Howa Tramico
HOWA Europe (Howa Tramico) is a French polyurethane foam manufacturer and #2 European producer of automotive headliner trims, supplying OEMs and Tier-1 suppliers across automotive, medical, military, and industrial verticals as part of the international Howa Group.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersBrionne, France
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Howa Tramico does
HOWA Europe (operating as Howa Tramico) is a French-headquartered manufacturer specializing in technical polyurethane foam and a subsidiary of the international Howa Group, which operates 29 production sites across 13 countries and employs nearly 3,000 people. The company holds the #2 position in Europe for the design and production of automotive headliner trims (garniture de pavillon) and runs 7 production sites within Europe, headquartered in Brionne, France.
The company controls the full polyurethane foam value chain — fabrication, transformation, impregnation, cutting, and lamination (complexage) — producing both standard PU foam and specialized variants including Bio Foam PU (bio-based) and agglomerated PU foam for filtration and acoustic applications. Its core product portfolio serves automotive interior applications (headliner trim, acoustic insulation) and a diversified industrial base spanning medical (B. Braun), military (Paul Boyé), water treatment, household appliances (Rowenta), home automation (Somfy), marine (Bénéteau), rail (SNCF), and electrical equipment (Schneider Electric). Innovation activity centers on the FLOWER project for flax fiber-reinforced composites and on in-house R&D for custom foam formulations.
HOWA Europe operates a B2B enterprise sales model with quote-based pricing, selling directly to automotive OEMs (Citroen, Peugeot, Renault, Toyota, Nissan, Volkswagen) and Tier-1 suppliers (Faurecia, Valeo, Plastic Omnium, Autoneum, Yazaki, Leoni, MAHLE, Autoliv). Revenue is generated through direct industrial contracts with dedicated automotive, industrial, and HR contact channels. The business is privately held within the Howa Group conglomerate, with no public listing, external funding, or M&A activity disclosed.
Howa Tramico firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Howa Tramico
- Legal name
- HOWA Europe
- Website
- https://howa-tramico.fr
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- HOWA Europe (Howa Tramico) is a French polyurethane foam manufacturer and #2 European producer of automotive headliner trims, supplying OEMs and Tier-1 suppliers across automotive, medical, military, and industrial verticals as part of the international Howa Group.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Howa Tramico industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Technical Polyurethane Foam Manufacturing
- NAICS
- Urethane and Other Foam Product (except Polystyrene) Manufacturing (32615)
- SIC
- Plastics Foam Products (3086)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Polyurethane (PU) Flexible Foam Manufacturing (IMANAIAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Foam Conversion & Fabrication (Cutting, Laminating, CNC, Packaging Inserts) (IMANAIAJ)
Keywords
Where Howa Tramico is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Brionne
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Howa Tramico business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Foam Manufacturing and Transformation: Core revenue from design, production, and transformation of technical polyurethane foams serving the automotive (headliner trim, interior components) and industrial (medical, military, water treatment, household appliances) sectors. Revenue is generated through direct B2B contracts with OEMs and industrial manufacturers.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels1 record
Howa Tramico product offering
Product offeringCore offering
HOWA Europe (Howa Tramico) manufactures and transforms technical polyurethane foams used as an alternative to melamine, covering the full foam value chain from formulation through fabrication, transformation, impregnation, cutting, and lamination. Its products serve two main poles: automotive interior headliner trims (where it is #2 in Europe) and industrial applications including medical, military, water treatment, household appliances, marine, and electrical equipment. The group operates 7 European production sites and 29 sites across 13 countries.
Product overview
Howa Europe operates as a foam manufacturing company offering a unified portfolio centered on polyurethane foam products. The core offering spans technical foam manufacturing with capabilities including foam production, transformation, impregnation, cutting, and lamination/complexing. Key products include standard polyurethane foam, Bio Foam PU (bio-based), PU Agglomérée (agglomerated/high-density), and Blue PPI filtration foam. The company also manufactures automotive headliner trims (garniture de pavillon), positioning itself as #2 in Europe for this product line. The FLOWER project represents innovation in flax fiber reinforcements for composites. Products serve diverse sectors including automotive, medical, military, water treatment, and home appliances.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Polyurethane Foam (Mousse Polyuréthane)
- Bio Foam PU
- PU Agglomérée (Agglomerated PU Foam)
- Blue PPI Foam (Filtration Foam)
- Headliner Trims (Garniture de pavillon)
- FLOWER Project - Flax Fiber Reinforcements
Quantifiable outcome
- #2 market position in Europe for automotive headliner (garniture de pavillon) design and production
Companies that use Howa Tramico
Customer profileNamed customers16 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Howa Tramico technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Howa Tramico partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators5 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Howa Tramico competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Howa Tramico social profiles
Digital presenceHowa Tramico financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Howa Tramico leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Howa Tramico funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Howa Tramico M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Howa Tramico
What does Howa Tramico do?
HOWA Europe (Howa Tramico) manufactures and transforms technical polyurethane foams used as an alternative to melamine, covering the full foam value chain from formulation through fabrication, transformation, impregnation, cutting, and lamination. Its products serve two main poles: automotive interior headliner trims (where it is #2 in Europe) and industrial applications including medical, military, water treatment, household appliances, marine, and electrical equipment. The group operates 7 European production sites and 29 sites across 13 countries.
Is Howa Tramico a public or private company?
Howa Tramico is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Howa Tramico founded?
Howa Tramico was founded in 2012. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is Howa Tramico based?
Howa Tramico is headquartered in Brionne, France, in the Europe region.
How does Howa Tramico make money?
One revenue line is on record: foam Manufacturing and Transformation.
Does Howa Tramico have an API?
No public API is recorded for Howa Tramico.
What industry is Howa Tramico in?
Howa Tramico's product category is Technical Polyurethane Foam Manufacturing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMANAIAC, Polyurethane (PU) Flexible Foam Manufacturing, with a secondary code of IMANAIAJ, Foam Conversion & Fabrication (Cutting, Laminating, CNC, Packaging Inserts). Its NAICS code is 32615 and its SIC code is 3086.