TARVO – YOUR PARTNER.
Turning problems into solutions
#safe, reliable, strong.
The TARVO Group is a mid-sized, Franco-German, family-owned group of companies in the metalworking industry. We see ourselves as a family business with a long-term perspective and a strong sense of responsibility in our partnerships.
#tradition and innovation
With our companies, we have been based for over 150 years in Rheinhessen, the Saarland, the Palatinate, and Lorraine. With our broad expertise in process systems engineering and manufacturing, we support customers worldwide in turning challenges into reliable and safe solutions.
#hidden. but crucial.
We deliver critical components that often remain out of sight but are indispensable for the smooth operation of the entire process. In our niche markets, we strive for excellence and develop tailored solutions. We design, engineer, and manufacture complete solutions and support our products throughout their entire lifecycle—from development to maintenance, repair, and decommissioning.
#hidden heroes
This requires strong teams with unique skills and specialized expertise. These strengths often lie in the details—unseen, yet decisive. Our employees bring exactly the expertise needed to make a real difference in these specialized areas and enable outstanding performance behind the scenes.
Who we are – a family business
The roots of TARVO as a group go back to 2010 – driven by the desire for entrepreneurial independence and the freedom to implement our own ideas.
Today, the TARVO Group is led by the managing directors Dr. Olivier Weber, Dr. Frederic Holzbaur, and Dipl. Wirtsch.-Ing. Christoph Holzbaur (from left to right).
The foundation for the company’s development was laid by Frederic and Christoph Holzbaur together with their father, Dr. Michael Holzbaur: “Our father, Dr. Michael Holzbaur, was at the end of his successful career as a managing director in industry. At that time, we—Christoph and Frederic Holzbaur—had already gained solid professional experience in the industry following a thorough education, so we decided to take on this project as a team.
The start was more challenging than expected—finding a suitable company proved difficult. However, in 2013, we took our first step with the acquisition of our first company. From then on, the development continued steadily.”
Since then, the TARVO Group has grown continuously and has successfully completed six acquisitions to date—three traditional succession solutions and three restructuring acquisitions.
“What drives us? A passion for technology, the challenge of solving complex problems, and above all the opportunity to realize our own ideas with entrepreneurial freedom. Mastering complex challenges is not just work for us—it is a true passion.”
Our values – what we stand for
- Innovation/Transformation: At the core are our products, services, technical solutions and process solutions in the industrial niche.
- Industry: Often hidden, but indispensable for smooth operation. #Hidden. But crucial.
- Tradition & Family: Our values form the foundation of our work—this is where high standards, long-term orientation, sustainability and reliability come together.
The TARVO CRYSTAL combines the four components of stability and durability, uniqueness and distinctiveness, value and excellence, and versatility and adaptability.
- Stability and durability through long-term relationships with customers, suppliers and employees.
- Uniqueness and distinctiveness through innovative solutions, high-quality products and excellent service.
- Value and excellence through high-quality products and services that provide real added value.
- Versatility and adaptability through versatile products, services and employees.
Vision – what’s next?
The TARVO Group stands for sustainable entrepreneurship in the industry. Our goal is to purposefully strengthen the existing activities with a long tradition under the TARVO umbrella, to further expand their position in their respective niche markets and, through outstanding service, to keep them at the forefront of their sector over the long term.
Our strategy goes beyond further developing what already exists. To sustainably strengthen our market position in important sales markets, we rely on expanding and building our own local activities and presence.
What we do – Products
We serve a wide range of industrial niche applications. Our products are primarily used in:
- the basic and raw-materials industry
- mechanical and plant engineering
- the manufacture of end products such as steel, stainless steel, ferroalloys, superalloys, titanium, paper, alcohol, biogas, distillates, functional surfaces, electric motors, gearboxes, and much more
Our customers operate in the following industries:
- iron and steel
- special metallurgy / foundries
- paper
- electrical
- distillery technology
- automotive
- process systems engineering
- food
- municipal utilities and waste management
#TARVO involved
TARVO in everyday life: A bit of TARVO can be found in airplanes, bridges, power, packaging, spirits, rails, toilet paper, cars, rockets, trams, therapy equipment, paper tissues, laminates, aromas and much more.
