tkv* Transport-Kälte-Vertrieb GmbH

What tkv* Transport-Kälte-Vertrieb GmbH does

tkv* Transport-Kälte-Vertrieb GmbH, operating under the brand Thermo King Süd, is a German authorized dealer and service specialist for Thermo King and Frigoblock transport refrigeration equipment, founded in 1971 and headquartered in Ulm, Baden-Württemberg. The company sells cooling units (SLXi, Advancer A, B/CE/V and E series), complete refrigerated vehicles for purchase or leasing, and spare parts, and serves refrigerated fleet operators, logistics companies and temperature-sensitive cargo owners across southern Germany from branches in Ulm and Nürnberg supported by 30+ mobile service vehicles, 7 service partners and a 24/7 hotline.

The business is structured around four revenue streams: one-time equipment sales (Thermo King/Frigoblock units, Komplettfahrzeuge), recurring tkv* Uptime telematics subscriptions in Standard and Premium tiers (€0–€27 per vehicle per month depending on tier and service contract), professional service and maintenance including legal inspections and emergency response, and spare parts distribution. Distribution is direct enterprise field sales combined with a mobile service fleet that performs on-route repairs and on-site maintenance across Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg.

tkv* Uptime extends the dealer model into software: the platform continuously monitors connected refrigeration units, detects irregularities, warnings and alarms, filters irrelevant error codes, and pushes automated digital action recommendations to customers via telematics integrations with BlueBox Lite, Bluebox-Telematik, TouchLog Premium, TouchPrint Premium and Cargowatch Temperaturschreiber. The company is independently owned, holds ISO 9001:2015 certification from TÜV SÜD Management Service, and is led by Managing Directors Herwig Kiesling and Jorge Estelle Caro.

Name

tkv* Transport-Kälte-Vertrieb GmbH

Legal name

tkv* Transport-Kälte-Vertrieb GmbH

Website

https://thermoking-sued.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

tkv* Transport-Kälte-Vertrieb GmbH, operating as Thermo King Süd, is an authorized German dealer and service partner for Thermo King and Frigoblock transport refrigeration, selling cooling units, complete refrigerated vehicles, spare parts, and the tkv* Uptime telematics subscription to fleet operators across southern Germany from branches in Ulm and Nürnberg.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Transport Refrigeration Services

NAICS

Commercial and Industrial Machinery and Equipment (except Automotive and Electronic) Repair and Maintenance (8113), Automotive Repair and Maintenance (8111), Specialized Automotive Repair (811114)

SIC

Services-Auto Rental & Leasing (No Drivers) (7510), Wholesale-Motor Vehicle Supplies & New Parts (5013), Steam & Air-Conditioning Supply (4961)

akta.pro primary industry

Refrigerated Last-Mile Vehicles Rental/Leasing (Chilled/Frozen Vans) (TLABAGAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Refrigerated Truck & Reefer Van Rentals (THADAJAD), HVAC & Cooling System Services (A/C, Radiator) (TLAKAAAG)

Keywords

• Transport refrigeration equipment
• Commercial vehicle cooling
• Cold chain logistics
• Refrigerated transport service
• Vehicle telematics monitoring

Headquarters

HQ city

Ulm

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Transport Refrigeration Equipment Sales: Sale of Thermo King and Frigoblock transport refrigeration units for commercial vehicles including transporters, trucks and semi-trailers.
2. Complete Vehicles (Komplettfahrzeuge): Sale of complete refrigeration transport vehicles with standard or individual configuration, available for purchase or leasing.
3. tkv* Uptime Subscription: Monthly subscription-based remote monitoring service for transport refrigeration units, available in Standard and Premium tiers. Premium tier includes data transmission every 60 minutes when cooling machine is off, every 15 minutes when on.
4. Service and Maintenance: Repairs, maintenance, legal inspections and 24/7 emergency service through mobile service fleet and stationary service points.
5. Spare Parts: Sale of replacement parts for Thermo King and Frigoblock refrigeration units.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

tkv* Transport-Kälte-Vertrieb GmbH sells, installs, services, and monitors Thermo King and Frigoblock transport refrigeration units for commercial vehicles (transporters, trucks, semi-trailers). The company offers complete refrigerated vehicles, spare parts, mobile maintenance and 24/7 emergency service across southern Germany, and the proprietary tkv* Uptime telematics subscription for remote monitoring of cooling units.

