What VIBRA MASCHINENFABRIK Schultheis GmbH & Co. does

VIBRA MASCHINENFABRIK Schultheis GmbH & Co. is a privately held, third-generation family-owned German industrial machinery manufacturer specializing in vibration and fluid-bed technology for bulk material processing. Founded in 1948 by Wilhelm Schultheis and headquartered in Offenbach am Main, the company operates a second production facility in Utzberg/Weimar (built in 1991) and employs approximately 180 qualified staff across both sites. Its product portfolio spans four functional areas — conveying/discharging (vibrating trough and tube conveyors, resonance conveyors, stick-slip conveyors, spiral conveyors, bin dischargers), screening (horizontal, dewatering, round, universal, protective, and low-frequency screeners), drying/cooling (vibrating and static fluid-bed dryers/coolers, batch systems, agglomeration/coating), and driving/activation (DV vibrating motors in ATEX variants, electromagnetic vibrators, vibrating tables) — complemented by magnetic separators, air handling units, and full plant engineering services. Two patented innovation product families (PSR gyratory screeners and LFU stick-slip conveyors) target gentle handling of fragile products.

The company serves enterprise customers in the chemical and food industries as its primary verticals, with pharmaceuticals as a secondary segment. Revenue is generated through quote-based, custom-engineered capital equipment sales, with project-specific design, manufacturing, and commissioning delivered from the two German facilities. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales, engaging directly with customer engineering offices, supplemented by a global network of commercial agents and participation in major international trade fairs (POWTECH, ACHEMA, ANUGA FOOD TEC, SOLIDS). Installed base spans more than 80 countries across Europe, Asia, North America, South America, and Africa, with multilingual commercial support in DE, EN, FR, IT, ES, CN, and RU. The business is entirely family-controlled, with no external investors, funding rounds, or parent holding structures disclosed in the available data.

Name

VIBRA MASCHINENFABRIK Schultheis GmbH & Co.

Legal name

VIBRA MASCHINENFABRIK SCHULTHEIS GmbH & Co.

Website

https://vibra-schultheis.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1948

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

VIBRA MASCHINENFABRIK Schultheis is a third-generation, family-owned German manufacturer of vibration and fluid-bed processing equipment, serving chemical and food enterprises with engineered conveying, screening, drying, and cooling solutions across more than 80 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Vibrating and Fluid-Bed Processing Machinery

NAICS

Other General Purpose Machinery Manufacturing (3339), Food Product Machinery Manufacturing (333241)

SIC

Special Industry Machinery, Nec (3559), General Industrial Machinery & Equipment (3560), General Industrial Machinery & Equipment, Nec (3569)

akta.pro primary industry

Chemical Processing Equipment (Reactors, Mixers, Agitators) (IMAHAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Spindles & High-Speed Drives (Machine Tool Spindles, High-speed Motors) (IMAGACAL), Pneumatic Components (FRLs, Cylinders, Valves) (IMAHAGAC)

Keywords

• Vibrating conveyors
• Fluid-bed technology
• Bulk material handling
• Industrial screening machines
• Vibratory drying equipment

Headquarters

HQ city

Offenbach am Main

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Industrial Machinery Sales: Sale of industrial vibrating and fluid-bed processing equipment including conveyors, screens, dryers, coolers, vibrators, and complete engineering solutions. Equipment is sold as capital goods with project-specific customization.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

VIBRA MASCHINENFABRIK Schultheis designs, manufactures, and commissions industrial vibrating and fluid-bed processing machinery for conveying, screening, drying, cooling, and activating bulk materials. The portfolio spans components (vibrating motors, electromagnetic vibrators) to complete turnkey processing systems, supplied primarily to chemical and food industry manufacturers worldwide. Equipment is engineered as custom capital goods, often with ATEX-certified explosion-proof variants, and includes patented innovations such as PSR gyratory screeners and LFU stick-slip conveyors.

