What Bilsing Automation does

Bilsing Automation GmbH is a family-owned German industrial tooling company founded in 1986 and headquartered in Attendorn, Germany. The company designs and manufactures End-of-Arm Tooling (EOAT) and material handling systems for robotic automation, built around a modular tooling architecture with standardized automatic couplings for mechanical, electrical, and pneumatic connections. Its core product portfolio includes carbon fiber tooling (T-beams and structural components offering 3.5x the stiffness of steel at less than half the weight), grippers (including hot forming versions rated to 1000°C and the PSB-20 series with double blank detection), vacuum cups and venturis (including the PFG series), and modular tooling carts. The company also delivers professional services including 3D design and simulation, laser processes (hardening, metal deposition repair, and EHLA laser cladding), field support, on-site commissioning, and robot programming.

Bilsing serves primarily automotive OEMs and Tier 1/2 suppliers in press shop, body shop, and plastics applications, with secondary diversification into aerospace (composite interior parts via Conbility tape laying equipment and aviation MRO via laser metal deposition) and general manufacturing (injection molding, packaging, hydroforming). The business generates revenue through one-time engineered hardware sales with custom quotation-based pricing, supplemented by professional services revenue. Distribution runs through eleven wholly-owned subsidiaries in Germany, China, Spain, the United States, Turkey, the Czech Republic, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, Mexico, and Brazil, plus six authorized distributors covering Argentina, Japan, India, South Korea, Thailand, and Sweden. The company's Turkey operation holds EASA Part-145, FAA 14 CFR 145/43, GACAR Part 145/43, and SHY Part-145 aviation certifications, supporting a niche in aerospace component repair. Bilsing reports 49,950+ cumulative projects and 1,475+ customers but discloses no revenue figures. Leadership rests with CEO Alfred Bilsing, and the company operates without external private equity or venture capital backing.

Name

Bilsing Automation

Legal name

BILSING AUTOMATION GMBH

Website

https://bilsing-automation.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Bilsing Automation is a family-owned German manufacturer of modular End-of-Arm Tooling and material handling systems for robotic automation, serving primarily automotive OEMs with carbon fiber tooling, grippers, and vacuum cups, and increasingly aerospace customers through laser and composite manufacturing services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Robotics End-of-Arm Tooling (EOAT)

SIC

Construction, Mining & Materials Handling Machinery & Equip (3530), General Industrial Machinery & Equipment (3560)

akta.pro primary industry

Robot End-of-Arm Tooling (Grippers, Tool Changers, Welding/Cutting Heads) (IMAHAHAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Motion Control Components (Servos, Drives, Motors, Encoders) (IMAHAHAG), End-of-Line Integration & Packaging Line Systems (IMAHAOAN), Lifting Attachments & Material Handling Accessories (Fork Attachments, Slings, Rigging) (IMAHABAJ)

Keywords

• End-of-arm tooling
• Robotic tooling systems
• Pressroom automation
• Carbon fiber tooling
• Material handling automation

Headquarters

HQ city

Attendorn

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices13 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. EOAT and Robotic Tooling Products: Sale of end-of-arm tooling (EOAT) products including carbon fiber tooling, grippers, vacuum cups, modular tooling, tooling carts, and accessories. These are one-time hardware sales with customization options.
2. Professional Services (Engineering, Simulation, Assembly, Commissioning): Services including 3D design, 3D digitalization, 3D simulation, laser processes, field support, on-site commissioning, robot programming, tooling assembly, and process optimization. Supports customers through planning, design, assembly and launch.
3. Laser Metal Deposition Repair Services: Additive manufacturing / laser cladding services for repair of aviation components (landing gear bearing rings) and automotive stamping or casting dies. Provided at Bilsing Automation Turkey facility.
4. Laser Hardening Service: Laser heat treating (LHT) service for hardening of automotive forming and stamping dies. Dimensional control enabling post-hardening material removal limited to polishing. Provided at Bilsing Automation Turkey in Bursa.
5. EHLA Laser Cladding Service: Extremely high-speed laser metal deposition for corrosion and wear resistance coating. Environmentally-friendly alternative to hard chrome plating and thermal spraying.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Bilsing Automation designs, manufactures, and sells modular End-of-Arm Tooling (EOAT) systems for robotic automation in press shops, body shops, plastics, and diverse industries. Core products include carbon fiber tooling and T-Beams, pneumatic and hot stamp grippers, vacuum cups, and modular quick-change tooling systems, complemented by laser hardening, laser metal deposition repair, EHLA laser cladding, and 3D digital services (design, simulation, digitalization, field support, commissioning).