Highlight product: our patented STAMM spray header
Still a leader today!
In 1954, STAMM filed a patent for the spray header with an internal rotating brush. For the first time, it became possible to clean a spray header during operation. The STAMM spray header quickly established itself worldwide in paper machines. Thanks to the continuous cleaning of the rolls, consistent paper quality is ensured.
Over the years, the STAMM spray header has been continuously optimized, and today there is likely no major paper machine worldwide that operates without spray headers based on the STAMM principle.
#Hidden. But crucial. #TARVO involved
Highlight product: our developments for converters
It's rocket science!
Quality through perfection. Our customers produce the highest steel qualities through precise control of their processes and therefore place the greatest value on using the best available tools.
We are a world leader with our products for converters, such as our high-performance PCDs (post-combustion distributors) and our lance heads with contoured nozzles, which guarantee a high performance reserve over their entire service life. The calculation and design of the contoured nozzle uses methods that are also employed in aerospace for engine nozzles.
#Hidden. But crucial. #TARVO involved
Highlight product: our optimized melting furnace design
Always better!
Through our close collaboration with customers and decades of experience from maintenance, repairs and expertise with wear parts, we know exactly where the strain on the components during operation is highest. This forms the basis for the continuous optimization and adaptation of our products to our customers’ processes.
We are particularly proud of our design solutions for melting furnaces, where we intelligently optimise the cooling system and construction to meet the stresses encountered in operation.
#Hidden. But crucial. #TARVO involved
Highlight product: our contribution to sustainability – EthaTec concept
Turning waste into resource!
In the pilot plant we have implemented and designed — EthaTec pilot plant — bakery and food leftovers are processed into bioethanol. Four products are created in a closed loop: ethanol, biogas, electricity and fertiliser.
Sustainability without compromise: Through maximum energy efficiency, highly automated processes and no use of fossil fuels, around 1,500 tonnes of CO? are saved each year with just one plant.
#Hidden. But crucial. #TARVO involved
What we do – Competencies
- Planning, design, and simulation
- Open-die and closed-die forging of non-ferrous metals and titanium
- Ring rolling of non-ferrous metals and titanium
- Welding of copper, copper/steel, and duplex steel
- Deep-hole drilling
- Friction stir welding of copper
- CNC machining (grinding, turning, milling, drilling, and broaching)
- Laser cutting, bending, and forming
- Stainless-steel welded structures / vessel construction
- Electroplated surface finishing
- IATF series production
- Special-purpose machine construction / fittings
What sets us apart?
Strong teams with strong personalities – specialists and caretakers #hidden heroes
Our expertise: large workpieces – small quantities
Exceptional flexibility
CNC and conventional machining
Our extensive machinery covers a wide range of processes: laser cutting, press-brake forming, bending, turning, milling, grinding, broaching, boring-mill turning, drilling, and deep-hole drilling, on both CNC and conventional machines. We are particularly strong in demanding one-off and small-batch production of large components, while also manufacturing medium-sized components in series with high precision.
Hard chrome and nickel coatings
For a long service life of large industrial components, we specialize in high-quality hard chrome and nickel coatings on large parts, with coating thicknesses from just a few micrometers to 10 millimeters and exceptional hardness of up to 1,100 HV for chrome and 680 HV for nickel alloys. Our pore-free nickel-chrome combination coatings provide outstanding wear and corrosion resistance. Our integrated precision grinding shop enables us to machine rotationally symmetrical workpieces to the highest standards of accuracy and surface finish.
