What Heppenstall Technology does

Heppenstall Technology AG is a Swiss specialty industrial manufacturer that designs and produces heavy duty handling equipment for steel mills, aluminium rolling mills, and port/harbour facilities. Founded in 1898 and headquartered in Cham, Switzerland, the company operates two business divisions: Tongs & Magnets (serving mill customers) and Handling at Harbour (serving port and cargo customers). The product portfolio spans block tongs, slab tongs, billet tongs, sheet lifters, horizontal and vertical coil tongs, cylinder roll tongs, beams, industrial magnets, C-hooks, rotating crane hook blocks, buckets and grabs, container spreaders, and power supply units — all engineered to customer specification with Finite Element Analysis and compliance with EN 13155 and EN 13001 safety standards.

The company's core technology is custom-engineered mechanical, hydraulic, and electromechanical lifting equipment, with notable variants including motorized tongs (rack-and-pinion transmission, three-phase gear motor drives), automatic gripping arms, and integrated power supply systems for magnets. Its wholly-owned German subsidiary, WOKO Magnet- und Anlagenbau GmbH (acquired in 2009), is the largest producer of lifting magnets in Germany and supplies the magnets product line within the group.

Heppenstall generates revenue through two streams: hardware sales of custom-engineered equipment (pricing determined per project, not publicly disclosed) and professional services (on-site installation, commissioning, and after-sales support by Heppenstall service personnel). Go-to-market is enterprise field sales through company-owned offices in Switzerland, Czech Republic, India, and Serbia, supplemented by a global network of official sales representatives covering 40+ countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, Middle East, North America, and South America. The marketing mix emphasizes the corporate website (multi-language), trade show participation (Iran, Belgrade, Moscow), and an email newsletter. Named enterprise customers include Arcelor Mittal Gent (Belgium) and Altos Hornos de México S.A.B. de C.V. (Mexico).

Name

Heppenstall Technology

Legal name

Heppenstall Technology AG

Website

https://heppenstall.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1898

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Heppenstall Technology AG is a Swiss specialty industrial manufacturer that designs and produces custom-engineered heavy duty handling equipment — tongs, magnets, C-hooks, beams, and container spreaders — for steel mills, aluminium rolling mills, and port/harbour facilities, distributed globally through offices in four countries and a 40+ country representative network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Heavy-Duty Lifting and Handling Equipment

NAICS

Material Handling Equipment Manufacturing (33392)

SIC

Construction, Mining & Materials Handling Machinery & Equip (3530)

akta.pro primary industry

Lifting Attachments & Material Handling Accessories (Fork Attachments, Slings, Rigging) (IMAHABAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Cranes, Hoists & Overhead Material Handling (Industrial) (IMAHABAE)

Keywords

• Heavy duty lifting equipment
• Industrial lifting magnets
• Crane tongs engineering
• Port material handling
• Steel mill equipment

Headquarters

HQ city

Cham

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

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. Heavy Duty Lifting Equipment Sales: Design, engineering, and production of custom heavy duty handling equipment including tongs, magnets, C-hooks, beams, and spreaders for steel mills, aluminium rolling mills, and harbour applications. Equipment is manufactured to customer specifications with various capacity ratings.
2. Professional Services: On-site installation and commissioning services performed by Heppenstall service personnel. Technical support and after-sales service.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Heppenstall Technology AG designs, engineers, and produces tailor-made heavy-duty lifting and handling equipment for industrial customers. The core offering comprises a comprehensive range of tongs (block, slab, billet, sheet, horizontal and vertical coil, cylinder roll, convector), lifting magnets, C-hooks, beams (ladle, telescopic, fixed), rotating crane hook blocks, buckets and grabs, and harbour-handling equipment including container spreaders and power supply systems. Products are custom-built for steel mills, aluminium rolling mills, and port/harbour facilities, designed to meet EN 13155 and EN 13001 safety standards.

