Kardex Holding Valuation Multiples

Caterpillar is the world’s leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, off-highway diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines, and diesel-electric locomotives. Its reporting segments are construction, resource, energy, and transportation. Market share approaches 20% across many products. Caterpillar operates a captive finance subsidiary to facilitate sales. The firm has a global reach that is approximately evenly balanced between the US and the rest of the world. Construction skews more domestic, while the other divisions are more geographically diversified. An independent network of over 150 dealers operates approximately 2,800 facilities, giving Caterpillar reach into about 190 countries for sales and support services.

Siemens is a multi-industry company focused on the areas of automation, electrification, mobility, and healthcare. Its top three geographic regions—the United States, Germany, and China—contribute over half of group revenue. Siemens has a 71% investment in separately listed Siemens Healthineers. Recent portfolio activity included the listing of Siemens Energy, spinning out its power and gas and Siemens Gamesa business divisions in 2020.

ABB supplies electrical equipment and automation products. Founded in the late 19th century, the company was created out of the merger of two old industrial companies: ASEA and BBC. Its products include electrical equipment, industrial robots, and equipment used for industrial automation, sold via approximately 19 business divisions. ABB is the number-one or -two supplier in two-thirds of its product segments.

Schneider Electric is a global leader in energy management and industrial automation. It holds leading positions in electrical distribution. Its four end-markets include: Buildings, Data Center & Networks, Infrastructure, and Industry. Its largest countries include the United States, China and India.

Zhongji Innolight Co Ltd is a China-based company engaged in the research & development, production, and sales of high-end optical communication transceiver modules, 5G wireless networks, telecom transmission, and fixed network access. The company pays attention to technology research and development and promotes products with high speed, Miniaturization, low power consumption, and low cost that are developed to provide cloud data centers of high-speed Optical transceivers for telecom equipment manufacturers 5G Fronthaul, midhaul, and backhaul optical modules are used to transmit optical on metro, backbone, and core networks modules as well as applications for fixed networks.

Deere is the world’s leading manufacturer of agricultural equipment and a major producer of construction machinery. The company is divided into four reporting segments: production & precision agriculture, or PPA, small agriculture & turf, or SAT, construction & forestry, or CF, and financial services, or FS, its captive finance subsidiary. The core PPA business is the largest contributor to sales and profits by far. Geographically, Deere sales are 60% US/Canada, 17% Europe, 14% Latin America, and 9% rest of the world. Deere goes to market through a robust dealer network that includes over 2,000 dealer locations in North America with reach into over 100 countries. John Deere Financial provides retail financing for machinery to its customers and wholesale financing for dealers.

Founded in 1911 by Joseph Eaton, the eponymous company began by selling truck axles in New Jersey. Eaton has since become an industrial powerhouse largely through acquisitions in various end markets. Eaton's portfolio can broadly be divided into two parts: its electrical and industrial businesses. Its electrical portfolio (representing around 70% of company revenue) sells components within data centers, utilities, and commercial and residential buildings, while its industrial business (30% of revenue) sells components within commercial and passenger vehicles and aircraft. Eaton receives favorable tax treatment as a domiciliary of Ireland, but it generates over half of its revenue within the US.

Siemens Energy manufactures a wide range of equipment used to generate and transmit energy. The group is a product of the spinout from Siemens AG in 2020, consisting of the power and gas segment and Siemens Gamesa, although its operations go back over 150 years. Approximately one-sixth of global electricity generation is based on its technology.

Hitachi Ltd is engaged in diverse businesses spanning industries, energy, IT, and real estate. The company operates through four business segments. The Connective Industries segment covers elevators, escalators, home appliances, air conditioning, semiconductor manufacturing equipment, medical analyzers, industrial and distribution solutions, water and environmental solutions, and industrial equipment. The Digital Systems & Services segment offers system integration, consulting, cloud services, IT products, software, and ATMs. The Green Energy & Mobility segment focuses on power grids, renewable energy, nuclear power, and railway systems. The Others include real estate management, sales, and leasing. It generates the majority of its revenue from the Green Energy & Mobility segment.

Parker Hannifin started out in 1917 as Parker Appliance, selling pneumatic brakes. Through the acquisition of branded components, the firm has expanded into aerospace engines, agricultural and construction machinery, freight and passenger vehicles, and industrial automation equipment. Within these larger systems, Parker sells a wide array of small, critical pieces such as hydraulic, electromechanical, climate control, and filtration components. Many of its products are designed to work together, resulting in a high rate of cross-selling.

