Thombert

What Thombert does

Thombert, Inc. is a privately held U.S. manufacturer of polyurethane wheels and tires engineered specifically for narrow aisle lift trucks used in warehouse and material handling operations. Founded in 1946 in Newton, Iowa, the company transitioned from wood furniture to plastics in 1952, secured one of the first North American licenses to cast polyurethane elastomers in 1958, and became the first U.S. licensed manufacturer of Vulkollan® from Bayer AG in 1987. Its product line centers on branded polyurethane compounds — Dyalon® (in B, A GHp, and J durometer variants), Vulkollan®, and the Dyalon® B Razor Sipe™ tread — plus a Three Wheel Kit assembly. The company operates manufacturing facilities in Newton, Iowa and Brooklyn, and reports claims of being one of the world's largest manufacturers in its category, with over half of U.S.-manufactured lift trucks running on Thombert wheels and tires.

Thombert's core technology is MDI-based polyurethane compounding with proprietary production processes refined over more than six decades, combined with exclusive U.S. access to Bayer's Vulkollan® formulation for high-load and heat-resistant applications. The business model is industrial B2B sales of wear components, priced via quote-based unit pricing with multi-year contracts, and the company markets itself on total cost of ownership ("lowest cost per hour") rather than initial price, backing this with a money-back guarantee against competitor products. Distribution runs through three channels: a global protected-territory dealer network (reinforced by the MHEDA-affiliated Dealer Advantage program), direct OEM specification into new lift truck designs worldwide, and a domestic direct sales team serving enterprise end users. Customer segments are OEMs, material handling dealers, and warehouse operators — a structure that diversifies revenue across specification-driven, aftermarket, and direct enterprise demand.

The company maintains ISO certification through 2028, has received the MHEDA Most Valuable Supplier (MVS) award for at least six consecutive years through 2025, and has 11–50 employees with no external funding, parent company, or recent M&A activity disclosed. Commercial motion is supported by technical content (white papers, application guides), trade show participation (MHEDA Annual Convention), and an order request portal on thombert.com, while sales engagement remains relationship-driven through named contacts such as the Director of Sales/Marketing and dedicated customer service representatives.

Name

Thombert

Legal name

Thombert, Inc.

Website

https://thombert.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1946

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial wheels and tires

NAICS

Tire Manufacturing (32621), Synthetic Rubber Manufacturing (325212)

SIC

Tires & Inner Tubes (3011), Fabricated Rubber Products, Nec (3060)

akta.pro primary industry

Rubber Rollers & Wheels (Industrial/Material Handling) (IMANALAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Synthetic Rubber & Elastomer Feedstocks (SBR, BR, NBR, EPDM) (IMAEADAJ)

Keywords

• Polyurethane wheels
• Forklift tires
• Material handling wheels
• Narrow aisle tires
• Industrial polyurethane products

Headquarters

HQ city

Newton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Polyurethane Wheels and Tires Sales: Primary revenue from manufacturing and selling polyurethane wheels and tires for narrow aisle lift trucks. Products include press-on tires, wheels, and wheel assemblies sold to OEMs, dealers, and end-user warehouses.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Thombert manufactures polyurethane wheels and tires designed for narrow aisle lift trucks and electric forklifts. The company produces proprietary Dyalon® elastoplastic compounds (in B, A GHp, J, and Razor Sipe™ variants) and manufactures Vulkollan® under license from Bayer AG, selling these wheels, tires, and wheel assemblies to lift truck OEMs, material handling dealers, and warehouse end-users.

