mts maschinenbau gmbh

What mts maschinenbau gmbh does

mts Maschinenbau GmbH is a German Mittelstand industrial company founded in 1996 and headquartered in Mengen, Baden-Württemberg, that designs and manufactures automated stacking and parts handling solutions for the global automotive and battery manufacturing industries. The company's core product portfolio comprises three families: Stapelsäulen (stacking columns) for damage-free transport of 3D components, Ladungsträger (load carriers/racks) engineered for high packing density, and Zuführspeicher LCA (feed storage systems) for position-accurate parts provisioning into automated production lines. These products are produced in-house using Trumpf fiber laser technology with 1/100mm precision and are designed under an "Automation Ready" philosophy to integrate directly with customer robotic and automated assembly lines, including body-in-white, powertrain, and final assembly applications. The company has extended into specialized battery logistics solutions, notably the LiioBox (BAM-approved transport container for critically defective lithium-ion batteries) and Gigacasting Racks for large aluminum die-cast parts.

The business model is B2B enterprise capital equipment sales, with custom quotation-based pricing tied to specific customer requirements. Revenue is generated primarily through hardware sales of stacking systems, load carriers, and battery handling equipment, supplemented by contract manufacturing services covering engineering, prototyping, and series production. The company operates through direct enterprise field sales in Germany, Poland, and the United States, augmented by distribution partnerships: Intellum and Standard Racks in Mexico, ALSCO Anwood in China, and a partner in Turkey. Manufacturing is conducted at the 16,000 m² Mengen headquarters, the ISO 9001-certified mts Polska Sp.zo.o. facility in Swiebodzice, Poland, and MTS North America Foundation Inc. in the United States. Customer segments are concentrated in automotive OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers, EV and battery manufacturers including gigafactories, and emerging gigacasting operations.

The company is privately held under majority ownership of Dr Laible Beteiligungs GmbH, which acquired its stake in March 2018 from the original founders Wolf and Strobel as part of a succession arrangement. Dr. Eckhard Laible serves as Managing Director, with Ines Kunz responsible for business administration. The ownership structure is consistent with German Mittelstand succession patterns rather than institutional private equity backing. The company has received Top 100 Innovation Award (2020) and Baden-Württemberg Top 10 Company Award (2020), holds ISO 9001 (mts Polska, 2023) and TISAX (2022) certifications, and operates with sustainability infrastructure including 566 KWp of installed photovoltaic capacity across its facilities.

Name

mts maschinenbau gmbh

Legal name

mts Maschinenbau GmbH

Website

https://mts-mengen.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Short description

German industrial manufacturer founded in 1996 that produces automated stacking columns, load carriers, and feed storage systems for automotive OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers, and battery/gigafactory operators globally, with manufacturing in Germany, Poland, and the USA.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Automation Equipment

NAICS

Industrial Truck, Tractor, Trailer, and Stacker Machinery Manufacturing (333924)

SIC

Industrial Trucks, Tractors, Trailors & Stackers (3537)

akta.pro primary industry

Bulk Material Handling Systems (Belt Conveyors, Feeders, Stackers, Reclaimers) (IMAHABAH)

Keywords

• Industrial stacking systems
• Load carrier manufacturing
• Battery transport containers
• Automotive parts handling
• Automated production equipment

Headquarters

HQ city

Mengen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Stacking Systems Sales: Sale of Stapelsäulen (stacking columns) for automated production lines, Ladungsträger (load carriers/racks), and Zuführspeicher (feed storage systems) as capital equipment
2. Battery Solutions: Specialized battery transport solutions including LiioBox, battery racks, and components for electric vehicle production
3. Contract Manufacturing: Custom engineering and manufacturing services from development through prototyping to series production

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

mts Maschinenbau GmbH manufactures precision industrial stacking columns (Stapelsäulen), load carriers/racks (Ladungsträger), and feed storage systems (Zuführspeicher) for automated production environments. The company also designs specialized transport and storage containers for batteries and lithium-ion cells, serving automotive OEMs, battery cell makers, and EV manufacturers with automation-ready handling solutions.

