Fluid-Press

What Fluid-Press does

Fluid-Press (legal entity FLUID PRESS S.r.l.) is an Italian manufacturer of hydraulic valves and manifold blocks headquartered in Albinea, Reggio Emilia. Founded in 1971 as a family-owned business, the company designs and produces a comprehensive portfolio of pressure relief, sequence, pressure reducing, check, pilot operated, shuttle, hose burst, flow control, overcenter, excavator, and electric valves, offered in both in-body and cartridge configurations, plus customized special manifolds that integrate multiple functions into single units. Products are rated up to 300 L/min flow and 350 bar pressure, with steel construction, hardened internal parts and zinc plating; the company has held ISO certification since 1998.

The company's go-to-market is enterprise B2B, combining direct sales to OEM manufacturers in agricultural machinery, industrial vehicles, cranes, aerial platforms, and earth-moving equipment with a global distributor network that drives exports exceeding 50% of annual turnover. Pricing is quote-based, consistent with embedded component supply to OEMs. Since October 2022, Fluid-Press has been a wholly-owned subsidiary of DexKo Global, acquired through AL-KO Vehicle Technology, and now operates under the unified SAFIM brand alongside sister companies Safim Srl (braking systems) and Cerma Srl (precision mechanics). Revenue is generated through hardware sales of hydraulic components, with no software, subscription, or AI-driven revenue streams identified.

Name

Fluid-Press

Legal name

FLUID PRESS S.r.l.

Website

https://fluidpress.it

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Fluid-Press is an Italian manufacturer of hydraulic valves, cartridge valves and custom manifolds serving OEM manufacturers in agricultural machinery, industrial vehicles, cranes, aerial platforms and earth-moving equipment, now operating under the SAFIM brand within DexKo Global.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hydraulic Components

NAICS

Fluid Power Valve and Hose Fitting Manufacturing (332912), Industrial Valve Manufacturing (332911)

akta.pro primary industry

Valves & Cartridge Valves (Directional, Pressure, Flow Control) (IMAHAGAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Hydraulic Power Units & Systems (HPUs, Manifolds, Integrated Circuits) (IMAHAGAB)

Keywords

• Hydraulic valves
• Cartridge valves
• Manifold blocks
• Fluid power components
• Motion control valves

Headquarters

HQ city

Albinea

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Hydraulic Component Sales: B2B manufacturing and sale of hydraulic valves, cartridge valves, and manifold blocks to OEMs and industrial customers in off-highway and industrial vehicle sectors.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Fluid-Press designs, manufactures, and sells hydraulic valves and manifold blocks for off-highway and industrial fluid power applications. Its offering spans three product lines: PARTS IN BODY (in-body configured valves such as pressure relief, sequence, pressure reducing, check, pilot operated, shuttle, hose burst, flow control, overcenter, excavator, and electric valves), CARTRIDGES (cartridge-style valves in equivalent function families), and SPECIAL MANIFOLDS (customized manifold blocks combining multiple functions into compact units for OEM customers).

