Franz Kiel GmbH
Driven By Innovation
Franz Kiel GmbH has been producing passenger seats for buses and trains for 75 years. We are proud of our history and we feel duty-bound to continue this tradition.
Our many years of experience are our capital: our knowledge of the market and expertise allow us to survive in the fast-moving modern markets with their ever-increasing requirements, and to assert our position as the market leader for innovative and reliable system solutions.
Company founded by Franz Kiel
Franz Kiel and Friedrich Krüger, co-owners of the company,
establish new company headquarters in Nördlingen
The first rigid seat frame is produced
Production of adjustable passenger seats, the so-called “greyhound seats”
Start of armrest production for coaches
Powder-coating plant and wet coating established
Production begins on orders for the Deutsche Bundesbahn (German Federal Railway)
Production begins on orders for the Deutsche Bundesbahn (German Federal Railway)
Production expanded and a new office building built in Nördlingen (Bavaria)
Kiel Oto Koltuk subsidiary founded in Bursa, Turkey
Kiel Polska Sp. z o. o. subsidiary founded in Nowy Tomysl, Poland
Franz Kiel B.V. founded in the Netherlands
Kiel France s.a. r. l. founded in France
Sales activities in Scandinavia, Greece and Israel
Kiel takes over the production of train seats for a Norwegian company
Production site built in Turkey
Sales activities expanded to include Hungary, Slovenia and the countries of the former Yugoslavia
Licence agreement for the production of bus seats in India
Introduction of the computer system SAP
Kiel Seating Ltd founded in Northampton, Great Britain
The first MATCH train seat for regional transport is supplied
Kiel N.A. L.L.C. founded in North America
FKT Koltuk A.Ş. becomes Kiel’s new cooperation partner in Turkey
The KFK OOO joint venture is founded in Russia
Construction of a new production hall for train seat production in Nördlingen
Development and delivery of the COMFORTLINE seat for high-speed trains
Takeover of Emar Kiel in Spain
Kiel Mazedonien DOOEL founded
Development and delivery of the AVANCE X seat for coaches
The Jiangsu ARSALE KIEL Seat Co., Ltd. joint venture is founded in China
KSU N.A. LCC. founded in North America
We want to be a leading international manufacturer of train and bus seats and to achieve this success with empathy, a focus on the customer and an economical approach.
We measure our company success by a sustainable increase in profitability and healthy growth.
Our suppliers are our partners and we work with them to establish lasting, trusting business relationships, which allow us to reach our shared goals.
We believe that successful collaboration is based on a close proximity to our customers: understanding their needs and the desire to always be able to provide the best possible solution.
We are contributing to the conservation and protection of our environment through the development and application of innovative materials and products, and through the use of environmentally friendly production techniques.
We are committed to providing our customers with punctual, reliable and comprehensive products and services. The same also applies to our internal processes.
Our seats exceed the safety standards that apply to train and bus seats. These standards include conformity with the requirements of the German and international Road Traffic Law and adherence to additional external regulations.
We safeguard the success of our company through continuous improvement processes across all sectors.
Our members of staff are our greatest capital. We are continuously investing in their training and qualifications and encourage their individual personal development.
Here at Kiel, we combine the satisfaction of our customers and the development of products designed to suit their individual wishes with technical innovation and the continuous improvement of our products and processes. This is our understanding of quality management. It is the cornerstone for our success as a premium manufacturer of seating systems in the national and international bus and train sectors. Last but not least, we can only ensure the high quality and reliability of our products because all of our employees see this as their shared duty and feel personally responsible for it.
Product quality at Kiel means modern design, high-quality materials, the use of the latest technologies, adherence to environmental regulations and legal norms, such as those from the German and international Road Traffic Law, and the fulfilment of the highest safety standards. We are constantly improving our products. We have implemented a comprehensive quality management system for this purpose. In addition to regular audits of internal processes, products and suppliers, this also includes special problem-solving methods, the accurate documentation of all processes and their improvement, and the implementation of an internal suggestion scheme, which employees are heavily involved in.
Our company is, of course, also certified in line with DIN EN ISO 9001:2008 and ISO/TS 22163-2017. Our products meet the latest regulations and legal requirements
processes,Product quality at Kiel means modern design, high-quality materials, the use of the latest technologies, adherence to environmental regulations and legal norms, such as those from the German and international Road Traffic Law, and the fulfilment of the highest safety standards. We are constantly improving our products. We have implemented a comprehensive quality management system for this purpose. In addition to regular audits of internal products, processes and suppliers, this also includes special problem-solving methods, the accurate documentation of all processes and their improvement, and the implementation of an internal suggestion scheme, which employees are heavily involved in.
Our company is, of course, also certified in line with DIN EN ISO 9001:2008 and ISO/TS 22163-2017. Our products meet the latest regulations and legal requirements.
Here at Kiel, we combine the satisfaction of our customers and the development of products designed to suit their individual wishes with technical innovation and the continuous improvement of our products and processes. This is our understanding of quality management. It is the cornerstone for our success as a premium manufacturer of seating systems in the national and international bus and train sectors. Last but not least, we can only ensure the high quality and reliability of our products because all of our employees see this as their shared responsibility and feel personally duty-bound to this claim.
We are able to cover the entire production chain for passenger seats and complete seating systems for local, regional, intercity and long-distance transport. The main stages of production are metalworking, including welding and bending, painting, upholstering and finally assembly. We use a laser plant with automatic material feed and removal for our production with two-shift operation. We use SAP to support the planning and management of all capacities within the Kiel Group. This allows us to achieve operative excellence, process security and a low production time across our entire production line, and to remain flexible, including when producing low quantities of a particular product.
Our production begins with the manufacturing of aluminium and metal components. The metal parts are processed in the punching shop using a CNC laser-cutting machine and the tubular frames are then bent in the bending plant. Modern robots work on backrests and seat bases in the welding shop. The raw parts are then powder-coated in our paint shop. We can also apply custom colours here. The next step sees the backrests and seat cushion holders being covered in foam. CNC-controlled cutters use digital templates to cut the cover fabrics. The pieces for the covers for the backrest and seat cushion foam parts are then processed in our sewing room. A machine upholsters the seats. In the next step, the add-on parts like handles, tables and a newspaper net are affixed to the back of the seats. Final assembly is where the base frame is fitted with components like a belt system, side covers and armrests, and the backrests are installed. If everything is deemed to be in order at the final inspection, the seat then begins its journey to the customer.
Our core skills in production are:
Welding:
Stamping/joining:
Toolmaking:
Laser-cutting:
Chamfering:
Milling:
CNC pipe-bending:
Tailoring:
Upholstering:
Gluing:
Foam production:
Thermoforming:
GRP production:
