What STARK Spannsysteme does

STARK Spannsysteme GmbH is an Austrian industrial components manufacturer founded in 1977 by Emil Stark and headquartered in Rankweil, Vorarlberg. The company specializes in zero point clamping systems (Nullpunktspannsysteme) and machine vises, serving automotive, aerospace, medical technology, and general mechanical engineering customers. It operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of the ROEMHELD Gruppe, a German-Austrian industrial conglomerate.

The company's core technology is zero point clamping, which enables precise, rapid positioning and clamping of workpieces, fixtures, pallets, and workholding equipment in machine tools and manufacturing cells. STARK claims to have introduced the first zero point clamping system in the machining sector in 1988. The technology achieves positioning accuracy of 0.003 mm with clamping forces up to 52,000 N, and is reported to reduce setup and tool changeover times by up to 90%. The portfolio spans 12 STARK zero point clamping product families (classic, balance, basic, easyclick, airtec, connect, hydratec, plaintec, metec, spheric, gripper, intelligence) covering pneumatic, hydraulic, mechanical, and automated actuation, plus 12 HILMA machine vise families (AS, UC, NC, KNC, DS, DUO, MCP, TS, SCT, SCS, MSH, ZH). The intellectual property base exceeds 100 patents and models.

Revenue is generated primarily through sale of standardized and custom-engineered workholding hardware, complemented by service revenue from commissioning, maintenance, repairs, and training. Pricing is project-specific and quote-based. The company sells via direct technical sales engineers and leverages the ROEMHELD Group's global distribution infrastructure of 5 sites, 6 subsidiaries, and commercial partners across 51 countries. STARK maintains ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001:2015 certifications, RoHS and REACH compliance, and reports a 98% on-time delivery rate. No standalone revenue figure is publicly disclosed; the broader ROEMHELD Group reports total revenue exceeding €90 million across its three production sites.

Name

STARK Spannsysteme

Legal name

STARK SPANNSYSTEME GmbH

Website

https://stark-roemheld.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

STARK Spannsysteme GmbH is an Austrian manufacturer of zero point clamping systems and machine vises for automotive, aerospace, medical, and general machining customers. Operating as a subsidiary of the ROEMHELD Gruppe, it sells standardized and custom workholding hardware globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Rankweil

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Industrial Workholding Products: Sale of standardized zero point clamping systems, machine vises, workholding systems, multiple clamping systems, and tombstone clamping systems. Products are sold directly to industrial customers for integration into manufacturing processes.
2. Custom Workholding Solutions: Development and sale of custom-engineered workholding solutions for specific workpieces, machines, manufacturing processes, and automation requirements. Includes project-specific engineering and custom product development.
3. Services (Commissioning, Maintenance, Training, Repairs): Service offerings including commissioning, maintenance, repairs, and training for customers worldwide. Service centers provide local support across the ROEMHELD Group's global network.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

STARK Spannsysteme GmbH manufactures and sells zero point clamping systems (Nullpunktspannsysteme) and machine vise/workholding systems under the STARK and HILMA brands. These precision-engineered mechanical, hydraulic, and pneumatic clamping systems enable rapid positioning and clamping of workpieces, fixtures, and pallets in machine tools and automated manufacturing cells, reducing setup times by up to 90% with positioning accuracy of 0.003 mm.

Product overview

STARK Spannsysteme GmbH offers a comprehensive portfolio of industrial workholding solutions organized into two main product brands: STARK zero point clamping systems and HILMA machine vise/workholding systems. The STARK brand encompasses 12 product families (classic, balance, basic, easyclick, airtec, connect, hydratec, plaintec, metec, spheric, gripper, intelligence) providing pneumatic, hydraulic, mechanical, and electrical actuation options for rapid workpiece, fixture, and pallet changes with precision up to 0.003mm. The HILMA brand includes machine vises, double clamping systems, tower clamping systems, multiple clamping systems, and centering vises for mechanical and hydraulic workpiece clamping. Together, these systems enable setup time reductions of up to 90%, machine utilization increases, and automation integration for machining, turning, milling, grinding, welding, assembly, and additive manufacturing applications across automotive, aerospace, medical, and general manufacturing industries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• STARK: Brand for zero point clamping systems and related components, including STARK.classic, STARK.balance, STARK.basic, STARK.easyclick, STARK.airtec, STARK.connect, STARK.hydratec, STARK.plaintec, STARK.metec, STARK.spheric, STARK.gripper, and STARK.intelligence.
• HILMA

