What Hewi does

HEWI (HEWI G. Winker GmbH & Co. KG) is a privately-held German Mittelstand manufacturer founded in 1955 and headquartered in Spaichingen, Baden-Württemberg. The company specializes in safety-relevant fasteners and cold-extruded parts — including lightweight nuts, washer nuts with captive locking systems, gear nuts, wheel nuts for trucks, housings, bushings, and screw plugs — used in gearboxes, steering systems, chassis, dampers, and wheel carriers. Its core manufacturing technology is cold (solid) forming on horizontal presses with in-house engineered multi-stage tooling, enabling near-net-shape production with high dimensional accuracy and minimal material loss; the process is complemented by thread cutting, heat treatment, surface coating, and CNC finishing. HEWI operates two Spaichingen plants producing approximately 7 million safety elements per day, supported by a 15,500 m² automated high-bay warehouse.

The company sells exclusively on a direct B2B basis to automotive OEMs and tier-1/tier-2 suppliers across Europe and Asia, with a documented customer base including Magna, BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Ford, Renault, Nissan, Volvo, Škoda, SEAT, and SAIC. Pricing is quote-based and contract-negotiated rather than publicly listed. The company holds worldwide patents on its flagship Lightweight Nut (Leichtbaumutter) and H3C captive locking system, and maintains the full automotive certification stack (IATF 16949:2016, ISO 9001/14001/50001/45001, TISAX). International operations are conducted through wholly-owned subsidiaries in Kaohsiung (Taiwan) and Nanjing (China), a newly established manufacturing subsidiary HEWI FORMTECH in Deta, Romania (founded 2023, production since 2024), and the AHWION joint venture with Anton Häring KG formed in 2024. With approximately 600 employees, HEWI is one of the largest employers in the Spaichingen area and is entirely self-funded/family-owned with no venture or institutional capital disclosed.

Name

Hewi

Legal name

HEWI G. Winker GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://hewi-group.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1955

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

HEWI is a family-owned German manufacturer (est. 1955) producing safety-critical fasteners and cold-extruded parts — including patented lightweight nuts — directly to global automotive OEMs and tier-1 suppliers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Spaichingen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Fasteners and Cold Extruded Parts Sales: HEWI generates revenue by manufacturing and selling safety-relevant fasteners (nuts, screw plugs, wheel nuts, gear nuts, washer nuts) and cold extruded parts (housings, bushings) to automotive OEMs and mechanical engineering companies. The company operates on a direct B2B basis with long-term supply relationships with major international automotive manufacturers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

HEWI manufactures safety-critical fasteners and cold extruded parts for the automotive and mechanical engineering industries. The company uses cold (solid) forming as its core manufacturing process to produce nuts, screw plugs, wheel nuts, gear nuts, washer nuts, housings, and bushings. Products are sold to automotive OEMs and tier suppliers for use in safety-relevant applications such as gearboxes, steering systems, chassis, damper systems, and wheel carriers.

Product overview

HEWI (HEWI G. Winker GmbH & Co. KG) is a German medium-sized company specializing in secure fasteners and cold extruded parts for the automotive and mechanical engineering industries. The company offers a portfolio of locking and fastening elements including patented lightweight nuts, washer nuts with H3C captive locking systems, precision-turned gear nuts, wheel nuts for trucks, housings, and bushings. These products serve safety-critical applications in gearboxes, steering systems, chassis, damper systems, wheel carriers, and control arms. The production processes include cold forming as a core manufacturing method, thread cutting, heat treatment, surface coating, tempering, plastic parts production, finishing, and quality control.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Lightweight Nut (Leichtbaumutter) Patented nut offering significant mass reduction while maintaining conventional screw technology, used in safety-relevant automotive applications.
• Washer Nuts with H3C Captive Locking System Washer nuts featuring a connecting sleeve and H3C captive locking system with freely rotatable pulley and constant friction values for safety-relevant applications.
• Precision-Turned Gear Nut Precision-turned nut for gearbox installation with tight axial run-out tolerances, residual dirt requirements, and various fuse types.
• Wheel Nuts for Trucks Wheel nuts for fastening light alloy wheels of trucks, produced cost-efficiently in cold forming net-shape quality with friction-optimized coating for multiple tightening performance and high corrosion resistance.
• Housings with/without Collar Precision housings for installation in controlled damper systems, chassis, and dampers, available with or without close-coupled CNC machining, supplied as racked goods.
• Cold Extruded Bushings Cold extruded bushings for chassis applications in control arm and traction gear connections between wheel carrier and suspension and guide links, offering high shape tolerance with or without downstream CNC machining.
• Screw Plugs Various screw plugs for safety-relevant applications in automotive and mechanical engineering sectors.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 30% steel savings per lightweight nut vs. conventional nuts, enabling ~50 tons steel saved daily in production
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 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.

• Anton Häring KGcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHEWI and Anton Häring KG formed the AHWION joint venture, combining their expertise, experience, and process know-how. The joint venture relies on innovative processes to manufacture high-precision, high-performance products for customers without compromising on quality. This is a strategic partnership of two globally successful technology companies.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Böllhoff: German family-owned manufacturer of fastening and assembly technology with deep automotive customer relationships. Closely comparable to HEWI in cold-forming expertise, safety-critical fastening focus, and mid-size German Mittelstand positioning with global manufacturing footprint.
• Bossard: Swiss specialist in fastening solutions with dedicated automotive industry team. Comparable to HEWI as a high-mix precision fastener supplier serving global automotive OEMs with engineering and logistics services alongside manufacturing.
• Arnold Umformtechnik: German specialist in cold-formed, screw-machine and forged fastening components for automotive safety applications. Directly comparable to HEWI in technology (cold forming/screw machining), customer base (European OEMs), and Mittelstand positioning.
• KAMAX: Specialist manufacturer of high-strength fasteners for automotive chassis, powertrain, and safety applications, with sites in Europe, North America, and Asia. Directly comparable to HEWI as a long-standing Tier-2 fastener supplier to global automotive OEMs.
• LISI Automotive: Division of French LISI Group focused on safety-critical fasteners and assembly solutions for global automotive OEMs. Directly comparable to HEWI in product (high-strength bolts, nuts, studs), end-markets (chassis, powertrain, safety), and European Mittelstand-style safety-supplier profile.
• A. Raymond: French privately-held supplier of fastening systems and assembly solutions to global automotive OEMs. Comparable to HEWI as a Tier-2 fastening specialist serving safety-relevant applications across driveline, chassis, and interior with global manufacturing presence.
• Nedschroef: Dutch cold-forming and forging specialist producing high-strength fasteners and components for the automotive industry globally. Directly comparable to HEWI in cold-forming technology focus, safety-critical fastener portfolio, and Tier-2 automotive supplier positioning.
• Fontana Gruppo: Italian manufacturer of fastening systems and cold-formed components for major automotive OEMs. Directly comparable to HEWI as a European Tier-2 supplier in cold-formed safety fasteners serving the same global OEM customer base.

Broad incumbents

• Würth Industrie / Würth Group: Global leader in fastening and assembly materials across automotive, construction, and industrial end-markets. While massively broader in scope than HEWI, its automotive fastening business overlaps directly in core SKUs (nuts, studs, specialty fasteners) and competes for similar OEM wallet share.
• Mubea: German-led global manufacturer of automotive precision components including chassis springs, torsion profiles, and adjacent precision parts. Comparable to HEWI on the chassis-component overlap (HEWI's cold-extruded bushings/wheel-related parts) and German Tier-2 automotive supplier profile, though broader in product range.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries4 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 Hewi