Develops and manufactures trailer hitches and carrier systems for passenger cars, SUVs and light commercial vehicles for OEM and accessory applications
ACPS Automotive GmbH
Ingersheim (Headquarters) · St. Egidien · further sites in Europe, North America and AsiaNew on Amplifa
About ACPS Automotive
ACPS Automotive is the market and technology leader in trailer hitches for passenger cars, SUVs and light commercial vehicles, which are developed, manufactured and distributed under the ORIS brand. Founded in 1955 as ORIS in Stuttgart, the company generated annual revenue of around €440 million in 2024 with approximately 2,200 employees and holds more than 140 patents, primarily for swivel systems and mechatronics. Manufacturing includes laser cutting of steel sheet, forming (bending, cutting, pressing), CNC machining of forged parts such as ball necks, robot-assisted welding, KTL and powder coating, as well as assembly and electrical and kinematic testing. An in-house toolmaking department produces the tools and fixtures required for production. Customers are automotive manufacturers in the OEM segment as well as end consumers and the accessory market with workshops and dealers. Production takes place at ten sites in Europe, North America and Asia with an annual production of over 2 million trailer hitches.
- Site
- Ingersheim
- Processes
- Laser cutting, Bending, cutting, pressing (forming), CNC machining (turning, milling, drilling), Robotic welding, KTL coating, Powder coating, Toolmaking, Assembly (swivel system pre-assembly, final assembly)
- Materials
- Steel, alloyed steel (forged parts), Cast steel / precision casting, Aluminium, Non-ferrous metals/alloys, Plastic, alloyed steel
- Certificates
- ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, ISO 50001, IATF 16949
- Industries
- Automotive industry, Automotive accessories
- 01
Toolmaking
- 02
Laser cutting
- 03
Forming, cutting, pressing
- 04
CNC machining (turning, milling, drilling)
- 05
Heat treatment/painting
- 06
Robotic welding
- 07
KTL/powder coating
- 08
Assembly
- 09
Electrical and kinematic testing
Materials & Processes
Steel
Main material for laser-cut, formed and welded transverse and longitudinal beams of the trailer hitches.
alloyed steel
Material for forged parts such as ball necks and forged hubs, which are CNC-machined.
Cast steel / precision casting
Purchased castings for components of the trailer hitches.
Aluminium
Die-cast parts and extrusion profiles (unmachined, machined, bent) for system components.
Non-ferrous metals/alloys
Purchased castings as well as strip, sheet, profiles and tubes.
Plastic
Injection moulding, extrusion, blow moulding and vulcanisation parts as well as electroplated surfaces.
Sites
Ingersheim
DECompany headquarters (since 2020)
St. Egidien
DEProduction site (since 1992)
- Materials
- Steel
- Laser cutting systems
- Welding robots
- CNC machines
- KTL coating
- Powder coating
- Assembly
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laser cuttingMachining | – | – | – | – | Steel |
| Bending, cutting, pressing (forming)Forming | – | – | – | – | Steel |
| CNC machining (turning, milling, drilling)Machining | – | – | – | – | Steel (forged parts) |
| Robotic weldingJoining | – | – | – | – | Steel |
| KTL coatingSurface | – | – | – | – | Steel |
| Powder coatingSurface | – | – | – | – | Steel |
| ToolmakingEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Assembly (swivel system pre-assembly, final assembly)Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Electrical and kinematic testingTesting | – | – | – | – | – |
| Demand (procurement): TurningMachining | – | – | – | – | – |
| Demand (procurement): MillingMachining | – | – | – | – | – |
| Demand (procurement): Forged parts made of alloyed steelForming | – | – | – | – | alloyed steel |
| Demand (procurement): Castings made of non-ferrous alloys, cast steel, precision castingCasting | – | – | – | – | non-ferrous alloys, cast steel |
| Demand (procurement): Aluminium die-cast partsCasting | – | – | – | – | Aluminium |
| Demand (procurement): Aluminium extrusion profiles (unmachined, machined, bent)Forming | – | – | – | – | Aluminium |
| Demand (procurement): Stamped and bent parts (sheet thicknesses 6 mm to 15 mm)Forming | – | – | – | – | Steel |
| Demand (procurement): Laser-cut parts and flame-cut parts (sheet thicknesses 6 mm to 15 mm)Machining | – | – | – | – | Steel |
| Demand (procurement): Plastic injection moulding, extrusion, blow moulding, vulcanisationPlastics | – | – | – | – | Plastic |
| Demand (procurement): Electroplated surfaces on steel, plastic and aluminiumSurface | – | – | – | – | Steel, Plastic, Aluminium |
| Demand (procurement): Wet painting, printing, laser markingSurface | – | – | – | – | – |
3 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CNC machines (turning, milling, drilling) | – | – | – | – | ACPS Automotive production sites |
| Laser processing systems (laser cutting) | – | – | – | – | ACPS Automotive production sites (among others St. Egidien) |
| Welding robots | – | – | – | – | St. Egidien |
Quality
A central quality management system covers all areas of the company and defines standardised processes for continuous improvement. The quality management system is certified to IATF 16949; further certificates are ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001 and ISO 50001.
| Evidence | Ingersheim | St. Egidien |
|---|---|---|
| ISO 9001 | ||
| ISO 14001 | ||
| ISO 45001 | ||
| ISO 50001 | ||
| IATF 16949 |
History
- 1955
Otto Riehle founds ORIS in Stuttgart for the production of trailer hitches.
- 1965
Hans Riehle takes over the management.
- 1968
Invention of the business model of delivering trailer hitches directly to the assembly lines of automotive manufacturers.
- 1985
World's first vertically detachable, automatically locking trailer hitch.
- 1992
Founding of the St. Egidien site.
- 1999
Jörg Riehle leads ORIS in the third generation; world innovation: socket integrated into the ball neck.
- 2000
Invention of the swivel system and introduction of the first manually swivelling trailer hitch.
- 2009
World's first fully electric and semi-electric swivelling trailer hitches pivoting on only one inclined axis.
- 2013
Market entry into the USA.
- 2015
Expansion of the plant in Mexico; world innovation: system consisting of the FIX4BIKE® trailer hitch and bicycle carrier.
- 2020
Occupancy of the new company headquarters in Ingersheim.
- 2023
Opening of the first Asian site in Shanghai for sales and engineering.
- 2025
Start of series production in Kunshan, China, from the second half of the year.
- 2026
ACPS Automotive becomes an independent part of the Meili Unternehmensgruppe (Meili Group).