Product overview

VIBRA MASCHINENFABRIK Schultheis GmbH & Co. is an internationally leading industrial machinery company specializing in vibration and fluid-bed technology for the chemical and food industries. Founded in 1948, the company offers a comprehensive portfolio of equipment organized into core product categories: Conveying/Discharging (including vibrating trough conveyors, natural-frequency resonance conveyors, batching trough conveyors, stick-slip conveyors, spiral conveyors, and bin dischargers), Screening (horizontal screening machines, dewatering screens, round screens, universal screens, protective screens, and low-frequency screens), Drying/Cooling (vibrating and static fluid-bed dryers/coolers, batch dryers, swirling trough conveyors, agglomeration/coating systems, and vibrating conveyors for indirect heat exchange), and Driving/Activating (DV vibrating motors, MX electromagnetic vibrators, ER/ERF electromagnetic vibrators, small vibrators HVL/KV/EV, and VTG vibrating tables). The company also provides magnetic separators, air handling units, and comprehensive plant engineering services. Innovation products include the LFU stick-slip conveyor series for ultra-gentle material handling and the PSR gyratory screener series. With approximately 180 employees across facilities in Offenbach and Utzberg/Weimar, Germany, VIBRA SCHULTHEIS serves customers in over 80 countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• LFU: Stick-slip conveyor series for fragile, low-density bulk products used in food and pharmaceutical industries.
• PSR

Products and services

• Schwingförderrinnen und -rohre (Vibrating Trough & Tube Conveyors) Vibrating trough and tube conveyors for transporting bulk materials in the chemical and food industries, available in natural-frequency and resonant-frequency designs for varying distances and capacities.
• Resonanzförderrinnen und -rohre (Natural-Frequency Trough and Tube Conveyors) Natural-frequency resonance conveyors for energy-efficient material transport over long distances in industrial bulk material handling applications.
• Zuteilrinnen (Batching Trough Conveyors) Batching trough conveyors for controlled feeding and proportioning of bulk materials in industrial processes.
• Haftgleitförderer (Stick-Slip Conveyors) Stick-slip conveyors for gentle transport of fragile and light products without vertical acceleration.
• Wendelförderer (Spiral Conveyors) Spiral conveyors for vertical or inclined material transport applications in industrial bulk material handling.
• Bunkeraustragsvorrichtungen (Bin Dischargers) Bin discharger devices for controlled extraction of bulk materials from storage hoppers.
• Horizontalsiebmaschinen SR (SR Horizontal Screening Machines) Horizontal screening machines for classification and quality control of bulk materials in chemical and food processing.
• Entwässerungssiebmaschinen ESR (ESR Dewatering Screening Machines) Dewatering screening machines for removing moisture from bulk materials in industrial processing.
• Überlängenabscheider SRK (SRK Oversize Separators) Oversize separators for removing oversized particles from bulk material streams in industrial processes.
• Rundsiebmaschinen RS (RS Round Screening Machines) Round screening machines for circular sieving operations in bulk material processing.
• Universalsiebmaschinen Typ G (G Universal Screening Machines) Universal screening machines for versatile screening applications across multiple industries.
• Kontrollsiebmaschinen KS und SLU (KS and SLU Protective Screening Machines) Protective screening machines for safety screening and quality control of bulk materials in industrial processes.
• Niederfrequente Siebmaschinen SRF und PSR (SRF and PSR Low Frequency Screening Machines) Low frequency screening machines for specialized screening applications requiring gentle product handling.
• Vibrations-Wirbelschichttrockner/-kühler (Vibrating Fluid-Bed Dryers / Coolers) Vibrating fluid-bed dryers and coolers for drying and cooling bulk materials efficiently in chemical and food industry applications.
• Statische Wirbelschichttrockner/-kühler (Static Fluid-Bed Dryers / Coolers) Static fluid-bed dryers and coolers for thermal processing of materials in industrial applications.
• Chargentrockner/-kühler (Batch Dryers / Coolers) Batch dryers and coolers for processing bulk materials in discrete quantities for industrial applications.
• Wirbelrinnen (Swirling Trough Conveyors) Swirling trough conveyors for drying and cooling applications using a vortex effect to enhance thermal transfer.
• Agglomerien/Coaten (Agglomeration / Coating) Agglomeration and coating systems for product modification and value-add processing of bulk materials.
• Schwingförderer für indirekten Wärmeaustausch (Vibrating Conveyors for Indirect Heat Exchange) Vibrating conveyors designed for indirect thermal exchange processes in industrial material handling.
• Vibrationsmotoren DV (DV Vibrating Motors) DV vibrating motors as robust drive units for vibrating equipment, available in ATEX versions for use in explosive atmospheres.
• Elektromagnetische Vibratoren MX (MX Electromagnetic Vibrators) MX electromagnetic vibrators with electronic stopping capability for precise control of vibrating equipment with adjustable amplitude.
• Elektromagnetische Vibratoren ER und ERF (ER and ERF Electromagnetic Vibrators) ER and ERF electromagnetic vibrators for small vibrating equipment, available in multiple sizes for loads ranging from 3 to 100 kg.
• Kleinvibratoren HVL, KV, EV (HVL, KV, EV Small Vibrators) Small vibrators including HVL (three-phase), KV (ball vibrators), and EV (electromagnetic) types for various excitation needs in industrial applications.
• Vibrationstische VTG (VTG Vibrating Tables) Vibrating tables in VTR (single motor), VTG (dual motor), and VTE (electromagnetic) configurations for compaction of bulk materials.
• Magnetabscheider (Magnetic Separators) Magnetic separators for removing ferrous contaminants from bulk material streams in industrial processing.
• Luftkonditionieren (Air Handling) Air handling units for conditioning inlet air to fluid-bed dryers in industrial drying systems.
• Engineering Industrial plant planning and engineering services for design and implementation of complete processing installations for chemical and food industry customers.
• Haftgleitförderer LFU (LFU Stick-Slip Conveyors) LFU stick-slip conveyors for extremely gentle handling of fragile, low-density bulk products such as potato chips and pharmaceutical tablets, using a patented stick-slip conveying principle.
• Plansiebmaschinen PSR (PSR Gyratory Screeners) PSR gyratory screeners with patented single-motor design for high-performance, gentle separation in food and chemical industries.