Product overview

Heppenstall Technology AG is a manufacturer of industrial heavy-duty lifting and handling equipment with over 125 years of experience. The product portfolio is organized into two main divisions: Tongs & Magnets (for steel mills, aluminium rolling mills, and industrial applications) and Handling at Harbour (for port and cargo handling operations). The Tongs & Magnets division includes Block Tongs, Slab Tongs, Billet Tongs, Sheet Lifters, Horizontal and Vertical Coil Tongs, Cylinder Roll Tongs, Tilting Tables, Hydraulic Coil Tilters, Ladle/Telescopic/Fixed Beams, Industrial Magnets (via affiliated company WOKO), C-Hooks for coils and pallets, Rotating Crane Hook Blocks, and Buckets & Grabs. The Handling at Harbour division includes Container Spreaders, Spreaders with Magnets, Magnets at Reach Stackers, Horizontal Coil Tongs for harbour use, Motorized Sheet Lifters, Scrap & Bulk Material Handling Equipment, Rectangular Magnets, Magnets at Fork Lifters, and Power Supply Units for magnet systems. All products are tailormade and engineered to customer specifications with a focus on safety, reliability, and long service life.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Block Tongs (Automatic, Hydraulic, Hydraulic Aluminium) Heavy-duty tongs designed for lifting and handling steel blocks and aluminium blocks in rolling mills. Available in automatic, hydraulic, and hydraulic aluminium variants.
• Slab Tongs (Automatic, Hoist, Dragline, Motorized, Hydraulic) Industrial tongs for lifting slabs in steel and aluminium rolling mills. Types include automatic, hoist, dragline, motorized, and hydraulic variants.
• Billet Tongs (Hydraulic, Automatic) Tongs for lifting individual or multiple billets simultaneously in horizontal position. Robust construction for heavy-duty steel mill applications.
• Sheet Lifter Multipurpose tongs (Rack & Pinion, Fixed and Telescopic types) for lifting single or multiple bundles, sheets, plates and other materials stacked horizontally. Motorized variants include three-phase gear motor drive.
• Horizontal Coil Tongs (HCT) Automatic, hydraulic, and motorized tongs designed to lift coils in horizontal position for steel and aluminium rolling mills. Includes rack and pinion, palette, and hot coil variants.
• Vertical Coil Tongs (VCT) Tongs for handling vertical coils including automatic VCT, double grip type, and reprise feuillards type variants.
• Cylinder Roll Tongs Tongs for handling cylinder rolls available in automatic, rack and pinion, and motorized configurations.
• Convector Tongs Specialized tongs for convector handling in steel and aluminium processing applications.
• Tilting Tables and Hydraulic Coiltilter Equipment for tilting operations in steel and aluminium processing facilities, including hydraulic coil tilting equipment for coil handling applications.
• Beams (Ladle, Telescopic, Fixed) Lifting beams including ladle beams for foundry applications, telescopic beams, and fixed beams for various load handling scenarios.
• Industrial Magnets Heavy-duty lifting magnets for handling ferromagnetic materials including slabs, coils, bars, pipes, and structural steel. Manufactured by affiliated company WOKO Magnet- und Anlagenbau GmbH.
• C-Hooks (for Coils, for Pallets) C-shaped lifting hooks for handling coils and palletized materials. Includes motorized rotation units, anti-scuffing devices, and capacity up to 45 tonnes.
• Rotating Crane Hook Blocks Rotating crane hook blocks with 360-degree rotation capability for precise load positioning. Available with motorized drive, limit switches, and integrated weighing systems.
• Buckets & Grabs Clamshell buckets and orange peel grabs for handling bulk materials, scrap, and loose materials. Available in hydraulic, rope, and underwater configurations.
• Container Spreader Container spreaders for port crane applications available in telescopic, non-telescopic, rotating, and lateral displacement configurations.
• Spreader with Magnets Container spreaders equipped with magnet beams for handling plates, bars, and sheets. Features integrated power supply units.
• Magnet at Reach Stacker / Magnet at Fork Lifter Magnets installed on reach stackers and forklifts for handling steel plates and sheets at port facilities; custom-manufactured for any required width with three power supply unit options.
• Harbour Horizontal Coil Tong and Motorized Sheet Lifter Horizontal coil tongs and motorized sheet lifters designed for robust port applications including ship loading and unloading operations; features adjustable and fixed arms.
• Scrap & Bulk Material Handling Equipment (incl. Rectangular Magnets and Scrap Magnets) Equipment for scrap and bulk material handling at ports including grabs, scrap lifting magnets, and rectangular magnets for lifting plates, ingots, bars, pipes, beams, profiles, and structural steel.
• Power Supply Units (PSU) for Magnets Power supply systems for magnet operation including conventional heavy DC generators, AC generators with electronic control, belt drive systems, hydraulic generators, and emergency battery packs.
• On-site Installation, Commissioning, and After-sales Services Professional services performed by Heppenstall service personnel for installation and commissioning of heavy-duty lifting equipment, plus technical support and after-sales service.

