Name

Forward Engineering

Legal name

Forward Engineering GmbH

Website

https://forward-engineering.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Automotive Engineering Services

NAICS

Industrial Design Services (541420)

SIC

Special Industry Machinery (No Metalworking Machinery) (3550)

akta.pro primary industry

EV Platform/Skateboard & Chassis Integration Manufacturing (IMACACAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Electric & Hybrid-Electric Propulsion (eVTOL/Regional) (IMABADAH)

Keywords

• Automotive engineering services
• Composite materials consulting
• Battery enclosure design
• Lightweight vehicle structures
• Sustainable product development

Headquarters

HQ city

Munich

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Engineering Services: Forward Engineering generates revenue through engineering and consulting services, providing holistic and sustainable product development support to automotive OEMs, suppliers, and material manufacturers. Services include body development, battery enclosure design, monocoque development, and design for sustainability consulting. Revenue is generated through project-based professional services engagements from concept through series validation.
2. Testing and Validation Services: The company operates its own testing laboratories and test rigs for mechanical, electrical, thermal safety, and environmental conditioning. Revenue is generated through custom testing protocols and validation services for battery enclosures and composite structures.
3. Benchmarking Reports: Forward Engineering sells benchmarking reports on topics including battery material fire behavior, barrier materials, aluminum gigacasting, and humanoid robotics trends. These intelligence products provide objective, data-based analysis for technology selection decisions.
4. Humanoid Robotics Trend Reports: The company sells the 'Forward Insights™ Report: Humanoid Robotics Trend Analysis' and technical teardown reports (e.g., AGIBOT X1) targeting companies along the industrial value chain.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Forward Engineering GmbH is a global engineering services and consulting firm that delivers holistic and sustainable product development for the automotive, aerospace (eVTOL), and humanoid robotics industries. Their service portfolio spans Body Development, Battery Enclosure Design, Carbon Monocoque Development, and Design for Sustainability, supported by technical services including benchmarking, prototyping management, testing, and new material implementation. They develop proprietary processes such as Megamolding™ for large-format injection-molded battery enclosures, leveraging composite materials expertise and Simulation-Driven Design to deliver serially validated lightweight solutions from concept through series production.

Product overview

Forward Engineering is a global engineering services and consulting firm specialized in holistic, sustainable product development for the mobility industry. The company operates as a services firm offering engineering expertise rather than a single unified software product. Its portfolio includes four core engineering disciplines (Body Development, Battery Enclosure Design Toolbox, Carbon Monocoque Development, and Design for Sustainability), four technical services (Forward Insights Benchmarking, Prototyping Management, Testing Services, and New Material Implementation), and specific product offerings such as MEGAMOLDING™ Battery Enclosure and Forward Insights™ Reports. The company serves automotive, aerospace, and robotics sectors, with a focus on composite materials and lightweight construction.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Body Development (Karosserie Entwicklung) Holistic vehicle body development service for automotive future requirements, covering multi-material solutions from high-strength steel to technical plastics, Simulation-Driven Design, complete body development, and validation including CAE and crash simulation.
• Battery Enclosure Design Toolbox Comprehensive battery enclosure design service covering the full traction battery development from cell to housing and vehicle integration, utilizing multi-material portfolios from metal to composites with validated testing capabilities and thermal runaway assessment according to UL2596.
• Carbon Monocoque Development High-performance carbon fiber monocoque development service combining CFRP lightweight potential with new materials and technologies for cost-effective transfer to higher production volumes, including for automotive and aerospace (eVTOL) applications.
• Design for Sustainability Sustainable product development methodology service starting from end-of-life considerations, including life cycle assessment (LCA), ecological footprint reduction, circular economy design, and application-specific sustainability programs for mobility products.
• Forward Insights Benchmarking Global competitive intelligence benchmarking service providing objective, data-based reports on materials, components, and technologies including battery thermal events, barrier materials, aluminum gigacasting, and humanoid robotics.
• Prototyping Management Hypothesis validation and physical prototyping service providing single-point-of-contact project management from prototype to series production, with access to qualified global partner networks across the global innovation ecosystem.
• Testing Services Comprehensive testing service including mechanical, electrical, thermal safety, and environmental conditioning in company-owned laboratories and test rigs, with custom protocol development for industry standards compliance including UL2596 thermal runaway testing.
• New Material Implementation Guided product and market development service for new materials, including application scouting, global validation of performance data, accelerated Technology Readiness Level (TRL) management, and successful product commercialization in automotive series production.
• MEGAMOLDING™ Battery Enclosure World's first large-format injection-molded battery enclosure (1.8m x 1.4m) developed with SABIC, ENGEL, and DuPont using thermoplastic/Organoblech sandwich construction with flame-retardant PP, achieving 10-20% weight reduction and up to 30% cost savings versus all-metal designs for high-voltage EV battery applications.
• Mono-Material Seat Demonstrator developed with Evonik showing circular economy potential in automotive, where all plastic components use the same polymer family for joint mechanical recyclability combined with easy disassembly, across structures, textiles, nonwovens, and foam.
• Forward Insights™ Report: Humanoid Robotics Trend Analysis Strategic trend analysis report examining humanoid robotics developments, focusing on materials, components, and hardware architectures for industrial value chain companies, with analysis of mass-production approaches (particularly in China) and scaling opportunities for material, component, and technology providers.
• Cell-to-Pack Battery Enclosure Cost-effective high-voltage battery enclosure developed with Evonik, Lorenz Kunststofftechnik, and LION Smart using a new high-performance GFRP SMC compound with excellent mechanical and flame-retardant properties for cell-to-pack battery architecture.
• Aluminum-Coated Basalt Fiber Composite Battery Case Next-generation composite battery case for electric vehicles featuring aluminum-coated basalt fiber (AluCoat material) from FibreCoat and Coleitec, providing EMI shielding, fire protection, and passive cooling in EV battery enclosures, eliminating metal foils and reducing production steps.
• BOX Thermal Runaway Testing Standardized box thermal runaway testing service according to UL2596, developed with UL and Hyundai North America, providing reliable predictions of material behavior under temperature, pressure, and particle flow conditions for battery enclosures and cell-level materials.

