Kissling
Kissling AG is a Swiss, family-owned industrial gearbox manufacturer founded in 1925, producing custom-engineered planetary, ropeway, extruder, and heavy-duty gear units for safety-critical applications in transport, cement, power generation, and process industries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1925
- HeadquartersBachenbülach, Switzerland
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Kissling does
Kissling AG is a Swiss industrial gearbox manufacturer headquartered in Bachenbülach, founded in 1925 and currently in its third generation of family ownership. The company designs and manufactures nine families of custom-engineered gear units, with planetary gearboxes accounting for roughly 70% of production. Its portfolio spans ropeway, turbo, heavy-duty, extruder, helical, bevel-helical, coaxial, worm, and special-purpose gearboxes, supporting safety-critical applications in ropeway transport, cement, sugar, paper, plastics/rubber extrusion, test bench, aerospace, and power generation.
The technology stack centers on proprietary gear engineering (anchored historically by the KISSsoft calculation software, now a separate commercial entity) and ANSYS Workbench-based finite element analysis for verification. Kissling holds ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO 45001 certifications and is ATEX compliant for explosion-risk environments. Over its history, the company has manufactured more than 160,000 gear units, with product lifecycles commonly exceeding 30 years in field service.
The business model is project-based custom engineering sold via quote-based pricing to industrial B2B customers, with no disclosed standard catalog or distribution channel. Go-to-market relies on a network of regional representatives across Germany, Australia, North America, Japan, North Africa, and the Middle East, complemented by presence at industry trade fairs such as Interalpin and Mountain Planet. Customer relationships are multi-year and tied to long product service lives, creating aftermarket and replacement revenue visibility. The company is privately held with no external funding and a lean headcount of approximately 30-40 employees focused on engineering and project execution.
Kissling firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Kissling
- Legal name
- Kissling AG
- Website
- https://kissgear.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1925
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Kissling AG is a Swiss, family-owned industrial gearbox manufacturer founded in 1925, producing custom-engineered planetary, ropeway, extruder, and heavy-duty gear units for safety-critical applications in transport, cement, power generation, and process industries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Kissling is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bachenbülach
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Kissling business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Gearbox and Gear Unit Manufacturing: Kissling designs, engineers, and manufactures custom and standard gearboxes and gear units for industrial applications. Products include planetary, turbo, helical, bevel helical, worm, coaxial, and special purpose gearboxes sold directly to industrial customers.
- After-sales Service and Maintenance: The Kissling Service Centre provides comprehensive service including repairs, inspections, overhauls, re-engineering, performance enhancement, and spare parts for both Kissling and third-party gearboxes. Includes emergency service for contract customers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom gear units are quoted on a project-by-project basis |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Kissling product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Kissling AG designs, engineers, and manufactures custom and standard gearboxes and gear units for industrial applications. Their portfolio spans planetary, turbo, helical, bevel helical, worm, coaxial, and special purpose gearboxes serving ropeway, cement, sugar, paper, plastics, extrusion, test bench, and power generation industries, complemented by full after-sales service and engineering development capabilities.
Product overview
Kissling AG is a Swiss industrial gearbox manufacturer founded in 1925, offering a comprehensive portfolio of mechanical power transmission products. The core offering consists of nine distinct gearbox types: ropeway gear units (Seilbahngetriebe) for passenger transport including cable cars and chairlifts; turbo gear units including ER, ORION, SIRIUS, WEGA, and ASTRO series for high-speed applications; heavy-duty gearboxes for cement and sugar industries; extruder gearboxes (EX and VZD series) for plastics and food extrusion; planetary gearboxes as the company's specialty representing over 70% of production; helical and bevel helical reducers; coaxial helical gear units; worm gears; and special purpose products for custom applications. These are complemented by four service offerings: consulting, development (including FEM simulation and ATEX certification), assembly (with in-house testing), and maintenance/repair services. The company operates from Bachenbülach, Switzerland, serving customers worldwide in industries including transportation, cement, sugar, paper, plastics, chemicals, and power generation.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Seilbahngetriebe (Ropeway Gear Units) Planetary and bevel helical gearboxes for cable cars, chairlifts, ski lifts, and ropeways, featuring PK and SKP series with torque up to 800,000 Nm for passenger transport applications.
- Turbogetriebe (Turbo Gear Units) High-speed gearboxes for turbo machinery including ER series (parallel shaft), ORION series (planetary up to 50,000 rpm), SIRIUS series (power-split up to 10 MW), WEGA series (single-stage planetary), and ASTRO series (two-stage with Flex-Pin technology).
- Schwerlastgetriebe (Heavy-Duty Gearboxes)
Quantifiable outcome
- Zero failures recorded on EdF Kembs sluice gearboxes from 1992 to present (over 30 years of continuous operation)
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Kissling
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Kissling technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
Kissling partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, regional and innovation.
