What GERB does

GERB, headquartered in Berlin, Germany, is a privately held, family-owned engineering company founded in 1908 by William Gerb, who pioneered the use of elastic steel-spring support to isolate machinery vibrations. The company designs, manufactures, and installs vibration isolation and seismic control systems across three core product families: helical steel spring elements (low-frequency isolation for turbines, hammers, and presses), viscous fluid dampers branded Viscodampers® (damping and seismic protection), and tuned mass dampers (TMDs) for structural sway control, complemented by the proprietary NOVODAMP® closed-cell polyurethane range for higher-frequency applications starting at approximately 8 Hz. A key invention is the Spring-Viscodamper®, a combined spring-and-damper architecture used under thousands of machines and structures globally.

GERB serves three primary verticals: Manufacturing/Industry/Energy (turbine foundations, forging hammers, presses), Architecture/Construction (building isolation, concert halls, hospitals, data centers, residential), and Transportation/Infrastructure (floating slab tracks, metro systems, tram networks, high-speed rail). The company operates through 16 wholly-owned subsidiaries across 14 countries in Western Europe, APAC, the Americas, and Central/Eastern Europe, with manufacturing sites in Bangalore, Qingdao, and Germany.

GERB's business model is project-based and custom-engineered, combining hardware sales of vibration isolation products with full-service delivery including conceptual engineering, fabrication, installation supervision, and quality management. Pricing is project-specific and not publicly disclosed. The company holds ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, ISO 3834, and EN 1090-1/2 (EXC4) certifications, qualifying it for nuclear, power, and critical infrastructure projects.

Name

GERB

Legal name

GERB Schwingungsisolierungen GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://gerb.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1908

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

GERB is a family-owned German engineering firm, founded in 1908, that designs and manufactures custom vibration isolation and seismic control systems (steel springs, Viscodampers®, TMDs, NOVODAMP® polyurethane) for industrial machinery, buildings, and rail infrastructure clients globally across 16 offices in 14 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Vibration Isolation and Seismic Protection Engineering

NAICS

Industrial Machinery Manufacturing (33324), Other General Purpose Machinery Manufacturing (3339), Power Boiler and Heat Exchanger Manufacturing (332410)

SIC

Fabricated Rubber Products, Nec (3060), Gaskets, Packg & Sealg Devices & Rubber & Plastics Hose (3050)

akta.pro primary industry

Vibration Control & Anti-Vibration Products (Mounts, Bushings, Isolators) (IMANALAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Pneumatic Components (FRLs, Cylinders, Valves) (IMAHAGAC), Polymer Compounds & Masterbatches (Compounding, Color/Fill/Additive Concentrates) (IMAEANAJ)

Keywords

• Vibration isolation systems
• Seismic protection engineering
• Helical steel springs
• Viscous fluid dampers
• Tuned mass dampers

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices17 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Vibration Isolation Products: Sale of engineered vibration isolation products including helical steel spring elements, viscous dampers (Viscodampers), tuned mass dampers, NOVODAMP closed-cell polyurethane, sliding bearings, and custom solutions. Products are custom-manufactured and tailored to project requirements.
2. Engineering, Installation & Consulting Services: Full-service offering from conceptual phase to detailed design, fabrication, installation, and quality control. Includes civil engineering of foundations, technical consulting, measurements and tests, mounting, installation and supervising. Services are provided globally through international subsidiaries.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

GERB designs, manufactures, and installs vibration isolation and seismic protection systems based on helical steel springs, viscous fluid dampers (Viscodampers®), tuned mass dampers, and closed-cell polyurethane (NOVODAMP®) elements. The company delivers full-service project execution covering technical consulting, engineering, fabrication, mounting/installation supervision, and quality management for power plants, heavy industrial machinery, buildings, and rail/metro infrastructure worldwide.

Product overview

GERB supplies a comprehensive portfolio of vibration isolation products and civil engineering solutions for foundations. The core offering centers on four main product families: Helical Steel Spring Elements (for low-frequency isolation of turbines, generators, hammers, and presses), Viscodampers® viscous fluid dampers (for damping oscillations and seismic protection), Tuned Mass Dampers (TMD) for structural sway control, and NOVODAMP® Closed-cell Polyurethane materials (for higher-frequency applications from ~8 Hz). These are complemented by specialized variants including the Viscous Wall Damper (GVWD) for earthquake protection, NOVO-U-GUARD floating floor systems, and rail-specific products such as under-ballast mats and floating slab track systems. GERB operates as a full-service provider combining product supply with engineering design, fabrication, installation, and quality management services across manufacturing, architecture/construction, and transportation/infrastructure sectors worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NOVODAMP®: Premium closed-cell polyurethane solution for elastic support and vibration isolation in buildings, rail infrastructure, and mass-spring systems.
• VISCO® Dampers
• Viscodampers®
• Tuned Mass Dampers (TMD)
• Spring-Viscodamper®

