Krapf & Lex Nachf

What Krapf & Lex Nachf does

Krapf & Lex Nachf. Verkehrstechnik GmbH & Co. KG is a German specialty manufacturer of air filtration and pressure protection systems for rail vehicles, headquartered operationally in Weiden i.d. Oberpfalz with production in Roding, Bavaria. Founded in 1949 and structured as a GmbH & Co. KG under K&L Verwaltungs-GmbH as general partner, the company employs between 51 and 100 people and maintains a 6-language digital presence to serve international rail markets.

The company's product portfolio centers on engineered air filters and pressure-sealing systems that protect railway HVAC systems and passengers from water, dust, snow infiltration, and pressure shocks of up to ±10,000 Pa encountered in high-speed operations such as tunnel passages and oncoming-train events. Core technology combines pneumatic pressure-sealed fastenings with electronic differential-pressure measurement; supporting products include multi-cyclone separators, snow filters, and ventilation grilles with inertial filters (FSA). The firm's offerings are integrated into rolling stock via customer-specific CAD-data exchange (supporting AutoCAD, Inventor, STEP, IGES, CATIA, SolidWorks, ProEngineer, Design Review) and a self-serve online CPQ configurator.

Go-to-market is direct enterprise B2B sales to railway OEMs and operators, with named reference deployments on Transrapid, Deutsche Bahn ICE3, OEBB Railjet, Bombardier TRAXX locomotives, Siemens, SNCF, ThermoKing, Trane, and Ingersoll Rand. Pricing is custom quotation-based against project specifications under standard B2B terms. The firm holds a stacked set of certifications (DIN ISO 9001:2015, EN 17460, EN 15085-2:2015, DIN EN ISO 3834-2:2006) that act as mandatory supplier qualifiers in European rail.

Name

Krapf & Lex Nachf

Legal name

Krapf & Lex Nachf. Verkehrstechnik GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://krapf-lex.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1949

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Krapf & Lex Nachf is a German specialty manufacturer of air filtration and pressure protection systems for rail vehicles, serving railway OEMs and operators including Siemens, Deutsche Bahn, OEBB, SNCF, and Bombardier with custom-engineered filters, ventilation grilles, and pneumatic-electronic pressure-shock protection systems.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Rail Vehicle Air Filtration

NAICS

Industrial and Commercial Fan and Blower and Air Purification Equipment Manufacturing (333413), Ventilation, Heating, Air-Conditioning, and Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturing (3334)

SIC

Air-Cond & Warm Air Heatg Equip & Comm & Indl Refrig Equip (3585), Industrial & Commercial Fans & Blowers & Air Purifing Equip (3564)

akta.pro primary industry

Air Quality & Filtration Equipment (IAQ) (IMAHAKAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Dust Collection & Air Filtration Equipment (Industrial) (IMAHALAF), Automotive Air Distribution & Ventilation Components (Blower Motors/Ducts/Vents/Cabin Filters) (IMACALAF)

Keywords

• Rail vehicle air filters
• Pressure protection systems
• Ventilation grilles
• Railway filtration components
• Industrial air filtration

Headquarters

HQ city

Roding

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Air Filter Systems: Manufacture and sale of air filtration systems for railway vehicles, protecting against dust, water, snow, and pressure shocks. Products are custom-engineered based on customer specifications with CAD data exchange and technical consultation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Krapf & Lex Nachf develops and manufactures air filtration products and pressure protection systems for rail vehicles, locomotives, and transportation HVAC equipment. The portfolio includes filters that protect against water, dust, snow, and pressure shocks (handling differential pressures up to ±10,000 Pa), as well as multi-cyclone separators and ventilation grilles with inertial filters. Products are custom-engineered to OEM specifications with CAD data exchange support and an online configurator for quotation.