Products and services

• STARK.classic Zero point clamping system with maximum quality and precision for high-productivity workpiece clamping applications.
• STARK.balance Zero point clamping system optimized for balancing applications.
• STARK.basic Compact zero point clamping system with pneumatic actuation and high clamping forces, designed for simple machining operations including milling, turning, grinding, and eroding.
• STARK.easyclick Zero point clamping system with quick-change functionality for efficient tool and workpiece changes.
• STARK.airtec Zero point clamping system with pneumatic actuation for automated manufacturing applications.
• STARK.connect Zero point clamping system designed for connection and integration with automated manufacturing systems.
• STARK.hydratec Zero point clamping system with hydraulic actuation for high-force clamping applications in automated production.
• STARK.plaintec Zero point clamping system for plane clamping applications.
• STARK.metec Mechanical zero point clamping system with 20 kN retention force for precision machining applications.
• STARK.spheric Zero point clamping system with spherical interface for flexible positioning applications.
• HILMA.AS Machine vise system for clamping workpieces during machining operations.
• HILMA.UC 5-axis clamping system for multi-sided machining operations on workpieces.
• HILMA.NC Machine vise with mechanical actuation and hydraulic force transmission for precision clamping.
• HILMA.KNC Workpiece clamping system for versatile machining applications.
• HILMA.DS Double clamping system for simultaneous two-sided workpiece clamping.
• HILMA.MCP Compact machine vise system for small workpiece clamping applications.
• HILMA.TS Tower clamping system for multi-level workpiece clamping on machining centers.
• HILMA.MSH Multiple clamping system for simultaneous multi-workpiece clamping operations.
• HILMA.ZH Centering clamping vise for concentric workpiece clamping and positioning.
• Customer-Specific Workholding Solutions Development and supply of custom-engineered workholding solutions for specific workpieces, machines, manufacturing processes, and automation requirements, including project-specific engineering support and development projects.
• Commissioning, Maintenance, Repair and Training Services Service offerings including commissioning, maintenance, repairs, and training for customers worldwide, delivered through service centers across the ROEMHELD Group's global network.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% reduction in setup and tool changeover times
• +4 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• ROEMHELD GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSTARK Spannsysteme GmbH is a subsidiary company within the ROEMHELD Group, which also includes Römheld GmbH Friedrichshütte (Laubach, Germany), Hilma-Römheld GmbH (Wilnsdorf-Wilden, Germany), and Friedrichshütte GmbH (Germany). The group operates globally with 5 sites, 6 subsidiaries, and partners in 51 countries. STARK specializes in zero point clamping systems and machine vises within this group structure.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Schunk: German market leader in clamping technology and gripping systems with a broad workholding portfolio; competes with both STARK zero point clamping and HILMA machine vises but operates at greater scale across multiple industrial segments.
• Kitagawa: Japanese global supplier of workholding chucks, cylinders and automation components with broad machine tool exposure; overlapping with STARK/HILMA in turning and machining workholding but with a wider product portfolio.

Direct peers

• Gressel: Swiss manufacturer of zero point clamping systems, vises and automation-ready workholding for milling and turning; directly comparable to STARK in precision clamping for aerospace and general machining applications.
• Lang Technik: German specialist manufacturer of zero point clamping systems and macro workholding for 5-axis machining centers, directly competing with STARK's STARK.classic and STARK.airtec product families in the same customer base.
• Röhm: German manufacturer of power chucks, stationary workholding and clamping technology; competes with HILMA machine vises and broader ROEMHELD offerings in turning and machining applications.
• Vischer & Bolli: Swiss precision clamping specialist focused on high-accuracy zero point and quick-change workholding for toolmaking and medical device manufacturing, directly comparable to STARK's high-precision product families.
• EROWA: Swiss pioneer of zero point palletizing systems for EDM, milling and metrology; overlaps directly with STARK's zero point clamping offerings and competes for the same tool, mold-making and medical device customers.
• Hainbuch: German maker of workholding and clamping systems for turning, milling and grinding, including zero point and stationary clamping; competes with STARK and HILMA for precision workholding in mid- to high-volume production.
• Allmatic-Jakob: German specialist in hydraulic and pneumatic clamping systems as well as zero point workholding, competing directly with STARK.hydratec, STARK.airtec and HILMA.NC product lines in mid-market industrial customers.
• Forkardt: Germany/US supplier of precision workholding chucks and clamping systems serving machine tool builders and end-users, directly comparable to STARK's HILMA product line and competing in the same automotive/aerospace customer base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 STARK Spannsysteme