Implementation of demanding projects
We have particular expertise in reproducing or redesigning complex workpieces from historical or analog drawings, even when time is critical. We combine traditional craftsmanship with modern manufacturing processes.
Our expertise: stainless steel – apparatus engineering, pressure vessels and complete plants
From a single component to a complete process plant
Welding stainless and duplex steels
We are experts in welding demanding stainless-steel and duplex-steel materials. Decades of experience in demanding environments such as the food, paper, distillery, and biogas industries make us a reliable partner for durable, corrosion-resistant solutions that meet the highest requirements for process reliability and system availability.
Pressure vessel construction, equipment, and fittings
Our designers and engineers plan and manufacture individual components, pressure vessels, and fittings, from standard solutions to individually developed special designs. With in-house design, manufacturing, and quality assurance, we deliver complete solutions optimally tailored to our customers’ processes. Our capabilities range from sheet-metal cutting, hoppers, and small vessels to pressure vessels, mixing and process tanks, drinking-water-supply components, and large structures.
Turnkey process plants including automation
We support our customers comprehensively from the initial idea through worldwide commissioning. In addition to the plant itself, our complete solutions include all process components as well as control and automation technology. This ensures that our plants operate efficiently, safely, and reliably from day one.
Our expertise: service and spare parts – even after decades
We provide sustainable support, repair, and optimization for our products
Lifecycle support for long-term reliability
Our responsibility does not end with delivery. We guarantee comprehensive service, spare-parts supply, and repair for our products over decades. Our engineers are ready to solve problems expertly and prevent production downtime.
Repair, retrofit, and modernization
We offer sustainable solutions for bringing existing plants, equipment, and machines up to the latest technical standards. Our extensive technical archive enables us to provide precisely fitting spare parts or modernization solutions even after decades.
Reliable partnership
Long-term cooperation, trust, and reliability define our business relationships. We see ourselves as a dependable partner that supports customers over the long term and helps keep production processes efficient through sustainable service concepts.
History
TARVO has been active since 2013 as the successor to STAMM Verwaltungs-GmbH and today consists of six companies in the metal industry, with a focus on process systems engineering and manufacturing.
since 2013
- STAMM GmbH (family-owned company, founded in 1868) with spray headers and actuators for applications in the paper industry, dewatering technology, and more
since 2014
- Saar-Metallwerke GmbH (family-owned company, founded in 1925) with its products for applications in the iron and steel industry
- Solocuivre SARL (subsidiary of Saar-Metallwerke, founded in 1935) with its forged products for iron foundries and the electrical industry
- SM France SARL (subsidiary of Solocuivre, founded in 1989) with mechanical series production of components for the automotive industry
2017
- Integration of the drive manufacturing division of Keppler GmbH (partial business acquisition) into STAMM GmbH
2018
- Integration of Weger GmbH (asset deal) into STAMM GmbH
since 2021
- M-Galvanotechnik GmbH (new company established out of insolvency) with applications in surface finishing
since 2023
- Reiner Schmitt GmbH (family-owned company, founded in 1860) with process systems engineering and plant construction for distillery technology, as well as tank and apparatus construction, including for biogas plants
TARVO: meaning and origin of the company name
The name TARVO is a coined term derived from elements of the Holzbaur family crest. It combines two symbols that represent perseverance, sustainability, and forward-looking action:
- Tarmes (Latin for woodworm)¹ – The woodworm works its way through wood patiently and relentlessly, cannot be stopped, and leaves visible traces of its work. It symbolizes persistence and the ability to dig deeply into challenges until a solution is found.
- Vomer (Latin for ploughshare) – The ploughshare represents the farmer who carefully and sustainably cultivates the land in order to achieve a rich harvest through diligence. It stands for foresight, consistency, and the responsible use of resources.
TARVO brings these two principles together: the tireless pursuit of solutions and sustainable, long-term successful economic activity.
¹ according to Origines (also known as Etymologiae) by Isidore of Seville, Etymologiae, 9.2.57