Subtil Group

What Subtil Group does

Subtil Group is a German, family-owned precision manufacturer of technical springs and metal-formed components, operating across three European sites in Reiskirchen-Ettingshausen (headquarters), Königsbrunn, and Myjava, Slovakia, with more than 350 employees and over 90 years of continuous market presence. The company produces compression springs, tension springs, torsion springs, wave springs, wire parts (including a proprietary locking-bracket line for automotive VDA couplings where it claims world market leadership), stampings and bending parts, spring sleeves, and complete assemblies, utilizing more than 260 CNC-controlled machines, 3D wire bending cells, automated grinding, and 100% camera-based quality monitoring. Annual output exceeds 1 billion parts across more than 10,000 articles.

The business model is direct B2B sales of custom-engineered hardware to industrial OEM and Tier-1 customers, with engagement starting at the planning phase through co-engineering, spring calculations, and prototype validation. Revenue is generated from hardware sales (springs, wire parts, stampings, assemblies) supplemented by professional services including surface treatment (in-house and partner-provided), custom packaging for automated feeders, and technical consulting. Customers span automotive (primary), electrical industry, machine and plant construction, medical engineering, building services, home appliances, energy technology, and measurement and control, with no public pricing disclosed and quotes issued per specification.

The group is structured around three wholly-owned subsidiaries — Federnfabrik Subtil GmbH (Germany, primary legal entity), Augsburger Federnfabrik GmbH (Germany), and SUBTIL Slovakia, s.r.o. — led by CEO Thomas Subtil. Certifications include IATF 16949, ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO 45001 across all locations, alongside REACH and RoHS compliance. Recent strategic activity centers on the October 2024 commissioning of a ~4,000 m² expansion in Myjava, the addition of wave-spring technology, sales-representative partnerships for trade-fair coverage, and diversification into renewable-energy components. There are no disclosed funding rounds, external investors, or M&A activity.

Name

Subtil Group

Legal name

Federnfabrik Subtil GmbH

Website

https://subtil-group.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1930

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Subtil Group is a family-owned German manufacturer of precision technical springs, wire parts, stampings, and assemblies serving 2,000+ industrial customers across automotive, electrical, medical, energy, and appliance sectors from three European sites with 350+ employees and over 1 billion parts shipped annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Königsbrunn

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Technical Springs Manufacturing: Design and manufacture of technical springs (compression, tension, torsion, wave springs) for industrial applications. Production of over 10,000 items with annual shipment exceeding 1 billion parts.
2. Wire Parts and Stampings: Customized wire parts, locking brackets, and stamping/bending parts manufactured according to customer specifications, particularly for automotive applications.
3. Components and Assemblies: Complete assemblies and construction groups with manual or automated assembly for small to large production volumes.
4. Surface Treatment Services: In-house and partner-provided surface treatments including zinc plating, nickel plating, chrome plating, Delta-MKS, Geomet, and Magni coatings for corrosion protection.
5. Technical Consulting and Spring Calculations: Technical application consulting from planning phase, spring calculations, prototyping and testing services.
6. Custom Packaging Solutions: Specialized packaging services including plastic containers, blister packs, tubes, and custom packaging for automated feeders.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Subtil Group designs and manufactures precision technical springs (compression, tension, torsion, and wave springs), customized wire parts and locking brackets, stampings/bending parts, spring sleeves/plunger sleeves, and complete assembled components for industrial customers. Production is supported by over 260 CNC and automated machines across three European sites, with in-house and partner-provided surface treatment (zinc, nickel, chrome, Delta-MKS, Geomet, Magni coatings), tool construction, and custom packaging, complemented by technical consulting and spring calculation services from the planning phase.

Product overview

Subtil Group is a technical spring manufacturer offering a comprehensive portfolio of precision springs and metal components. The product range centers on core spring products including compression springs, tension springs, torsion springs, and wave springs, complemented by wire parts, stampings/bending parts, spring sleeves, and complete assemblies. Services include technical consulting, spring calculations, prototype development, and custom packaging. With over 260 modern machines across three European locations, the company produces more than 10,000 articles and ships over 1 billion parts annually to over 2,000 customers worldwide, serving automotive, electrical, medical, and industrial equipment sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Subtil Group: Parent group name encompassing all company entities including Federnfabrik Subtil GmbH, Augsburger Federnfabrik GmbH, and SUBTIL Slovakia, s.r.o.

