What Spohn + Burkhardt does

Spohn + Burkhardt GmbH + Co. KG is a family-owned German manufacturer of industrial human-machine interface (HMI) control hardware, headquartered in Blaubeuren, Germany and founded in 1920. Its product portfolio centers on joysticks, control stations, handles, foot pedals, portable control panels, on-deck controllers, switches, and industrial resistors, supported by wholly-owned subsidiaries for operator cabins (spobu-cabins.com), resistors (spobu-resistors.com), and metal processing (spobu-metall.de). The company's technical differentiator is modular product architecture combined with proprietary wear-free 3D Hall sensor technology in the HS0 joystick line, designed to deliver reliability in demanding industrial environments.

The firm serves six primary end-markets: tower cranes, construction machinery, general industry (steel mills, waste incineration, cement plants, and materials handling/conveyors), ships/harbors, agricultural technology, and railway. Its go-to-market combines direct enterprise sales for custom-engineered solutions, a global distributor and representative network, and a self-service online shop (spobu.shop). Revenue is generated through hardware product sales (both one-off custom and large-scale production) and customized engineering services, with no public pricing disclosure.

Operationally, Spohn + Burkhardt employs 251-500 staff at its Blaubeuren site and reports active global deployment of its products on construction sites, in trains, harbors, and industrial plants. Its distribution and digital channels span a multilingual website (DE/EN/FR/RU/CN/US/NL/IT), professional consulting, trade-fair participation, and emerging social-media presence (LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Xing). The business is private, family-owned, and shows no evidence of external investment, public listing, or recent M&A activity in the available data.

Name

Spohn + Burkhardt

Legal name

Spohn + Burkhardt GmbH + Co. KG

Website

https://spobu.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1920

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Spohn + Burkhardt is a family-owned German manufacturer of ergonomic joysticks, control stations, handles, foot pedals, and industrial resistors serving tower cranes, construction machinery, ships/harbors, railway, agricultural, and industrial-plant OEMs worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Control Hardware

NAICS

Relay and Industrial Control Manufacturing (335314)

SIC

Electrical Industrial Apparatus (3620)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial Controllers & Control Systems (PLCs, PACs, CNC Controllers) (IMAHAHAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Motion Control Components (Servos, Drives, Motors, Encoders) (IMAHAHAG)

Keywords

• Industrial joystick controllers
• Operator control stations
• Human-machine interface hardware
• Heavy machinery control systems
• Industrial resistors components

Headquarters

HQ city

Blaubeuren

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Hardware product sales: Revenue generated from the sale of physical control products including joysticks, control stations, handles, foot pedals, portable control panels, and on-deck controllers. Both one-off custom solutions and large-scale production are offered.
2. Customized solutions and engineering services: Customized solutions and engineering services for specific customer requirements across various industrial sectors.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Spohn + Burkhardt manufactures and sells ergonomic industrial control hardware including joysticks, operator control stations, handles, foot pedals, switches, portable control panels, on-deck controllers, and industrial resistors. The company serves tower cranes, construction machinery, industrial plants, ships and harbors, agricultural technology, and railway sectors through both one-off custom solutions and large-scale production.

Product overview

Spohn + Burkhardt is a manufacturer of industrial control hardware comprising joysticks, control stations, handles, foot pedals, switches, resistors, portable control panels, and on-deck controllers. The product portfolio follows a modular structure where components (joysticks like HS0, handles like G56/G58) can be combined into integrated control stations (like FSMMD) and customized solutions. The company serves sectors including tower cranes, construction machinery, industry (steel mill, waste incineration, cement plant, materials handling), ships/harbors, agricultural technology, and railway. Products are offered alongside supporting services including an online shop, modular structure systems, global network support, and professional consulting.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Spohn + Burkhardt Cabins: Cabins for ship and port sector applications
• Spohn + Burkhardt Resistors

Products and services

• Joysticks Ergonomic joystick controllers with wear-free 3D Hall sensor technology and metal drive blocks, available in various sizes for industrial applications such as cranes, construction machinery, and industrial plants.
• Handles Configurable handle grips (including G56 and G58 lines) with individually adjustable front-side and rear-side insert plates for industrial control applications.
• Control Stations Operator control stations (including the FSMMD model) with integrated memory functions, electrically adjustable seat and console positions, and motorized rotation for multi-shift industrial operations.
• Resistors

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Spohn + Burkhardt CabinsminorOthersExternal partner website for cabin products (spobu-cabins.com) - related company entity providing cabin solutions as part of the product ecosystem
• Spohn + Burkhardt ResistorsminorOthersExternal partner website for resistor products (spobu-resistors.com) - related company entity providing electrical resistor solutions
• Spohn + Burkhardt Metal ProcessingminorOthersExternal partner website (spobu-metall.de) for metal processing services - related company entity providing metal fabrication as part of the value chain

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• IDEC (Apem): IDEC acquired Apem to form one of the largest industrial joystick, switch, and control component portfolios globally. Directly competes with Spohn + Burkhardt in industrial joysticks, control stations, and HMI components for similar OEM customers.
• Sensata Technologies (CH Products): Sensata's CH Products line manufactures industrial-grade joysticks and Hall-effect controls used in construction, agriculture, and material handling. Direct overlap with Spohn + Burkhardt's Hall-sensor joystick offering and target verticals.
• Curtiss-Wright (Penny + Giles): Penny + Giles, a Curtiss-Wright brand, makes position sensors and joystick controls for industrial, medical, and off-highway applications. Closest direct peer in ruggedized Hall-effect joysticks and proportional controls for cranes and heavy machinery.
• P-Q Controls: P-Q Controls is a specialist manufacturer of industrial joysticks and controllers for cranes, locomotives, and material handling equipment. Niche direct competitor with comparable product positioning to Spohn + Burkhardt.
• OTT Controls: OTT Controls manufactures industrial joysticks and control devices for cranes, construction equipment, and special vehicles. German-based direct competitor with similar target customers and product overlap in joystick and control station categories.
• Euchner: Euchner is a German manufacturer of industrial safety switches, joysticks, and control devices serving machine safety and automation markets. Direct overlap with Spohn + Burkhardt in safety-rated control components for industrial machinery.
• JLC Industries: JLC Industries designs and manufactures industrial joystick controls and operator interface devices for material handling and off-highway vehicles. Comparable niche competitor serving similar OEM customers.

Broad incumbents

• Parker Hannifin: Parker Hannifin is a diversified motion and control technologies leader with a broad industrial portfolio including electromechanical controls and human-machine interface products. Larger incumbent with overlapping but much wider scope than Spohn + Burkhardt's joystick specialization.
• Siemens: Siemens is a global industrial automation incumbent offering PLCs, drives, and HMI components across factory automation, rail, and infrastructure. While Spohn + Burkhardt makes HMI input devices rather than PLCs, both compete for the same operator interface budget at industrial OEMs.
• ABB: ABB is a broad industrial automation and robotics incumbent with offerings across ports, rail, and process industries — overlapping end-markets with Spohn + Burkhardt's crane, rail, and ship/harbor verticals, though at vastly larger scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCVrAg97SOVnEdOJd9KkIi0g
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/spohn-burkhardt-gmbh-co-kg
• Instagraminstagram.com/spohn_burkhardt
• TikToktiktok.com/@spohn_burkhardt?lang=de-DE

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries3 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 Spohn + Burkhardt