Product overview

Bilsing Automation is a modular tooling systems provider specializing in End-of-Arm Tooling (EOAT) for robotic automation in automotive and industrial applications. The product portfolio centers on an innovative modular system that enables rapid configuration of customized solutions from standard components. Core products include Carbon Fiber Tooling (T-Beams and structural components providing 3.5x steel stiffness at half the weight), Grippers (including PSB-20 pneumatic grippers, Hot Stamp Grippers rated to 1000°C, and Compact Shifting Grippers), Vacuum Cups (including the new PFG Series and WF2 series for hot forming), and Modular Tooling with standard automatic couplings. Supporting services include Laser Processes (Hardening, Metal Deposition, EHLA Cladding), 3D Digital Services (Design, Simulation, Digitalization), and Field Support/Commissioning. The company operates manufacturing and technical centers globally across Europe, Americas, and Asia Pacific.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Carbon Fiber Tooling Lighter, stiffer and more harmonically stable tools made from high modulus, graphite carbon fiber, designed to reduce vibration and deflection in robotic automation applications.
• Carbon Fiber T-Beam Carbon fiber beams designed for high-speed tandem presses, providing flexibility to meet varying production requirements with servo-driven interchangeable tooling.
• Grippers Robot grippers with various jaw styles and in sizes from miniature to massive for automated part handling and transfer in pressroom and body shop applications.
• Hot Stamp Grippers Hot forming grippers manufactured from high strength aluminum rated for 1000°C with small, flat design to decrease collision risk and reduce weight for increased stroke rates.
• PSB-20 Pneumatic Grippers Pneumatic grippers available in fixed jaw, block jaw, and L-versions with digital/analog readable sensor for double blank detection in hot and cold forming applications, with self-locking achieving 800 N clamping force.
• Modular Tooling Flexible Tooling System featuring standard automatic coupling approach for mechanical, electrical and pneumatic connections, enabling rapid configuration of customized solutions from standard components.
• Vacuum Cups Wide variety of vacuum generating products including vacuum cups and venturis for various pressroom applications, including WF2 series for hot forming up to 250°C.
• PFG Series Vacuum Cups Silicone-free, treaded vacuum cups with oil displacement lip and brake rib arrangement, 80° Shore hardness, vertical stroke holding rate of 351 N and lateral force of 193 N, rated for 4,000,000+ strokes.
• Tooling Carts Custom-designed and fabricated EOAT tooling carts for convenient storage that protects tool structure, positioning and integrity of vacuum cups.
• Laser Hardening Service Laser heat treating (LHT) service for hardening automotive forming and stamping dies with precise laser beam application for near zero distortion and consistent hardness depth, provided at Bilsing Turkey facility.
• Laser Metal Deposition Repair Services LMD additive manufacturing repair services for aviation components (landing gear bearing rings) and automotive stamping or casting dies, providing better metallurgical bond than thermal spray or arc welding.
• EHLA Laser Cladding Service Extremely High-Speed Laser Metal Deposition (EHLA) service using mobile robot-mounted laser for corrosion and wear protection, providing an eco-friendly alternative to hard chrome plating.
• 3D Simulation Services Simulation method for development and planning of customer-specific gripping systems, including collision testing, offline robot programming, tolerance range of 1-3mm, and press line optimization.
• 3D Design Services 3D design services for tooling systems and automation solutions.
• 3D Digitalization Services 3D scanning and digitalization services for existing tooling and parts.
• Field Support On-site field support services for installation and maintenance of Bilsing tooling and automation systems.
• On Site Commissioning On-site commissioning services for Bilsing tooling and automation systems at customer facilities.
• Robot Programming Robot programming services for automation systems integration with Bilsing tooling.
• Tooling Assembly Tooling assembly services for EOAT systems provided by subsidiary engineering teams.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 20% production improvement through carbon fiber tooling due to less vibration and deflection for faster settling and higher precision.
• +8 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Visionary Manufacturing Solutions (VMS)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 30 June 2020VMS, headed by Hunter Coe, added as distributor for Eastern United States and Canadian territories. VMS provides full array of metal forming industry solutions including stamping presses, coil processing equipment, pressroom automation and tooling, roll forming equipment, and machine componentry.
• University of Siegen (Institute for Information Systems, CSCW and Social Media)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 June 2020Bilsing Werkzeugbau participates as project partner in the EKPLO Research Project — a four-year program funded by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the European Union. The project analyzes and documents organizational structures and production processes through statistical procedures, incorporating them into an APS (Advanced Planning System) in an agile and iterative approach. The goal is to reduce complexity and better support staff in real-time data use and decision-making.
• Siegen Mittelstandsinstitut, University of SiegencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 June 2020Research partner in the EKPLO project focused on organizational structure and production process documentation and modeling.
• Department of Management Information Science, University of SiegencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 June 2020Research partner in the EKPLO project.
• QOSIT Softwaretechnik GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 June 2020Industry partner in the EKPLO research project.
• tesyo technologies GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 June 2020Industry partner in the EKPLO research project.
• ALU-Technik Attendorn GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 June 2020Industry partner in the EKPLO research project.
• AVENTUM GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 June 2020Industry partner in the EKPLO research project.
• Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILTcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFraunhofer ILT developed the EHLA (Extremely High-Speed Laser Metal Deposition) technology. Bilsing has previously worked with Fraunhofer ILT on laser hardening of tools and LMD on titanium components. Bilsing uses the HighNo (High Quality Powder Nozzle) coaxial nozzle developed by Fraunhofer ILT and Harald Dicker specifically for the EHLA process.
• RWTH Aachen UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-developer of the EHLA laser cladding technology along with Fraunhofer ILT.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights8 records

