to 1,200 °C), and ZELL GRID (steel transport system for cleaning, transport, and hardening). All systems are compatible with standard KLT container formats and AutoStore warehouse systems.
The company's automation focus is on enabling cobot and industrial robot feeding by providing precisely dimensioned, modular carriers that ensure repeatable part positioning. Products are distributed across Europe (through partners in Benelux via ENGELS, Romania via Eurobox Logistics, Eastern Europe via Tech Pro Engineering) and Asia (South Korea, Vietnam, Taiwan via D.B.Enterprise). An online configurator and web shop launched in 2025 allow customers to specify and order custom carrier dimensions directly.
Primary type & automation activities this supplier delivers:
ZELL Factory System
- Model: ZELL Factory
- Launch Year: 2022
World's first modular standard plastic workpiece carrier system for part transport, production, cleaning, storage, and intralogistics.
ZELL Carrier
- Model: ZELL Carrier
- Launch Year: 2024
3-in-1 modular carrier combining tray, industrial cleaning basket, and small-parts carrier with height-adjustable, stackable corner system.
ZELL Battery System
- Model: ZELL Battery
- Launch Year: 2025
Formation tray system for prismatic battery cells enabling stable charge and discharge cycles during the formation process in cell manufacturing.
Contact ZELL System Inc.
WEBSITE
https://www.zell-group.com/en-us/homePHONE
+1 312 763 2983HEADQUARTERS
United States
Company Facts
Founded
1991
Primary Role
Component Supplier
Company Size
-
Primary Region
North America
Annual Sales
-
Funding Stage
-
Funding Total
-
Certifications & Memberships
Keywords
- ZELL System Inc.
- workpiece carrier
- modular automation
- cobot integration
- industrial cleaning
- ISO 9001
- part carrier system
- modular tray
- robot-assisted handling
- cleaning basket
- ZELL Factory
- ZELL Carrier
- AutoStore
- Component Supplier
- System Integrator
- End-effector & Grasping
- Navigation & Positioning
- Manufacturing
- Logistics & Supply Chain
- Pick and Place
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