Kovis Group

What Kovis Group does

Kovis Group is a privately held Slovenian industrial group (HQ in Brežice, foundry in Štore) that manufactures grey and nodular cast iron components for the railway, agricultural machinery, construction machinery, and adjacent industries. The group operates through four wholly owned subsidiaries — Kovis d.o.o. (parent and railway assembly), Kovis Livarna d.o.o. (foundry), Kovis BP, and Kovis Transporti (in-house logistics) — and serves about 200 active customers across 32+ markets, with named European rail operators (Deutsche Bahn, SlovakRail ŽSS, Czech Railways ČD) among certified buyers of safety-critical parts such as brake discs and axle boxes.

Core production is built around an integrated foundry-to-finished-component model: grey and nodular cast iron is melted, moulded on automated lines, and then CNC-machined, coated, and quality-tested in-house, including 3D sand printing for rapid prototyping, CFD and thermal/structural simulation in the design phase, mechanical sand reclamation, and laboratories for 3D measurement, digital radioscopy, NDT and dynamometer testing. Notable proprietary offerings include the K25 axle box bearing housing and the FUTURA Divided Rail Freight Brake Disc (developed under Horizon 2020), plus a SiNiMo cast iron grade tailored for trains exceeding 200 km/h that delivers roughly 9% weight reduction.

The revenue model is B2B direct industrial sales of custom cast and machined components, with quote-based pricing set per part specification and multi-year enterprise supply contracts typical for safety-critical railway parts. Revenue streams include hardware sales of castings and bracketed service revenue from co-development, prototyping, machining, coating, and logistics. The company cites a 20x sales-revenue increase and €100 million of investment over the past decade, sustained EU/state-aid-funded capacity projects (notably a 2018 €24.7 million modernization co-financed with €2 million of regional state aid), Platinum creditworthiness ratings (2019, 2020) and a 708 KW on-site solar plant commissioned in October 2023 covering about 3.8% of annual electricity consumption.

Name

Kovis Group

Legal name

KOVIS d.o.o.

Website

https://kovis-group.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Kovis Group is a Slovenian foundry group that designs and manufactures grey and nodular cast iron components — including brake discs, axle boxes, and gearbox housings — for European railway OEMs, agricultural machinery makers, and construction equipment manufacturers, supplying about 200 customers across 32+ markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Railway Cast Iron Components

NAICS

Steel Foundries (except Investment) (331513)

SIC

Railroad Equipment (3743), Miscellaneous Fabricated Metal Products (3490)

akta.pro primary industry

Steel Casting (Continuous Casting, Ingots, Semi-Finished Slabs/Billets/Blooms) (IMAKABAD)

Keywords

• Cast iron foundry
• Railway castings
• Brake disc manufacturing
• Agricultural machinery castings
• Nodular cast iron components

Headquarters

HQ city

Brezice

HQ country

Slovenia

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Cast Iron Component Manufacturing: Production and sale of cast iron components for railway, agricultural machinery, construction machinery, and other industries. Includes brake discs, axle boxes, gearbox housings, stator housings, and custom castings.
2. Machining and Finishing Services: CNC machining, painting, coating, and finishing services for cast components. Complete end-to-end solution from casting to finished component.
3. Product Development Services: Early-stage design involvement and development partnership for custom components, including material development and simulation services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Kovis Group designs, casts, machines, and tests grey and nodular cast iron components — primarily brake discs, axle boxes, gearbox housings, and stator housings — for railway OEMs (including Deutsche Bahn, SlovakRail, and Czech Railways), as well as castings for agricultural and construction machinery manufacturers. The group offers an integrated end-to-end solution spanning development, simulation, casting, CNC machining, painting/coating, and certified quality testing from its Štore foundry and Brežice headquarters.