Quantifiable outcome

• 10-20% weight reduction and up to 30% cost savings in battery enclosures vs all-metal designs
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• FibreCoat GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 April 2026European-Chinese collaboration for next-generation composite battery case for electric vehicles. FibreCoat provides aluminum-coated basalt fiber technology (AluCoat material) for EMI shielding, fire protection, and passive cooling in EV battery enclosures, eliminating metal foils and reducing production steps.
• ColeiteccoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 April 2026European-Chinese collaboration partner in developing next-generation composite battery case for electric vehicles. Coleitec participates alongside FibreCoat and Forward Engineering in the AluCoat battery case project for JEC World 2026.
• SABICcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDevelopment of Megamolding™ high-voltage battery enclosure from concept to prototype, using SABIC's STAMAX™ long glass fiber reinforced PP materials and multi-material design approach. The project demonstrated 10-20% weight reduction and 30% cost savings.
• ENGELmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInjection molding equipment partner in Megamolding™ battery enclosure development, providing large-format injection molding technology for the 1.8m x 1.5m battery case.
• DuPontmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMaterials partner in the Megamolding™ battery enclosure development, contributing materials expertise for the thermoplastic composite solution.
• Evonik Industries AGmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on the 'Mono-Material Seat' project demonstrating circular economy potential, developing a seat where all plastic components use the same polymer group for mechanical recyclability.
• BMW GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading partner in the 3-year 'Future Sustainable Car Materials' (FSCM) project with 19 industry partners. Forward Engineering leads 'Design for Circularity' development for products in the circular economy.
• Roding AutomobilemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint development of Roding Roadster sports car in innovative CFRP lightweight construction and ACM urban mobility concept with modular vehicle architecture.
• Underwriters Laboratories (UL)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDevelopment of BOX Thermal Runaway Test program according to UL2596 standard for battery material testing, providing reliable predictions of material behavior under thermal event conditions.
• Weitzer Wood SolutionsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on wood-based materials for automotive applications, demonstrating wood as renewable, carbon-sequestering material in a door impact beam.
• Local MotorsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDevelopment of modular structure for Olli autonomous electric shuttle using aluminum frame, composite components, and 3D printed parts.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Magna Steyr: Magna Steyr is a global automotive contract engineering and manufacturing specialist, offering complete vehicle development, body engineering, and low-volume series production. Its broader manufacturing footprint positions it as a larger incumbent against which Forward Engineering competes for body and battery enclosure work.
• Porsche Engineering: Porsche Engineering provides premium vehicle development services to external OEMs, with capabilities spanning body, chassis, powertrain, and electronics engineering. Its premium positioning and series development expertise compete with Forward Engineering for high-end automotive engineering engagements.
• AKKA Technologies (Capgemini Engineering): AKKA Technologies, now part of Capgemini Engineering, is a large-scale engineering services and digital transformation firm serving automotive, aerospace, and industrial customers. It competes with Forward Engineering on automotive engineering mandates while also offering broader digital and IT services.

Direct peers

• EDAG Engineering Group: EDAG is one of the largest independent automotive engineering services providers globally, offering vehicle development, body engineering, and production solutions. Like Forward Engineering, it serves automotive OEMs and suppliers with engineering services from concept through series production, making it a direct competitor for the same customer wallet.
• Bertrandt AG: Bertrandt provides development services across the automotive value chain, including body, interior, powertrain, and electronics engineering for OEMs and Tier-1s. Its large engineering bench and global footprint compete directly with Forward Engineering for automotive development mandates.
• FEV Group: FEV is a leading international engineering services provider for powertrain, vehicle, and energy systems, including EV battery development and lightweight design. Its scope of concept-to-series engineering services for OEMs directly overlaps with Forward Engineering's body, battery enclosure, and sustainability engineering offerings.
• AVL List GmbH: AVL is a global mobility technology company providing powertrain, vehicle, and energy system engineering services, with growing activity in battery development and simulation. Its consulting-led, multi-disciplinary engineering model competes with Forward Engineering's simulation-driven design approach for automotive and adjacent mobility customers.
• Roding Automobile: Roding Automobile is a German sports car and CFRP lightweight engineering firm co-founded by Forward Engineering's two founders prior to starting Forward Engineering. Its carbon fiber body and engineering services offering is highly analogous and represents the most direct historical and technical peer.
• IAV GmbH: IAV is a leading automotive engineering services firm with deep expertise in powertrain electrification, vehicle integration, and series development. It serves global OEMs with comparable concept-to-production engineering services and is a direct competitor for EV-related engineering mandates.

Emerging players

• SGL Carbon: SGL Carbon is a manufacturer of carbon-based products including composite materials for automotive and aerospace applications. While primarily a materials supplier rather than engineering services firm, it overlaps with Forward Engineering in the automotive composites value chain and provides competing or complementary lightweight solutions.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/forward-engineering-gmbh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries3 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 Forward Engineering