- ARTEC Machine SystemscoreExclusive representation of Kissling in North America since 2003. Located at 26 Commerce Drive, North Branford, CT 06471, USA. Provides sales, service, and support for Kissling gearboxes in North American market.
- DCL Engineering GroupcoreAustralian representative with head office in Fairfield East NSW and secondary workshop in Port Kembla. Offers gearbox services, metal spraying, and machine workshop capabilities.
- KISSsoft AGcoreSoftware company founded by Ulrich Kissling in 1997. Continues development and commercialization of KISSsoft gear calculation software originally developed at Kissling AG.
- TASCO CorporationregionalJapanese representative with Stephen Takei as Managing Director, located in Tokyo's Roppongi district. Handles sales and support for Kissling products in Japan.
- Alpha ServipapregionalNorth African representative based in Tunis, Tunisia under leadership of Brahim Nasraoui. Serves the Tunisian and North African markets.
- Synergies TechregionalMiddle East representative operating from Dubai, UAE. Contact person Shadab handling sales and support for the region.
- Stefan Burkart - Ingenieurbüro für GetriebetechnikregionalGerman representative specializing in turbo gears. Located in Schermbeck, Germany with expertise in gearbox technology.
- ETH ZurichinnovationSwiss Federal Institute of Technology collaboration. Kissling built gearbox for hybrid race car that won first prize overall in Formula Hybrid competition 2008. Ongoing R&D partnerships for special gear unit development.
- Bern University of Applied SciencesinnovationCollaboration resulted in compact powerful staged planetary gear unit for wheelhouse installed in 2016. Ongoing research and development partnership.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Kissling competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Bison Gear & Engineering: US-based manufacturer specializing in custom and fractional horsepower gearboxes, motors, and gear motors. Comparable niche specialty manufacturer with engineering-driven custom offerings for industrial customers.
- Hansen Industrial Transmissions: Belgian manufacturer of industrial gear reducers with focus on heavy-duty and custom applications. Closely comparable to Kissling in custom engineered gearboxes for demanding industrial environments.
- Watt Drive (WEG Group): Austrian/German manufacturer of gearboxes and gear motors serving European industrial customers. Comparable in size and product specialization to Kissling, with focus on helical, bevel-helical, and worm gear units.
Broad incumbents
- Nord Drivesystems: Germany-based manufacturer of drive technology offering gear units, motors, and frequency inverters across industrial applications. Directly comparable product portfolio to Kissling including helical, bevel, worm, and planetary gearboxes.
- SEW-Eurodrive: One of the world's largest manufacturers of drive technology, gear motors, and electronic drives. Comparable to Kissling as a manufacturer of industrial gearboxes and drive solutions, though at much greater scale across a broader product portfolio.
- Bonfiglioli: Italian manufacturer of gearmotors, drive systems, and special gearboxes for industries including construction, agriculture, and heavy industry. Overlaps with Kissling in custom industrial and heavy-duty gearbox offerings.
- Flender (Siemens): German manufacturer of mechanical drive systems now part of Siemens, producing standard and custom industrial gearboxes. Closely comparable in terms of custom engineering capability and applications in heavy industry and power generation.
- ZF Friedrichshafen (Industrial Gears): Major German automotive and industrial technology company with industrial gear drives portfolio. Overlaps with Kissling in custom industrial gearboxes for high-end applications.
- Regal Rexnord (David Brown): Global manufacturer of power transmission products including the David Brown brand of custom industrial gearboxes. Comparable in custom heavy-duty gear unit offerings for mining, cement, and similar industries.
Emerging players
- Filamo® (Gear Solutions): Specialty manufacturer of precision gear units and drive components. Smaller, more focused competitor with comparable customer profile in industrial and test bench applications.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Kissling social profiles
Digital presenceKissling compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
Kissling financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Kissling leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
Kissling subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Kissling funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Kissling M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Kissling
What does Kissling do?
Kissling AG designs, engineers, and manufactures custom and standard gearboxes and gear units for industrial applications. Their portfolio spans planetary, turbo, helical, bevel helical, worm, coaxial, and special purpose gearboxes serving ropeway, cement, sugar, paper, plastics, extrusion, test bench, and power generation industries, complemented by full after-sales service and engineering development capabilities.
Is Kissling a public or private company?
Kissling is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Kissling founded?
Kissling was founded in 1925. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Kissling based?
Kissling is headquartered in Bachenbülach, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
How does Kissling make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Gearbox and Gear Unit Manufacturing is the primary driver. The others are after-sales Service and Maintenance.
Who are Kissling's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Bison Gear & Engineering, Hansen Industrial Transmissions and Watt Drive (WEG Group). Broad incumbents are Nord Drivesystems, SEW-Eurodrive, Bonfiglioli, Flender (Siemens), ZF Friedrichshafen (Industrial Gears) and Regal Rexnord (David Brown). Filamo® (Gear Solutions) is listed as an emerging player.
Does Kissling have an API?
No public API is recorded for Kissling.