Delta Electronics (Thailand) PCL manufactures and distributes power supplies, electronic equipment, and components such as DC fans, EMI filters, solenoids, etc. The group's reportable segments are: Power electronics, Mobility, Infrastructure, Automation, and Others. The majority of its revenue is generated from the Power electronics segment, which designs, manufactures, and sells power supplies applied to computer, server, office automation equipment, and household electric appliances. The Mobility segment makes EV power systems, the Infrastructure segment builds ICT and energy systems, and the Automation segment offers industrial and building automation. Geographically, the group generates maximum revenue from the United States, followed by Singapore, Germany, Taiwan, and other markets.

Mitsubishi Corp. is Japan’s largest general trading house, or sogo shosha, a type of conglomerate unique to Japan. Its core role is that of a trading intermediary in a variety of industrial sectors, including resources businesses like energy and metals as well as non-resources businesses, both industrial ones like automotive and non-industrial ones like food, healthcare, and retail. In addition to acting as a trading intermediary (including midstream processing functions to convert inputs into final products), Mitsubishi also participates in upstream production businesses and downstream distribution businesses.

Atlas Copco is a 140-year-old Swedish company that pioneered air compression technology and remains a leading air compressor manufacturer. Atlas Copco is also a leading manufacturer of vacuum pump equipment, industrial power tools, and portable power and air compression equipment. The company's operations match the geographic breadth of its customers, with a presence in 180 countries. Atlas Copco's revenue is derived from three sources: initial equipment sales, spare parts, and maintenance.

Cummins is a leading manufacturer of diesel and other engines used in heavy- and medium-duty commercial trucks, off-highway equipment, and locomotives, in addition to prime power and standby generators. The company also sells powertrain components, which include filtration products, transmissions, turbochargers, aftertreatment systems, and fuel systems. Sales are approximately 60% US and Canada and 40% rest of the world. Much of Cummins’ foreign sales (China, India, and so forth) are through joint ventures. The company operates 650 distributors and over 19,000 dealer locations across 190 countries. Cummins’ business model is unique as it competes with many of its heavy-duty truck manufacturer customers, which also make their own engines.

Following Johnson Controls’ divestiture of its residential and light commercial HVAC businesses to Bosch in 2025, nearly all of its revenue comes from commercial HVAC (60%) and fire and security products and services (40%). A 2016 merger joined Johnson Controls’ HVAC and Tyco’s fire and security businesses with the premise that there is synergy in offering a broader variety of automation products and solutions to commercial buildings. We estimate Johnson Controls’ pro forma revenue mix will be one-third products, one-third installation, and one-third services.

Founded in 1912, Illinois Tool Works has become a diversified industrial manufacturer through acquisitions and innovations that follow customer needs. ITW operates through seven business segments, with no segment representing more than one-fifth of revenue. ITW’s automotive OEM segment sells vehicle components; its food equipment segment sells commercial kitchen appliances; its test and measurement and electronics segment sells inspection and analysis equipment; its welding segment sells welding equipment and consumables; its polymers and fluids segment sells industrial and consumer adhesives, solvents, and coatings; its construction products segment sells building fasteners and tools; and its specialty products segment sells medical, packaging, HVAC, and airport ground equipment.

Founded in 1890 as the first manufacturer of electric fans in North America, Emerson Electric has become a leading industrial automation player through the acquisition of established brands. Emerson organizes its business into seven segments that sell a wide range of automation software, power tools, and automation hardware such as valves, gauges, and switches. In recent years, Emerson divested its climate technology and consumer businesses to become more of a pure-play industrial automation company. The automation of a factory is an enticing long-term proposition for manufacturers, helping reduce accident rates and raise uptime and productivity.

Honeywell traces its roots to 1885 with Albert Butz’s firm, Butz Thermo-Electric Regulator, which produced a predecessor to the modern thermostat. Other inventions by Honeywell include biodegradable detergent and autopilot. Today, Honeywell is a global multi-industry behemoth with one of the largest installed bases of equipment. It operates through four business segments: aerospace technologies, industrial automation, energy and sustainability solutions, and building automation. Recently, Honeywell has made several portfolio changes to focus on fewer end markets and align with a set of secular growth trends. The firm is working diligently to expand its installed base, deriving around one third of its revenue from recurring aftermarket services.

