What Waggonbau Graaff does

Waggonbau Graaff GmbH is a German specialist manufacturer of railway freight wagons, founded in 1914 in Elze, Lower Saxony, and operating today as a wholly owned subsidiary of VTG GmbH following VTG's 2008 acquisition. The company designs, engineers, and builds custom-fit rail tank wagons — primarily chemical tank cars (Chemie-Kesselwagen) in the Zacns, Zacens, Zacs, and Zans families and liquefied-gas pressure cars (Flüssiggas-Kesselwagen) in the Zagns and Zags families — with tank volumes ranging from 41 m³ to 117 m³ for transporting hazardous and non-hazardous liquids including caustic soda, hydrogen peroxide, hydrochloric acid, ethylene oxide, vinyl chloride, LPG, and methyl mercaptan. Production is supported by modern tank-manufacturing facilities (a new tank plant was commissioned in 2014), automatic welding and X-ray inspection, a rotary pickling plant, proprietary safety systems such as the ACS 2013 Anti-Climbing-System, and an integrated 3D-CAD/PDM/PPS engineering environment with FEM-based optimization; TÜV-certified welders and an in-house Schweißacademy underpin compliance with RID 6.8.4 dangerous-goods regulations.

The company serves enterprise customers in three primary vertical segments — chemical, mineral oil and energy, and liquefied gas — plus a secondary food and agricultural segment, with use cases spanning aggressive chemicals, petroleum products, and cryogenic/pressurized gases. Revenue is generated through a direct enterprise field-sales motion, with each wagon custom-engineered to customer specifications and priced on a quote basis under multi-year fleet contracts; the business operates at an annual production capacity of approximately 450 wagons at the Elze site, supported by more than 250 employees. Marketing is conducted primarily through the corporate website and the parent VTG Group's channels, with no intermediary distribution, and the company additionally captures value-chain scope through in-house tank car valves and fittings (Armaturen) and aftermarket modernization/retrofit services, including the ACS 2013 safety retrofit.

Name

Waggonbau Graaff

Legal name

Waggonbau Graaff GmbH

Website

https://waggonbau-graaff.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1914

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Waggonbau Graaff GmbH is a German manufacturer of custom railway freight wagons, specializing in chemical tank cars and liquefied-gas pressure wagons for chemical, mineral-oil, and gas-industry customers, operating as a wholly owned subsidiary of VTG GmbH from its Elze facility since 1914.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Railway Freight Wagon Manufacturing

NAICS

Transportation Equipment Manufacturing (336), Boiler, Tank, and Shipping Container Manufacturing (3324)

SIC

Railroad Equipment (3743)

akta.pro primary industry

Liquid Hazmat / Chemical Tank Transport (DOT/ADR tankers) (TLADAIAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Flammable Liquids & Gases Transport (Class 3/2; fuels, LPG/LNG) (TLADAIAC), Hazmat Bulk Tank, ISO Tank & Tank Container Transport (TLACANAJ), Liquefied Gas Transport (LNG/LPG/Ammonia) (TLADALAC)

Keywords

• Railway freight wagons
• Chemical tank cars
• Pressure gas wagons
• Rail tank wagons
• Freight wagon manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Elze

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Railway Freight Wagon Manufacturing: Custom manufacturing of railway freight wagons, primarily chemical tank cars and pressure gas cars. One-time hardware sales model with customer-specific solutions developed and constructed to order.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Waggonbau Graaff develops and manufactures custom railway freight wagons, primarily chemical tank cars (Chemie-Kesselwagen) and pressure gas cars (Druckgaswagen/Flüssiggas-Kesselwagen). The company produces valves and fittings (Armaturen) and provides fully custom-engineered wagon solutions, supporting dangerous goods transport in compliance with international rail regulations (RID). Each wagon is built to customer specifications at the Elze production facility.

