Company profile
WITTENSTEIN alpha
WITTENSTEIN alpha is the servo gearbox business of WITTENSTEIN SE, a family-run German drive technology group founded in 1949 and based at Walter-Wittenstein-Str. 1, 97999 Igersheim, telephone +49 7931 493-0. In the UK, WITTENSTEIN lists an office at The Glades, Festival Way, Stoke-on-Trent, telephone +44 1782 286 427.
| Legal name | WITTENSTEIN SE |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1949 |
| Founder | Walter Wittenstein and Bruno Dähn |
| Owner / parent | WITTENSTEIN SE |
| Headquarters | 97999 Igersheim, Germany |
| Employees | 3,074 (worldwide, as published in 2026) |
| Website | wittenstein-group.com |
WITTENSTEIN alpha contact details
Head office
Walter-Wittenstein-Str. 197999 Igersheim
Germany
Telephone +49 7931 493-0
Email info@wittenstein.de
Website wittenstein-group.com
WITTENSTEIN UK office
3 Unit The Glades, Festival WayStoke-on-Trent ST1 5SQ
United Kingdom
Telephone +44 1782 286 427
Contact details as published by WITTENSTEIN SE, checked 2026-10-30. Specify Motion is not affiliated with WITTENSTEIN SE.
WITTENSTEIN alpha product lines
| alpha Premium Line (XP+, RP+) | High power-density planetary gearboxes with shaft or flange output |
|---|---|
| alpha Advanced Line (SP+, TP+) | Low-backlash planetary servo gearboxes with shaft or flange output |
| alpha Value Line (NP, LP+/LPB+) | Cost-optimised planetary gearboxes for general servo, linear and belt axes |
| alpha Basic Line (CP) | Entry-level planetary gearboxes for moderate precision |
| premo | Servo actuators combining a servo motor and alpha planetary gearbox |
| cyber dynamic motor | Small 48 V servo motors from 17 mm to 60 mm |
| cyber power motor | Synchronous servo motor platform, housed or frameless |
| cyber torque motor | Direct-drive torque motors for gearless rotary axes |
Who WITTENSTEIN is
WITTENSTEIN SE is a German drive technology group based in Igersheim, Baden-Württemberg. Its best-known business for machine builders is WITTENSTEIN alpha, which makes low-backlash planetary servo gearboxes and servo actuators, used where a servo motor needs precise, stiff reduction gearing between it and the load. Alongside alpha, WITTENSTEIN cyber motor makes servo and torque motors. WITTENSTEIN, alpha, premo and cyber are trademarks of their owner.
The group combines six segments: WITTENSTEIN alpha, cyber motor, galaxie, motion control, attocube systems and baramundi software. It reports 3,074 employees worldwide and a turnover of €543 million on its company page.
History and ownership
The business began in 1949, when Walter Wittenstein and Bruno Dähn founded DEWITTA in Steinheim to make glove-sewing machines. It moved to Bad Mergentheim in 1952 and to Igersheim in 1963. Falling demand for gloves in the 1970s pushed the company to diversify, and Manfred Wittenstein joined in 1979.
The step into servo gearing came in 1983 with the company’s first low-backlash planetary gear units, which grew into the low-backlash planetary servo gearboxes WITTENSTEIN sells today. From 2001 WITTENSTEIN expanded into mechatronic drive systems, combining motors, gearboxes and electronics, and the group became WITTENSTEIN SE in 2008.
Recent moves include Resense, a joint venture with WIKA for miniaturised force and torque sensors (2023), the acquisition of Moog Brno and the company’s 75th anniversary (2024), and a majority stake in STXI Motion Ltd from 1 April 2026. WITTENSTEIN describes itself as a family business.
