KAB Seating

What KAB Seating does

KAB Seating is a UK-based designer and manufacturer of suspension seating systems for commercial vehicles and office environments, operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of NASDAQ-listed Commercial Vehicle Group (CVG, ticker CVGI). The company produces air, mechanical, and heavy-duty suspension seats serving construction equipment, agricultural machinery, materials handling vehicles, trucks and buses, and office installations such as control rooms, call centres, and executive workspaces. Its UK headquarters and primary manufacturing plant sit at Round Spinney, Northampton, a site occupied since 1982; the corporate entity KAB Seating Ltd was formally established in 1984 and traces its lineage to Bostrom Seating (Wisconsin, 1935) and Bostrom Europe (Birmingham, 1962). CVG acquired KAB in 2001, integrating it into a portfolio that also includes the Bostrom, National Seating, and Stratos brands and provides shared access to 29 manufacturing plants across 20 countries.

The product portfolio is organised into multiple sub-brands. SCIOX is the agricultural seating family spanning entry-level through Premium+ variants with progressive variable damping, leather/fabric trim, and optional heat and ventilation. Sentinel is a mechanical-suspension range for construction and materials handling. The 100, 500, 600, 700, and 800 Series cover small-to-large agricultural, industrial, and truck/bus driver seats with air or mechanical suspension; the 700 Series is explicitly marketed to eliminate 70% of harmful vibrations. Bostrom addresses premium Class 8 truck seating, and a separate Office Seating line serves ergonomic control-room and call-centre applications. Manufacturing is supported by a Digital Thread Strategy on Siemens Teamcenter PLM linking CAD to MES, with collaborative robots (cobots) deployed for precision assembly and testing. Safety features include Occupancy Presence Sensors that confirm the operator is seated before vehicle operation.

KAB distributes products through a global dealer and distributor network (with regional websites for the UK, Germany, France, Spain, US, and Australia) and supplies OEMs directly — Volvo Construction Equipment is a named OEM partner following a custom Gold Rush SCIOX seat showcased at ConExpo 2020. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly listed. The company holds ISO 9001:2015 (quality, 2024-2027) and ISO 14001:2015 (environmental, 2024-2027) certifications and participates in major industry events including Conexpo-Con/Agg, Bauma, Stockholm Furniture Fair, and LAMMA. Revenue figures are not publicly disclosed.

Name

KAB Seating

Legal name

KAB Seating Ltd

Website

https://kabseating.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

KAB Seating is a UK-based manufacturer of suspension seating systems for commercial vehicles — construction, agricultural, materials handling, and truck/bus applications — and office environments, operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of NASDAQ-listed Commercial Vehicle Group (CVG).

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Vehicle Seating

NAICS

Motor Vehicle Seating and Interior Trim Manufacturing (33636)

SIC

Office Furniture (2520)

akta.pro primary industry

Automotive Seating Systems Manufacturing (Frames/Mechanisms/Foam/Complete Seats) (IMACAKAA)

Keywords

• Vehicle seating systems
• Suspension seating
• Agricultural equipment seats
• Construction equipment seats
• Ergonomic office chairs

Headquarters

HQ city

Northampton

HQ country

United Kingdom

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

Revenue model

1. Vehicle Seating Products: Manufacture and supply of comfortable, practical work seats for various types of vehicles including construction, agricultural, materials handling, and truck/bus applications.
2. Office Seating Products: Ergonomic chairs for office environments including control rooms, executive offices, call centres, emergency services, and data processing facilities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

KAB Seating manufactures and supplies heavy-duty suspension seating for off-highway and commercial vehicles, including construction, agricultural, industrial, mining, materials handling, truck, bus, and coach applications. The company also designs and produces ergonomic office seating for offices, control rooms, emergency response rooms, and 24/7 work environments. Its product lines include the SCIOX, Sentinel, Bostrom, and numbered 100/500/600/700/800 series seat families.

