What HIFI FILTER does

HIFI FILTER S.A. is a privately held, family-owned Swiss B2B filtration and separation specialist founded in 1977 by Pierre Hirschi in Savagnier and now headquartered in Cernier. The company distributes more than 70,000 filtration references covering engine filtration (air, fuel, oil, coolant, urea, crankcase ventilation), peripheral systems (hydraulic, transmission, cabin air, air dryers, fuel dispensing) and industrial process filtration (liquid, machine tool, compressed air/vacuum, HVAC, dust extraction), serving at least 30,000 customer companies in over 160 countries across verticals such as construction, mining, agriculture, marine, manufacturing, energy, biogas, forestry and recycling.

The company operates a hybrid distribution-and-manufacturing model: it runs eight wholly-owned subsidiaries in Switzerland, France, Spain, the UK, Poland, Romania and South Africa, complemented by a global distributor network and two digital platforms — the E-Catalogue (450,000+ cross-references, 100,000+ applications) and the My HIFI customer portal. Since 2020 it has added captive manufacturing through H-FACTORY in Tunisia and HIFI FACTORY POLSKA in Poland, and it has used acquisitions (Sterling Filtration UK in 2021, FILVENT South Africa in 2024) and greenfield entry (Germany in 2024) to convert distributor-led markets into owned subsidiaries.

Commercial terms are quote-based and aimed at professionals rather than end consumers; products are priced per SKU with no minimum disclosed order, and revenue scales with unit volume (reported as 70,000 filters shipped per day) and breadth of cross-sell across equipment brands. The business carries the HIFI FILTER® trademark (registered 1996) and operates sub-brands such as H-AIR FILTER® for performance/reusable media products, while remaining under family control with no disclosed external private equity backing.

Name

HIFI FILTER

Legal name

HIFI FILTER S.A.

Website

https://hifi-filter.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

HIFI FILTER is a Swiss, family-owned B2B distributor and manufacturer of more than 70,000 filtration and separation products serving over 30,000 professional customers across construction, mining, agriculture, marine, manufacturing, energy and industrial-process sectors in 160+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Filtration Products

NAICS

Industrial and Commercial Fan and Blower and Air Purification Equipment Manufacturing (333413), Warm Air Heating and Air-Conditioning Equipment and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers (42373)

SIC

Industrial & Commercial Fans & Blowers & Air Purifing Equip (3564), Wholesale-Hardware & Plumbing & Heating Equipment & Supplies (5070)

akta.pro primary industry

Dust Collection & Air Filtration Equipment (Industrial) (IMAHALAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Air Quality & Filtration Equipment (IAQ) (IMAHAKAI), Air Filtration & Indoor Air Quality Components (Filters/UV/ERVs-HRVs) (IMADANAE)

Keywords

• Industrial filtration products
• Engine filtration solutions
• Hydraulic filtration systems
• Cabin air filters
• Compressed air filtration

Headquarters

HQ city

Cernier

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices11 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Filter and Separation Products Distribution: HIFI FILTER distributes over 70,000 filtration and separation products including engine filters, hydraulic filters, industrial process filters, cabin filters, and accessories. Products are sold to professionals across construction, mining, agriculture, marine, manufacturing, and other industrial sectors through direct sales and distributor networks.
2. Manufacturing: Since 2020, HIFI FILTER has begun manufacturing its own filters through H-FACTORY in Tunis and HIFI FACTORY POLSKA in Poland, producing air filters and other products for internal distribution and external sales.
3. Technical Services: Technical support, product development consulting, and customer assistance services provided by 700+ specialists across 15 languages.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

HIFI FILTER distributes and manufactures more than 70,000 filtration and separation products for mobile equipment and industrial processes, covering engine filtration (air, fuel, oil, coolant, urea, ventilation), peripheral filtration (hydraulic, transmission, cabin air, air dryers, fuel dispensing) and industrial process filtration (liquid, machine tool, compressed air/vacuum, HVAC, dust extraction). The company manufactures selected air filters at H-FACTORY (Tunisia) and HIFI FACTORY POLSKA (Poland) and supports customers through an online E-Catalogue with over 450,000 correspondences and a personalized My HIFI customer portal.

Product overview

HIFI FILTER is a B2B filtration and separation company serving mobile equipment and industrial process markets with a portfolio of over 70,000 product references. Its core product line is organized into three pillars: (1) Motor Filtration covering engine air, fuel, oil, engine ventilation, coolant, and urea filters; (2) Peripheral Filtration covering hydraulic filters, transmission filters, cabin/interior air filters, air dryers for braking systems, and fuel dispensing filters; and (3) Industrial Process Filtration covering liquid filters, machine tool filters, compressed air/vacuum filters, HVAC filters, and dust extraction filters. Supporting offerings include filtration accessories (housings, heads, indicators, gaskets, fittings), fluid management systems (filtration groups, oil mist scrubbers, automated band filter units), maintenance kits, custom media cutting, and custom branding services for distributors. The company also operates two digital platforms: the E-Catalogue HIFI (catalog.hifi-filter.com), a searchable database of over 450,000 correspondences and 100,000 applications, and My HIFI, a 24/7 customer portal for ordering, tracking, and product data. The sub-brand H-AIR FILTER focuses on high-performance, washable/reusable cotton media air filters and competition oil filters.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• H-AIR FILTER®: High-performance air filter brand with cotton fiber media offering higher air passage than traditional cellulose filters. Washable and reusable with extended lifespan.
• H-FACTORY