Product portfolio
alpha planetary servo gearboxes
alpha gearboxes are organised by performance line. The Premium Line has the XP+, a shaft-output gearbox for high power density and tilting moment, and the high-torque RP+ with flange output for rack-and-pinion and heavy axes. The Advanced Line has the SP+ shaft-output and TP+ flange-output gearboxes, the latter for high torsional stiffness. The Value Line includes the NP family and the compact LP+ and LPB+ for linear and belt drives, and the Basic Line has the entry-level CP. Our gearbox hub and harmonic vs planetary vs cycloidal guide explain when planetary gearing is the right choice.
Servo actuators and motors
premo servo actuators combine a WITTENSTEIN servo motor and an alpha planetary gearbox in one unit, in SP, TP and XP lines. The cyber dynamic motor is a small 48 V servo motor from 17 mm to 60 mm with single-cable connection, including hygienic versions. The cyber power motor is a synchronous servo platform from 22 mm to 480 mm, housed or frameless, and the cyber torque motor is a direct-drive motor for gearless rotary axes.
Technologies and standards
The alpha range is defined by low backlash, high torsional stiffness and a choice of output: shaft, flange or rack-and-pinion-ready. Flange-output designs such as the TP+ and RP+ bolt the load directly to the output flange, which raises stiffness and tilting-moment capacity. The line structure (Premium, Advanced, Value, Basic) makes it straightforward to trade precision against cost. On the motor side, the cyber dynamic motor uses single-cable connection, and the cyber power motor can be supplied frameless for building into the machine, convection or liquid cooled.
Industries served
Planetary servo gearboxes sit between the servo motor and the load on almost every type of automated machine, so the alpha range is used across general machine building. The rack-and-pinion-ready variants target long linear axes such as gantries, and the hygienic cyber dynamic motor versions are aimed at food and other washdown environments.
Global and UK presence
WITTENSTEIN’s website lists country pages for around 20 countries. In the UK, the contact page lists an office at 3 Unit The Glades, Festival Way, Stoke-on-Trent ST1 5SQ, telephone +44 1782 286 427 and email sales.uk@wittenstein.co.uk, and the UK locations page names Stoke-on-Trent and Bristol. UK engineers can deal with this office directly for alpha gearboxes, actuators and motors.
What to have ready for a WITTENSTEIN enquiry
The alpha order code identifies the gearbox type, size, ratio, backlash class, output type and the motor adapter, so quote it in full from the gearbox label. Add the servo motor make and model the gearbox is fitted to (the adapter plate and input clamp depend on it), the required output torque and speed, the duty cycle and mounting orientation. For premo actuators and cyber motors, give the drive and feedback system used, since motor windings and encoders are matched to particular servo drives.
Sourcing WITTENSTEIN parts through Specify Motion
Specify Motion is independent of WITTENSTEIN and is not affiliated with it. We can help source alpha gearboxes and cyber motors for an existing machine, or propose planetary gearboxes and motors from our supply network that meet the same published figures. Our WITTENSTEIN alternatives page covers what to check, and find a replacement takes a part number.
WITTENSTEIN alpha history: key dates
- 1949Walter Wittenstein and Bruno Dähn found DEWITTA in Steinheim, making glove-sewing machines
- 1963Company relocates to Igersheim
- 1979Manfred Wittenstein joins the company
- 1983First low-backlash planetary gear units introduced
- 2001Expansion into mechatronic drive systems
- 2008WITTENSTEIN SE formed
- 2023Resense founded as a joint venture with WIKA for miniaturised force and torque sensors
- 202475th anniversary; acquisition of Moog Brno
- 2026Majority stake acquired in STXI Motion Ltd on 1 April
WITTENSTEIN alpha gearboxes
alpha SP+
alpha Advanced Line low-backlash coaxial planetary servo gearbox with shaft output, in standard and high-speed versions.
alpha TP+
alpha Advanced Line planetary gearbox with a flange output for high torsional stiffness and tilting moment, covering very high torques.
alpha XP+
alpha Premium Line planetary gearbox with shaft output for high power density, speed and tilting-moment capacity.
alpha RP+
alpha Premium Line high-torque planetary gearbox with flange output aimed at rack-and-pinion and heavy axes.
alpha NP (incl. NPR / NPS / NTP)
alpha Value Line planetary gearbox family offering good performance at lower cost, with shaft, flange and rack-pinion-ready variants.
alpha CP
alpha Basic Line entry-level planetary gearbox for applications where moderate precision is enough.
alpha LP+ / LPB+
alpha Value Line compact planetary gearbox for linear and belt drives; current listings show LPB+ Generation 3.