Products and services

• Compression Springs Cylindrical, conical, double-cone or barrel-shaped compression springs with linear or progressive spring rate, manufactured from spring wire with diameters from 0.10 mm to 12 mm, supplied to industrial customers across automotive, electrical, medical, and mechanical-engineering applications.
• Tension Springs Cylindrical extension springs with or without pitch, torsion-stressed springs with linear characteristic, manufactured from round, flat, square or profiled spring wire for engineering applications requiring reliable tension loading.
• Torsion Springs Bending-stressed torsion springs with linear characteristic, manufactured from round, flat, square or profiled spring wire using CNC machines up to 24 axes, including shaped and rotary spring variants.
• Wire Parts and Locking Brackets Customized wire parts and locking brackets for large-scale production, including the company's proprietary VDA coupling locking brackets and HC Henn Connector brackets for automotive applications, manufactured from wire 0.2 to 12 mm thick.
• Stampings and Bending Parts Stamped bent parts and leaf springs manufactured according to customer specifications, produced from materials up to 3 mm thickness and 100 mm width for use in automotive, electrical and industrial assemblies.
• Components and Assemblies Complete assemblies and mounting parts with manual, semi-automated or fully automated assembly options, supplied for small to large quantities as construction groups for industrial customers.
• Spring Sleeves and Plunger Sleeves Precision guide sleeves and detent/pilot sleeves with diameters from 2-6 mm and spring lengths from 5-50 mm, suitable for high-quality automotive and electrical appliance applications.
• Wave Springs Multi-layer wave springs, single-layer wave springs, and wave springs with nested coils providing lower assembly height, larger deflections and variable force adjustment in compact spaces.
• Special Packaging Solutions Custom packaging services including plastic trays, blister packs, tube packaging, magazine boxes, vacuum packaging, and individual containers designed for automated feeders used by manufacturing customers.
• Technical Consulting and Engineering Services Technical application consulting from the planning phase, custom spring calculations, prototype development, in-house tool construction, surface treatment coordination, and logistics solutions delivered alongside the manufactured parts.

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 1 billion parts shipped annually to more than 2,000 satisfied customers worldwide
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• High-performance Raw Material SupplierscoreOthersStrategic raw material suppliers providing spring steel wires, stainless spring wires, and special alloys for precision manufacturing of technical springs and components
• Surface Treatment PartnerscoreTechnology or IntegrationSelected partners providing specialized surface treatments including zinc plating, nickel plating, chrome plating, Delta-MKS, Geomet, Magni coatings, and other advanced surface finishing technologies
• IuF Ingenieurbüro und Industrievertretungen FiedlerminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSales representative partnership for trade fair presence at Z Leipzig international supplier fair
• Wunschinski GmbHminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSales representative partnership for IZB 2024 international supplier exchange in Wolfsburg for automotive industry contacts
• Panzer GmbHminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCooperation partner for Hannover Messe 2024 and Elektrotechnik Dortmund 2025 trade fair presence

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Lee Spring: US-headquartered global catalog and custom spring manufacturer serving industrial, medical, and electronics markets with compression, tension, torsion, and specialty springs. Comparable catalog-plus-custom business model and product breadth to Subtil's spring lines.
• Gutekunst Federn: German precision spring manufacturer offering compression, tension, torsion, and leaf springs with custom calculations and small-to-medium batch production. Closely comparable family-owned Mittelstand peer serving industrial and automotive customers with a similar co-engineering sales motion.
• Scherdel GmbH: German family-owned manufacturer of technically demanding springs, stamped/bent parts, and wire-formed components for the automotive industry. Highly comparable to Subtil in customer mix (automotive Tier 1/OEM), product portfolio, and Mittelstand ownership profile.
• Boker's Inc. US manufacturer of custom and stock washers, shims, stampings, and spring-related flat components. Overlaps with Subtil's stamping/bending-part and component-assembly offerings for industrial and electronics customers.
• Hagens Springs (Witte Automotive): German spring and stamping manufacturer serving the automotive and industrial sectors with technical springs, stamped parts, and assemblies. Comparable Mittelstand peer competing for similar European OEM and Tier 1 spring programs.
• European Springs & Pressings (TFC): UK-based manufacturer of technical springs, pressings, and wire forms serving automotive, industrial, and electronics customers across Europe. Comparable product portfolio and customer mix to Subtil, with a similar small-batch-to-high-volume manufacturing model.
• Muhr und Bender KG: German automotive supplier of precision springs, stamped parts, and assemblies for chassis, powertrain, and safety systems. Highly comparable German Mittelstand peer with similar automotive Tier 1 customer base and stamping/spring product overlap.

Broad incumbents

• Lesjöfors AB: Swedish-headquartered, PE-backed global spring manufacturer with industrial and automotive customers across Europe, North America, and Asia. Larger and broader portfolio than Subtil but directly comparable in core technical springs, stamping, and wire-formed components.
• Mubea Group: Global German automotive supplier specializing in chassis, body, and powertrain components including technical springs and stamped parts. Larger and broader than Subtil but competes for similar automotive spring/stamping programs with global OEM customers.
• NHK Spring Co., Ltd. Japanese global manufacturer of automotive springs (suspension, valve, seat), precision springs, and industrial components. A direct comparable in core spring technology with a much larger global scale and broader automotive exposure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights2 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=mxbWlMxnjT8
• Xx.com/subtilgroup
• Facebookfacebook.com/federnfabriksubtil

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Subtil Group