ZS-Zylinderbau & Service

What ZS-Zylinderbau & Service does

ZS Zylinderbau & Service GmbH is a privately held, family-owned German manufacturer of custom and large-bore hydraulic cylinders, headquartered in Alpen, North Rhine-Westphalia, with engineering and project management in Germany and production at its wholly-owned Czech subsidiary ZS Bohemia s.r.o. in Stupno near Pilsen. Founded in its current form in 1999 by Michael Mohrmann, the company traces its engineering heritage to roughly 50,000 manufacturer-independent hydraulic cylinder repair jobs, which it now leverages into the design and manufacture of special hydraulic cylinders with piston diameters from 250mm to 1,300mm, stroke lengths up to 13m, and operating pressures up to 1,000 bar, as well as telescopic cylinders, testing cylinders, press cylinders, and gate and weir cylinders for steel water construction. The firm is certified to DIN EN ISO 9001:2015, EN 1090-2:2019 EXC3, EN ISO 3834-2:2006, and holds DNV Welding Workshop Approval, enabling it to serve safety-critical infrastructure, maritime, and offshore applications.

The business serves five primary verticals: steel water construction (dams, locks, weirs, bridges) under DIN 19704; press construction (straightening, baling, filter, and forging presses); general machine and plant construction including mills, shredders, and conveyors; maritime and offshore (cargo ramps, stabilizers, jack-up systems); and testing machines including servohydraulic test stands and certified reference cylinders. The company also provides manufacturer-independent cylinder repair at 40–70% of new price with 2–5 week turnaround, and builds complete custom hydraulic fixtures and machines with integrated electrical control, hydraulic power units, and piping on 16–50 week project timelines. Revenue is generated on a project-based, quote-driven basis through direct field sales, with a senior leadership team including the founder Michael Mohrmann, second-generation CEO Lutz Mohrmann, sales director Jochen Beetz, and head of engineering Andreas Klother. The firm operates as a self-funded owner-managed business without external venture capital or private equity investment.

Name

ZS-Zylinderbau & Service

Legal name

ZS Zylinderbau & Service GmbH

Website

https://zs-zylinder.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ZS Zylinderbau & Service GmbH is a family-owned German manufacturer of custom large-bore hydraulic cylinders (250–1,300mm piston diameter, up to 1,000 bar) and complete hydraulic fixtures, serving steel water construction, press, machine, maritime, and testing machine customers via its German engineering office and Czech production subsidiary.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hydraulic Cylinders and Systems

NAICS

Fluid Power Cylinder and Actuator Manufacturing (333995), Other General Purpose Machinery Manufacturing (3339)

SIC

Special Industry Machinery, Nec (3559)

akta.pro primary industry

Hydraulic Components (Pumps, Motors, Cylinders) (IMAHAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Hydraulic Power Units & Systems (HPUs, Manifolds, Integrated Circuits) (IMAHAGAB), Hydraulic, Pneumatic & Fluid Power Systems MRO (Cylinders, Pumps, Valves, Hoses) (TLAKAHAI), Pneumatic Components (FRLs, Cylinders, Valves) (IMAHAGAC)

Keywords

• Custom hydraulic cylinders
• Large-bore hydraulic cylinders
• Telescopic hydraulic cylinders
• Hydraulic cylinder repair
• Hydraulic fixture construction

Headquarters

HQ city

Alpen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Hydraulic Cylinder Manufacturing: Design, engineering, and manufacturing of custom large-bore and special hydraulic cylinders including double-acting, single-acting, telescopic, and special configurations. Delivery times typically 16-20 weeks for standard custom orders, with operating pressures up to 1000 bar for special applications.
2. Hydraulic Cylinder Repair Services: Manufacturer-independent repair of hydraulic cylinders from all manufacturers. Repairs typically cost 40-70% of new replacement price. Repair turnaround of 2-5 weeks compared to 15+ weeks for new manufacturing. Services include welding, grinding, honing, seal replacement, and complete restoration.
3. Custom Jig and Fixture Construction: Design and manufacturing of custom hydraulic machines and fixtures including complete systems with electrical controls, hydraulic power units, piping/hosing. Projects include concrete turning devices, roller exchange fixtures, grinding wheel presses, and assembly wagons. Project timelines range from 16-50 weeks.
4. Testing Machine Cylinder Solutions: Supply of hydraulic and servo-hydraulic testing machine cylinders including calibration reference cylinders per DIN EN ISO 7500-1, meganewton special cylinders up to 1000 bar operating pressure, high-dynamic cylinders for crash tests, and complete test systems.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

