Viennese investment company Aeiphoria Capital plans to develop medium-sized enterprise based in Lower Austria into an innovative complete solutions supplier for the rail industry. New owners see ma-jor opportunities for growth in the rail sector.
“Here to stay”
Based in Vienna, the Aeiphoria Capital group of investors comprises founders Thomas Maidorfer, Felix Porsche and Martin Wodak. The private equity firm was founded in 2021, specialising in the mobility industry and in life sciences, and has already invested around €150 million in a number of equityinvestments, real estate and strategy projects. With their entrepreneurial experience, particularly in the areas of performance improvement and company transformation, the new owners are looking to work with the management of Seisenbacher to create an innovative, sustainable rail technology company. “We are here to stay. We plan to grow the product portfolio at the site in Lower Austria to provide innovative complete solutions,” said Maidorfer. The team at Aeiphoria sees the investment as the cornerstone of a long-term business partnership.
“En route to smarter hardware in trains”
Seisenbacher GmbH already develops innovative products for the rail travel of the future at its headquarters in Ybbsitz near Waidhofen/Ybbs. Its innovations include a table system called CATS (Crash Absorbing Table System) – a passenger safety system that is integrated into the interior of the train and is the only one of its kind in the world. The table system is designed so that, in the event of a collision, it absorbs some of the force of the impact, thereby minimising the risk of injury for passengers. In future, the technology specialists plan to place even more emphasis on developing intelligent solutions for train interiors. “In our journey towards more intelligent facilities in trains, we are building on our reputation as leaders in quality and developing new complete solutions for carriage interiors in partnership with manufacturers,” said Werner Pumhösel, CEO of Seisenbacher. The company, which has a history going back more than 80 years, will invest more heavily in research and development as part of this innovation campaign. Alongside the core interiors business, the company intends to shift its focus towards passive safety and sustainability.
“As the battle against climate change intensifies and rail travel enjoys a renaissance, we see huge opportunities to grow our business.”
The new owners and company management see major commercial opportunities for Seisenbacher. This is because the significance of railways for sustainable mobility is growing in Europe and North America. The EU Green Deal signals a critical turning point for mobility.
The German and Austrian governments are already driving forward the expansion, modernisation and appeal of rail travel on a large scale. “For rail to become the most important mode of transport for customers, train facilities must be perfectly adapted to meet rail passengers needs, offer them convenience and ensure their safety. With our high-quality, sustainable interior solutions, we can play an important part in achieving this,” says CEO Pumhösel. “As the battle against climate change intensifies and rail travel enjoys a renaissance, we see huge opportunities to grow our business.”
More information about the group of investors is available at www.aeiphoria.capital.