Products and services

• Helical Steel Spring Elements Steel spring-based elastic support elements for vibration isolation of machines, turbines, hammers, presses, and structural foundations. Designed to DIN standards with unlimited lifetime, with high-quality corrosion protection, used to reduce vibration transfer and structure-borne noise.
• Viscodampers® Viscous fluid dampers providing controlled damping force to suppress vibrations and oscillations, often combined with spring elements for enhanced seismic protection in structures and equipment.
• Tuned Mass Dampers (TMD) Mass-spring-damper systems tuned to specific frequencies to counteract building or structural sway, commonly used in high-rise buildings, towers, and bridges.
• NOVODAMP® Closed-cell Polyurethane High-performance closed-cell polyurethane elastic support material for vibration isolation in buildings, rail tracks, and mass-spring systems, effective for frequencies starting from approximately 8 Hz, with minimal water absorption and exceptional durability.
• NOVODAMP® NCP 100 Noise Control Pads Noise control pads for floor isolation applications, designed to reduce impact sound transmission in buildings.
• NOVO-U-GUARD Floating Floor Ready-to-install floating floor solution for superior vibration and sound isolation, designed for buildings with strict acoustic requirements.
• NOVODAMP® Designer Online calculation and design tool for NOVODAMP closed-cell polyurethane products, enabling engineers to design solutions for building and trackbed applications.
• Sliding Bearings Bearing systems that allow controlled movement while supporting structural loads, used in combination with vibration isolation solutions.
• GERB Viscous Wall Damper (GVWD) Viscous wall dampers for earthquake and seismic protection, designed to reduce destructive potential during seismic events.
• NOVODAMP® Floating Slab Track System Mass-spring system using NOVODAMP materials for floating slab track applications in rail and metro systems to reduce ground-borne vibrations.
• NOVODAMP® Under Ballast Mats Vibration isolation mats installed under ballast in railway tracks to reduce vibrations and ground-borne noise from train traffic.
• NOVODAMP® Base Plates, Rail Pads and Under Sleeper Pads (USP) Range of polyurethane products for rail track isolation including base plates, rail pads, and under-sleeper pads for vibration attenuation.
• Engineering, Installation & Civil Engineering Services Full-service offering from conceptual phase to detailed design, fabrication, installation, and quality control, including civil engineering of foundations, technical consulting, measurements and tests, mounting, installation, and supervising. Services are provided globally through international subsidiaries.
• 3D Base Control System Three-dimensional base isolation system for earthquake protection with tunable stiffness and damping properties, used for buildings requiring advanced seismic resilience.
• Prestressable GERB GP-Spring Elements Special spring elements with high load capacity developed for confined-space applications, prestressable with the advantage of height alignment during and after installation. Used in combination with Viscodampers for seismic protection.

Quantifiable outcome

• 500 combinations of helical steel spring elements and Viscodampers installed for a single project (Fairmont Hotel, Mumbai)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Trelleborg (Antivibration Solutions): Large Swedish industrial group with a dedicated antivibration solutions business producing rubber-to-metal mounts and isolation products. Operates broadly in the same vibration isolation space as GERB but as part of a much larger diversified industrial portfolio serving automotive, rail, and industrial machinery.
• Freudenberg Sealing Technologies: German-headquartered global manufacturer of seals, vibration control components, and specialty products. Operates broadly in the industrial vibration and sealing space as part of a large diversified industrial portfolio, with overlapping offerings to GERB in machinery isolation and damping.

Direct peers

• Taylor Devices: US publicly-traded manufacturer of shock absorbers, dampers, and structural protection products. Directly competes with GERB's Viscodampers and viscous wall dampers in seismic protection and vibration control for buildings, military, and industrial applications.
• Kinetics Noise Control: US manufacturer of vibration isolation and noise control products including spring isolators, floating floors, and seismic restraints. Directly competes with GERB in building isolation and floating slab track applications, particularly in North American commercial and transit infrastructure projects.
• Mason Industries: US-based specialist in vibration isolation and seismic restraint products including spring isolators, inertia bases, and seismic snubbers. Closest direct competitor to GERB in North America, serving the same architecture, industrial, and infrastructure customer base with comparable product categories.
• Maurer SE: German specialist in structural protection systems including expansion joints, bearings, and tuned mass dampers for bridges and buildings. Highly comparable to GERB in European infrastructure projects, particularly in seismic isolation and structural damping for major bridges and cultural venues.
• Enidine (ITT Inc.): Part of ITT Inc., Enidine produces shock absorbers, vibration isolation mounts, and elastomeric products for industrial, aerospace, and rail markets. A direct competitor in industrial machinery isolation and rail vibration control, with broader corporate resources than GERB.
• Calenberg Ingenieure: German manufacturer of elastic bearings and under-ballast mats for railway track vibration isolation. Direct competitor to GERB's NOVODAMP rail products in the German and European transit infrastructure market.
• Vibro-Acoustics: Canadian specialist in vibration isolation and seismic restraint for buildings, with deep expertise in spring isolators and floating floor systems. Directly comparable to GERB in architectural and infrastructure applications, often competing on the same transit and high-rise project tenders.

Regional players

• Mageba Group: Swiss-headquartered specialist in structural bearings, expansion joints, and seismic isolation products for bridges and buildings. Comparable product portfolio to GERB for seismic and vibration protection in infrastructure, with strong European presence and growing global footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about GERB