Product overview

mts Maschinenbau GmbH offers a unified portfolio of automated stacking solutions comprising Stacking Columns (Stapelsäulen), Load Carriers/Racks (Ladungsträger), and Feed Storage systems (Zuführspeicher/LCA). The company specializes in battery solutions including specialized racks and containers for lithium-ion battery transport and storage. All products follow the 'Automation Ready' principle, designed for seamless integration into automated production lines. The product line also includes specialized Gigacasting Racks for large aluminum die-cast parts and the BAM-approved LiioBox for defective battery transport. The portfolio enables high packing density (up to 50% more parts per carrier) and serves the global automated supply chain for battery and H/EV technology.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Stacking Columns (Stapelsäulen) Precision-engineered stacking columns manufactured to 1/100 mm tolerances for automated parts handling in automotive production lines; designed to integrate with robotic and automated storage/retrieval systems.
• Load Carriers / Racks (Ladungsträger) Custom load carriers and racks for transporting and storing components in automotive manufacturing and assembly environments, including Gigacasting Racks for large-format die-cast body components.
• Feed Storage Systems (Zuführspeicher) Feed storage systems that buffer and sequence parts for automated assembly lines, providing controlled presentation of components to downstream production equipment.
• Battery Transport Containers (LiioBox) Specialized containers approved for the transport and storage of batteries and lithium-ion cells, including BAM-certified dangerous goods packaging, designed for cell makers and EV manufacturers.
• Gigacasting Racks Heavy-duty racks engineered to handle gigacast (large-format die-cast) body-in-white components for automotive manufacturers adopting single-piece casting processes.

Quantifiable outcome

• 50% more parts per load carrier through high packing density
• +2 more outcomes

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

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• Standard RacksmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2025Strategic partnership with Standard Racks in Mexico complementing Intellum distribution. Enables offering of automatic load carriers with stacking columns in Mexican market.
• IntellumcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 September 2023Strategic cooperation with Intellum, Mexico City for distribution of mts stacking columns in Mexico. Intellum serves as official mts representative in Mexico, providing local sales and customer support for automotive customers.
• ALSCO AnwoodcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2023Strategic partnership with Alsco Anwood, a leading packaging company based in Suzhou, China. Cooperation includes introduction of mts closing columns, load carriers, and feed storage systems to the Chinese market. Additionally, mts represents Alsco for battery containers in Europe and USA. Alsco operates 35 Container Management Centres in major Chinese automotive cities and maintains sales offices in Germany, Japan, and South Korea.
• Fritz Spedition & LogistikmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2021Strong partnership with Fritz logistics for complete battery production and handling solutions. Fritz provides dangerous goods expertise, ADR transport fleet, and licensed dangerous goods storage facilities.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Manz AG: German equipment manufacturer specializing in battery cell production systems and automation. Overlaps with mts's battery solutions portfolio as both serve the gigafactory equipment ecosystem, though Manz focuses upstream on cell production equipment.
• Kardex Holding AG: Swiss storage and material handling automation specialist serving manufacturing and intralogistics customers. Comparable in focus area (automated parts handling) though more focused on storage/retrieval than mts's stacking columns.
• Hänel Büro- und Lagersysteme: German manufacturer of automated storage and retrieval systems including parts handling for automotive and industrial customers. Comparable Mittelstand profile to mts with overlap in load handling and buffer storage for parts logistics.

Broad incumbents

• KUKA AG: German robotics and automation giant serving automotive manufacturing with full-line integration. While not a direct competitor in load carriers, KUKA competes with mts for the same automotive OEM automation budgets and increasingly bundles material handling into turnkey contracts.
• Dematic: Global intralogistics integrator (Kion subsidiary) supplying automated material handling systems to automotive, battery, and general manufacturing customers. Larger scale and broader offering than mts, including stacker cranes and conveyor systems overlapping with mts product categories.
• TGW Logistics Group: Austrian intralogistics specialist focused on automated warehousing and material handling, including stacker solutions. Serves automotive and manufacturing customers with a broader systems integration portfolio than mts.
• SSI Schaefer Group: One of the world's largest intralogistics companies, headquartered in Germany, offering storage, rack, and material handling solutions across automotive and industrial customers. Broader portfolio than mts but competes for the same automotive parts handling wallet.

Direct peers

• Wanzl GmbH & Co. KGaA: German material handling manufacturer offering load carriers, industrial trucks, and parts handling solutions. Direct competitor to mts in automotive and industrial parts logistics, with comparable Mittelstand profile and engineering-driven product approach.
• ZARGES GmbH: German manufacturer of aluminum transport containers and specialized cases, including battery transport solutions. Competes directly with mts in the dangerous-goods and high-voltage battery transport container niche where LiioBox is positioned.
• Grenzebach Group: German mid-sized specialist in material handling automation, including stacking and conveying solutions for automotive production lines. Highly comparable engineering-driven Mittelstand profile to mts.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCOhCYdfbKp95tmp9zKpzDCQ/videos
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/8163019

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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