What WINDHOFF does

WINDHOFF Bahn- und Anlagentechnik GmbH is a German manufacturer of railway equipment founded in 1889 in Rheine as the Rheiner Maschinenfabrik. The company designs, manufactures, and services four product families: (1) modular rail vehicles built on the trademarked MPV® VentuS® and VentuS®-LR platform, with interchangeable modules for track maintenance, grinding, personnel/material transport, and overhead line work; (2) railway workshop equipment, including lifting systems, turntables, bogie test stands, and complete depot outfitting; (3) shunting technology such as the battery-electric, emission-free TeleTrac RW100AEM rail-bound vehicles, ZRW rail-road vehicles, and rope-based systems; and (4) track construction equipment marketed through windhoff-gleisbautechnik.de. Scan-Train®, co-developed with DTec, extends the portfolio into rail infrastructure inspection and digitization. WINDHOFF holds an unusually dense stack of rail-industry certifications (TSI, IRIS Bronze, ISO 9001/14001/45001, EN 15085-2 CL1, EN 1090-2 EXC3, DIN EN 17460, RISQS, SCC, Deutsche Bahn HPQ), and was the first manufacturer in Germany to receive TSI approval for an auxiliary vehicle (MPV® VentuS® Type GAF, February 2025).

The company operates a direct B2B enterprise sales model with named sales managers, regional account managers, and wholly-owned service subsidiaries in the USA (Alpharetta), Norway (Drammen), UK (Swindon), Switzerland (Biel), and Singapore. Customer segments include national and regional railway operators (Deutsche Bahn, MTR Corporation, BaneNor, Rhaetian Railway, VGF Frankfurt), railway workshops and depots, freight and industrial shunting operations (Comilog/Eramet in Gabon, Kali & Salz), railway construction firms (SPITZKE SE), and mining logistics. Pricing is custom and quote-based, with long-cycle multi-year contracts; additional recurring revenue comes from certified training, retrofit, original spare parts, and rental of new and used systems. As of 2025 the group employed 346 staff, of whom 52% held completed vocational training, 24% were engineers/bachelors/masters, and 24% were master craftsmen and technicians.

Name

WINDHOFF

Legal name

WINDHOFF Bahn- und Anlagentechnik GmbH

Website

https://windhoff.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1889

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Railway Equipment Manufacturing

NAICS

Railroad Rolling Stock Manufacturing (336510), Railroad Rolling Stock Manufacturing (3365)

SIC

Railroad Equipment (3743), Construction Machinery & Equip (3531)

akta.pro primary industry

Rail Construction & Maintenance-of-Way Vehicle Manufacturing (IMACAFAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Rail Maintenance & Track Vehicles (Hi-Rail, Track Machines, Inspection Vehicles) (IMAHAIAK)

Keywords

• Railway equipment manufacturing
• Modular rail vehicles
• Railway workshop equipment
• Shunting technology
• Track construction equipment

Headquarters

HQ city

Rheine

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Rail Vehicle Sales: Sale of modular MPV® VentuS® rail vehicles and shunting vehicles. Custom-built vehicles for railway operators with various configurations (GAF, NV types, VentuS-LR variants).
2. Railway Workshop Equipment: Manufacturing and installation of workshop equipment including lifting systems, turntables, bogie test stands, and complete depot solutions. Planning, manufacturing, and service from single equipment to complete depots.
3. Shunting Technology: Shunting vehicles, rope systems, and transport systems for railway freight operations. Includes rail-road vehicles (ZRW series) and rail-bound Tele-Trac units.
4. Service, Maintenance & Spare Parts: Full lifecycle support including maintenance, servicing, certified training, retrofit solutions, and original spare parts. Rental of new and used systems also offered.
5. Track Construction Equipment: Track construction equipment and trailers for demanding railway construction projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

WINDHOFF designs, manufactures, and services modular rail vehicles based on the MPV® VentuS® platform, railway workshop equipment (lifting systems, turntables, bogie test stands, depot outfitting), battery-electric TeleTrac shunting vehicles and rail-road shunting vehicles, and track construction equipment. The company delivers complete depot solutions and full lifecycle support including maintenance, certified training, retrofit, original spare parts, repair, and rental to railway operators, transit authorities, industrial freight operators, and mining companies worldwide.

