Pfeifer

What Pfeifer does

Pfeifer is a privately held, family-owned German industrial group, with its operating wire-rope manufacturing arm (PFEIFER DRAKO Drahtseilwerk GmbH & Co. KG, based in Mülheim an der Ruhr) tracing back to 1810 and the broader PFEIFER Holding dating to 1579. Following the 1994 acquisition by PFEIFER Holding (Memmingen), the group operates across three business areas — rope & lifting technology, wire-rope technology (DRAKO), and building systems — with manufacturing in Germany and Changshu, China, and a sales and service network spanning more than 70 countries supported by dedicated Key Account Managers and EDI-enabled B2B ordering. Total headcount exceeds 1,400 industry professionals with 445+ years of combined group experience.

The core technical offering is high-performance steel wire rope, organized into two business units: Elevator Technology (traction ropes for high-rise and machine-room-less elevators, compensation chains and ropes, governor ropes) and Mining & Industry (hoisting ropes for shaft sinking and open-cast mining, heavy-industry process cranes, harbor cranes, wind-energy maintenance ropes, API-certified oil and gas drilling ropes, and extreme-length ropes for deep-sea research vessels). Production relies on proprietary strand constructions (Seale, Warrington, Filler), the 2013 cage-type stranding machine — the largest single capital investment in company history — and seven in-house test laboratories conducting 100% end-of-production quality checks. Digital offerings are limited to the rule-based DRAKO Rope Calculator (service-life and elongation estimation using the K. Feyrer formulas) and the 2018 P-PLUS service platform; both are pre-AI engineering tools rather than data-driven products.

Revenue is generated primarily through quote-based enterprise sales of hardware (wire rope products, terminations, compensation chains), supplemented by professional services covering rope installation, maintenance, and tension measurement. Certification stack — API Monogram since 1936 (first German rope maker), ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015, ISO 50001:2018, DNV, Lloyd's Register — underwrites access to safety-critical end markets. Named customers span elevator OEMs and developers (Burj Khalifa, Eiffel Tower, Shanghai World Financial Center), mining majors (Ruhrkohle AG, Kali + Salz, RWE POWER), steel and heavy industry (ThyssenKruppSteel, Saarstahl, Dillinger Hütte), port operators (Hamburg, Duisburg), wind (Enercon), oilfield services (KCA DEUTAG), and deep-sea research (FS Sonne, FS Meteor, FS Polarstern). Management of PFEIFER DRAKO sits with three Managing Directors (Heiko Stähle, Alexander Zanocco, Carlos Carranza) under group Managing Partner Gerhard Pfeifer.

Name

Pfeifer

Legal name

PFEIFER DRAKO Drahtseilwerk GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://drako.pfeifer.info

Company type

Private

Founded year

1810

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Pfeifer is a German, family-owned wire-rope manufacturer producing high-performance steel ropes for elevators, mining, heavy industry, ports, wind energy, oil and gas, and deep-sea research, supplying seven of the world's ten tallest buildings from facilities in Germany and China via direct Key Account sales across 70+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Mülheim An Der Ruhr

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Wire Rope Products: Manufacturing and sale of high-performance steel wire ropes including elevator ropes, mining ropes, industrial ropes, and specialty ropes for applications in elevators, mining, shipping, deep sea research, and wind energy.
2. Services and Technical Consulting: Technical consulting on rope selection, maintenance, service life, and elongation behavior. Rope installation, rope maintenance, and rope tension measurement services.
3. Rope Accessories and Components: Sale of rope terminations, compensation chains, care products, and maintenance equipment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

PFEIFER manufactures high-performance steel wire ropes for safety-critical and heavy-duty industrial applications, serving elevator, mining, crane and port, oil & gas, and wind energy end markets. The company produces standard rope constructions (Compac, 8-strand, 6-strand, parallel lay) and special constructions engineered for specific operating loads. Beyond manufacturing, PFEIFER provides complementary engineering and rope inspection services for industrial customers.

