Manufacturer of cardan shafts and drive components for the vehicle and machinery industries – from individual prototype production to high-volume series.
Elbe Holding GmbH & Co. KG
Bietigheim-Bissingen · Hofheim/Ufr. · Abbadia Lariana (IT) · Grumento Nova (IT) · Eger (HU) · South Haven, MI (USA) · Passo do Sobrado-RS (Brazil)New on Amplifa
System partner for power transmission
The Elbe Group is a family-owned company headquartered in Bietigheim-Bissingen that has been producing drive solutions for the vehicle and machinery industries since 1919. The portfolio comprises cardan joint shafts, centered and double cardan joint shafts for driven steering axles, wing-style joint shafts, stub shafts, precision, cross-joint and ball-joint shafts to DIN 808 as well as universal joints and gearbox and axle flanges. Manufacturing includes machining, welding (EN 15085-2, EN ISO 3834-2), hardening and grinding as well as dynamic balancing of the shafts in the rotating state; the main materials are tempered steels. The Group employs around 1,100 staff at seven production sites in Germany, Italy, Hungary, Brazil and the USA and serves customers in 40 countries with 35 sales partners. Since 2021, sensing joint shafts with Elbe Sensing Technology (EST) have been offered, which transmit measured values wirelessly directly from the shaft. Customers come from commercial and special-purpose vehicles, agricultural and construction machinery, military, rail, conveying technology, heavy machinery engineering and test bench construction.
- Site
- Bietigheim-Bissingen
- Processes
- Manufacture of cardan joint shafts, Manufacture of centered (double) joint shafts, Manufacture of double-joint shafts for driven steering axles, Manufacture of wing-style joint shafts, Manufacture of stub shafts, Manufacture of ball-joint shafts, Manufacture of cross-joint shafts, Manufacture of precision joint shafts (DIN 808, hardened and ground joint parts)
- Materials
- Tempered steels, Various materials for cross-joint and ball-joint shafts, Precision joint shafts (DIN 808)
- Certificates
- ISO 9001:2015, IATF 16949:2016, ISO/IEC 27001:2022, TISAX Assessment, ISO 14001:2015, ISO 50001:2018, ISO 45001:2018, EN 15085-2 (welding of rail vehicles), EN ISO 3834-2 (fusion welding), AEO-F (Authorized Economic Operator), EN 15085-2, EN ISO 3834-2
- Founded
- 1919
- Employees
- approx. 1100
- Industries
- Commercial vehicles, Special-purpose vehicles, Agricultural machinery, Construction machinery, Military, Rail vehicles
- 01
Technical design and service life calculation (B10)
- 02
Prototype and custom production
- 03
Machining (joint parts, flanges)
- 04
Hardening and grinding
- 05
Welding
- 06
Dynamic balancing
- 07
Sensor integration (EST)
- 08
Test bench trials
- 09
Assembly
- 10
MRO / express repair
Materials and processes
Tempered steels
Material for cardan and double-joint shafts, e.g. in excavator and construction machinery engineering.
Precision joint shafts (DIN 808)
Hardened and ground joint parts in sealed needle bearings for tight tolerances.
Production sites
Bietigheim-Bissingen
DEHeadquarters, production and sales (G. Elbe & Sohn GmbH & Co. KG)
- Lot size
- Prototype, small series, high-volume series
- Materials
- Steel, cast
- Balancing machine
- Test benches
Hofheim/Ufr.
DEProduction (ELSO Elbe GmbH & Co. KG): cardan, precision, cross-joint and ball-joint shafts, universal joints, flanges
- Materials
- Steel, cast
- Wear test benches
- Test benches for dynamic and static loads
Abbadia Lariana (LC)
ITProduction and sales (ELBE Italia s.r.l.)
Grumento Nova (PZ)
ITProduction and sales (ELBE Italia Sud s.r.l.)
Eger
HUProduction (ELSO Elbe Hungária Bt.)
South Haven, MI
USProduction and sales (Elbe & Sohn, Inc.)
Passo do Sobrado-RS
BRProduction and sales (ELBE do Brasil LTDA)
Components
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacture of cardan joint shaftsJoining | – | – | – | Prototypes – High-volume series | Tempered steels |
| Manufacture of centered (double) joint shaftsJoining | – | – | – | – | Tempered steels |
| Manufacture of double-joint shafts for driven steering axlesJoining | – | – | – | – | – |
| Manufacture of wing-style joint shaftsJoining | – | – | – | – | Tempered steels |
| Manufacture of stub shaftsJoining | – | – | – | – | – |
| Manufacture of ball-joint shaftsJoining | – | – | – | – | various materials |
| Manufacture of cross-joint shaftsJoining | – | – | – | – | various materials |
| Manufacture of precision joint shafts (DIN 808, hardened and ground joint parts)Joining | tight tolerances | – | – | – | – |
| Manufacture of universal jointsJoining | – | – | – | – | – |
| Manufacture of gearbox and axle flanges (input and output flanges, DIN/SAE/cross-splined)Machining | – | – | – | – | – |
| Dynamic balancing of joint shafts (standard n=2000 rpm)Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
| Hardening and grinding of joint partsHeat treatment | – | – | – | – | Tempered steels |
| Welding (weld yoke, EN 15085-2 rail vehicles, EN ISO 3834-2 fusion welding)Joining | – | – | – | – | – |
| Dynamic and static load testing as well as wear test benches (development & testing)Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
| MRO / express repair and new production of joint shaftsAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Technical design and service life calculation (B10) for cardan and precision joint shaftsEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Sensing joint shafts with Elbe Sensing Technology EST (sensor integration)Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Prototype production of custom flange connections and sensor mountsJoining | – | – | – | – | – |
| Series inspections on test benches, incoming goods inspectionTesting | – | – | – | – | – |
3 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balancing machine (special machine for dynamic balancing in the rotating state) | – | – | – | – | – |
| Wear test benches | – | – | – | – | – |
| Test benches for dynamic and static loads | – | – | – | – | – |
Additional services
Quality
All sites are certified to ISO 9001 or IATF 16949. Test bench trials (dynamic and static loads, wear test benches), series inspections, incoming goods inspection and dynamic balancing at n=2000 rpm ensure shaft quality.
| Evidence | Bietigheim-Bissingen | Hofheim/Ufr. | Abbadia Lariana (LC) | Grumento Nova (PZ) | Eger | South Haven, MI | Passo do Sobrado-RS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ISO 9001:2015 | |||||||
| IATF 16949:2016 | |||||||
| ISO 45001:2018 | |||||||
| ISO/IEC 27001:2022 | |||||||
| TISAX Assessment | |||||||
| EN 15085-2 | |||||||
| EN ISO 3834-2 |
History
- 1919
Founded by Gottlob Elbe in Bissingen; turned and milled parts for mechanical engineering and vehicle manufacturing
- 1935
Start of production of ball-joint and cross-joint shafts
- 1950
Production of cardan joint shafts and small double-joint shafts
- 1973
Foundation of the subsidiary ELSO Elbe in Hofheim/Lower Franconia
- 1993/1994
Internationalization with two plants in Italy (Abbadia Lariana, Grumento Nova) and the South Haven site, USA
- 1999
Foundation of Elso Hungária in Eger, Hungary
- 2007
Acquisition of shares in a Brazilian manufacturer, establishment of Elbe do Brasil in Passo do Sobrado
- 2021
Introduction of sensing joint shafts Elbe Sensing Technology (EST)