Product overview

Krapf & Lex Nachf is a German company specializing in air filtration systems for the transportation industry. Their product portfolio centers on air filters that protect vehicles, trains, and equipment from environmental elements including water, dust, snow, and pressure shocks. Key products include multi-cyclone separators, snow filters, ventilation grilles with inertial filters (FSA), and pressure protection systems with pneumatic and electronic controls. They serve major railway manufacturers including Siemens, Bombardier, and national railways like OEBB and SNCF. The company also offers an online product configurator for custom filter solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Air Filter - Protection against Water Air filters engineered to prevent water intrusion through ventilation systems of rail vehicles and transportation equipment.
• Air Filter - Protection against Dust Air filters that block dust and particulate matter from entering mechanical systems and HVAC inlets of trains and vehicles.
• Snow Filter (Air Filter - Protection against Snow) Specialized air filter designed to prevent snow infiltration through HVAC inlets of rail vehicles and transportation applications.
• Pressure Protection System (Air Filter - Protection against Pressure Shocks) Pressure-sealed air filtration system that combines pneumatic-operated fastening with electronic differential pressure measurement, closing the mechanism when limit values are exceeded to protect high-speed train passengers from pressure fluctuations up to ±10,000 Pa during tunnel passages or when encountering oncoming traffic.
• Multi-Cyclone Separator Air filtration component that uses cyclone separation technology to remove particles from air streams in rail and industrial ventilation applications.
• Ventilation Grille with Inertial Filter FSA Ventilation grille integrating an inertial filter (FSA - filter-absorber system) for air intake protection in rail vehicles and industrial equipment.

Quantifiable outcome

• Pressure protection capability up to ±10,000 Pa for high-speed train applications

Named customers10 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

Feature5 records

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Knorr-Bremse: Global market leader in braking and other systems for rail and commercial vehicles, with broader rail subsystem portfolio including HVAC. Comparable as a major rail systems supplier interfacing with the same OEM customers as K&L.
• Mahle: Global automotive and industrial supplier with filtration and HVAC product lines for passenger cars, commercial vehicles, and increasingly rail. Comparable as a broad-line filtration and thermal management supplier with rail ambitions.
• Liebherr-Transportation Systems: Manufactures HVAC, cooling, and hydraulic systems for rail vehicles and commercial heavy equipment. Comparable as a Tier-1 rail HVAC supplier with broader systems scope than K&L's filtration niche.
• Parker Hannifin: Diversified motion and control technologies manufacturer including industrial filtration and pneumatic systems. Comparable in pneumatic/filtration component expertise serving industrial and transportation markets.

Regional players

• Ziehl-Abegg: German manufacturer of electric motors, fans, and blowers with a strong presence in rail vehicle HVAC. Comparable as a German Tier-2/3 supplier of air-movement components into the same European rail OEM base.
• ebm-papst: German-based global leader in fans and motors with extensive rail HVAC applications. Comparable as a German-engineered air-movement component supplier serving European rail OEMs alongside K&L's filtration products.

Direct peers

• Camfil: Swedish air filtration manufacturer focused on clean air solutions for industrial and commercial applications including transportation. Comparable as a European-headquartered air filtration specialist serving industrial and mobility customers.
• Freudenberg Filtration Technologies: Part of Freudenberg Group, manufacturing industrial and automotive filtration including HVAC and cabin air filters. Comparable as a long-established European filtration supplier serving OEM and industrial customers.
• Donaldson Company: Industrial and OEM filtration specialist with dedicated transportation filtration lines for rail, heavy-duty, and industrial vehicles. Comparable product portfolio across air intake, cabin, and specialty filtration.
• MANN+HUMMEL: Global filtration manufacturer producing air, cabin, and industrial filters for automotive, rail, and industrial applications. Directly comparable as a Tier-1 filtration supplier serving OEMs across mobility and industrial end-markets.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/KrapfundLexNachf
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/krapf-lex-nachf-verkehrstechnik

Compliance4 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 Krapf & Lex Nachf