Arabian African GmbH & Co. KG

What Arabian African GmbH & Co. KG does

Arabian African GmbH & Co. KG is a family-owned German export trading company headquartered in Ulm, founded in 1971 and now led in its second generation by CEO Ute Seiler-Baumann. The firm operates as a B2B industrial supplier and export-trading specialist, sourcing and delivering spare parts, capital equipment, and custom-modified vehicles and trailers to customers in ports, container terminals, mining, construction, and related heavy-industry sectors across the Middle East, North Africa, West Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia.

Its product portfolio spans Port & Industry equipment and spare parts (electrical components, drive technology, hydraulics, pneumatics, steel wire), custom trucks/trailers/semi-trailers, materials-handling parts focused on container terminals, and the WATERpower sub-brand (high-pressure water solutions launched in 2018). The Mining & Construction line adds industrial automation parts including sensors, encoders, LiDAR, and remote-operation systems. The company operates without proprietary technology, relying on standard enterprise IT and a multilingual in-house team (German, English, Spanish, French, Russian, Ukrainian) supported by an integrated shipping department and proprietary warehouse in Ulm.

The business model is sales-led and relationship-driven, with quote-based pricing on spare parts and capital equipment. Revenue streams include one-time equipment/spare-parts sales, one-time sales of high-pressure water solutions, and professional export services covering freight forwarding (RoRo, LCL/FCL, air, courier), pre-shipment inspections (Cotecna, SGS), and consulting. Customer acquisition is organic via SEO and direct inquiry, with no disclosed marketing spend, partnerships, or digital channels beyond the company website.

Name

Arabian African GmbH & Co. KG

Legal name

Arabian African GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://arabian-african.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Arabian African GmbH & Co. KG is a family-owned German export trading firm (founded 1971, Ulm) supplying spare parts, capital equipment, and custom vehicles to ports, mining, construction, and industrial customers across emerging markets worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Ulm

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Equipment and Spare Parts Sales: Sale of capital equipment including vehicles, trucks with custom-made bodies, trailers, spare parts, and accessories for materials handling equipment with focus on container terminals.
2. Water Power Solutions: High pressure water solutions launched in 2018 for pipe cleaning, concrete removal, paint stripping, and food hygiene applications.
3. Export Trading Services: Export trading services including logistics, order processing, pre-shipment inspections, certification, and consulting services for customers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Arabian African is a family-owned export trading company specializing in B2B supply of industrial spare parts, equipment, custom vehicles and trailers, and related export logistics services for ports, mining, construction, and material handling customers worldwide. Its core focus is delivering reliable components, solutions, and services tailored to demanding port and industrial environments, supplemented by the WATERpower sub-brand of high-pressure water cleaning solutions. The company provides a single-contact, single-invoice, single-delivery model with pre-shipment inspections, multi-modal freight forwarding, and proprietary warehousing.

Product overview

Arabian African is a B2B industrial supplier and export trading company offering a portfolio of capital goods, spare parts, and related services. The core offerings include Port & Industry Equipment and Spare Parts (electrical components, drive technology, hydraulics, tools), custom Vehicles/Trucks/Trailers, Materials Handling Equipment Parts with focus on Container Terminals, and the WATERpower sub-brand (high-pressure water solutions for industrial cleaning). Additional offerings include Mining & Construction Equipment (sensors, encoders, LiDAR, remote-operation systems). Services encompass professional export logistics including pre-shipment inspections (Cotecna, SGS), freight forwarding (sea/air/courier), and proprietary storage. The company operates an ALL IN ONE service model providing single contact, invoice, and delivery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WATERpower: High pressure water solutions product line launched in 2018 for pipe cleaning, concrete removal, paint stripping, and food hygiene applications.

Products and services

• Port & Industry Equipment & Spare Parts Industrial spare parts and equipment for ports and material handling operations, including Electrical Components/Electronics, Drive Technology/Mechanical Power Transmission, Steel Wire, Hydraulics and Pneumatics, and Tools/Equipment/Machines, supplied to port and industrial operators.
• Vehicles, Trucks & Trailers Custom-made trucks with bodies, trailers, and semi-trailers designed for use in ports and industry applications, supplied as special vehicle solutions for demanding operational environments.
• Materials Handling Equipment Parts Parts and accessories for materials handling equipment with a focus on container terminal operations, supplied to port operators and industrial material handling companies.
• WATERpower High pressure water solutions for pipe cleaning, concrete removal, paint stripping, and food hygiene applications, supplied to industrial cleaning operators, food and beverage industries, and surface preparation customers.
• Mining & Construction Equipment Industrial automation parts for mining and construction sectors including sensors, encoders, flow-control components, drive systems, conveyors, processing-plant equipment, LiDAR, and remote-operation systems, supplied to mining operators and construction firms.
• Export Trading Services Professional export logistics and order processing services including country-specific order processing, pre-shipment inspections through Cotecna and SGS, sea freight forwarding (RoRo, LCL, FCL), air freight, courier delivery, and collective consolidated shipments for lower transport costs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Minimum downtime through fast order processing
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• MSC Industrial: U.S. industrial distributor of metalworking and maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) products with ~2 million customers. Closely comparable to Arabian African's spare parts and industrial components distribution business, though focused on U.S. market.
• Würth Group: Global market leader in industrial fastening and consumables wholesale with 400,000+ customers. Highly comparable to Arabian African's B2B industrial supply model, though much larger and broader in scope; potential acquirer for emerging-market expansion.
• Grainger: North American B2B industrial supply distributor with extensive MRO product catalog and digital platform. Operates a similar wholesale-of-industrial-spares business model but at much larger scale; represents the digital-native version of Arabian African's traditional trading model.

Others

• Bosch Rexroth: German drive and control technology manufacturer (hydraulics, pneumatics, electric drives). One of the underlying brands that Arabian African's spare parts supply likely covers; serves as ecosystem supplier/partnership reference point for the company's product portfolio.

Direct peers

• Konecranes: Finnish manufacturer of lifting equipment and port solutions, with major presence in container handling. Comparable to Arabian African's port equipment and container terminal supply business; both serve port operators globally.
• KION Group: German-headquartered global leader in forklift trucks, warehouse equipment, and supply chain solutions. Overlaps with Arabian African's port/container terminal equipment and material handling focus; serves similar industrial customer base.
• Cargotec: Finnish provider of cargo and load handling solutions including MacGregor (marine cargo) and Kalmar (port equipment). Directly relevant to Arabian African's port equipment and container terminal product lines; serves overlapping customer base in ports and shipping.
• Hammelmann: German manufacturer of high-pressure plunger pumps and water jet technology systems. Directly relevant to Arabian African's WATERpower high-pressure water solutions sub-brand; both serve industrial cleaning and surface preparation markets.
• Jungheinrich: German intralogistics and material handling equipment manufacturer with global service network. Directly comparable to Arabian African's materials handling/container terminal equipment focus, though Jungheinrich is a manufacturer rather than distributor.
• Bohncke GmbH: German industrial trading and consulting company specializing in equipment export to emerging markets. Closely analogous to Arabian African's traditional export trading model, multilingual sales approach, and emerging-market focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/arabian-african

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Arabian African GmbH & Co. KG