Spohn + Burkhardt Gmbh + Co. Kg Elektrotechnische Fabrik

What Spohn + Burkhardt Gmbh + Co. Kg Elektrotechnische Fabrik does

Spohn + Burkhardt GmbH + Co. KG Elektrotechnische Fabrik is a 100% family-owned German industrial manufacturer founded in 1920 in Blaubeuren, Germany. The company designs and produces joysticks, control stations, resistors, foot pedals, portable control panels, on-deck controllers, switches, and ergonomic handles for heavy machinery and infrastructure. Its core technical platform is a modular construction system for control transmitters and resistors with high in-house production depth, complemented by proprietary 3D Hall sensor technology delivering up to 10 million switching cycles (used in the HS0 and HS2 joystick lines). Products integrate with major industrial bus systems including CAN, CANopen, PROFIBUS, PROFINET, PROFIsafe, SAE-J1939-71, and EtherNet/IP TCP, with EDS and GSDML configuration files supplied to customers.

The company operates ~300 employees across three main German production locations — Blaubeuren (headquarters, engineering, final assembly), Schelklingen (metalworking, surface refinement, stainless steel processing, in-house powder coating and liquid painting), and a ~5,000 m² assembly hall on Württembergerstrasse. In 2023, Spohn + Burkhardt acquired full ownership of KML Kabinen GmbH (now Spohn + Burkhardt Cabins GmbH) in Lahr, adding operator cabin manufacturing with 70+ years of sector experience and establishing the group as an integrated control-system-plus-cabin supplier. Wholly-owned subsidiaries extend direct sales and support into India (Bangalore, 2017), China (Shanghai, 2021), the Netherlands (Nijkerk, 2024), and North America (Milford, CT, 2024), with representatives covering 60 countries.

Revenue is generated primarily through hardware sales of standard and customized control products to OEM customers in tower cranes, construction machinery, marine/shipping, steel mills, railway, agricultural, waste incineration, and cement plants. Pricing is consultation-based and quote-driven rather than list-published, with named anchor customers including Liebherr. Additional revenue comes from service and repair (flat-rate €80 per return) and online shop sales at spobu.shop. The company holds ISO 9001:2015 certification and is managed by Managing Director Markus Seifert.

Name

Spohn + Burkhardt Gmbh + Co. Kg Elektrotechnische Fabrik

Legal name

Spohn + Burkhardt GmbH + Co. KG

Website

https://spobu.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1920

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Spohn + Burkhardt is a German family-owned manufacturer of industrial joysticks, control stations, resistors, ergonomic handles, and operator cabins serving OEMs in tower cranes, construction machinery, marine, railway, agricultural, and heavy-industrial sectors across 60 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Blaubeuren

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Industrial Control Products: Revenue from manufacturing and selling joysticks, control stations, resistors, handles, switches, foot pedals, portable control panels, and on-deck controllers. Both one-off custom units and large-scale series production.
2. Custom Solutions and Systems: Complete custom solutions, plug-and-play systems combining cabin, control stations, bus systems, joysticks, and accessories
3. Service and Support: Return processing, repair services, with flat-rate fee of €80.00 per return

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Spohn + Burkhardt designs and manufactures industrial joysticks, control stations, resistors, handles, switches, foot pedals, portable control panels, on-deck controllers, and operator cabins for heavy machinery and industrial equipment. Products are built to customer specifications from one-off custom units up to large-scale series production, with high in-house production depth in metalworking, surface finishing, and assembly at its German facilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SiTec: Maintenance and safety switches for industrial sectors, manufactured by Spohn + Burkhardt Sicherheitstechnik GmbH
• Spohn + Burkhardt Cabins
• Spohn + Burkhardt GmbH + Co. KG Elektrotechnische Fabrik