Product overview

Fluid-Press is a manufacturer of hydraulic valves and manifold blocks, now operating under the unified SAFIM brand alongside Safim (braking systems) and Cerma (precision mechanics). The company offers three main product lines: PARTS IN BODY (valves mounted in body configuration), CARTRIDGES (cartridge-style valves), and SPECIAL MANIFOLDS (customized blocks). Product portfolio includes pressure relief valves, sequence valves, pressure reducing valves, check valves, pilot operated valves, shuttle valves, hose burst valves, flow control valves, overcenter valves, hydraulic excavator valves, electric valves, and various specialty valves. The company has been ISO certified since 1998 and exports over 50% of production globally, serving agricultural machinery, industrial vehicles, cranes, aerial platforms, and earth-moving equipment sectors. Since 2022, the company has been part of DexKo Global, coordinated through AL-KO Vehicle Technology.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Parts in Body — Hydraulic Valves In-body mounted hydraulic valves covering pressure relief, sequence, pressure reducing, check, pilot operated, shuttle, hose burst, flow control, overcenter, excavator, electric, and various valve configurations. Designed for OEM integration into hydraulic circuits of off-highway and industrial machinery, providing overpressure protection, sequenced actuation, downstream pressure regulation, unidirectional flow, pilot control, automatic port selection, hose-failure safety, and flow rate regulation.
• Cartridges — Cartridge Hydraulic Valves Cartridge-style hydraulic valves available in pressure relief, sequence, pressure reducing, check, pilot operated, shuttle, flow restrictor (unidirectional, bidirectional, compensated, flow divider/combiner), overcenter (balanced and unbalanced), electric (normally open, normally closed, and 3-way), and various configurations with SAE, metric, and SUN standard cavity options. Targeted at OEMs requiring compact, serviceable valve installations in hydraulic systems.
• Special Manifolds — Customized Manifold Blocks Customised special manifolds (blocchi personalizzati) built to specific customer requests, integrating two or more hydraulic functions into a single manifold block. Designed to reduce installation time, system maintenance, manifold size, number of ports, machining costs, and external connections while delivering more compact valve packages for OEM hydraulic architectures.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AL-KO Vehicle TechnologycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAL-KO Vehicle Technology coordinates operations of Safim, Fluid-Press, and Cerma within DexKo Global, ensuring strategic alignment, operational synergies, and shared industrial vision at global level.
• SafimcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSafim and Fluid-Press have unified under the SAFIM brand, combining expertise in braking system components and motion control & electrical components. Both operate within DexKo Global, coordinated by AL-KO Vehicle Technology.
• CermaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCerma, also part of DexKo Global's hydraulics business, develops and manufactures high-precision hydraulic valves and manifolds. Located in Vezzano sul Crostolo, Italy, Cerma works closely with Safim and Fluid-Press under AL-KO coordination.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bucher Hydraulics: Swiss-based manufacturer of hydraulic valves, pumps, and power units for agricultural, construction, and material handling OEMs. Closely comparable mid-sized European specialist profile with strong focus on off-highway mobile applications, similar to Fluid-Press's primary customer segments.
• Sun Hydraulics: US-based specialist manufacturer of cartridge valves and hydraulic integrated circuits (manifolds). Directly comparable in the cartridge valve and special manifold categories that represent Fluid-Press's core product lines, serving similar mobile/off-highway OEM customers.
• Hawe Hydraulik: German specialist manufacturer of hydraulic valves, pumps, and power units for mobile and stationary applications. Closely comparable mid-sized specialist profile to Fluid-Press, with overlapping product lines (directional, pressure, and flow control valves) and similar European mid-market OEM customer base.
• Moog (Industrial Group): Specialist in high-performance hydraulic valves, servo valves, and proportional control systems for industrial and mobile applications. Comparable in the electrohydraulic valve category (overlap with Fluid-Press's electric valves) and similar customer focus on demanding off-highway applications.
• Atos (now part of Duplomatic): Italian-headquartered specialist manufacturer of directional control valves, cartridge valves, and hydraulic proportional/servo valves for industrial and mobile applications. Closest direct peer to Fluid-Press given shared Italian engineering heritage, similar product lines (cartridge and in-body valves), and overlapping customer base in agricultural and construction OEMs.

Broad incumbents

• Bosch Rexroth: Global market leader in hydraulic valves, pumps, and motion control. Directly comparable product overlap (directional, pressure, flow control valves; manifolds) and serves the same off-highway and industrial OEM customers as Fluid-Press, but at vastly larger scale and broader portfolio.
• Parker Hannifin: Major diversified manufacturer of hydraulic valves (including cartridge valves), motion control systems, and fluid connectors. Strongly comparable product portfolio and global OEM distribution model, though Parker is a multi-billion-dollar conglomerate with much broader end-market exposure.
• HYDAC International: Global supplier of hydraulic valves, accumulators, filtration, and fluid power components with a strong presence in mobile machinery and industrial applications. Comparable in the hydraulic valve and manifold categories serving the same off-highway OEM customer base.
• Eaton (Hydraulics group): Manufacturer of hydraulic valves, pumps, and motion control products for mobile and industrial applications. Directly comparable product portfolio in directional, pressure, and flow control valves, and similar OEM customer base in construction and agricultural equipment.
• Danfoss Power Solutions: Global manufacturer of hydraulic valves, pumps, motors, and electronic controls for off-highway vehicles. Strongly comparable in the hydraulic valve product category and overlapping customer segments (agricultural, construction, material handling OEMs), but at much larger scale and with broader system-level offerings.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Fluid-Press