Custom Technical Spring Manufacturing

German demand for cold-formed technical springs fell by ~2.7% p.a. between 2023 and 2025, as output weakened in electrical equipment and motor vehicles. Compression springs and wire forms, the two largest product groups, absorbed most of the decline. Our forecast sees demand returning to growth of ~2.3% p.a. and reaching ~1.2bnEUR by 2030, above its 2023 level. Growth differs by product type: springs for soft-close mechanisms, switchgear and drug-delivery devices outpace the average. For investors, portfolio mix decides whether a spring maker grows faster than its market.

Key Takeaways:

• Demand stabilized in 2025 after two years of decline
• Spring makers with healthcare and electrical exposure outgrow automotive-focused peers
• Compression springs account for more than a third of German demand

Competition in custom technical spring manufacturing for DACH customers splits into three groups. The most relevant are custom spring partners for DACH industry, including Scherdel, Baumann, Kern-Liebers, Lesjöfors, Scheuermann + Heilig, Brandgroup, Dietz, Sauter Group, Subtil Group and Ziller, complemented by a long tail of smaller regional specialists. They develop customer-specific springs, wire forms and assemblies in series volumes and compete on engineering support, process stability and proximity. Ownership is traditional: eight of ten benchmarked players in this group are family-owned. Catalog and quick-delivery suppliers such as Lee Spring, Gutekunst Federn and MISUMI form the second group. They sell standard springs from stock via webshops to design engineers and maintenance teams and win on availability and speed rather than customization. The third group covers custom spring manufacturers without a DACH focus, from regional job shops elsewhere in Europe to large groups centered on North America and Asia, such as MW Industries, Peterson Spring and Acxess Spring. They lack the local access and supply structures DACH customers expect. Within the custom group, downstream services separate leaders from followers: only four of ten benchmarked players offer feeding-ready packaging for automated assembly.

Key Takeaways:

• Catalog suppliers moving into custom series need years to build approvals and capacity
• Most custom spring partners in DACH are family-owned
• Feeding-ready packaging and handling systems remain the exception among custom players

Substitution is not a material risk: polymer, composite, shape-memory and 3D-printed alternatives remain limited by load capacity, cost or scalability. Growth therefore comes from widening the core. Medical-grade certifications and micro springs are the most accessible levers and shift the mix toward higher-value volume at moderate effort. Geographic reach offers a larger prize: around 1.5bnEUR of EU27 demand for the same spring types sits outside Germany, and customers prefer qualified suppliers close to their plants. Building that footprint, like adding hybrid metal-plastic assemblies, typically requires acquisitions or capex rather than organic build-up.

Key Takeaways:

• Substitution poses no material threat to metal springs
• Germany accounts for ~40% of EU27 demand for cold-formed technical springs
• International footprint and hybrid assemblies typically require M&A or capex