What TBS Engineering does

TBS Engineering, founded in 1968 by Thomas Stamp in Cheltenham, England, designs, manufactures, and services high-speed automated capital equipment for the global lead acid battery industry. Its product portfolio spans the full battery manufacturing value chain, divided between Plate Manufacturing (ActivMat line, Strip Casting / Multi-Alloy Strip Caster, Rotary Strip Expander) and Assembly Line equipment (Cast On Strap machines COS10S/COS8S/COS10F/COS8F/COS6S/COS5, HiTek Enveloping & Stacking at up to 260 envelopes per minute, and the Speed Shift Assembly Line covering Partition Punching, Squeeze Welding, Lid Sealing, and Post Burning). Flagship COS10S achieves up to 8 batteries per minute at 95% Overall Equipment Efficiency, with the 2024-launched Smart Semi-Automated Stack Loading Module reducing plate handling time from 10 to 2.5 seconds per cycle.

The company operates from eight global sites spanning the United Kingdom (Gloucester headquarters and primary manufacturing), United States (Kutztown, Pennsylvania spare parts hub), Mexico (Monterrey aftermarket hub serving North and Latin America), Italy (Uggiate Trevano EU hub opened September 2025), China (Qingdao manufacturing via Qingdao TBS Co Ltd), and India (Pune hub planned for 2026). Its customer base includes most major global battery manufacturers — Clarios, Exide Technologies, EnerSys, Johnson Controls, East Penn, Trojan, Mutlu, FIAMM, Yuasa, GS Battery, Amara Raja, Exide Industries, and Sunlight — as well as automotive OEM battery suppliers serving Ford, VW, BMW, and Mercedes.

TBS generates revenue through direct enterprise sales of capital equipment (one-time/perpetual license model with custom configurations and multi-year contracts) supplemented by a dedicated aftermarket division launched in 2022 that delivers spare parts, service contracts, health checks, operator training, refurbishments, and upgrades via regional technicians. The aftermarket segment reached approximately $20M of an overall $70M annual turnover, providing recurring revenue. Following previous ownership under Marmon Group (Berkshire Hathaway), TBS was acquired in June 2026 by Rosendahl Nextrom (KNILL Group) in the largest acquisition in Rosendahl's history, with TBS and BM-Rosendahl continuing to operate as independent brands within the combined group, positioning the entity as global market leader for battery manufacturing solutions.

Name

TBS Engineering

Legal name

TBS Engineering Ltd

Website

https://tbseng.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

TBS Engineering, founded 1968 and headquartered in Gloucester, UK, designs and manufactures high-speed automated capital equipment for the global lead acid battery industry, serving major battery producers including Clarios, Exide, EnerSys, Johnson Controls, and East Penn across 90+ countries from eight global sites.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Battery Manufacturing Equipment

SIC

Special Industry Machinery (No Metalworking Machinery) (3550)

akta.pro primary industry

Battery Manufacturing Equipment & Gigafactory Automation (Coating, Calendering, Stacking/Winding) (EUAFABAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Battery Pack Manufacturing & Module Assembly (EUAFABAI)

Keywords

• Battery manufacturing equipment
• Plate manufacturing machinery
• Battery assembly automation
• Cast on strap machines
• Battery production machinery

Headquarters

HQ city

Gloucester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Battery Manufacturing Equipment: Design, development and manufacture of high-speed automated machinery for lead acid battery production including plate manufacturing and assembly lines. Core capital equipment sales with long sales cycles targeting enterprise battery manufacturers.
2. Aftermarket Parts & Service: Spare parts, service technicians, machine health checks, operational efficiency assessments, operator training, refurbishments and upgrades. Aftermarket division launched in 2022 with global service network.
3. Service & Support Contracts: Machine surveys, health checks, operational efficiency assessments, operator training, refurbishments, troubleshooting visits. Regional service strategies with dedicated technicians in Europe, US, and India.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

TBS Engineering designs, manufactures, and supplies high-speed automated machinery for the lead acid battery industry. Its portfolio covers the full production process: plate manufacturing (ActivMat Line, Multi-Alloy Strip Caster, Rotary Strip Expander) and complete battery assembly (Cast On Strap machine family, HiTek Enveloping and Stacking, Speed Shift Assembly Line, and the Smart Semi-Automated Stack Loading Module). The company also delivers OEM spare parts, field service, installation, training, and machine upgrades from a network of regional hubs in the UK, USA, Italy, Mexico, and China.

