What ecoforst does

ecoforst GmbH is an Austrian privately-held manufacturer of mobile traction winch systems designed to enable safe timber harvesting and heavy-equipment operation on steep and difficult-to-access terrain. Founded in 2015/2017 and headquartered in Großlobming, Steiermark, Austria (with an administrative office in Tragöß), the company employs 1–10 people and operates a production facility at Werksgasse 1.

The company's core product is the T-WINCH family, comprising the compact T-WINCH 10.3 (170 HP FPT engine, 10t pulling force, for machines 5–55t) and the high-capacity T-WINCH 30.2 (441 HP FPT engine, 18t pulling force, for machines 10–80t). Both units are self-contained, crawler-mounted hydraulic winches operated via HBC radio remote control, with proprietary features including automatic hydraulic direction-change detection, load-sensing fuel-efficient hydraulics (Bosch Rexroth double pump), a maintenance-free integrated multidisk brake, and an "extreme mode" self-climbing capability. Technology supply partnerships with FPT Industrial, Bosch Rexroth, HBC, and Danfoss underpin the platform.

ecoforst sells exclusively through a global dealer network spanning 18+ countries across Europe, the Americas, Asia-Pacific, and Africa, with no direct or self-serve sales channel. Revenue is generated primarily through one-time hardware sales (payment terms: 1/3 at signing, 2/3 before delivery, with bank guarantee required), supplemented by training services delivered through dealers. Customers are commercial forestry contractors and operators of forwarders, harvesters, skidders, and feller bunchers, with growing applicability to construction equipment on steep slopes. The company is privately held with no disclosed external funding, parent entity, or subsidiaries.

Name

ecoforst

Legal name

ecoforst GmbH

Website

https://ecoforst.at

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ecoforst GmbH is an Austrian manufacturer of mobile traction winch systems (T-WINCH 10.3 and 30.2) that enable safe timber harvesting and heavy-equipment operation on steep terrain, sold exclusively via a global dealer network spanning 18+ countries to forestry and construction operators.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Forestry traction winches / mobile forestry machinery

NAICS

Overhead Traveling Crane, Hoist, and Monorail System Manufacturing (333923), Mining Machinery and Equipment Manufacturing (333131)

SIC

Construction, Mining & Materials Handling Machinery & Equip (3530), Construction Machinery & Equip (3531), Farm Machinery & Equipment (3523)

akta.pro primary industry

Winches & Capstans (IMAHAJAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Forestry & Logging Vehicle Manufacturing (Harvesters/Forwarders/Skidders) (IMACAFAH), Conveying, Hoisting & Materials Handling Systems (Conveyors, Stackers/Reclaimers, Winches) (IMAKANAE)

Keywords

• Forestry traction winches
• Steep terrain timber harvesting
• Mobile forestry equipment
• Crawler mounted winch
• Forestry safety equipment

Headquarters

HQ city

Großlobming, Steiermark

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. T-WINCH Hardware Sales: One-time sale of T-WINCH traction winch products (T-WINCH 10.3 and T-WINCH 30.2). No subscription or recurring revenue model mentioned. Payment terms specified: 1/3 at contract signing, 2/3 before delivery, with irrevocable bank guarantee required.
2. Training Services: High-quality training provided to customers through continually trained dealers. Expenses for assembly and travel not covered by warranty and must be reimbursed separately.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ecoforst designs, manufactures and sells the T-WINCH, a self-contained, crawler-mounted mobile traction winch used to safely tether forwarders, harvesters, skidders and feller bunchers during timber harvesting on steep and difficult-to-access terrain. The product line comprises the compact T-WINCH 10.3 (170 HP, 10t pulling force) and the high-capacity T-WINCH 30.2 (441 HP, 18t pulling force), both operated via radio remote control with load-sensing hydraulics. Units are sold outright through trained dealers, with separately billed assembly, travel and training services.

Product overview

ecoforst specializes in mobile traction winch systems designed for timber harvesting and construction operations in steep, difficult-to-access terrain. The product portfolio centers on the T-WINCH product family, consisting of the T-WINCH 10.3 (compact model with 170 HP, 10t pulling power, suitable for smaller machines up to 55t) and the T-WINCH 30.2 (high-capacity model with 414 HP, 18t pulling power, for machines up to 80t). Both models feature radio remote control operation, crawler tracks for mobility, and hydraulic automatic direction recognition. The T-WINCH system provides safety against rollovers while reducing fuel consumption and ground damage compared to conventional methods.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• T-WINCH: Mobile traction winch system for timber harvesting on steep and difficult terrain, featuring radio remote control and crawler movement.

