VBG Group

What VBG Group does

VBG Group AB (publ) is a Swedish publicly-listed international industrial group (Nasdaq Stockholm Mid Cap, ticker VBG B; founded 1951 by Herman Krefting; headquartered in Trollhättan with registered seat in Vänersborg) operating three wholly-owned divisions: Truck & Trailer Equipment (coupling equipment for heavy trucks and trailers, automatic snow chains under Onspot, vehicle lighting under Ledson, sliding roofs under Edscha Trailer Systems and Sesam); Mobile Thermal Solutions (HVAC/climate-control systems for buses and off-road vehicles under Mobile Climate Control and Bus Climate Control, plus Italytec added via the January 2025 Brazilian acquisition); and Ringfeder Power Transmission (shrink discs, shaft and hub couplings, friction-spring couplings under Ringfeder, Henfel, Carlyle Johnson, Rathi and Malmedie brands). For the rolling 12-month period, the group reported net sales of 5,419 MSEK and EBITA of 697 MSEK (~12.9% margin), with EPS of 16.8 SEK.

The group's products are specialized, engineered mechanical and thermal components serving OEMs and industrial operators across heavy trucking, bus, off-road, mining, transport and seismic-protection applications. Underlying technology relies on domain specialization in mechanical force transmission and mobile climate-control engineering rather than software or electronics; no public-facing API, SDK or developer platform is offered, and there are no disclosed AI/ML capabilities in the source data.

VBG Group generates revenue almost entirely through direct B2B hardware sales via wholly-owned local sales and operating subsidiaries in 14 countries on five continents (Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa, Australia). Pricing is not publicly disclosed; commercial engagement is enterprise-direct with OEMs and industrial accounts (including dedicated Key Account Managers within divisions such as Mobile Climate Control). Ownership is anchored by foundations established by the founder, with institutional participation from Nordea Funds and Lannebo on the nomination committee, supporting long-cycle capital allocation including the ~260 MSEK Italytec acquisition completed January 31, 2025.

Name

VBG Group

Legal name

VBG Group AB (publ)

Website

https://vbggroup.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1951

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

VBG Group is a Swedish-listed industrial group operating three divisions — Truck & Trailer Equipment, Mobile Thermal Solutions and Ringfeder Power Transmission — that design and sell specialized safety-critical mechanical and HVAC components to heavy-vehicle OEMs and industrial customers across 14 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Vänersborg

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

Offices31 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Industrial product sales (hardware): VBG Group generates revenue primarily through sale of industrial engineered products — coupling equipment for trucks/trailers, automatic snow chains, vehicle lighting and sliding roofs (Truck & Trailer Equipment); HVAC/climate-control systems for buses and off-road vehicles (Mobile Thermal Solutions); and power transmission components such as shrink discs and couplings (Ringfeder Power Transmission). Net sales of 5,419 MSEK (R12) and EBITA of 697 MSEK (R12). Sales occur through wholly-owned local sales subsidiaries across Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Australia.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

VBG Group is an international industrial group that manufactures and sells engineered mechanical and thermal-engineering components through three wholly-owned divisions: Truck & Trailer Equipment (coupling equipment for heavy trucks and trailers, automatic snow chains, vehicle lighting, sliding roof systems under VBG, Ringfeder, Onspot, Edscha Trailer Systems, Sesam and Ledson brands); Mobile Thermal Solutions (HVAC and climate-control systems for buses and off-road vehicles under Bus Climate Control, Mobile Climate Control and Italytec brands); and Ringfeder Power Transmission (shrink discs, shaft and hub couplings, friction-spring coupling equipment under Ringfeder, Henfel, Carlyle Johnson, Rathi and Malmedie brands). Products are sold directly to OEMs, fleet operators and industrial customers across mining, transport, construction and seismic-protection applications through wholly-owned sales and operating subsidiaries in 14 countries.