Product overview

KAB Seating is a world leader in vehicle seating with over 50 years of experience, now part of Commercial Vehicle Group (CVG). The company offers two main product lines: Vehicle Seating and Office Seating. Vehicle Seating comprises multiple product families including SCIOX (agricultural seats with air suspension and variable damping), Sentinel (mechanical suspension seats), 800 Series, 600 Series, 500 Series, 100 Series, and 700 Series (truck/bus seats), plus the Bostrom sub-brand for premium truck seating. The Office Seating line provides ergonomic chairs for control rooms, executive offices, call centres, and emergency services. The products are distributed globally through dealers and directly to equipment manufacturers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SCIOX: Seat product range featuring entry level to premium options with various suspension types for agricultural vehicles
• Sentinel
• Bostrom
• 100 Series
• 600 Series
• 800 Series
• 500 Series

Products and services

• SCIOX Seat Family
• Sentinel Seats
• 800 Series Seats
• 600 Series Seats
• 500 Series Seats
• 100 Series Seats
• 700 Series Seats
• Bostrom Seats
• Office Seating Range

Quantifiable outcome

• Eliminate 70% of harmful vibrations

Named customers1 record

Segments5 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

Five partnerships are on record, tiered regional, flagship and core.

• CEMATregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 30 January 2019CEMAT from Czech Republic appointed as official KAB Dealer for Czech Republic and Slovakia in January 2019. Supplier of high-quality products in handling and construction fields. Staff received training at CIEB facility.
• BF EquipementregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2019French distributor BF Equipement has updated their showroom in Saint-Égrève, France, displaying KAB seats from Construction and Agricultural ranges. Exhibits at Truck-Show at Castellet race track and Le Sommet de L'elevage.
• Volvo Construction EquipmentflagshipOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 1 January 2019Custom collaboration on Gold Rush branded excavator featuring SCIOX seat with gold stitching and embroidery. Seat toured US dealerships and was exhibited at ConExpo 2020. Includes hydro-dipped plastic parts and custom leather covers.
• Commercial Vehicle Group (CVG)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2001Ohio-based Commercial Vehicle Group acquired KAB Seating in 2001. KAB operates as a major division within CVG's seating portfolio, leveraging global sister company expertise for design and manufacturing. CVG has 29 plants in 20 countries for production of seats and related cabin products.
• Holmek Consulting ABregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSwedish consulting and distribution partner, exhibited with KAB at Stockholm Furniture Fair 2020 for office seating products.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Stratos: Sister CVG brand focused on commercial vehicle seating. Closely comparable as a fellow CVG seating brand competing in similar OEM and aftermarket channels.
• ISRI: Spanish manufacturer of suspension seating for trucks, buses, agricultural and construction equipment. Highly comparable in product range and end-market focus on commercial and off-road vehicles.
• Sears Seating: US-based OEM and aftermarket seat manufacturer specializing in suspension seats for agriculture, construction, material handling and industrial equipment. Direct competitor in core off-road seating categories.
• National Seating: US-based commercial vehicle and industrial seating manufacturer; sister brand under CVG alongside KAB. Directly comparable products, customers, and competitive positioning within CVG's own seating portfolio.
• Grammer AG: German-listed global manufacturer of seats for commercial vehicles, agricultural and construction equipment, forklifts, and trucks. Closest direct peer to KAB in off-road and commercial vehicle suspension seating, with overlapping OEM customer base and product portfolio.
• Milsco Manufacturing: Wisconsin-based manufacturer of seats for powersports, motorcycles and commercial vehicles, now part of Continental AG. Comparable suspension seat technology and industrial customer base.

Broad incumbents

• Lear Corporation: Global automotive seating and electronics supplier with broad OEM coverage. Overlaps with KAB's commercial vehicle seat work through its E-Systems and Seating segments, though primarily focused on passenger vehicles.
• Faurecia (FORVIA): Global automotive technology group with a major seating division. Broad focus across passenger vehicles but also commercial vehicle cabin solutions, making it an overlapping broad incumbent in adjacent segments.
• Adient: World's largest automotive seating supplier, spun out of Johnson Controls. Has commercial vehicle seating exposure; broader portfolio but overlapping product categories and customer types.

Emerging players

• Recaro Automotive: Premium seating brand with applications in passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles and specialized applications. Comparable in premium positioning and ergonomic focus, though smaller in commercial vehicle share.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/kabseating?lang=en
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC
• Facebookfacebook.com/KABConstructionSeating
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kabseating

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 KAB Seating