Products and services

• Joysticks (HS0, HS2, JMS3, ST4 and modular series) Industrial joysticks for heavy machinery and equipment, including the JMS3 all-metal joystick, the ST4 joystick for extreme conditions, and the HS0/HS2 joysticks based on proprietary wear-free 3D Hall sensor technology. Used by OEMs in construction machinery, cranes, ships/harbors, agricultural equipment, railway, and heavy industry.
• Control Stations (FSMMD, FSRHDG and modular series) Modular control stations for operator cabins including the FSMMD (with memory function for multi-shift operations, electrically adjustable seat and console positions, motorized rotation) and the FSRHDG for harbour cranes. Sold to OEMs of tower cranes, harbour cranes, and other heavy machinery for use as complete operator workstations.
• Industrial Resistors (cast, wire-wound, steel-grid) Cast, wire-wound, and steel-grid resistors for cranes and other industrial applications, manufactured in-house as part of the company's resistor construction operations.
• Handles (UGA series, G50, G56, G58, G72) Ergonomically shaped, modular handles for joysticks and control stations, configurable with front- and rear-side insert plates, pushbuttons, rocker switches, command devices, and rotary modules. Used as components of joystick and control-station systems for industrial OEMs.
• Foot Pedals Foot-operated control pedals for industrial machinery, offered as part of Spohn + Burkhardt's modular control-component range for OEM machine builders.
• Portable Control Panels Portable control consoles/panels for industrial machinery, allowing operators to control equipment remotely from a handheld or wearable station. Sold to OEMs of construction equipment, cranes, and similar machinery.
• On-Deck Controllers Saltwater-resistant control station pillars designed for ship bridges and on-deck use, featuring cast aluminum alloy housings and integrated heating for condensation elimination. Sold to shipbuilders and port equipment OEMs.
• Switches (Master Switches, Maintenance and Safety Switches) Master switches (e.g., CS0, VNS0) and SiTec-brand maintenance and safety switches for industrial sectors, including drive-brake and dead-man controls used in railway applications. Sold to OEMs and industrial operators.
• Cabins (Operator Cabins via Spohn + Burkhardt Cabins GmbH) Complete operator cabins for cranes and heavy machinery, manufactured by Spohn + Burkhardt Cabins GmbH in Lahr, Germany using state-of-the-art cabin-construction technology. Sold as part of complete cabin + control-station plug-and-play systems to OEMs.
• Customized Solutions / Plug-and-Play Systems Customer-specific complete solutions combining cabin, control stations, bus systems, joysticks, handles, and accessories into a single-source plug-and-play system for OEMs in sectors such as tower cranes, construction machinery, ships/harbors, and agriculture.
• USB Module (Joystick-to-PC Interface) Potted USB module with analog and digital inputs that connects any Spohn + Burkhardt joystick to a PC for configuration, testing, and integration. Sold as a standalone accessory to OEM engineers and integrators.
• MFA Multi-function Armrest Multi-function armrest integrating control elements for use in agricultural vehicles, municipal vehicles, and forklifts. Sold as a component for OEM cabin installations.
• Service and Repair (Return Processing) Return processing and repair services for Spohn + Burkhardt products, with a flat-rate fee of €80.00 per return (waived for legitimate warranty complaints or when a repair is commissioned). Sold as an after-sales service to existing customers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 40,000 units produced annually
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Spohn & Burkhardt India Pvt. Ltd.coreOthers · 1 January 2017First subsidiary founded in 2017 in Bangalore, India. Provides direct market presence and local support for Indian customers in construction, industrial, and shipping sectors.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Bosch Rexroth: Bosch Rexroth is a major industrial automation and mobile-hydraulics supplier offering operator controls, joysticks, and complete drive/control packages for off-highway and factory machinery — overlapping with Spohn + Burkhardt but as part of a much broader portfolio.
• Siemens: Siemens (DI/CM) supplies operator panels, HMI devices, and complete automation systems that interface with the same machinery OEMs Spohn + Burkhardt serves, competing indirectly through bundled control solutions rather than specialist joysticks.
• Euchner: Euchner is a German specialist in industrial safety switches, joysticks, and operator controls with deep application overlap to Spohn + Burkhardt, particularly in machinery safety, but with a wider product range including safety interlocks.
• Schmersal: Schmersal is a leading German manufacturer of safety switchgear and industrial control devices for machinery and process industries, comparable to Spohn + Burkhardt in safety-rated control hardware and DACH market positioning.
• Eaton: Eaton's industrial control division supplies operator interfaces, switches, and control devices used in heavy machinery, mining and material handling, broadly competing with Spohn + Burkhardt within a much larger electrical and industrial portfolio.

Direct peers

• Curtiss-Wright (Penny & Giles): Penny & Giles, part of Curtiss-Wright, designs and manufactures precision joystick controllers and operator interface solutions for industrial, military and medical applications — a direct competitor to Spohn + Burkhardt in heavy-duty, safety-critical joystick controls.
• Sensata / CH Products: Sensata Technologies, through its CH Products and related lines, manufactures Hall-effect joysticks and control grips for industrial, off-highway and material-handling equipment — directly competing with Spohn + Burkhardt in 3D-Hall joystick technology.
• Elobau: Elobau is a German manufacturer of industrial control levers, joysticks, and sensor-based operator interface devices for mobile machinery and industrial automation. The closest geographic and product-line direct competitor to Spohn + Burkhardt.
• J.R. Merritt Controls: J.R. Merritt is a US manufacturer of industrial joysticks, control grips, and operator chairs for cranes, heavy equipment and material handling — directly comparable in product, customer base (cranes/ports) and rugged industrial focus.
• APEM (IDEC): APEM, part of IDEC, is one of the world's largest manufacturers of industrial joysticks, control panels, and switches used in machinery, medical, and industrial automation. It is the closest direct competitor to Spohn + Burkhardt in rugged industrial joystick and finger-switch controls.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries6 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 Spohn + Burkhardt Gmbh + Co. Kg Elektrotechnische Fabrik