Paccar is a leading manufacturer of medium- and heavy-duty trucks under the premium nameplates Kenworth and Peterbilt, which are primarily sold in the Americas and Australia, and DAF, which primarily services Europe and South America. The trucks segment (74% sales) goes to market through a network of 2,200 independent dealers. Paccar maintains an internal finance subsidiary that provides retail and wholesale financing for customers and dealers (6% sales). In recent years, Paccar has aggressively expanded its parts business (20% of sales), including engines, axles, and transmissions for its own truck brands as well as independent producers. The company commands 30% of the Class 8 market share in North America and 15% of the heavy-duty market share in Europe.

Based in Toronto, Barrick is one of the world's largest gold miners. In 2025, the firm sold about 3.3 million attributable ounces of gold and about 220,000 metric tons of copper. At end-2025, Barrick had about two decades of gold reserves along with significant copper reserves. After buying Randgold in 2019 and combining its Nevada mines in a joint venture with competitor Newmont later that year, it operates mines in the Americas, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. The company also has growing copper exposure, driven by the expansion of its Lumwana mine in Zambia and the development of its Reko Diq copper and gold project in Pakistan. It intends to undertake an IPO of its joint venture stakes in Nevada Gold Mines and Pueblo Viejo along with its Fourmile deposit later in 2026.

Carrier Global, spun out of United Technologies in 2020, manufactures and services commercial and residential HVAC systems and transportation refrigeration solutions under its flagship Carrier brand, as well as Bryant, Payne, Heil, and others across various price points. In 2024, Carrier acquired Viessmann Climate Solutions to expand its footprint in Europe with heat pumps, boilers, and solar PV equipment. Proceeds from the sale of Carrier’s fire and security (Honeywell) and commercial refrigeration (Haier) businesses reduced debt and focused the company on global HVAC and refrigeration solutions. Carrier generates 75% of sales from equipment and 25% from parts and services. The company derives 50% of revenue from the US, 30% from Europe, and 20% from the Asia-Pacific region.

With roots tracing back to the early 1900s, Rockwell Automation is the successor to Rockwell International, which spun off its avionics segment in 2001. It is a pure-play industrial automation company that operates through three segments. Its largest segment by revenue, intelligent devices, sells factory floor-level devices such as motors, drives, sensors, relays, and actuators. Its software and control segment sells visualization, simulation, and human-machine interface software and control products such as programmable controllers, computers, and operator terminals. Its smallest segment, lifecycle services, offers digital consulting, engineered-to-order services, and other outsourced services such as remote monitoring, cybersecurity, and asset and plant maintenance and optimization.

Teradyne provides testing equipment, including automated test equipment for semiconductors, system testing for hard disk drives, circuit boards, and electronics systems, and wireless testing for devices. The firm entered the industrial automation market in 2015 and sells collaborative and autonomous robots for factory applications. Teradyne serves numerous end markets and geographies, directly and indirectly, through its products, but its most significant exposure is to semiconductor testing. Teradyne serves vertically integrated, fabless, and foundry chipmakers with its equipment.

Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology is the world’s largest manufacturer of video surveillance equipment. Since then, the company has been growing its software and analytics offerings, as customers are increasingly seeking customized total solutions. Hikvision is also developing its Innovative businesses, which accounted for 21% of overall 2023 revenue. The smart-home business is powered by the EZVIZ consumer brand. Innovative business includes the development of industrial robotics, automotive electronics, X-ray sensors, infrared sensors, memory products and medical systems. Hikvision employs more than 58,000 people.

Sandvik is a manufacturer of specialized tools and mining equipment used predominantly by global mining, engineering, and automotive customers. The group is composed of three segments: mining and rock solutions, rock processing, and machining. Sandvik was founded in 1862 and listed on the Nordic Exchange in Stockholm in 1901.

Assa Abloy is the world’s largest supplier of locking and physical access solutions, sporting the world’s largest installed base of locks that protect some of the most security-sensitive buildings, such as the European Parliament in Brussels. Some 70% of the group's revenue is derived from commercial, government, and other nonresidential customers. The company's product base is centered on electromechanical locks, which require identification to unlock with a keycard, biometric scan, or personal identification number. Assa Abloy's products are sold directly to security systems integrators, locksmiths, hardware stores, and original equipment manufacturers.

