steen

What steen does

Steen GmbH & Co. KG is a privately held, Elmshorn-based German manufacturer of deck machinery for commercial, naval, and yacht vessels, in continuous operation since 1893. The company designs and produces four core equipment categories at a single integrated facility: anchoring equipment (for 12.5mm to 80mm stud-link chains), mooring equipment (0.5 to 400 kN), towing equipment (10 to 750 kN), and cargo-handling equipment (0.5 to over 400 kN), plus customer-specific special constructions. All production steps — turning, metalworking, welding, milling, surface treatment, electronic control integration, assembly, quality assurance, and final acceptance testing in the presence of classification society surveyors — are performed in-house under ISO 9001 certification.

Steen serves a diversified B2B customer base spanning shipyards, merchant shipping operators, naval and government buyers, mega yacht builders, and specialized vessel segments (rescue cruisers, fire fighting boats, police boats, tugboats, ferries, research vessels, offshore platforms), reaching a cumulative installed base of 4,000+ merchant vessels, 700+ naval vessels, and 500+ mega yachts. Revenue is generated through customized equipment sales (project-based pricing with no public disclosure), a recurring maintenance-contract and spare-parts program (10-year minimum spare parts guarantee, archives back to the 1970s), and a global on-site service operation that conducts 90% of repairs at customer locations worldwide. Distribution is direct to enterprise buyers via a small dedicated sales team at the Elmshorn headquarters.

The company is currently owned and led by Managing Directors Michael Bock and Thomas Kern following a 2016 management buyout from previous employee-owners Jens Bußler and Jörg Wunderlich. The firm employs approximately 50 people at its Carl-Zeiss-Strasse facility and operates under a German limited partnership (GmbH & Co. KG) structure with no disclosed institutional investors or parent entity.

Name

steen

Legal name

Steen GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://steengmbh.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1893

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Steen GmbH & Co. KG is a German manufacturer, founded 1893, that designs and builds custom anchoring, mooring, towing, and cargo-handling deck machinery in-house for shipyards, naval forces, merchant operators, and mega yacht builders worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marine Deck Machinery

NAICS

Ship Building and Repairing (336611)

SIC

Ship & Boat Building & Repairing (3730)

akta.pro primary industry

Deck Machinery & Mooring Systems (Winches, Windlasses, Capstans) (IMAJAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cargo Handling & Lifting Equipment (Cranes, Derricks, Hoists) (IMAJAIAB), Deck Fittings & Hardware (Bitts, Fairleads, Cleats, Anchors & Chains) (IMAJAIAK), Hull, Structure & Steelwork Repair (TLAKAKAE)

Keywords

• Deck machinery
• Maritime equipment
• Anchoring winches
• Mooring systems
• Cargo handling gear

Headquarters

HQ city

Elmshorn

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Deck Machinery Sales: Customized deck machinery equipment including anchoring, mooring, towing, and cargo-handling systems sold directly to shipyards, vessel operators, and mega yacht builders. Products range from standard winches to bespoke special constructions.
2. On-Site Service and Repairs: Global service visits for installations, commissioning, maintenance (annual and 5-year), damage analysis, repairs and overhauls, and modifications. 90% of repairs conducted on-site.
3. Maintenance Contracts: Regular maintenance contracts offered to vessel operators for ongoing service agreements.
4. Spare Parts Supply: Spare parts supply guaranteed for at least 10 years with archives dating back to the 1970s, enabling repairs and parts for older Steen equipment.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Steen manufactures and supplies custom-engineered deck machinery for maritime vessels, including anchoring equipment (up to 76mm stud link chain), mooring equipment (up to 360kN), towing winches (up to 750kN), and cargo-handling winches (0.5kN to over 400kN). All production is performed in-house at the Elmshorn facility (turning, welding, milling, surface treatment, assembly, electronic control integration), with global on-site installation, commissioning, maintenance, and repair services.