Products and services

• T-WINCH 10.3 Compact mobile traction winch for steep-terrain forestry. Equipped with a 170 HP FPT N45 Stage V diesel engine, 100 kN nominal constant pulling force (10 t pulling power), maximum rope speed of 4 km/h, and crawler movement with radio remote control. Designed for use with forwarders, harvesters, skidders, feller bunchers and construction equipment in the 5-55 t machine range; total weight 10,700 kg.
• T-WINCH 30.2 High-capacity mobile traction winch for steep-terrain forestry. Equipped with a 441 HP (Stage 2: 414 HP) FPT C87 Tier 5 / Tier 2 diesel engine, 180 kN nominal constant pulling force (18 t pulling power), maximum rope speed of 8 km/h, and crawler movement with radio remote control. Designed for heavy forwarders, skidders, large feller bunchers and construction equipment in the 10-80 t machine range; total weight 33,000 kg. Enables new 25 t forwarders to reach maximum productivity even in very difficult terrain.

Quantifiable outcome

• Fuel consumption reduced through load sensing hydraulic system and reduced slippage
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

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.

• FPT Industrial (Fiat Powertrain Technologies)coreTechnology or IntegrationFPT supplies diesel engines for T-WINCH products. T-WINCH 10.3 uses FPT N45 Stage V engine (125 kW / 170 HP, 4.5L displacement). T-WINCH 30.2 uses FPT C87 Tier 5 / Tier 2 engine (324 kW / 441 HP / 414 HP, 8.7L displacement). FPT provides worldwide spare parts availability.
• Bosch RexrothcoreTechnology or IntegrationBosch Rexroth supplies hydraulic components including double pumps and hydraulic blocks. The double pump system supplies both closed hydraulic circuit for traction winch and open circuit for auxiliary functions. Hydraulic blocks are sourced from Danfoss.
• HBC (Humatronic/Brunner)coreTechnology or IntegrationHBC supplies radio remote control systems for T-WINCH operation. The radio system enables remote maneuvering, traction mode control, and driver notifications about T-WINCH status.
• DanfosscoreTechnology or IntegrationDanfoss supplies hydraulic blocks for T-WINCH systems, complementing Bosch Rexroth hydraulic components.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Waratah Forestry Equipment: Subsidiary of AGCO producing harvester heads and forestry attachments globally. Emerging/adjacent player: not a direct winch competitor but operates in the same attachable forestry equipment category with established OEM relationships that ecoforst must sell alongside or against.

Broad incumbents

• John Deere (Forestry): Global OEM of forestry machines including skidders, forwarders, and harvesters. Broad incumbent: serves the same large enterprise forestry customers as ecoforst (e.g., Arauco, Western Mountain) and could displace T-WINCH with integrated solutions.
• Ponsse: Finnish manufacturer of cut-to-length harvesters and forwarders. Broad incumbent: sells complete forestry machine systems globally to the same end-customers as ecoforst and could integrate a competitor traction-assist system as a factory option.
• Rottne Industri: Swedish manufacturer of forwarders and harvesters for steep and normal terrain forestry. Comparable end-customer overlap, particularly in Northern European forestry markets where ecoforst's T-WINCH is positioned as an add-on.
• Komatsu Forest: Swedish-headquartered forestry equipment division of Komatsu. Broad incumbent: produces harvesters, forwarders, and harvester heads sold to the same global forestry customer base; an obvious potential integrator of winch-assist technology.

Direct peers

• Pfanzelt Maschinenbau: German manufacturer of forestry equipment including winches, chippers, and tractors with steep-terrain capability. Comparable in product category and target customer (Central European forestry contractors on slopes), though broader product portfolio.
• Kotschenreuther Forsttechnik: German specialist in forestry winches, crane loaders, and tractor attachments. Direct peer: similar size, niche focus on steep-terrain forestry tools, and competing for the same European forestry contractor customer base as ecoforst.
• Konrad Forsttechnik: Austrian manufacturer of forestry winches and steep-terrain equipment. Directly comparable to ecoforst: similar product category (forestry traction winches), overlapping Central European customer base, and similar niche specialization in safety-focused steep-slope timber harvesting tools.
• Tajfun Planina: Slovenian manufacturer of forestry winches, log splitters, and timber-handling equipment. Direct competitor: produces tractor and skidder winches used in European forestry, with comparable size and dealer-network-based distribution.
• Igland: Norwegian manufacturer of forestry winches and material-handling equipment for tractors and skidders. Direct peer: comparable product category, similar dealer distribution model, and overlapping end-customers in Nordic and European steep-terrain forestry.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@EcoForst
• Facebookfacebook.com/ecoforst
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ecoforst
• Instagraminstagram.com/ecoforst_gmbh

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 ecoforst