What ATS Group does

ATS Group is a privately held French industrial engineering firm (SAS, registered capital €758,586.35) headquartered in Mulhouse, France, tracing its origin to Tourtellier Systèmes founded in 1866. The group designs, manufactures, installs, and commissions automated conveyor systems and light cranes, delivering bespoke turn-key handling solutions rather than catalog products. Its portfolio spans roller conveyors, chain conveyors, power and free conveyors, stacker cranes, pallet conveyors (including the A-Kart High Speed Pallet Transport System), the Tourtellier light cranes line, and Walter Materials Handling's alternative-fuel feeding systems for cement kilns (handling RDF, biomass, and industrial residues). Targeted verticals include automotive OEMs and suppliers (paint shops, bodyshops, powertrain, final assembly), trucks and agricultural machinery, aeronautics, cement plants, food industry and cold-chain logistics, pharma/cosmetics/chemicals, infectious hospital waste handling, logistics, and large retail distribution centers.

Commercially, ATS operates on a project-based, direct enterprise sales model with no public pricing and no e-commerce or self-serve channel. Revenue is generated through one-time equipment sales, project delivery, and commissioning services, typically requiring long sales cycles and field-engineering engagement. The company executes internationally through six wholly-owned entities in France, Germany (HERO Fördertechnik), India (Pune manufacturing facility), the United States (Algonquin, IL), Turkey (Istanbul), and Latvia (via the Swiss flavours partnership). Named reference customers include Renault Sandouville, Mercedes-Benz, MAHLE Behr Mexico, LOV (Limbach, Germany), Endress & Hauser, and a Walter Materials Handling installation at a cement plant in Lugait, Philippines. The group structure features five regional market entities and two acquired legacy brands retained as sub-brands, with leadership held by Luc Rieffel (CEO / Gérant) under private ownership with no external institutional investment identified.

Name

ATS Group

Legal name

ATS Group

Website

https://ats-group.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1866

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

ATS Group is a privately held French industrial engineering firm that designs, manufactures, installs, and commissions bespoke automated conveyor systems and light cranes for global enterprise customers across automotive, cement, food, pharma, aeronautics, and logistics verticals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Materials Handling Equipment

NAICS

Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing (333310), Food Product Machinery Manufacturing (333241)

SIC

General Industrial Machinery & Equipment (3560), Special Industry Machinery (No Metalworking Machinery) (3550), Industrial Trucks, Tractors, Trailors & Stackers (3537)

akta.pro primary industry

Bulk Material Handling Systems (Belt Conveyors, Feeders, Stackers, Reclaimers) (IMAHABAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cranes, Hoists & Overhead Material Handling (Industrial) (IMAHABAE), Conveying, Hoisting & Materials Handling Systems (Conveyors, Stackers/Reclaimers, Winches) (IMAKANAE)

Keywords

• Industrial conveyor systems
• Automated materials handling
• Light crane manufacturing
• Automotive conveyor solutions
• Alternative fuel feeding systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Mulhouse

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Conveyor System Design and Manufacturing: Design, manufacture, and supply of custom conveyor systems including roller conveyors, chain conveyors, power and free conveyors, and stacker cranes for industrial applications.
2. Installation and Commissioning Services: Full project delivery including installation, electrification, automation, and commissioning of conveyor systems globally.
3. Alternative Fuel Feeding Systems: Turnkey solutions for cement plants including storage, transport, dosing, and injection systems for alternative fuels.
4. Light Crane Systems: Manufacture and supply of Tourtellier light cranes for industrial ergonomics and material handling since 1866.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

ATS Group is a worldwide turn-key system supplier that designs, manufactures, installs, and commissions automated conveyor systems and light cranes. Its portfolio spans roller conveyors, chain conveyors, power and free conveyors, skid conveyors, stacker cranes, pallet handling systems, and Tourtellier light cranes, together with Walter Materials Handling alternative fuel feeding systems for cement plants. The company delivers integrated projects from functional analysis through to start-up across automotive, cement, food, logistics, and other industrial sectors.

Product overview

ATS Group is a worldwide turn-key system supplier specializing in the design, manufacturing, and installation & commissioning of automated conveyor systems and light cranes. Founded in France in 1866, the group offers a portfolio of integrated product solutions including pallet conveyor systems, bodyshop layouts, paintshop layouts, stacker cranes, light cranes (under the Tourtellier brand since 1866), and alternative fuel feeding systems (Walter Materials Handling brand). The products serve diverse industries including automotive, trucks, aeronautics, cement plants, food industry, pharma/cosmetics, logistics, and large retail. ATS Group operates internationally with subsidiaries in France (Tourtellier Systèmes, Walter Materials Handling), Germany (Hero Fördertechnik), India (ATS Conveyors India), USA (ATS Conveyors Corp.), Turkey (ATS T Conveyors), and Latvia (Swiss flavours). The company provides services from functional analysis through to start-up and commissioning.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Tourtellier Systèmes: Light cranes brand established in 1866, known for innovative and optimized products with unrivaled ergonomics and safety. Based in Mulhouse, France.
• HERO Fördertechnik
• ATS Conveyors India
• ATS Conveyors Corp.
• ATS T Conveyors
• Walter Materials Handling (ATS Walter)