Fanuc's primary products include industrial robots, computerized numerical control systems (CNC), and compact machining centers (Robodrills) globally. The company had its beginnings as part of Fujitsu developing early numerical control systems and commands the top global market share with its CNC systems and industrial robots.

Toyota Industries Corp is engaged in the manufacture and sale of automobiles, industrial vehicles, and textile machinery. The group operates through three reportable segments: Automobiles, Industrial Vehicles, and Textile Machinery. The Automobiles segment includes vehicles, engines, castings, car air conditioner compressors, electronic devices, and batteries. The Industrial Vehicles segment covers forklift trucks, warehouse equipment, automated warehouses, and logistics solutions. The Textile Machinery segment manufactures looms, spinning machines, and related equipment. It generates the majority of its revenue from the Industrial vehicles segment.

Weg SA produces and sells electric motors, generators, control systems, and other industrial devices world-wide. The company has three reportable segments: industry, energy, and foreign (outside of Brazil). The industry segment manufactures various motors, drives, controls, and equipment for industrial automation. Energy segment products consist of electricity generators, alternators, wind turbines, hydraulic and thermal steam turbines (biomass), substations, transformers, measuring instruments, control panels, and systems integration services. The foreign segment consists of operations carried out through subsidiaries located in different countries.

Switzerland-based Schindler is a top-four global supplier of elevators and escalators. The business generates revenue in three ways: selling new elevators and escalators, modernizing old equipment, and servicing existing installations. Most of the company's profit comes from the last activity, where contracts are rolled over annually with built-in price increases. Ninety percent of its business is in elevators, which are more numerous globally than escalators. Its business model is similar to that of closest competitors Otis, Kone, and TK Elevator.

Komatsu, headquartered in Tokyo, is the world’s second-largest manufacturer of construction, mining, and utility equipment, with a legacy dating back to 1921. Operating in over 150 countries, Komatsu delivers a full suite of heavy machinery, intelligent solutions, and lifecycle services across infrastructure, energy, natural resources, and industrial sectors.

HD Hyundai Heavy Industries is engaged in shipbuilding and heavy-industry manufacturing. The company operates through four segments: Engine Machinery, Offshore Plant, Shipbuilding, and Others. The Engine Machinery segment produces marine engines, diesel power systems, pumps, and fluid machinery. The Offshore Plant segment handles the construction and installation of offshore structures, floating production units, and power-generation equipment. The Shipbuilding segment manufactures crude-oil carriers, container ships, product tankers, LNG carriers, and naval vessels. The Others segment covers leisure and performance-related facilities. It generates the majority of its revenue from the Shipbuilding segment.

Ingersoll Rand was formed through the merger of Gardner Denver and Ingersoll Rand's industrial segment. The firm’s portfolio consists of two business lines: industrial technologies and services, and precision and science technologies. Ingersoll Rand serves a variety of end markets, including industrial, medical, and energy. Its broad portfolio of products includes compression, blower and vacuum, and fluid management. Ingersoll Rand generated roughly $7.7 billion in revenue in 2025.

Techtronic Industries Co Ltd is a designer and manufacturer of power tools. It operates in two segments namely Power Equipment and Floorcare and Cleaning. The company generates maximum revenue from the Power Equipment segment. Its Power Equipment segment includes sales of power tools, power tool accessories, outdoor products, and outdoor product accessories for consumer, trade, professional, and industrial users. The products are available under the MILWAUKEE, EMPIRE, AEG, RYOBI, and HOMELITE brands plus original equipment manufacturer (OEM) customers. Geographically, it derives a majority of its revenue from North America.

Kone is a global top-four supplier of elevators and escalators. Kone began producing elevators in Finland in 1918 and today generates revenue in three ways: selling new elevators and escalators, modernizing old equipment, and servicing its installed base. Most of the company's profit comes from the last activity, where contracts are rolled over annually with built-in price increases. The bulk of Kone's business is in elevators, which are more numerous globally than escalators. Its business model is similar to its closest competitors Otis, Schindler, and TK Elevator.

Xylem is a global leader in water technology and offers a wide range of solutions, including the transport, treatment, testing, and efficient use of water for customers in the utility, industrial, commercial, and residential sectors. Xylem was spun off from ITT in 2011. Based in Rye Brook, New York, Xylem has a presence in over 150 countries and employs 16,200. The company generated $9 billion in revenue in 2025.

