Herkules

What Herkules does

Herkules (legal name: Maschinenfabrik Herkules) is a German specialist manufacturer of roll machining equipment founded in 1911, operating as the dedicated roll-machining company within the HerkulesGroup conglomerate (which also includes WaldrichSiegen, RSGetriebe, and SBA). The company designs and produces roll grinders, heavy-duty lathes, special-purpose machines, and integrated roll shop systems for industrial customers in steel, paper, and aluminum rolling mills worldwide. Its product portfolio spans traversing-grinding-saddle roll grinders, table-top/travelling-workpiece machines, complete machining centers, NWD-Series and P-Series lathes, PTM-Series texturing machines, groove grinders, notch milling machines, and shear knife grinders — supported by proprietary automation including the KP10 control system, Roll Shop System Software, and fully automatic roll loaders.

The business model is built on quote-based direct enterprise sales of high-value, custom-configured capital equipment, supported by field sales teams operating from a Siegen headquarters and Meuselwitz production facility (Germany) plus a Ford City, USA sales and support operation. Named enterprise customers include a long-standing US steel customer, a Turkish steel customer (HerkulesGroup's largest single order), Qamet Kazakhstan (repeat buyer), Unicoil, a Japanese paper customer, and OCSA in aluminum rolling. Herkules does not publicly disclose pricing or revenue, and the firm monetizes primarily through one-time capital equipment sales rather than disclosed recurring or subscription models, although integrated Roll Shop systems imply attached software, automation, and aftermarket service revenue potential.

The company serves customers globally across Europe, North America, Turkey, Kazakhstan, and Japan, with self-described positioning as the "world-leading specialist for roll machining" based on more than a century of continuous operation. No revenue, funding, headcount trend, M&A activity, or certification data is available in the source material, limiting financial triangulation but not the core characterization of the business.

Name

Herkules

Legal name

Maschinenfabrik Herkules

Website

https://herkulesusa.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1911

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Herkules (founded 1911) is a German specialist manufacturer of roll grinders, heavy-duty lathes, and special-purpose machines for steel, paper, and aluminum rolling mills worldwide, selling integrated roll shop systems via direct enterprise sales as part of HerkulesGroup.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Heavy-Duty Machine Tools for Roll Machining

NAICS

Metalworking Machinery Manufacturing (33351), Machine Tool Manufacturing (333517), Rolling Mill and Other Metalworking Machinery Manufacturing (333519)

SIC

Metalworkg Machinery & Equipment (3540), Machine Tools, Metal Cutting Types (3541)

akta.pro primary industry

Metal Forming & Fabrication Machines (Presses, Bending, Shearing, Stamping) (IMAHADAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Industrial Saws & Cutting Systems (Band/Circular Saws, Abrasive Cutting) (IMAHADAL)

Keywords

• Roll grinding machines
• Heavy-duty lathes
• Special-purpose machine tools
• Roll shop systems
• Industrial machine tools

Headquarters

HQ city

Ford City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Heavy-duty Machine Tool Sales: Sale of specialized industrial machine tools including roll grinders, lathes, and special-purpose machines. These are high-value capital equipment purchases typically involving direct enterprise sales with custom configurations and long sales cycles.
2. Roll Shop Solutions: Integrated roll shop systems providing complete solutions from single source including equipment, software, and automation for roll maintenance operations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Herkules designs and manufactures roll grinders, heavy-duty lathes (NWD-Series and P-Series), and special-purpose machines such as PTM-Series texturing machines, groove grinders, notch milling machines, and shear knife grinders. The company also provides complete Roll Shop systems, integrating machine tools, automation (including automatic roll loaders), and proprietary software for fully automated roll machining operations in steel, aluminum, and paper industries.

Product overview

Herkules is the world-leading specialist for roll machining, offering a portfolio of high-performance machine tools for the steel, aluminum, paper, and other industries requiring precision roll grinding, turning, and special machining operations. The core product portfolio includes Roll Grinders (available with traversing grinding saddle, travelling workpiece/table-top configurations, or as complete machining centers), Lathes (NWD-Series heavy-duty lathes and P-Series lathes including milling configurations), Special-Purpose Machines (PTM-Series texturing, groove grinders, notch milling machines, and shear knife grinders), and the Roll Shop system providing integrated automation solutions including automatic roll loaders. With over 114 years of experience since 1911, Herkules operates manufacturing facilities in Siegen and Meuselwitz, Germany, and Ford City, USA, as part of the HerkulesGroup.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Roll Grinders Roll grinding machines for the most demanding roll machining applications, available in traversing grinding saddle, travelling workpiece (table-top), or complete machining center configurations, designed for high-performance roll machining in steel, aluminum, and paper industries.
• Lathes Heavy-duty lathes for large-scale turning operations, comprising the NWD-Series heavy-duty lathe line and P-Series lathes with optional milling attachments, plus special-purpose variants for groove grinding and roll ring machining.
• Special-Purpose Machines Special-purpose machines for specialized roll machining operations, including PTM-Series texturing machines, groove grinders, notch milling machines, and shear knife grinders.
• Roll Shop Systems Complete integrated roll shop solutions providing everything from one single source, including automatic roll loaders for fully automated roll machining and integration with KP10 control technology and Roll Shop System Software.

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature10 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• HerkulesGroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHerkules operates as the roll machining specialist within the HerkulesGroup, a conglomerate of specialized machine tool companies including WaldrichSiegen (heavy-duty machine tools), RSGetriebe (drive solutions), and SBA (modernization services). The group enables cross-company collaboration and shared resources across specialized industrial machinery segments.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• SMS group: Global provider of metallurgical plant and rolling mill technology, offering turnkey rolling mill lines that include roll shop equipment, putting SMS in adjacent competition with Herkules for steel and aluminum mill customers.
• Danieli: Major Italian industrial group supplying plants and equipment for the steel industry, including rolling mill technology and downstream roll shop packages, competing with Herkules for steel industry capex budgets.
• Mazak: Global machine tool leader offering lathes, machining centers, and multi-tasking machines; while more focused on metal cutting than roll machining, it competes for heavy industry customers and capital budgets similar to Herkules.
• Shibaura Machine (formerly Toshiba Machine): Japanese machine tool manufacturer offering lathes, machining centers, and precision equipment that compete with Herkules' lathe and special-purpose machine products for industrial customers globally.
• United Grinding Group: Global leader in precision grinding machines (Studer, Schaudt, Walter, Mägerle), offering a much broader grinding portfolio but overlapping with Herkules in roll and cylindrical grinding for heavy industry customers.

Direct peers

• Schaudt (United Grinding Group): Provider of cylindrical and roll grinding machines within United Grinding Group, serving metalworking customers with precision grinding solutions that overlap with Herkules' roll grinder product line.
• Junker (Erwin Junker Machinery): German manufacturer specializing in high-precision grinding machines including surface, profile, and cylindrical grinding, with comparable customer base in heavy industry and overlap with Herkules' roll machining solutions.
• WaldrichSiegen: Sister company within the HerkulesGroup focused on heavy-duty machine tools including large lathes and machining centers, sharing resources, customers, and brand with Herkules in the heavy industrial machinery market.
• Pomini: Italian manufacturer of roll grinding machines and roll machining equipment that directly competes with Herkules in serving steel and paper mill customers with similar high-precision roll grinding solutions.
• Lehmann (FFG Machinery Lehmann): German specialist in roll grinders now part of FFG, offering a directly overlapping portfolio of roll grinding machines to the same steel, aluminum, and paper industry customers as Herkules.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Herkules