Product overview

WINDHOFF offers a comprehensive portfolio of railway and rail technology products organized into four main divisions: (1) Schienenfahrzeugtechnik (Rail Vehicle Technology) centered on the modular MPV® VentuS® and MPV® VentuS®-LR rail vehicle platforms with customizable modules; (2) Bahntechnik (Railway Workshop Technology) providing complete workshop equipment from individual components to full depot outfitting including lifting systems, test stands, and the Scan-Train inspection system; (3) Rangiertechnik (Shunting Technology) featuring TeleTrac battery-powered rail-bound vehicles, ZRW rail-road vehicles, rope systems, and transport equipment including cable drum wagons; and (4) Gleisbaugeräte (Track Construction Equipment) for construction and maintenance. The company provides full lifecycle support through maintenance, training, retrofit, spare parts, repair, and rental services. Products are designed with modular platform principles emphasizing sustainability, flexibility, and long service life.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MPV® VentuS® Modular Rail Vehicle Platform
• MPV® VentuS®-LR Long-Range Variant
• Bahntechnik Railway Workshop Equipment
• Scan-Train® Rail Infrastructure Inspection System
• TeleTrac RW100AEM Battery-Electric Shunting Vehicle
• ZRW Rail-Road Shunting Vehicles (ZRW125AEM / ZRW64AEM)
• Seilzuganlagen Rope Shunting Systems
• Transportanlagen Transport Systems
• Gleisbaugeräte Track Construction Equipment
• Service, Maintenance & Spare Parts

Quantifiable outcome

• 206m underfloor lifting system with 18 stations and ±4mm synchronization tolerance achieved for MTR Corporation
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• Eramet (Comilog)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partnership with mining company Eramet (subsidiary Comilog) for development of emission-free train set for Gabon's manganese mine. Five TeleTrac shunting vehicles and cable reel trolley designed for extreme climate conditions. Discussions began 2018, contract signed 2024.
• UNIFE (European Association of the Railway Supply Industry)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWINDHOFF became a new member of UNIFE as part of the 2024 General Assembly in Warsaw. Membership provides industry representation, networking with European railway suppliers, and participation in shaping industry standards.
• DTeccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation between WINDHOFF and DTec for the development and presentation of Scan-Train® - an innovative solution for rail infrastructure inspection and digitization. Presented at InnoTrans 2024.
• SPITZKE SEmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFleet expansion partnership with German railway construction company SPITZKE SE. Contract signed for three MPV® VentuS® Type GAF track maintenance vehicles for Spitzke's construction fleet.
• Rhaetian Railway (RhB)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrder from Swiss railway operator Rhaetian Railway for eight MPV® VentuS® track work vehicles for modernizing rail infrastructure maintenance capabilities.
• Stadtwerke Augsburg Verkehrs-GmbHmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrder for MPV® VentuS®-NV rail grinding vehicle for urban transit network maintenance in Augsburg, Germany.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves11 records

Direct peers

• Plasser & Theurer: Austrian global leader in track maintenance machines and rail construction equipment (tampers, ballast regulators, stabilizers). Directly competes with WINDHOFF's MPV® VentuS® platform for the same railway operator and contractor customers.
• Matisa Matériel Industriel SA: Swiss manufacturer of track construction and maintenance machines (tampers, ballast profilers, track inspection cars). Closely comparable niche peer serving European national railways and contractors with custom-built maintenance rolling stock.
• Robel Bahnbaumaschinen GmbH: German manufacturer of railway maintenance equipment and small track machines. Closely comparable product portfolio and customer base (DB, European transit authorities), making it a direct domestic competitor to WINDHOFF.
• Loram (formerly Harsco Rail): US-based provider of track maintenance services and equipment (rail grinding, track inspection, maintenance-of-way machinery). Direct competitor in rail grinding vehicles and track inspection systems that overlap with WINDHOFF's VentuS-LR and Scan-Train lines.
• Zweiweg International GmbH & Co. KG: German manufacturer of road-rail (two-way) shunting vehicles, directly comparable to WINDHOFF's ZRW product line for industrial, port, and factory rail operations.

Broad incumbents

• Vossloh AG: German rail infrastructure group with rail fastening systems, switch technology, and rail services. A broader incumbent whose Lifecycle Solutions division (formerly Vossloh Kiepe) overlaps with WINDHOFF's rail-vehicle and depot equipment lines.
• Alstom SA: Global rail OEM producing locomotives, trains, signaling, and infrastructure including maintenance services. A broad incumbent increasingly bundling modular maintenance and auxiliary vehicles with larger fleet contracts, creating competitive pressure on niche specialists like WINDHOFF.
• Siemens Mobility: Division of Siemens AG covering rail vehicles, rail automation, and infrastructure. As a full-line rail OEM, it competes both directly (with auxiliary/maintenance vehicles) and indirectly by capturing large integrated tenders that WINDHOFF could otherwise service on a sub-contract basis.

Regional players

• Strukton Rail: Dutch rail construction, maintenance, and rolling-stock service provider. Comparable in track construction equipment and depot services but primarily serving the Benelux/Nordics regional market rather than WINDHOFF's broader European footprint.

Emerging players

• Salcef Group S.p.A. Italian rail maintenance and construction group operating across Europe with track-laying, electrification, and maintenance-of-way vehicles. An emerging multi-country peer whose vehicle and infrastructure services overlap with WINDHOFF's Gleisbaugeräte and depot offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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Compliance12 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries5 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 WINDHOFF