ZS Zylinderbau & Service GmbH designs, engineers, and manufactures custom and large-bore hydraulic cylinders (piston diameters from 250mm to 1,300mm, strokes up to 13m, operating pressures up to 1,000 bar) and complete hydraulic machines/fixtures for industrial B2B customers. The company also provides manufacturer-independent hydraulic cylinder repair services (40-70% of new replacement cost, 2-5 week turnaround) built on experience from approximately 50,000 repaired cylinders. Production is performed at its Czech subsidiary ZS Bohemia s.r.o., while engineering and project management are based in Alpen, Germany.

Product overview

ZS Zylinderbau & Service is a manufacturer of custom and large hydraulic cylinders, offering a portfolio of specialized products including custom/special hydraulic cylinders (piston diameters 250-1300mm, strokes up to 13m), telescopic cylinders (2-4+ stages), press cylinders (up to 1000 bar), gate and weir gate cylinders for steel water construction (DIN 19704 certified), testing cylinders (up to 20MN), and maritime hydraulic cylinders (DNV certified). The company also provides repair services (40-70% of new price, 2-5 week turnaround) and custom fixture/equipment construction including complete systems with electrical controls and hydraulic power units. Production is split between planning in Alpen, Germany and manufacturing at ZS Bohemia s.r.o. in the Czech Republic.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Custom and Large Hydraulic Cylinders (Sonderhydraulikzylinder)

Quantifiable outcome

• Repair costs at 40-70% of new cylinder price
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• ZS Bohemia s.r.o.coreOthers · 1 January 1999Wholly-owned production subsidiary established in 1999 in Stupno, Czech Republic (near Pilsen). Handles all mechanical manufacturing, assembly, and testing for ZS Zylinderbau & Service. Approximately 2,000m² facility equipped with CNC machines, grinding/honing machines, welding fixtures, and 20-tonne bridge cranes. Enables cost-efficient manufacturing while maintaining German engineering standards.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves14 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• HYDAC: Global supplier of hydraulic components, systems, and services including cylinders, accumulators, and fluid conditioning. Comparable as a broad hydraulic-systems player with overlap in custom hydraulic solutions and MRO.
• Parker Hannifin: Major manufacturer of hydraulic cylinders, pumps, valves, and complete hydraulic systems. Comparable as a broad incumbent; several of ZS's senior engineers (Andreas Klother) previously held roles at Parker, indicating direct technology overlap.
• Eaton: Diversified industrial manufacturer with a substantial hydraulics business including custom and standard cylinders. Comparable as a broad incumbent supplying large-bore cylinders for industrial and mobile equipment.
• Bosch Rexroth: Global leader in hydraulic components and systems, including hydraulic cylinders and custom-engineered cylinders for industrial, marine, and mobile applications. Comparable as the dominant broad-line incumbent whose large-bore and custom offerings overlap with ZS's niche.

Direct peers

• Bucher Hydraulics: Swiss manufacturer specializing in hydraulic cylinders, valves, and power units for mobile and industrial applications. Comparable as a European custom-cylinder specialist with overlapping target verticals.
• AHP Merkle: German manufacturer specializing in block cylinders and custom hydraulic cylinders. Directly comparable as a German competitor with similar niche focus on custom-engineered hydraulic cylinders for industrial applications.
• Hänchen Hydraulik: German specialist manufacturer of hydraulic cylinders and rotary unions. Directly comparable as a focused German competitor in custom hydraulic cylinders, including large-bore and special-application units.
• Weber-Hydraulik: Austrian manufacturer of hydraulic cylinders, tipping systems, and rescue equipment. Comparable as a Central European peer with overlapping large-bore cylinder capabilities and similar project-based engineering approach.
• Hunger Hydraulik: German hydraulic cylinder manufacturer serving marine, offshore, and special-purpose applications. Directly comparable as a German custom-cylinder specialist, particularly in maritime cylinders where ZS also competes.
• Moog: Manufacturer of high-precision servo-hydraulic actuators and testing systems. Comparable in the testing-machine cylinder segment where ZS supplies servo-hydraulic and reference cylinders per DIN EN ISO 7500-1.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

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Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 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 ZS-Zylinderbau & Service