What Caldaro does

Caldaro AB is a Stockholm-headquartered, privately held OEM manufacturer of customer-adapted industrial control components, founded in 1993 and operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of the publicly listed Swedish technical solutions group Addtech. The company designs and develops joysticks (full-grip C14/C09, palm-grip C15/C17/C06, fingertip C16/C02/C03A/C03B/C04A/S04A), industrial pedals (P09 floor-mounted, P11 wall-mounted), position sensors (potentiometers and contactless Hall-effect/inductive), and custom marine controls. Its technology stack centers on proprietary IP including the patented C17 friction-hold mechanism tested over 2 million load cycles, potted electronics for IP67 environmental protection, self-developed CAN interfaces with dual 32-bit processors, and modular grip families (Viper, Lion, Gecko, Cobra). All physical production is outsourced to approximately 100 production workers, while design, development, and engineering are retained at the Stockholm headquarters and supported by external consultants.

The company operates a B2B OEM go-to-market model, engaging directly with the development departments of major machine manufacturers to co-develop customized control solutions for cranes, mining, forestry, maritime, material handling, agriculture, medical, and construction applications. Named enterprise customers include Hiab, Epiroc, Konecranes, Sandvik, Shantui Construction Machinery, Technion, Vimek, Vilakone Oy, and ZEGA. Revenue is generated primarily through hardware sales of customized components, with development and prototyping services priced at cost rather than at margin. The company maintains sales offices in the UK (Letchworth), Germany (Altomünster), and the US (Hudson, WI), an exclusive sales partnership in China with Nanjing Shunmei Science & Technology Co., Ltd., and serves customers in 40+ countries. Caldaro holds ISO 9001 and 14001:2015 certifications (valid through December 2026), is a UN Global Compact signatory since 2019, and achieved the Ecovadis Platinum Medal in 2024 (top 1% globally).

Name

Caldaro

Legal name

Caldaro AB

Website

https://caldaro.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Caldaro AB is a Stockholm-based OEM manufacturer of customer-adapted industrial joysticks, pedals, position sensors, and marine controls, supplying major machine builders in mining, forestry, maritime, construction, and material handling across 40+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Stockholm

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. OEM Component Sales: Sale of customized industrial joysticks, pedals, sensors, and marine controls to OEM machine manufacturers. Products are designed and manufactured to customer specifications with numerous adaptation possibilities.
2. Custom Product Development: Close collaboration with customers to develop customer-unique products. Philosophy is to not profit from development and prototyping but to cover costs, with revenue generated through product sales.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Caldaro designs, develops and supplies customer-adapted industrial control components as a leading OEM supplier to major industrial machine manufacturers. Its core offering spans industrial joysticks (full-grip, palm-grip and fingertip variants), industrial foot pedals (floor and wall-mounted), position sensors (potentiometers and contactless Hall-effect/inductive sensors), and custom-made high-precision marine and offshore controls. Products are built to withstand harsh environments, with extensive customization in grip, electronics, output signals and communication interfaces such as J1939, CAN-Open, CANbus and CANopen Safety.

Product overview

Caldaro is the leading OEM supplier of customer-adapted industrial control components, specializing in a comprehensive portfolio of products designed for harsh environments. The core offering encompasses three main product categories: industrial joysticks (available in full grip, palm grip, and fingertip types), industrial pedals (floor-mounted and wall-mounted), and position sensors (potentiometers and contactless Hall effect/inductive sensors), complemented by custom marine controls. The joystick lineup includes heavy-duty models like the C14 Viper-series and C09 Cobra (full grip), the rugged C15 and C17 with Viper Slim, Lion, and Gecko grips (palm grip), and compact fingertip models (C16, C02, C03A/B, C04A, S04A). Pedal offerings include the P09 floor-mounted and P11 wall-mounted/suspended designs. All products feature extensive customization options including communication interfaces (J1939, CAN-Open, CANbus, CANopen Safety) and protection classes up to IP67. The company outsources production while maintaining design and development expertise at headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Viper: A series of professional multi-function handles for excavators, wheel loaders, container trucks, mining machines and special vehicles. Made of dual-casted plastic with hard inner core and soft outer shell. Available in Standard, Plus, Medium, and XT variants.
• Viper Slim
• Lion
• Gecko
• Cobra