Product overview

Thombert is a manufacturer of polyurethane wheels and tires for narrow aisle lift trucks. The product portfolio centers on branded tire lines including Dyalon® (in variants B, A GHp, and J), Vulkollan®, and the specialized Dyalon® B Razor Sipe™. Products range from standard-duty (83 Durometer) to ultra-high load capacity formulations, with variants optimized for cold storage, damp floors, and heavy-load applications. The Three Wheel Kit offers an add-on assembly to extend wheel life. All products are designed for electric forklifts and material handling equipment, with the company claiming over half of U.S.-manufactured lift trucks run on Thombert wheels and tires.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Dyalon: Elastoplastic product combining engineering characteristics of plastic and rubber, used for industrial truck wheels and tires. Available in multiple variants including Dyalon 'B' (83 Durometer), Dyalon 'A' GHp (93 Durometer), and Dyalon 'J' (90 Durometer).
• Vulkollan

Products and services

• Dyalon® "B" Polyurethane forklift tire with 83 Durometer hardness, offering good load capacity, resistance to chunking and tearing, smooth ride, and excellent traction. Designed for lift trucks and material handling equipment.
• Dyalon® "A" GHp High-performance polyurethane tire with 93 Durometer hardness, designed for long runs and heavy loads with excellent resistance to chunking and tearing, delivering longer service life in challenging material handling applications.
• Dyalon® "J" Polyurethane tire with 90 Durometer hardness featuring great load capacity and good traction for starting and stopping, meeting ANSI braking specifications for reach trucks and order pickers.
• Vulkollan® Ultra-high load capacity polyurethane elastomer tire with high resistance to chunking and tearing, designed for long runs with heavier loads and maximum work life. Manufactured by Thombert under license from Bayer AG.
• Dyalon® "B" Razor Sipe™ Specialized Dyalon® B polyurethane tire featuring razor sipes for improved traction on damp floors, designed for cold storage applications and produce area operations.
• Three Wheel Kit Wheel kit that extends wheel life in many material handling applications, pre-assembled for easy installation with sealed bearings.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over half of U.S. manufactured lift trucks run on Thombert wheels and tires
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• MHEDA (Material Handling Equipment Distributors Association)coreOthersIndustry trade association connection. Thombert participates in MHEDA events and has been recognized with the MVS Award for 6 consecutive years. MHEDA represents material handling equipment distributors.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Continental Industrial Tires: Continental produces a broad industrial tire portfolio including solid and polyurethane forklift tires. Overlaps with Thombert as a large incumbent offering competitive lift truck tires across multiple categories and geographies.
• Michelin Industrial Tires: Michelin supplies solid and resilient industrial tires for forklifts and material handling vehicles worldwide. Competes with Thombert in the same end-use applications as part of a much broader tire portfolio.
• Bridgestone Industrial: Bridgestone offers pneumatic, solid, and press-on industrial tires for forklifts and material handling. A large incumbent with overlapping product types to Thombert's press-on polyurethane tires.

Direct peers

• Trelleborg Wheel Systems: Trelleborg produces polyurethane and rubber wheels for material handling, forklifts, and industrial vehicles with global manufacturing. Directly competes with Thombert in polyurethane drive and load wheels for lift trucks and offers a comparable tiered-compound approach.
• Colson Group: Global manufacturer of casters, wheels, and material handling components under multiple brands. Overlaps with Thombert in industrial polyurethane wheels used on lift trucks and material handling equipment, with a broader caster-focused catalog.
• RWM Casters: U.S. manufacturer of industrial casters and polyurethane wheels serving material handling OEMs and dealers. Comparable business model and customer overlap with Thombert in U.S. industrial polyurethane wheels.
• Caster Concepts: U.S.-based heavy-duty caster and polyurethane wheel manufacturer serving material handling, AGV, and industrial customers. Comparable to Thombert in polyurethane wheel engineering for demanding load and durability applications.
• Hamilton Caster: U.S. manufacturer of industrial casters and polyurethane wheels for material handling applications. Comparable to Thombert in serving dealers and OEMs of lift trucks with polyurethane wheel and tire offerings.
• Blickle: German-headquartered manufacturer of polyurethane wheels and casters for material handling and industrial applications, the closest direct peer to Thombert globally. Both firms compete on branded polyurethane compounds, OEM specification, and replacement channels for lift trucks and industrial vehicles.

Emerging players

• Sunstone Engineering / Resile Wheels: Emerging U.S. polyurethane wheel and caster manufacturer focused on engineered industrial applications. Smaller and more recent than Thombert but competes in the same polyurethane wheel segment with custom-compound capability.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ThombertInc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/thombert-inc-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Thombert