Products and services

• Pallet Conveyor System Automated conveyor system designed for transporting pallets through industrial processes including radiators, automotive components, and other loaded units in manufacturing and logistics environments.
• Bodyshop Layout Complete conveyor layout solution for automotive bodyshop applications, integrating conveyors with manufacturing workflows for body-in-white assembly.
• Paintshop Layout Conveyor systems and layout solutions designed specifically for paint shop environments, including power and free loops and cooling cells for automotive painting processes.
• Solutions for Alternative Fuels (Walter Materials Handling) Integrated storage, transport, dosing, and injection systems for alternative fuels such as RDF, biomass, and industrial residues in cement kilns. Sold under the Walter Materials Handling / ATS Walter brand.
• Light Cranes (Tourtellier) Aluminum light crane systems providing ergonomic and safe overhead materials handling for industrial workstations, with heritage dating back to the 1866 founding of Tourtellier Systèmes.
• Stacker Cranes Automated storage and retrieval systems used to handle painted bodies (e.g., Mercedes-Benz PBS installation) and other industrial loads in manufacturing facilities.
• A-Kart High Speed Pallet Transport System High-speed pallet transport system designed for logistics and materials handling applications.
• Automated Conveyor Systems Core offering covering the design, manufacturing, installation and commissioning of automated conveying systems including roller conveyors, chain conveyors, skid conveyors, and power and free conveyors for industrial applications.
• Customer Service (Installation, Electrification, Automation, Commissioning) Full project delivery services including installation, electrification, automation, and commissioning of conveyor systems globally, from functional analysis through to start-up.

Quantifiable outcome

• MAHLE Behr Mexico project: 127-metre double-deck conveyor line achieving 300 transport units per hour (one pallet every 12 seconds).
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Swiss flavoursminorOthersPartnership with Swiss flavours company based in Riga, Latvia. Nature of partnership appears to be operational/location sharing rather than technology or commercial partnership.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Dematic: Global intralogistics and material-handling systems integrator offering conveyor, sortation, and automated storage solutions. Closely comparable to ATS Group's conveyor and pallet-handling product lines, with overlap in automotive and logistics end-markets but significantly larger scale and software stack.
• Vanderlande: Materials handling and logistics automation specialist serving airports, warehousing, and parcel sectors. Comparable to ATS Group in conveyor and automated pallet handling, with deeper software/controls integration and broader Fortune 500 customer base.
• Swisslog: Provider of automated warehousing, conveyor, and intralogistics solutions with strong European footprint. Directly comparable to ATS Group's logistics and pallet-handling business, with additional robotics capabilities.
• TGW Logistics Group: Austrian-headquartered intralogistics specialist offering conveyor systems, pallet storage, and order fulfillment automation. Comparable to ATS Group's automated pallet handling and conveyor offerings, particularly in European retail and 3PL end-markets.
• Beumer Group: Family-owned German manufacturer of intralogistics and conveying systems, including belt conveyors and palletizers. Directly comparable to ATS Group in conveyor systems design and manufacturing, with broader product range and stronger position in cement/bulk handling.
• FlexLink (Coesia): Part of Coesia, FlexLink designs and produces conveyor systems and material-flow solutions primarily for assembly and packaging applications. Directly comparable to ATS Group's roller/chain conveyors and automotive bodyshop offerings.

Broad incumbents

• Fives Group: French industrial engineering group supplying process equipment, materials handling, and combustion systems across cement, steel, and aerospace. Comparable to ATS Group via its cement-plant equipment and materials handling exposure, but operates as a much broader portfolio incumbent.
• Siemens Digital Industries: Global industrial automation incumbent offering PLCs, drives, and integrated motion control that underpin modern conveyor and material-handling systems. Comparable as an incumbent competitor in industrial automation rather than as a direct conveyor manufacturer; ATS Group integrates with Siemens controls.
• Bosch Rexroth: Global supplier of drive and control technology, including conveyor sub-systems, factory automation, and linear motion. Comparable to ATS Group's industrial handling systems via its conveyor and assembly automation portfolio, with much broader technology scope.

Regional players

• Hörmann Intralogistics: German intralogistics provider of conveyor, storage, and order-picking systems. Comparable to ATS Group's automated pallet handling business, with primary focus on DACH-region customers rather than the global project footprint of ATS Group.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCLWc_Khsxrzt_eq3nwAbw0Q
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ats-group-walter-materials-handling

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries6 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 ATS Group