Product overview

PFEIFER is a German wire rope manufacturer with over 200 years of history, specializing in high-performance wire ropes for elevators, mining, and industrial applications. Their product portfolio consists of two main business units: Elevator Ropes & Services and Industry Ropes & Services. The elevator product line includes traction ropes for traction sheave elevators and hydraulic systems, compensation chains and ropes, governor ropes, along with professional installation, maintenance, and tension measurement services. The industrial segment covers hoisting ropes for mining shaft sinking, ropes for heavy industry (steel mills, process cranes), harbor cranes, port cranes, wind energy applications, oil and gas drilling, and deep-sea research vessels. A key digital offering is the DRAKO Rope Calculator - a web-based engineering tool for calculating rope service life and elongation. The company operates manufacturing facilities in Germany (Mülheim an der Ruhr) and China (Changshu), maintaining German quality standards at both locations. Seven of the world's ten tallest buildings use PFEIFER elevator ropes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• PFEIFER DRAKO Elevator Wire Ropes

Quantifiable outcome

• 12,400 meters - longest single rope ever produced (for FS Sonne research vessel)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers14 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

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Gleistein RopesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint presence at Seatrade Cruise Global trade show. Combined expertise in steel wire ropes (PFEIFER) and fiber ropes (Gleistein) provides comprehensive solutions for the cruise ship industry. Ropes for rescue boats and mooring applications.
• CovertexcoreOthersChinese subsidiary specializing in membrane products for stadium and architectural structures. Acquired in 2015. First project in Germany was supplying membranes for Mercedes-Benz Arena Stuttgart roof replacement.
• FabriteccoreOthersMembrane specialist acquired as part of PFEIFER's expansion into lightweight architecture and tensile structures.
• PFEIFER SystemscoreOthersAustrian subsidiary specializing in control engineering and special machine construction. Enables movable tensile structures.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Diepa: German specialty wire rope producer focused on high-performance elevator and crane ropes; competes for the same supertall-building and crane OEM specifiers as PFEIFER.
• CASAR Drahtseilwerk Saar: German specialty wire rope manufacturer producing high-performance crane and elevator ropes; smaller than PFEIFER but directly comparable in niche premium positioning and German engineering heritage.
• Kiswire: Korean global steel wire and wire rope producer with strong elevator and tire cord businesses — directly competes with PFEIFER in elevator and industrial ropes, particularly in Asian markets.
• WireCo WorldGroup: Major global steel wire rope manufacturer (US/European heritage) with deep elevator, crane and mining exposure; recently integrated into Bekaert but historically a direct competitor to PFEIFER DRAKO.
• Usha Martin: India's largest wire rope manufacturer with global elevator, mining and oil & gas rope sales; a growing low-cost competitor to European specialty rope makers like PFEIFER.
• Tokyo Rope Manufacturing: Long-established Japanese steel wire rope maker serving elevators, mining, marine and construction — comparable in end-market mix and premium positioning to PFEIFER.
• Bridon-Bekaert (rope division): World's largest steel wire rope and steel cord platform after Bekaert's acquisition of Bridon and WireCo WorldGroup; competes head-on with PFEIFER in elevator, mining, oil & gas and port crane ropes globally.
• Teufelberger (Redaelli rope division): Austrian-headquartered rope group whose Redaelli steel wire rope division serves elevators, cranes and mining — directly overlapping with PFEIFER's elevator and industrial rope portfolio.
• Gustav Wolf (Gustav Wolf Drahtseilwerk): German specialist steel wire rope manufacturer of comparable heritage and size to PFEIFER DRAKO; competes in elevator ropes, mining and industrial applications across European and global markets.

Emerging players

• Verope: Specialty wire rope brand serving crane, mining and elevator markets with a more focused product catalog; overlaps with PFEIFER's mid-market industrial rope lines but lacks PFEIFER's supertall-building depth.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/PfeiferGruppe
• Facebookfacebook.com/pfeifer
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pfeifer-gruppe

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Pfeifer