Quantifiable outcome

• High transport frequency capability optimized for continuous production line operations
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• WOKO Magnet- und Anlagenbau GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009WOKO Magnet- und Anlagenbau GmbH, founded in 1976 in Duisburg, Germany, has been a subsidiary of Heppenstall Technology Group since 2009. WOKO develops and produces electro lifting magnets and systems for various applications. Today WOKO is the largest producer of lifting magnets in Germany with a worldwide distribution network. Heppenstall products include magnets manufactured under WOKO technology, with WOKO handling magnet-specific enquiries.
• Parnian Sanat Atlas Eng. Co.minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficial sales representative for Iran, handling sales and customer inquiries in the Iranian market. Participated with Heppenstall at Iran International Steel Exhibition 2018.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Konecranes: Global leader in cranes, hoists, and material handling equipment serving steel mills, ports and heavy industry - directly comparable as a supplier of overhead lifting solutions including lifting attachments and magnetic handling gear.
• Crosby Group: Global provider of rigging, lifting, and material handling hardware including below-the-hook attachments - directly comparable to Heppenstall's lifting beam, C-hook, and tongs portfolio for industrial customers.
• Cargotec (Kalmar): Provider of port and harbour material handling equipment including reach stackers, container spreaders, and bulk handling solutions - directly comparable to Heppenstall's 'Handling at Harbour' product line.
• Stahl CraneSystems: Specialist in hoists, crane components, and lifting equipment for heavy industry - comparable as a supplier of components and hoists that complement or substitute for parts of Heppenstall's tongs and hook block range.
• Magnet-Schultz: Manufacturer of electromagnets and magnet systems for industrial and automation applications - direct comparable to Heppenstall's WOKO subsidiary and its industrial lifting magnet product line.

Broad incumbents

• Liebherr: Diversified manufacturer of maritime cranes, port logistics, and heavy material handling equipment with broader product breadth but overlapping customer base in steel mills, ports and heavy industry.
• Bühler Group: Industrial equipment manufacturer serving steel, aluminium, and grain processing with substantial exposure to the same steel mill customers as Heppenstall - comparable as a broadly diversified heavy-industrial incumbent.
• Terex: Global industrial equipment manufacturer offering port solutions, cranes, and material handling products - comparable via its material processing and port handling segments to Heppenstall's spreader and scrap handling lines.

Emerging players

• Anver: Manufacturer of vacuum lifters, magnetic lifters, and custom-engineered below-the-hook lifting attachments - directly comparable through its custom-engineered lifting attachment focus in industrial applications.
• REMA: Specialist lifting equipment manufacturer focused on below-the-hook attachments, magnets, and hoists - comparable niche positioning to Heppenstall with overlapping product coverage in lifting attachments and electromagnets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/heppenstall-technology

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 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 Heppenstall Technology