Otis is the largest global elevator and escalator supplier by revenue with around 18% global market share. In 1854 Otis’ founder and namesake Elisha Graves Otis, invented a safety mechanism that prevented elevators from falling if the hoisting cable failed. The company's product and service lifecycle begins with installations of elevator units in new buildings, later selling maintenance services on the units, and eventually replacement of the units after the average 15- to 20-year useful life of an elevator. As the largest global OEM, Otis has amassed an installed base under service that exceeds 2 million elevators. Its business model is similar to that of its closest competitors Kone, Schindler, and TK Elevator.

Epiroc is a global manufacturer of niche equipment and services used by mining and infrastructure customers. The company’s products include hard rock drilling equipment and excavation technologies for underground and surface mining, as well as servicing and spare parts. Approximately 69% of group sales are from the aftermarket, which includes services and the sale of spare parts and consumables. Epiroc was spun out of Atlas Copco and listed as a stand-alone company on Nasdaq Stockholm in 2018.

SMC Corp manufactures automatic control and filtration equipment. Its main products include directional control devices, drive systems, pneumatic auxiliary equipment, temperature regulation units, and sensors. These are utilized across a wide range of industries, including steel, chemicals, food processing, physics, medical devices, and other related fields. The company's products are widely applied across sectors such as steel, chemicals, food processing, physics, medical devices, and other related industries.

Vestas is a leading manufacturer of wind turbines with the highest installed capacity under service in the world. The firm operates two business segments: power solutions and services. The power solutions segment designs, manufactures, and installs onshore and offshore wind turbines. The services segment performs operating and maintenance service work on wind turbines.

Guangdong Dtech Technology Co Ltd provides integrated solutions of tools, materials and equipment for enterprises in the fields of printed circuit board and CNC precision parts.

NARI Technology Co Ltd is engaged in providing power & automation technologies in China. It operates in areas of power system automation, smart grid, renewable energy, railway automation, industrial control, & energy conservation & environment protection.

Sany Heavy Industry Co Ltd is a construction machinery manufacturer in China. Its products range from concrete and crane machinery to excavators, road construction, piling machinery, and others. The company operates its businesses through seven segments: Concrete Machinery, Excavator Machinery, Hoisting Machinery, Piling Machinery, Road Machinery, Financial Services, and Others. It generates the majority of its revenue from the Excavator Machinery segment, which engages in research, development, manufacture, and sale of excavator machinery products.

Alfa Laval is a leading manufacturer of highly engineered equipment, primarily in the areas of separation, heat transfer, and fluid handling used by a diverse range of customers spanning the food, water, energy, and marine industries. These products play a key role in a number of industrial processes, and Alfa Laval enjoys a leading position in all three areas. Alfa Laval’s history stretches back 140 years to when its first separator was developed. The company is listed on the Stockholm stock exchange.

Inovance is a leading Chinese industrial automation and new energy parts supplier. It offers a wide array of industry automation products such as variable frequency drives, servo systems, program logic controllers, and industrial robots. It also supplies electric drive and power supply systems for new energy vehicles. Inovance generates more than 90% of its revenue from China.

CRRC Corp Ltd is engaged in research and development, design, manufacturing, refurbishment, sales, leasing and technical services of railway locomotives, MUs, urban rail transit vehicles, engineering machinery, various electromechanical equipment, electronic equipment and components, as well as electronic devices and environmental protection equipment; information consultation; industry investment and management; asset management; import and export business. Its business operations are spread across Mainland China which derives the highest revenue, and a few other countries.

Snap-on is a manufacturer of premium tools, equipment, and diagnostics for professional technicians, primarily involved in the repair of passenger cars but having expanded into other industrial applications. The company’s legacy business is selling hand tools through franchisee-operated mobile vans to technicians who purchase the tools at their own expense. The company also operates a commercial and industrial business that is focused on repair facilities serving other industries. The third segment, repair systems and information, targets auto OEMs and large dealerships more directly and also offers substantial diagnostic solutions to aid repairs. The company’s finance arm provides financing to franchisees to run their operations, as well as underwriting end customer purchases.

Hengli Hydraulic is a leading Chinese hydraulic component supplier. It designs, manufactures, and sells hydraulic cylinder, pump, valve, and motor products. Hengli’s products are widely used in heavy machinery. It is the largest supplier of excavator hydraulic cylinders in the world with about 30% global market share.