Product overview

Waggonbau Graaff is a specialist manufacturer of railway freight wagons headquartered in Elze, Germany. The company's core product portfolio centers on Chemie-Kesselwagen (chemical tank cars) in Zacns, Zacens, Zacs, and Zans series for transporting liquid chemicals, and Flüssiggas-Kesselwagen (liquefied gas tank cars) in Zagns and Zags series for pressure gas transport. These products range from 41 m³ to 117 m³ capacity. Supporting the tank car offerings are Armaturen (valves and fittings) including bottom valves, oblique seat valves, and hydraulic/mechanical actuation devices. The company also provides Sonderlösungen (custom solutions) featuring modular underframes (12.5–19m) and tank solutions (45–122 m³), plus full Entwicklung und Konstruktion (development and engineering) services. The ACS 2013 Anti-Climbing-System provides enhanced safety for hazardous goods transport. The company operates as a subsidiary of VTG and maintains an annual production capacity of approximately 450 wagons.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Chemie-Kesselwagen Zacens 50 m³ Custom-built chemical tank car (Zacens 50 m³) optimized for caustic soda (NaOH) transport with forced-actuated ventilation valve, 50 m³ volume, 1.4307 steel tank material, and 100mm insulation. Designed for enterprise chemical customers requiring safe and compliant rail transport of aggressive chemicals.
• Flüssiggas-Kesselwagen Zagns 83.5 m³ Custom liquefied gas tank car (Zagns 83.5 m³) optimized for ethylene oxide (EOX) transport with thermal insulation, stainless steel (1.4318) construction, and calculation temperature range of -40°C to +50°C. Designed for enterprise gas transport customers.
• Chemie-Kesselwagen Zacs 49 m³ Custom chemical tank car (Zacs 49 m³) optimized for monochloroacetic acid transport with enamel protective coating, 49 m³ volume, and P275NH tank material. Designed for enterprise chemical customers requiring acid-resistant tank construction.
• Chemie-Kesselwagen Zacens 41 m³ Custom chemical tank car (Zacens 41 m³) optimized for molten sulfur transport with special overflow protection, 41 m³ volume, P355NH material, and 200mm insulation. Designed for enterprise chemical customers requiring temperature-controlled transport of hot hazardous chemicals.
• Chemie-Kesselwagen Zans 53 m³ Custom chemical tank car (Zans 53 m³) optimized for sodium silicate (water glass) transport as a coupled tank unit, 53 m³ volume, P355N material. Designed for enterprise chemical customers with specialized transport requirements.
• Chemie-Kesselwagen Zacns 60 m³ Custom chemical tank car (Zacns 60 m³) optimized for trichlorosilane transport with ACS and crash buffer for enhanced safety, 60 m³ volume. Designed for enterprise chemical customers requiring high-purity silicon compound transport with safety systems.
• Chemie-Kesselwagen Zacns 62 m³ Custom chemical tank car (Zacns 62 m³) optimized for hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) transport, 62 m³ volume, 1.4307 tank material. Designed for enterprise chemical customers requiring safe rail transport of oxidizing chemicals.
• Chemie-Kesselwagen Zacns 64 m³ Custom chemical tank car (Zacns 64 m³) optimized for hydrochloric acid transport with bolted tank for improved maintenance and rubber lining, also available as a gauge-changeable variant for Spain. Designed for enterprise chemical customers requiring reliable acid transport with maintenance-friendly construction.
• Chemie-Kesselwagen Zacens 75 m³ Custom chemical tank car (Zacens 75 m³) optimized for silane transport with reinforced sill box for enhanced safety, 75 m³ volume, 1.4571 material. Designed for enterprise chemical customers requiring high-purity silicon compound transport with reinforced safety features.
• Chemie-Kesselwagen Zacens 77 m³ Custom chemical tank car (Zacens 77 m³) with gas recirculation and bottom emptying, 77 m³ volume. Designed for enterprise chemical customers requiring specialized gas-purged transport and bottom-emptying capability.
• Flüssiggas-Kesselwagen Zagns 82.5 m³ Custom liquefied gas tank car (Zagns 82.5 m³) optimized for vinyl chloride transport, 82.5 m³ volume, P460NL2 material. Designed for enterprise gas customers requiring safe transport of liquefied gas monomers.
• Flüssiggas-Kesselwagen Zagns 83.5 m³ (Methylmercaptan) Custom liquefied gas tank car (Zagns 83.5 m³) optimized for methyl mercaptan transport, P15DH tank code. Designed for enterprise gas customers requiring safe transport of toxic and odorous liquefied gases.
• Chemie-Kesselwagen Zacns 88 m³ Custom chemical tank car (Zacns 88 m³) optimized for acetaldehyde (ethanal) transport with chemistry dome and sliding hood, 88 m³ volume, 1.4301 material. Designed for enterprise chemical customers requiring safe aldehyde transport.
• Chemie-Kesselwagen Zacns 88 m³ POX Custom chemical tank car (Zacns 88 m³ POX) optimized for propylene oxide transport, 22.0 t deadweight, 1.4318 material. Designed for enterprise chemical customers requiring safe transport of flammable epoxides.
• Chemie-Kesselwagen Zacns 91 m³ Custom chemical tank car (Zacns 91 m³) optimized for acrylonitrile transport, 91 m³ volume, P355N material. Designed for enterprise chemical customers requiring safe transport of nitrile compounds.
• Chemie-Kesselwagen Zacns 92 m³ Custom chemical tank car (Zacns 92 m³) optimized for vinyl acetate monomer (VAM) transport, 92 m³ volume. Designed for enterprise chemical customers requiring safe monomer transport with polymerization prevention.
• Flüssiggas-Kesselwagen Zags 117 m³ Custom LPG tank car (Zags 117 m³) optimized for LPG transport, 117 m³ volume, 460/630 material, 3120mm tank diameter. Designed for enterprise gas customers requiring high-volume LPG transport.
• Flüssiggas-Kesselwagen Zags 113 m³ Custom liquefied gas tank car (Zags 113 m³) with sun canopy, 113 m³ volume, 31.9 t deadweight. Designed for enterprise gas customers requiring pressure gas transport with thermal protection.
• ACS 2013 Anti-Climbing-System Proprietary safety system for retrofitting dangerous goods and pressure tank cars. Prevents vertical displacement in collision scenarios, meeting RID 6.8.4 TE25 special regulations. Designed for railway operators requiring enhanced safety compliance for hazardous goods transport.