Products and services

• Engine Air Filters (Motor Filtration) Engine air filters designed to contain dust particles from intake air and protect turbochargers and engines from premature wear in mobile and industrial equipment.
• Fuel Filters (Motor Filtration)
• Oil Filters (Motor Filtration)
• Engine Ventilation Filters (Motor Filtration)
• Coolant Filters (Motor Filtration)
• Urea Filters (Motor Filtration)
• Hydraulic Filters (Peripheral Filtration)
• Transmission Filters (Peripheral Filtration)
• Cabin / Interior Air Filters (Peripheral Filtration)
• Air Dryers / Dessicant Cartridges (Peripheral Filtration)
• Fuel Dispensing Filters (Peripheral Filtration)
• Industrial Liquid Filters (Process Filtration)
• Machine Tool Filters (Process Filtration)
• Compressed Air & Vacuum Filters (Process Filtration)
• HVAC Filters (Process Filtration)
• Dust Extraction Filters (Process Filtration)
• Filtration & Separation Accessories
• Fluid Management & Industrial Separation Systems
• Maintenance Kits
• Media Cutting Service
• Custom Branding & Packaging Service
• H-AIR FILTER (High-Performance Air Filters)
• Biogas Filtration Solutions
• E-Catalogue HIFI
• My HIFI Customer Portal

Quantifiable outcome

• 30,000 references in stock for maximum product availability
• +3 more outcomes

Segments13 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• FILVENTcoreOthers · 1 January 2024HIFI FILTER acquired FILVENT in South Africa in 2024 as part of global expansion. FILVENT operates in Johannesburg and Witbank, strengthening HIFI FILTER's presence in the African market.
• Sterling FiltrationcoreOthers · 1 January 2021HIFI FILTER acquired UK-based Sterling Filtration in 2021, which was rebranded as HIFI FILTER UK. The acquisition was strategic for establishing a durable presence in the UK market and addressing challenges related to Brexit.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• MAHLE: German automotive and industrial filtration incumbent serving OEM and aftermarket globally. Overlaps with HIFI on engine air, oil, fuel, and cabin filtration but at much larger scale and with deeper OEM design-in positions; competes in the same aftermarket channels.
• Freudenberg Filtration Technologies: German industrial filtration division of Freudenberg Group, manufacturing air, liquid, and automotive filtration. Comparable product scope to HIFI in industrial process filtration but with deeper automotive OEM ties and broader geographic manufacturing presence.

Direct peers

• Donaldson Company: US-listed global manufacturer of filtration systems for industrial and mobile equipment. Directly comparable to HIFI as both serve construction, mining, agriculture, and industrial-process end-markets with engine, hydraulic, and air filtration solutions; Donaldson is significantly larger and OEM-tied, while HIFI is compatible/aftermarket-focused.
• WIX Filters: US-based aftermarket filter brand (also part of MANN+HUMMEL group). Directly competes with HIFI in automotive, heavy-duty, and industrial aftermarket filtration with a similar broad-line, multi-application catalog strategy.
• Baldwin Filters: US-based heavy-duty filtration brand owned by Parker Hannifin, focused on aftermarket filters for trucks, construction, agriculture, and industrial equipment. Closely comparable to HIFI's mobile-equipment aftermarket positioning and compatible-filter business model.
• Hengst: German family-owned filtration specialist with strong industrial, automotive, and hydraulic filter portfolio and global manufacturing. Comparable to HIFI in scale, product breadth, and European family-owned aftermarket positioning across mobile and industrial applications.
• MANN+HUMMEL: German family-owned global filtration leader (MANN-FILTER, WIX, Filtron brands). Closest direct peer to HIFI in the compatible/aftermarket European filter distribution model, with similar product breadth across automotive, heavy-duty, and industrial filtration and comparable multi-entity European footprint.

Others

• Parker Hannifin (Industrial Filtration division): US-listed diversified industrial conglomerate whose Industrial Filtration division directly competes with HIFI in hydraulic, compressed air, and process filtration. Materially larger with global manufacturing and OEM relationships, but addresses the same mobile-equipment and industrial-process customer base.
• Atlas Copco (Compressor Filtration): Swedish industrial compressor and vacuum equipment maker whose compressor division consumes and competes with third-party industrial filtration suppliers. Adjacent rather than directly competitive - shares the same industrial customer base that buys both compressed air equipment and filters from HIFI.

Emerging players

• Sogefi (Filtrauto brand): Italian filtration and fluid handling group serving automotive OEMs and aftermarket with air, oil, fuel, and cabin filters across Europe. Comparable to HIFI in European aftermarket filter distribution though more OEM-focused and narrower in industrial process coverage.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/HIFIFilterUK
• Facebookfacebook.com/hifi-filter-102633259856305
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hififilter

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries9 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 HIFI FILTER