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Carrier Vibrating Equipment: US-based specialist in vibrating conveyors, screens, and feeders for processing industries. VIBRA and Carrier directly compete in vibrating trough/tube conveyor and screening categories used by chemical and food plants globally.
• Hosokawa Alpine AG: German-Japanese manufacturer of processing technologies for chemical, pharmaceutical, and food powders — including compaction, drying, screening, and conveying. Highly comparable to VIBRA across drying, screening, and bulk-material handling.
• Eriez Manufacturing: US-based manufacturer of magnetic separation, vibratory feeding, and screening equipment. Overlaps with VIBRA's magnetic separators and vibrating activator/drive product lines across chemical and food processing.
• AZO GmbH + Co. KG: German-based manufacturer of pneumatic conveying, vibratory feeding, and screening equipment for chemical, food, and pharmaceutical bulk solids. Highly comparable to VIBRA's vibrating conveyors and screening portfolio and competes directly in the same German Mittelstand segment.
• Kason Corporation: US manufacturer of industrial screening and separation equipment including vibratory screeners. Overlaps with VIBRA's horizontal screening and protective screening machines serving similar chemical and food-industry customers.
• Russell Finex: Global supplier of industrial sieves and screening equipment for chemical, food, and pharmaceutical applications. Comparable to VIBRA's protective, round, and universal screening machines.
• Schenck Process: Global supplier of vibratory equipment, screens, and bulk-material handling systems used across chemical, food, and mineral processing. VIBRA's vibrating conveyor and screening product lines directly substitute for Schenck's offerings in many of the same applications.
• Allgaier Process Technology: German process technology provider of drying, cooling, and screening equipment — particularly fluid-bed dryers. Competes head-to-head with VIBRA's fluid-bed drying and cooling product family in the chemical and food sectors.

Broad incumbents

• GEA Group: German process engineering major with separation, drying, and powder-handling equipment serving chemical and food industries. Comparable in fluid-bed processing, drying, and screening; competes in the same enterprise RFPs as VIBRA at the upper-mid-market.
• Bühler Group: Swiss global leader in food processing, chemical, and feed-equipment — including fluid-bed dryers/coolers and vibrating solutions. VIBRA overlaps in fluid-bed drying technology and customer base (chemical and food processors), but Bühler operates a much broader portfolio at global scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vibra-maschinenfabrik-schultheis-gmbh-&-co.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 VIBRA MASCHINENFABRIK Schultheis GmbH & Co.