Products and services

• C17 Friction-Hold Joystick Single-axis palm-grip joystick with patented friction-hold technology designed for slow-moving off-highway vehicles such as asphalt pavers and drilling rigs. Maintains position without springing back to center with variable friction adjustable during installation; tested over 2 million cycles without degradation.
• C15 Joystick Compact palm-grip joystick with 1-4 axes, deflection options of ±9°, ±12° or 20°, and electronics potted in protective compound for harsh-environment use. Available with CANbus and CANopen Safety (including CANopen Safety variant launched 2024).
• C06 Series Joystick Highly versatile palm-grip joystick customizable in almost any configuration, with multiple detents, switches, friction-hold function, varied operating angles, spring forces and output signals. Available with long-life potentiometers or Hall sensors.
• C14 Viper-series Joystick Heavy-duty full-grip joystick providing combination of size and precision for mining and construction applications. Features contactless Hall-effect sensors, protected electronics, up to IP67 protection class, available with J1939 and CAN-Open field bus interfaces.
• C09 Cobra Full-Grip Joystick Heavy-duty full-grip joystick built for durable operations with modular design and numerous adaptation possibilities. Supports friction-hold, customizable joystick movements and gated control, switch and detent functions. Compatible with potentiometer or Hall sensor control.
• C16 Fingertip Joystick Single-axis mini fingertip joystick built on 20 years of experience in toughest usage conditions, with completely sealed electronics, unique rubber gaiter protection, and protection class up to IP67. Ideal for precision machines, forklifts and remote controls.
• C02 Fingertip Joystick Narrow-dimension multi-axis fingertip joystick with proportional output on all axes. Modular design with customizable options and 3-axis Z-axis in joystick head, suitable for medical and industrial applications.
• C03A Fingertip Joystick Narrow-dimension 3-axis fingertip joystick with proportional redundant output on all axes. Hall-effect technology, robust compact design and spring return to center, suitable for medical and industrial applications.
• C03B Fingertip Joystick Very small-sized fingertip joystick controller with long life-expectancy, high reliability and robustness. Can be assembled from above or under panel; integrates into Viper and Cobra grips for menu selection.
• C04A Fingertip Joystick Fingertip-controlled 1-axis joystick for industrial, maritime and vehicle applications. Available with potentiometer or Hall-effect sensor for proportional output, or special code switch for ON/OFF function, with spring return, stay-put friction or spring return with travel detents.
• S04A Fingertip Joystick Compact fingertip joystick designed for small spaces, can be integrated into panels or into joysticks for 3rd-axis proportional control. Features spring return, Hall-effect sensor or potentiometer, with length of 41mm.
• P09 Industrial Pedal Floor-mounted foot pedal designed for heavy-duty throttle, brake and retardation control with simplified design and fewer components. Features low pivot point for ergonomic operation, encapsulated electronics, compact 200mm length, and 10-million cycle durability.
• P11 Industrial Pedal Suspended wall-mounted pedal with unique protected design approved by European Union Intellectual Property Office. Made of aluminum with anodizing and powder coating for harshest conditions, slim 175mm compact design, patent-protected disruptive design.
• Position Sensors (Potentiometers and Contactless Sensors) Position sensors including wire-wound or conductive plastic potentiometers in rotating and linear versions, plus contactless Hall-effect and inductive sensors. Used by industrial customers since early 1980s across both rotating and linear applications.
• Marine Controls Customized high-precision solutions for marine and offshore applications including Dynamic Positioning Systems, propulsion control, propeller pitch, rudder control, thrusters, deck winches, operator chairs, offshore cranes, fishing radars and CCTV systems.

Quantifiable outcome

• C17 friction-hold joystick maintains calibrated resistance for over 2 million load cycles
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Nanjing Shunmei Science & Technology Co., Ltd.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSales partner based in Nanjing, China that simplifies contacts with manufacturers in China. Provides local sales support, customer engagement, and trademark registration services in the Chinese market.
• TechnionflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerFinnish company developing electronic control systems for forestry cranes. Long-term partnership since 2017 for delivering customised joysticks tuned to Technion's specific needs for LtCrane and xCrane PRO systems.
• HiabcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwedish company providing smart and sustainable load-handling solutions. Collaborated with Caldaro to create CANopen Safety C15 joystick with Viper Slim grip for HIAB Loader Cranes, requiring potted electronics in both base and grip.
• EpiroccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMining and construction equipment manufacturer. Longtime development partnership resulting in Viper Slim joystick with small dimensions and high resolution for ergonomic drilling rig control.
• AddtechflagshipOthersPublicly listed Swedish technical solutions group (140+ companies, ~20 countries). Caldaro is one of Addtech's companies. Parent company with shared vision goals for sustainability, gender equality, and CO2 intensity reduction.
• University of Calgary Solar Car TeamminorOthersAcademic team developing renewable energy solutions. Caldaro sponsors the solar car project as a future-oriented sustainable initiative.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Apem (IDEC): Apem, part of IDEC, is a leading manufacturer of industrial joysticks, switches, and control panels for harsh-environment OEM equipment — directly competing with Caldaro across heavy machinery, medical, and material handling applications.
• OTTO Controls: OTTO Controls designs and manufactures precision joysticks, grips, and control panels for off-road, industrial, and military applications; a direct competitor in heavy-equipment fingertip and palm-grip joysticks.
• Sure Grip Controls: Sure Grip Controls produces industrial joysticks and electronic controls for cranes, loaders, and material-handling equipment; an especially close peer in the loader crane / forestry crane segments where Caldaro serves Technion and Hiab.
• Elobau: Elobau is a German manufacturer of joysticks, foot pedals, and position sensors for mobile machinery and medical devices, with overlapping customized-OEM go-to-market that closely mirrors Caldaro's model.
• Curtiss-Wright (Penny & Giles Controls): Penny & Giles, within Curtiss-Wright, supplies ruggedized joysticks and position sensors for off-highway, military, and medical markets — directly comparable in product mix and customer profile to Caldaro.
• Sakae (Japan): Sakae is the Japanese joystick manufacturer that supplied Caldaro at founding and remains an ongoing partner and competitor; comparable in potentiometer/Hall-effect joystick technology for industrial OEMs.

Broad incumbents

• Parker Hannifin: Parker Hannifin's motion and control technologies division supplies industrial joysticks, pedals, and sensors across a much broader portfolio; an incumbent with overlapping capability in heavy-equipment OEMs served by Caldaro.
• Bosch Rexroth: Bosch Rexroth offers human-machine interfaces and control electronics for mobile machinery, mining, and forestry OEMs; a broad incumbent with overlapping but non-specialized offerings versus Caldaro.
• Honeywell: Honeywell's industrial sensors and control products portfolio overlaps with Caldaro's position-sensor and joystick lines for industrial OEMs, though it operates as a much larger diversified supplier.
• Sensata Technologies: Sensata manufactures sensors and electrical protection devices for industrial and heavy-vehicle applications, overlapping with Caldaro's position-sensor business at a much larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/caldaro

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Caldaro