Horlacher

What Horlacher does

Horlacher AG is a Swiss specialty manufacturer founded in 1962 and headquartered in Möhlin (25 km east of Basel), producing custom-made components in fibre-reinforced plastics (FRP/GRP/Polyester) for industrial customers. The company operates across five business units: rail car components (interior and exterior parts for European trains including window frames, WC cabins, driver desks, front skirts, and monitor housings), industrial products (machine facings, utility covers, custom moulds), facade/architecture/design components, objets d'art (commissions for artists such as Katharina Fritsch), and electric vehicle development. All manufacturing stages from model making and mould making through to production are handled in-house or via partner companies. With only five employees, Horlacher runs as a high-skill bespoke manufacturer rather than a scaled serial producer.

The business model is direct B2B sales of quote-based, custom-engineered composite components, with revenue streams spanning one-time contract manufacturing of components and professional services for prototyping, design, and crash-test engineering. Customers are predominantly European railway manufacturers (Stadler Rail, Bombardier Transportation) and national rail operators (SBB, ÖBB, SNCB, SNCF), with secondary customers in industrial machinery, public utilities, art institutions, and EV development (e.g., SMUD utility vehicles). Geographic reach extends across Switzerland, Germany, Belgium, Sweden, Greece, France, Austria, the UK, Denmark, the USA, and Venezuela, primarily through project-based deliveries rather than local sales infrastructure.

Notable proprietary technology includes the Modultec rapid-assembly composite vehicle-body construction method, the TAZI modular people-mover platform, and an integrated crash-belt safety system validated through crash testing. The company holds longstanding co-development partnerships with Esoro AG (suspension systems), Brusa Elektronik (drivetrains), Pasol AG (technical development), and the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (R&D funding). The company is privately owned and managed by Boris Horlacher and Gerhard Obrist.

Name

Horlacher

Legal name

Horlacher AG

Website

https://horlacher.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1962

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Horlacher AG is a Swiss custom composite (FRP/GRP) manufacturer founded in 1962, producing bespoke fibre-reinforced plastic components for rail cars, industrial machinery, architecture, art, and electric vehicle prototypes, supplying European railway OEMs and operators through direct project sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Möhlin

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Composite Component Manufacturing: Manufacturing of custom-made fibre-reinforced plastic components and assemblies for industrial customers. Products include panelling, trim components, and self-supporting structures for rail, industrial, architectural, and vehicle applications.
2. Prototype and Development Services: Development of lightweight vehicle concepts, designs, and prototypes including electric vehicle development services. Includes engineering, model-making, and testing services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Horlacher AG is a custom manufacturer of fiber-reinforced plastics (FRP/GRP/Polyester) producing panelling, trim components, and self-supporting assemblies for the railway, industrial, architectural, design, art and electric vehicle sectors. Offerings include interior and exterior rail car components (window frames, WC cabins, driver desks, front skirts, monitor housings), industrial FRP covers and machine facings, custom architectural cladding and sculptures, and lightweight electric vehicle prototypes built around the proprietary Modultec construction method. The company handles the entire process in-house or with partner companies, from model-making through mould-making to finished production.

Product overview

Horlacher AG is a Swiss manufacturer specializing in fiber-reinforced plastics (FRP/GRP/Polyester) and composite materials, founded in 1962 and headquartered in Möhlin, Switzerland. The company operates as a custom component manufacturer serving multiple sectors: Rail Car Components (interior/exterior parts for trains), Industrial Products (machine facings, utility covers), Facade/Architecture/Design (architectural cladding, sculptures), Objets d'Art (art objects), and Electric Vehicle Development (lightweight EV concepts, prototypes using Modultec technology). The portfolio spans from standard industrial products to experimental human-powered vehicles. All manufacturing stages from model-making through mould-making to production are handled either in-house or through partner companies. The company also conducts experimental projects including human-powered aircraft and high-speed vehicles using advanced composites.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Rail Car Components (Waggonbau) Custom interior and exterior fiber-reinforced plastic components for rail coaches and trams, including window frames, covering parts, WC cabins, sidewall panels, driver desks, front skirts/spoilers, monitor housings and staircase components, supplied to major European railway OEMs such as Stadler and Bombardier and to national railway operators.
• Industrial Products Custom FRP industrial products including machine facings, covering components for electric utilities, custom moulds, GRP covers for sewage treatment plants and chemical-industry components, made to order for industrial customers requiring corrosion resistance, low weight and complex shapes.
• Facade, Architecture and Design Custom fiber-reinforced plastic components for architectural and design applications including 3D shaped cladding panels for buildings, seat shells, plant containers, FRP claddings for street lamps and window/facade elements for commercial buildings.
• Objets d'Art Custom art objects and sculptures manufactured from fiber-reinforced plastics for contemporary artists including Katharina Fritsch, Kurt Laurenz Metzler and Ugo Rondinone, with full services from model-making and mould-making to manufacture and finishing.
• Electric Vehicle Development Development of lightweight electric vehicle concepts, designs, prototypes and safety validation using the Modultec modular body construction system, including prototype series such as City, Sport, Pick-up, Consequento, Saxikurier, Pantila, TAZI people mover and experimental models, together with crash testing programs conducted with Zurich University and Zurich Institute of Technology.
• Modultec Modular Body Construction System Proprietary construction method allowing individually manufactured composite components to be rapidly assembled into a stable, safe vehicle body with a minimal number of multifunctional parts, supported by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (BFE).
• Experimental Projects Research and development projects including human-powered vehicles (HPV) using carbon fiber, Kevlar, Mylar foils, Nomex honeycombs and epoxy resins, such as the Pelargos human-powered aircraft and high-speed HPV prototypes.

Quantifiable outcome

• World record 1992: 547 km with one battery charge using Horlacher Sport 1 electric vehicle

Named customers12 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

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Esoro AGcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDevelopment partner for electric vehicle drivetrain and suspension systems. Developed complete wheel suspension with composite leaf springs for Horlacher's Modultec vehicles.
• Pasol AGminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnical partner for vehicle development projects including Saxikurier and Pick-up vehicles.
• Brusa ElektronikcoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partner providing drivetrain and battery systems for electric vehicle prototypes. Supplied BRUSA AMC motors for multiple Horlacher EV projects.
• Swiss Federal Office of Energy (BFE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment funding and support for research projects including Modultec, TAZI, Saxikurier, and Sport 1 electric vehicle development.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/horlacher

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Horlacher