Product overview

Kovis Group is a Slovenian foundry and manufacturing company operating as a niche champion in the railway transport industry. The group consists of four main subsidiaries: Kovis (railway components), Kovis Livarna (foundry operations producing grey and nodular cast iron), Kovis BP (business partner), and Kovis Transporti (logistics). The core product portfolio centers on Kovis Livarna's foundry capabilities producing high-quality cast iron components including brake discs, axle boxes, gearbox housings, and stator housings for railway applications (trains reaching speeds over 200 km/h), as well as castings for agricultural and construction machinery. The company offers complete integrated solutions from design and development through casting, machining, and quality testing, utilizing advanced technologies including 3D sand printing for prototyping. The group has expanded into sustainable manufacturing with solar power generation and recycling initiatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Railway Brake Discs Brake discs for railway applications including high-speed trains reaching speeds over 200 km/h, featuring improved ventilation designs and developed using proprietary SiNiMo cast iron material.
• Axle Boxes for Freight Wagons Axle boxes (bearing housings) for freight wagons in railway applications, certified for European railway standards and supplied under HPQ DB EBN 918 058.
• Gearbox and Stator Housings Housing components for gearboxes and stators used in railway passenger vehicles and other industrial applications.
• Cast Iron Components for Agricultural Machinery Grey and nodular cast iron castings for the agricultural machinery industry, including specialized low-temperature nodular cast iron grades such as EN GJS-400-18LT.
• Cast Iron Components for Construction Machinery Cast iron components for construction machinery, produced using advanced foundry technologies for heavy-duty applications.
• FUTURA Divided Rail Freight Brake Disc (DRFB) Divided Rail Freight Brake Disc for railway freight transport, reducing noise, shortening braking distance, decreasing vibrations, and lowering disc weight to support increased freight volumes on rail.
• K25 Axle Box Bearing Housing Advanced axle box bearing housing for railway applications, presented as a world novelty at InnoTrans 2018.
• Complete Integrated Casting Solutions End-to-end foundry service covering design, development, casting, CNC machining, painting/coating, and certified quality testing for complex cast components.
• 3D Sand Printing Services Rapid prototyping and small series production using 3D sand printing, requiring no tooling, reducing investment costs and enabling complex geometries.
• CNC Machining Services CNC machining services using a modern machine park for technologically demanding products, including a 4-axis CNC machining center for high-precision finishing of cast components.
• Quality Testing and Certification Comprehensive quality assurance including laboratory testing (3D measurements, digital radioscopy, NDT methods, 3D scanning), dynamometer testing, and real-environment testing of cast components.

Quantifiable outcome

• 80% of products contain recycled raw materials
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• ExotermcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium partner for SiNiMo project developing innovative SOL-GEL coating with combination of natural and recycled fire-resistant fillers on water basis for cores and brake plates.
• SRIP MATPRO (Strategic Development and Innovation Partnership)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership for materials as end products, connecting companies with knowledge institutions. Part of the most penetrating, development-oriented and innovative part of Slovenian economy.
• Kovis d.o.o. and Kovis Giesserei d.o.o.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsortium partners for EU-funded development projects including brake disc development (over 200 km/h) and sand reclamation system development.
• FUTURA Project ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHorizon 2020 project developing DRFB (Divided Rail Freight Brake Disc) for railway freight transport. Consortium with three foreign partners improving safety and environmental impact of rail freight.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Brembo S.p.A. Italian global leader in high-performance automotive braking systems that has been expanding into rail and commercial vehicle applications. Comparable as a friction/brake disc technology peer entering the railway segment where Kovis is already established.

Broad incumbents

• voestalpine AG: Austrian steel and technology group whose Railway Systems division produces rail components, turnout systems and track-related castings. Comparable in that voestalpine is a vertically integrated steel/rail supplier headquartered in the same Alpine-adjacent region, though vastly larger and more diversified than Kovis.
• Progress Rail (a Caterpillar company): Caterpillar's rail division supplying locomotives, freight wagon components, signalling and aftermarket services worldwide. Overlaps with Kovis in freight rail components and rebuild/refurbishment markets, but at significantly larger scale and broader scope.
• Wabtec Corporation: US-listed global provider of equipment, systems and services for freight and passenger rail, including brake components, bogies, and signalling. A much larger incumbent with overlapping product categories (brake discs, freight wagon components) but serving a far broader portfolio and global footprint than Kovis.

Direct peers

• SAF-Holland SE: European-headquartered supplier of trailer and railway components including axle systems and brake-related parts for freight wagons and locomotives. Comparable on the freight rail component side, though SAF-Holland is more diversified into commercial vehicle applications than Kovis.
• Knorr-Bremse AG: Global market leader in braking and other safety-critical systems for rail and commercial vehicles, supplying friction discs, brake calipers and bogie equipment. Directly comparable on the railway braking systems side, though at significantly larger scale and broader product scope than Kovis.
• Eisenwerk Würth GmbH: German specialty iron foundry producing complex cast iron and steel castings for railway, commercial vehicle and industrial applications. Comparable as a regional Central European iron foundry competing for similar railway casting programs.
• Miba AG: Austrian-headquartered specialist iron and steel foundry producing cast and sintered components for railway (bearings, brake discs, axle boxes) as well as automotive and industrial markets. Closest direct peer to Kovis in terms of product mix, niche specialization, and customer profile across Central European rail operators.
• GHH-BONATRANS Group: Germany- and Czech-based manufacturer of railway wheels, tyres, axles and wheel-set assemblies for freight and passenger rail. Comparable as a Central European railway component supplier, with overlap on freight wagon applications where Kovis supplies axle boxes and brake discs.
• DAKO-CZ: Czech manufacturer of brake systems, brake discs and friction materials for rail freight and passenger vehicles. Closely comparable to Kovis in size, geography (Central Europe), and product focus on railway braking components for freight wagons.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCATjInZK8aDP6-5GwVbG_EA
• Facebookfacebook.com/KOVISGroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kovis

Compliance9 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries3 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 Kovis Group