WITTENSTEIN alpha servo motors
premo SP / TP / XP Line servo actuators
Servo actuators that combine a WITTENSTEIN servo motor and alpha planetary gearbox in one compact unit, in SP, TP and XP lines.
cyber dynamic motor
Small 48 V servo motors from 17 to 60 mm with single-cable connection, including hygienic and stainless versions in the larger sizes.
cyber power motor
High-performance synchronous servo motor platform from 22 to 480 mm, available housed or frameless, convection or liquid cooled.
WITTENSTEIN alpha direct-drive and torque motors
Frequently asked questions
What is the WITTENSTEIN website?
The group website is wittenstein-group.com, with country versions such as the UK pages under /en-uk/. It carries the alpha servo gearbox range, servo motors and actuators, company and history pages, and a contact and locations section with addresses for each country.
What is the WITTENSTEIN UK phone number and email?
WITTENSTEIN's UK contact page lists +44 1782 286 427 and sales.uk@wittenstein.co.uk for its office at 3 Unit The Glades, Festival Way, Stoke-on-Trent ST1 5SQ. The UK locations page also names Bristol as a UK location.
Where is WITTENSTEIN's headquarters?
WITTENSTEIN SE is based at Walter-Wittenstein-Str. 1, 97999 Igersheim, Germany, telephone +49 7931 493-0 and email info@wittenstein.de. The company has been in Igersheim since 1963 and is registered at the Ulm registry court under HRB 680782.
Who owns WITTENSTEIN?
WITTENSTEIN SE describes itself as a family business. It was founded in 1949 by Walter Wittenstein and Bruno Dähn, Manfred Wittenstein joined in 1979, and the company became WITTENSTEIN SE in 2008.
Does WITTENSTEIN have a UK office?
Yes. WITTENSTEIN lists a UK office at 3 Unit The Glades, Festival Way, Stoke-on-Trent ST1 5SQ, telephone +44 1782 286 427, email sales.uk@wittenstein.co.uk. Its UK locations page shows Stoke-on-Trent and Bristol.
What does WITTENSTEIN make?
Through WITTENSTEIN alpha it makes low-backlash planetary servo gearboxes (CP, NP, LP+, SP+, TP+, XP+ and RP+) and premo servo actuators. WITTENSTEIN cyber motor makes servo and torque motors. Other group businesses include galaxie, motion control, attocube systems and baramundi software.
Sources
- WITTENSTEIN: Legal notice
- WITTENSTEIN UK: Contact
- WITTENSTEIN UK: Contact and locations
- WITTENSTEIN: Company
- WITTENSTEIN: History
- WITTENSTEIN: Family business
- WITTENSTEIN alpha: Coaxial servo gearboxes
- WITTENSTEIN: Rotary servo motors
- WITTENSTEIN: premo SP Line
Figures are summarised from the sources above and from manufacturers' published data on the date shown. Always confirm against the current datasheet for your exact part.
Spec builder
Specify WITTENSTEIN alpha parts or an equivalent
Select every part you need, answer the questions an applications engineer would ask, and see your summary before we ask for any details.
- 1Products
- 2Performance
- 3Environment
- 4Volumes
- 5Your spec
Engineer support
Ask about WITTENSTEIN alpha parts or equivalents
Tell us what you need, whether it is this part, an equivalent or a complete axis built around it. An engineer will review your requirements and reply, normally within one working day.
- Reviewed by an engineer, not an autoresponder
- Like-for-like and better-fit alternatives
- Standard, modified and custom options
Prefer to configure it? Use the spec builder.