Product overview

Steen is a leading manufacturer of high-quality deck machinery established in 1893. The product portfolio centers on four core equipment categories: Anchoring Equipment (for 12.5mm to 80mm stud-link chains), Mooring Equipment (0.5 to 400 kN), Towing Equipment (10 to 500/750 kN), and Cargo-Handling Equipment (0.5 to over 400 kN), supplemented by Special Constructions for customized customer-specific solutions. The company also provides comprehensive services including on-site repair, maintenance, and spare parts supply (10-year guarantee). Products serve three main vessel segments: merchant vessels (4000+), naval vessels (700+), and mega yachts (500+). All products are manufactured in-house at the Elmshorn facility with extensive quality control.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Anchoring Equipment Windlasses, combined windlass/mooring systems, anchor capstans, anchor sliding devices, hand-operated windlasses, chain stoppers, chain compressors, chain guides, chain protections, and devil's claws for 12.5mm to 80mm stud-link chains, used by shipyards and vessel operators.
• Mooring Equipment Automatic and non-automatic mooring winches, capstans, combined capstan-bollards, rope storage reels, mooring chocks, clamps, bollards, rollers, and fairleads with capacity from 0.5 to 400 kN, for commercial vessels, naval ships, and mega yachts.
• Towing Equipment Towing winches, towing bridle winches, boat and deck cranes, friction winches, rope storage winches, dredger winches, slip winches, auxiliary winches, and oceanographic winches with capacity from 10 to 750 kN, for tugboats and specialized vessels.
• Cargo-Handling Equipment Cargo winches, heavy-cargo winches, topping winches, slewing winches, and hand-operated cargo winches with capacity from 0.5 to over 400 kN, for merchant vessels and offshore operators.
• Special Constructions Customised production of exceptional deck machinery systems tailored to specific customer requirements, designed and manufactured by Steen engineers to meet unique operational needs.
• Global On-Site Service and Repairs Global on-site service including installations, commissioning, annual and 5-year maintenance, damage analysis, repairs, overhauls, and modifications, with 90% of repairs conducted on site at customer locations worldwide.
• Spare Parts Supply Spare parts supply guaranteed for at least 10 years, with archives dating back to the 1970s, enabling repairs and parts provision for older Steen equipment.

Quantifiable outcome

• Products operating for over 50 years in rough seas are documented
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Strato AGminorOthersWebsite hosting provider for steengmbh.de. The provider is Strato AG, Otto-Ostrowski-Strasse 7, 10249 Berlin. Data processing agreement (AVV) in place per GDPR requirements.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• MacGregor: MacGregor (part of Cargotec) is one of the world's largest manufacturers of marine deck machinery and cargo-handling equipment, including mooring, anchoring, and hatch cover systems for merchant, offshore, and naval vessels. It directly competes with Steen in shipyard-supplied deck equipment across overlapping vessel segments.
• Hatlapa Uetersener Maschinenfabrik: Hatlapa is a German manufacturer of marine deck machinery (winches, windlasses, capstans) historically serving shipyards and naval customers. As another Germany-based specialist, it competes head-to-head with Steen in similar product categories and customer segments.
• Brattvaag Slipp og mekaniske Verksted: Brattvaag is a Norwegian mechanical workshop and manufacturer of marine deck machinery, including winches and mooring equipment for offshore and merchant vessels. It competes with Steen in Northern European shipyards with overlapping product categories.
• Damen Marine Components (DMC): Damen Marine Components is part of the Damen Shipyards Group and produces deck equipment such as winches, capstans, and hatch covers for commercial and naval vessels. It is a direct competitor in standardized and custom deck machinery for shipyard and retrofit markets.
• TTS Marine (now part of MacGregor): TTS Marine (acquired by MacGregor/Cargotec) supplied hatch covers, deck machinery, and cargo access equipment for commercial vessels. It has been folded into MacGregor but historically competed directly with Steen in deck equipment supply to shipyards.

Broad incumbents

• Kongsberg Maritime: Kongsberg Maritime (including the former Rolls-Royce commercial marine portfolio) is a major incumbent supplying integrated deck machinery, propulsion, and ship systems. It overlaps with Steen in mooring, anchoring, and winch systems for commercial and naval vessels, but as part of a much broader portfolio.
• Palfinger Marine: Palfinger Marine supplies cranes, winches, and handling equipment for maritime and offshore applications. While stronger in deck cranes, it overlaps with Steen in lifting, mooring, and cargo-handling equipment for commercial vessels and offshore platforms.

Regional players

• Royal IHC: Royal IHC is a Dutch builder of dredging, offshore, and specialized vessels that supplies deck machinery and winch systems as part of integrated vessel packages. It overlaps with Steen in towing winches, dredger winches, and offshore deck equipment.

Emerging players

• Sperre AS: Sperre is a Norwegian manufacturer of winches, deck cranes, and handling equipment for offshore, fishing, and specialized vessels. It is a smaller competitor with meaningful overlap in towing winches and offshore platform deck equipment.

Others

• Lewmar / Boa Concept (marine winch specialists): Lewmar is a marine equipment manufacturer (now part of an industrial group) producing winches, windlasses, and deck hardware primarily for recreational and light commercial marine markets. It is adjacent to Steen's product portfolio but mostly serves smaller-vessel segments rather than commercial/naval.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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 steen