Product overview

tkv* Transport-Kälte-Vertrieb GmbH operates as Thermo King Süd, offering a comprehensive transport refrigeration portfolio built around Thermo King and Frigoblock cooling units. The core offering includes multiple product series (SLXi, Advancer A, LKW-Geräte, B/CE/V, E series) for trucks, transporters, and semi-trailers, complemented by complete vehicles and spare parts. The company provides tkv* Uptime as a telemetry-based monitoring service (offered in Standard and Premium tiers) that provides 24/7 automated monitoring of connected cooling machines with automatic anomaly detection and digital action recommendations. Additional services include mobile maintenance, pharmaceutical consultation, and training programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• tkv* Uptime: Remote monitoring and telematics system for transport refrigeration units providing automatic 24/7 monitoring, error code management, and proactive maintenance recommendations

Products and services

• Thermo King / Frigoblock Refrigeration Units High-quality transport refrigeration units for commercial vehicles, available in multiple series (SLXi, Advancer A, B/CE/V, E) designed for different vehicle sizes and cooling requirements. Sold to fleet operators and logistics companies.
• Komplettfahrzeuge (Complete Refrigerated Vehicles) Complete turnkey refrigerated vehicles available as standard or individually configured solutions, with options for purchase or leasing, for transport and logistics operators needing ready-to-deploy refrigerated fleets.
• Kühltransporter (Refrigerated Transporters) Refrigerated transporter vehicles for temperature-controlled cargo distribution, targeted at smaller commercial fleet operators and distribution businesses.
• Ersatzteile (Spare Parts) Sale of replacement parts for Thermo King and Frigoblock refrigeration units, supporting fleet maintenance and repair operations.
• tkv* Uptime Remote Monitoring Service Subscription-based 24/7 remote monitoring and telematics service for transport refrigeration units. Automatically analyzes refrigeration unit performance, detects irregularities/warnings/alarms, and delivers digital action recommendations. Available in Standard and Premium tiers across Transporter, LKW, and Sattelauflieger categories with monthly billing and service-contract discounts.
• Service / Mobilservice (Mobile Service & Maintenance) Repairs, scheduled maintenance, legal inspections, and 24/7 emergency service delivered through 30+ mobile service vehicles and two stationary service branches in Ulm and Nürnberg for Thermo King and Frigoblock units across southern Germany.

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability3 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Thermo KingcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized Thermo King dealer for transport refrigeration equipment in southern Germany. Distributes full range of Thermo King transport cooling units including SLXi, Advancer A, B/CE/V, and E series.
• FrigoblockcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized Frigoblock dealer for electrically driven transport refrigeration units in southern Germany.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Chereau: French manufacturer of refrigerated semi-trailers and truck bodies. Comparable because Chereau's refrigerated trailers compete for the same fleet customers and depend on the same transport refrigeration equipment ecosystem that tkv* services.
• Lamberet: French/European manufacturer of refrigerated vehicle bodies and trailers. Comparable because Lamberet competes in the same refrigerated truck body/trailer segment whose installed base drives transport refrigeration service demand in Europe.
• TIP Trailer Services: Pan-European trailer leasing, rental, and services company including refrigerated trailers. Comparable because TIP combines leasing with maintenance/service of refrigerated assets, mirroring tkv*'s Komplettfahrzeuge leasing + service contract model.
• Carrier Transicold: Direct competitor manufacturer of transport refrigeration units and a parallel dealer/service network. Comparable because Carrier competes with Thermo King in the same refrigerated truck/trailer equipment category that tkv* services.
• Krone: German manufacturer of refrigerated semi-trailers. Comparable because Krone's Cool Liner refrigerated trailers share the same transport refrigeration equipment category and customer base (logistics fleets) that tkv* serves.
• Schmitz Cargobull: Major European manufacturer of refrigerated trailers and truck bodies. Comparable because Schmitz's S.KO Cool refrigerated trailers are specified with Thermo King/Frigoblock units and overlap with tkv*'s Komplettfahrzeuge and reefer trailer service offering.
• Petit Forestier: Europe's largest refrigerated vehicle rental and leasing specialist. Comparable because Petit Forestier combines refrigerated truck/trailer leasing with service network — the same equipment-service bundle tkv* offers via Komplettfahrzeuge and its service fleet.

Broad incumbents

• Trane Technologies (Thermo King): Parent manufacturer of Thermo King transport refrigeration units. Comparable because tkv* is an authorized Thermo King dealer and operates within Trane's dealer network economics and product roadmap.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/thermoking
• Instagraminstagram.com/thermoking
• YouTubeyoutube-nocookie.com/embed/Rc4HhoblRNQ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tkv-transport-kaelte-vertrieb-gmbh

Compliance1 record

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 tkv* Transport-Kälte-Vertrieb GmbH