Direct peers

• SCHUNK: SCHUNK is one of the largest direct competitors in end-of-arm tooling, grippers, and rotary units for robotic automation. They serve the same automotive press shop and body shop customers with comparable EOAT systems, making them Bilsing's most direct head-to-head competitor globally.
• Zimmer Group: Zimmer Group is a German-headquartered specialist in grippers, vacuum technology, and end-of-arm tooling for industrial automation. They compete directly with Bilsing in automotive stamping grippers and modular tooling systems, with similar geographic footprint and customer base.
• Piab Group: Piab (formerly Piab Vacuum Solutions) is a direct competitor in vacuum grippers, vacuum cups, and EOAT-related material handling technology. They serve the same press shop and body shop applications as Bilsing, with comparable product categories and major automotive OEM relationships.
• DESTACO (Auburn Hills): DESTACO specializes in clamping, gripping, and end-of-arm tooling solutions for automotive and industrial automation. Their clamping and gripper products directly compete with Bilsing's gripper and modular tooling offerings in stamping and body shop applications.
• Applied Robotics: Applied Robotics is a direct EOAT competitor offering tool changers, grippers, and material handling solutions for industrial automation. They serve automotive and general manufacturing customers with end-effector products comparable to Bilsing's modular tooling lineup.
• Robot System Products (RSP): RSP is a direct competitor specializing in tool changers, grippers, and EOAT solutions for robot-based automation. Their product portfolio in pneumatic grippers and modular end-effector systems directly overlaps with Bilsing's PSB-20 grippers and modular tooling portfolio.

Broad incumbents

• Festo: Festo is a broad industrial automation incumbent offering pneumatic and electric grippers, vacuum technology, and EOAT components as part of a much larger factory automation portfolio. They overlap with Bilsing on grippers and modular tooling but compete across a much wider product range.
• SMC Corporation: SMC is a global broad-line industrial automation supplier offering pneumatic grippers, vacuum components, and modular tooling. Their vacuum cups and grippers place them in direct overlap with Bilsing's PFG vacuum cups and PSB-20 grippers, particularly in automotive press shop applications.

Emerging players

• OnRobot: OnRobot is an emerging player in collaborative robot EOAT, offering grippers, vacuum cups, and modular tooling systems. While they focus more on collaborative robots than traditional high-speed automotive presses, they compete in adjacent modular EOAT space that overlaps with Bilsing's product strategy.

Regional players

• ASS Maschinenbau (Aachener Siegel Systemtechnik): ASS is a German specialist in robotic end-of-arm tooling for press shop automation, particularly in tandem press lines. They directly compete with Bilsing in carbon fiber tooling and grippers for high-speed stamping applications across European automotive OEMs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bilsingglobal

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries11 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 Bilsing Automation