Quantifiable outcome

• Production capacity: 450 wagons per year
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 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

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• ŽELOS: Slovak rail wagon manufacturer and sister VTG Group facility focused on freight wagon production and repair. Adjacent capability rather than independent competitor due to common VTG parent ownership.
• Ateliers de Joigny: French rail freight wagon manufacturer and sister company within the VTG Group (alongside Waggonbau Graaff). Adjacent capability rather than direct competitor given common parent ownership, but operates in the same wagon-building product category.
• Waggonwerk Brühl: German rail freight wagon manufacturing and repair facility that is a sister company within the VTG Group. Operates adjacent capability to Waggonbau Graaff but is part of the same parent organization rather than a true market competitor.

Direct peers

• Astra Vagoane: Romanian manufacturer of railway freight wagons including tank wagons for chemical and petroleum transport. European peer with overlapping product range serving Eastern and Central European chemical and oil customers.
• Greenbrier Companies: Major North American rail equipment manufacturer with a dedicated tank car division producing hazardous material and pressure tank cars. Direct competitor in the same product category serving chemical, energy, and food-grade customers.
• GATX Corporation: Global leader in railcar leasing with in-house tank car manufacturing and modification capabilities. Competes with Waggonbau Graaff in tank wagon supply, particularly for chemical and pressure gas customers across North America and Europe.
• Trinity Industries: US-based manufacturer of railcars and highway barriers, with a Trinity Rail division producing tank cars for chemicals, refined products, and pressurized gases. Direct product-line competitor to Graaff's chemical and pressure tank wagon portfolio.
• FreightCar America: North American manufacturer of rail freight cars including specialized covered hopper and tank car variants. Direct competitor in rail freight wagon manufacturing for industrial customers.
• National Railway Equipment Co. US-based rail equipment manufacturer and remanufacturer producing new and rebuilt freight railcars, including tank cars. Comparable specialty manufacturer in rail freight equipment with similar custom-build business model.
• Tatravagónka Poprad: Largest European manufacturer of rail freight wagons, including tank wagons for chemicals, gases, and petroleum. Closest direct competitor to Waggonbau Graaff in European rail tank car production, with materially greater scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/waggonbau-graaff-gmbh

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Waggonbau Graaff