Product overview

VBG Group is an international industrial conglomerate offering a portfolio of products organized into three fully-owned divisions, each operating multiple sub-brands. The Truck & Trailer Equipment division provides coupling equipment for heavy trucks and trailers, automatic snow chains, vehicle lighting, and sliding roofs under the VBG, Onspot, Edscha Trailer Systems, Sesam, and Ledson brands. The Mobile Thermal Solutions division delivers climate/HVAC systems for buses and off-road vehicles under the Mobile Climate Control and Bus Climate Control brands, with Italytec added through the January 2025 Brazil acquisition. The Ringfeder Power Transmission division sells shrink discs, shaft-hub couplings, and friction spring coupling equipment under the Ringfeder, Henfel, Carlyle Johnson, Rathi, and Malmedie brands. Together, these three divisions (with their named sub-brands) form VBG Group's modular industrial portfolio serving transport, off-road, and power transmission markets across roughly 14 countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• VBG: Coupling equipment and related products under the Truck & Trailer Equipment division.
• Onspot
• Ringfeder
• Edscha Trailer Systems
• Sesam
• Ledson
• Ringfeder Power Transmission
• Henfel
• Carlyle Johnson
• Rathi
• Malmedie
• Mobile Climate Control
• Bus Climate Control
• Italytec

Products and services

• VBG truck and trailer couplings
• Onspot automatic snow chains
• Edscha Trailer Systems sliding roofs
• Sesam sliding roof systems
• Ledson vehicle lighting
• Mobile Climate Control HVAC systems
• Bus Climate Control systems
• Italytec HVAC systems for off-road vehicles

Quantifiable outcome

• Net sales of 5,419 MSEK (R12)
• +3 more outcomes

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

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Italytec Imex Indústria e Comércio Ltda.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 January 2025VBG Group's Mobile Thermal Solutions division agreed to acquire all shares of Brazil-based Italytec, a manufacturer of HVAC systems for offroad vehicles. Completion expected by January 31, 2025. Valued at approximately 260 MSEK, the deal is intended to expand VBG Group's market presence in Brazil and South America and enhance its product range. Italytec's Brazilian office (Nova Odessa, SP) is now part of Mobile Thermal Solutions' operations.
• KTH Executive School and Chalmers Professional EducationminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSince 2010, VBG Group has engaged KTH Executive School and Chalmers Professional Education as providers of management education for the VBG Group Academy, covering Industrial Management, R&D Management, Production Management and Lean for group/division leadership and senior managers. The group also collaborates with universities and colleges in Germany and Sweden for student thesis supervision.
• Ernst & Young ABminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerErnst & Young AB is VBG Group's registered auditing firm. The lead auditor is Andreas Mast (authorised public accountant), who has served as auditor of VBG Group since 2021. EY reports annually to the board on its audit observations.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• ABB: Global industrial conglomerate with motion and power-transmission businesses — broad incumbent comparable to the Ringfeder Power Transmission division across industrial drive applications.
• Siemens (Industrial Drive Technology): Diversified industrial technology group whose drive-technology portfolio overlaps with Ringfeder's couplings, shrink discs and friction-spring coupling solutions for industrial drivetrains.
• Trane Technologies (Thermo King): Global HVAC and transport-temperature-control major whose Thermo King brand competes in mobile climate for buses, trucks and off-road — overlapping with Mobile Climate Control and Bus Climate Control but as part of a much broader portfolio.
• SKF: Swedish industrial bearings and power-transmission major — adjacent peer to Ringfeder Power Transmission in industrial drivetrain components for heavy industries and OEM applications.

Direct peers

• Modine Manufacturing: US-listed thermal-management specialist serving commercial vehicles, off-highway and industrial markets — directly comparable to VBG Group's Mobile Thermal Solutions division (Mobile Climate Control, Bus Climate Control).
• SAF-Holland: European-based supplier of truck and trailer coupling systems, axles and related safety components — the most direct competitor to VBG Group's Truck & Trailer Equipment division in heavy-vehicle coupling and towing equipment.
• Webasto Group: Privately held German supplier of vehicle HVAC, roof systems and thermal management — directly overlaps with VBG's Mobile Thermal Solutions HVAC range and the Sesam sliding-roof product line.
• Haldex (SAF-Holland division): Originally an independent Swedish supplier of brake and air-suspension systems for heavy trucks; now part of SAF-Holland, making it a direct historical and strategic peer to VBG's truck and trailer components business.
• JOST Werke: German-listed manufacturer of fifth-wheel couplings, landing gears and kingpins for trucks and trailers — a focused direct peer to VBG's truck and trailer coupling product lines.

Others

• Roper Technologies (industrial niche holdings): US-listed diversified industrial technology investor with niche industrial-product holdings — a thematic peer illustrating how diversified industrial niche platforms are valued in public markets, rather than a direct product overlap.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/vbggroup
• Facebookfacebook.com/VBGGroupAB
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vbg-group-ab

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries31 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A2 records

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about VBG Group