Product overview

TBS Engineering is the world leader in automatic machinery for the lead acid battery industry, offering a comprehensive portfolio of automated manufacturing equipment. The product portfolio centers on two main categories: Plate Manufacturing (ActivMat Line, Strip Casting/Multi-Alloy Strip Caster, Rotary Strip Expander) and Assembly Line (HiTek Enveloping & Stacking, Cast On Strap/COS machines including COS10S, COS8S, COS10F, COS8F, COS6S, COS5, Speed Shift Assembly Line with Partition Punching, Squeeze Welding, Lid Sealing, Post Burning). The COS machines range from high-speed models (COS10S at 8 batteries/minute with 95% OEE) to standard models (COS5 at 2.5 batteries/minute). TBS also provides comprehensive aftermarket services including spare parts, technical support, machine health checks, operator training, and refurbishments. The company launched TBS ActivMat in October 2024 as part of the TBS Advance Energy Equipment Alliance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ActivMat: A cutting-edge plate manufacturing line that redefines performance, efficiency, and sustainability in lead acid energy storage, part of the TBS Advance Energy Equipment Alliance
• HiTek
• COS (Cast On Strap)
• Speed Shift Assembly Line

Products and services

• ActivMat Line Integrated plate production system for lead acid battery positive plates, combining pasting equipment, flash drying, continuous curing, and plate cutting and stacking into a single automated line. Designed for industrial battery manufacturers requiring high-output, consistent plate quality.
• Multi-Alloy Strip Caster (Strip Casting) Continuous strip casting equipment for producing battery grids as a feedstock for the plate manufacturing process, capable of handling multiple alloy chemistries.
• Rotary Strip Expander Equipment that expands continuously cast battery grid strip into finished battery grids, completing the grid production stage of plate manufacturing.
• COS10S Cast On Strap Machine High-output Cast On Strap machine variant in the COS family, designed for high-speed production of lead acid battery cell groups.
• COS8S Cast On Strap Machine Cast On Strap machine variant in the COS family, suited to mid-to-high volume lead acid battery production.
• COS10F and COS8F Cast On Strap Machines Cast On Strap machine variants in the COS family, configured for different cell formats and production volumes in lead acid battery assembly.
• COS6S Cast On Strap Machine Mid-range Cast On Strap machine variant in the COS family for lead acid battery cell group production.
• COS5 Cast On Strap Machine Compact Cast On Strap machine in the COS family, designed for lower-volume or space-constrained lead acid battery production facilities.
• HiTek Enveloping and Stacking High-speed separator enveloping and plate stacking equipment for lead acid battery assembly, used to wrap and stack plates with separators at production speed.
• Speed Shift Assembly Line High-speed, fully integrated lead acid battery assembly line that combines partition punching, squeeze welding, lid sealing, and post burning into a single continuous line, rated at up to 8 batteries per minute with 95%+ OEE.
• Smart Semi-Automated Stack Loading Module Manually-fed modular option for plate stacking, designed to automate hand-loaded production cells and improve consistency in lower-volume or pilot operations.
• Aftermarket Services Field service, installation, training, technical support, and machine upgrades for the global installed base of TBS Engineering machinery, delivered from regional hubs in the UK, USA, Italy, Mexico, and China.
• Spares OEM spare parts for TBS Engineering machinery, supplied globally from regional hubs in the UK, USA, Italy, Mexico, and China to support installed equipment.

Quantifiable outcome

• 95% Overall Equipment Efficiency (OEE) on COS10S machines
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• H&T Produktions Technologie GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 October 2024Alliance partner in the TBS Advance Energy Equipment Alliance, dedicated to optimizing plate manufacturing process control through enhanced parameter management. Combined expertise focuses on linear process dependency optimization for superior energy density and improved cycle life.
• Pinco SAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 October 2024Alliance partner in the TBS Advance Energy Equipment Alliance focused on delivering comprehensive solutions for lead acid battery manufacturing. Part of collaborative effort targeting disruptive, lower-cost solutions with higher energy density.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Sovema Group: Italian-headquartered manufacturer of automated machinery and turnkey production lines for lead-acid battery manufacturing. Direct competitor to TBS across plate-making, assembly, COS, and formation equipment for the same customer base.
• Wirtz Manufacturing: US-based manufacturer of battery plate-making equipment and continuous strip casting / expander machinery for lead-acid batteries. Overlaps with TBS on plate manufacturing technology and serves global battery manufacturers.
• Höttenberger Maschinenbau: German engineering firm specialized in production equipment and assembly lines for lead-acid battery manufacturing. Direct competitor in European markets with overlapping COS, formation, and plate-handling equipment offerings.

Broad incumbents

• Rosendahl Nextrom (BM-Rosendahl): Austrian industrial machinery group specializing in cable and wire harnessing equipment, now the parent of TBS Engineering following its 2026 acquisition. Adjacent in industrial automation but serves different end markets (cable/automotive wire) — now a sister brand to TBS.

Others

• Pinco SA: Swiss-based provider of expanded metal and specialty grid technology for lead-acid battery plates; alliance partner with TBS in the Advance Energy Equipment Alliance. A technology complementor rather than a competitor, working alongside TBS on integrated plate manufacturing solutions.
• H&T Produktions Technologie: German process technology firm focused on paste mixing, plate drying, and curing for lead-acid battery manufacturing. Alliance partner with TBS in the Advance Energy Equipment Alliance, supplying complementary upstream plate-manufacturing technology.
• Exide Technologies: Global lead-acid battery manufacturer and long-standing TBS customer. Listed here because as one of the largest global buyers of TBS equipment, it materially shapes demand patterns and product roadmap direction in this niche — more a customer/ecosystem participant than a direct peer.

Emerging players

• Moltossoon Industrial Group: China-based manufacturer of industrial automation and battery manufacturing equipment. An emerging, lower-cost competitor in plate-making and battery assembly machinery targeting Asian battery manufacturers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries2 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 TBS Engineering