Xnext
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersMilan, Italy
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Xnext does
Xnext S.p.A. is an Italian deep-technology company founded in Milan in February 2014 by Bruno Garavelli (CEO) and Pietro Pozzi — aerospace-industry veterans who began developing the underlying technology after a 2011 food contamination incident. The company designs and manufactures XSpectra®, a new generation of hyperspectral X-ray inspection systems that combine three proprietary technology pillars: a solid-state CdTe photon-counting detector (Nuclear Electronics), an integrated micro-electronic acquisition circuit (Photonics), and AI-powered neural machine learning software (Artificial Intelligence). XSpectra analyzes up to 1,024 X-ray energy levels per product in milliseconds — versus one or two in conventional systems — enabling previously impossible detections such as glass-in-glass and metal-in-metal contamination, as well as low-density foreign bodies (plastics, bones, insects, wood, rubber) on industrial production lines. The technology stack is wholly developed in-house and patented.
The company serves three verticals: Food Safety (its primary market, including bakery, dairy, salads, fresh-cut produce, poultry meat, and processed foods), Pharma Safety (inspection of drug containers and medications), and Recycling (polymer sorting, black plastic detection, and material characterization). Xnext operates primarily as an enterprise industrial-equipment vendor, selling three product variants — XSpectra® Top Down Inspection, Top Down Inspection XL, and Lateral/Diagonal Inspection — through direct enterprise sales complemented by channel partnerships (notably Turatti for fresh produce processing) and a wholly-owned French sales subsidiary (XNEXT SAS in Le Mans).
Revenue is generated through a combination of hardware sales, professional services (installation, remote/onsite support, upgrades), and predictive AI software licensing. Pricing is quote-based with customized systems configured to customer production lines under multi-year contracts. The company has accumulated approximately 55 installations across Italy, France, and Slovakia, with orders from Israel, Japan, and Germany. It is funded by EU Horizon 2020 (2019 grant), Neva First Fund/Intesa Sanpaolo (€5M, 2021), and the European Investment Bank (€20M venture debt, 2023), with the 2021 round also converting Xnext into a joint-stock company (S.p.A.) in preparation for a potential public listing. It currently employs 50–55 professionals, including 10 PhDs.
Xnext firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Xnext
- Legal name
- Xnext S.p.A.
- Website
- https://x-next.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Xnext industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Industrial X-Ray Food Inspection Equipment
- NAICS
- Irradiation Apparatus Manufacturing (334517), Other Measuring and Controlling Device Manufacturing (334519)
- SIC
- X-Ray Apparatus & Tubes & Related Irradiation Apparatus (3844), Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Inspection, Checkweighing & Detection Systems (Vision, Metal, X-ray) (IMALAOAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Industrial Vision & Quality Inspection (HDAAAEAG), Inspection, Checkweighing & Metal Detection Systems (IMAHAOAJ)
Keywords
Where Xnext is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Milan
- HQ country
- Italy
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Xnext business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- XSpectra Inspection Systems: Sale of XSpectra X-ray inspection machines including three product lines: XSpectra Top Down Inspection, XSpectra Top Down Inspection XL, and XSpectra Lateral/Diagonal Inspection. Hardware and software are entirely designed and developed in-house and patented.
- Service and Support: Installation, on-site and remote assistance, emergency services, and upgrades (hardware and software). The team helps define and address current production line criticalities and quality control objectives.
- Predictive Inspection Software: AI-based inspection software trained on product characteristics for defect detection. Next-generation sensors enabling intelligent and predictive management of each inspection system.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Customized inspection systems tailored to customer needs |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Xnext product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Xnext designs, manufactures, and sells XSpectra®, a proprietary line of hyperspectral X-ray inspection systems for industrial production lines in food, pharmaceutical, and recycling manufacturing. The systems combine a solid-state CdTe photon-counting detector, integrated photonics, and AI deep-learning software to detect both high- and low-density foreign bodies (plastics, bones, insects, wood, rubber, glass, metal) in real time, enabling contaminant detection that conventional X-ray and metal-detection systems cannot perform.
Product overview
Xnext offers XSpectra®, a new generation of hyperspectral X-ray inspection systems for industrial quality control. The product line consists of three machine variants: XSpectra® Top Down Inspection (vertical geometry for packaged products), XSpectra® Top Down Inspection XL (expanded area for bulk products), and XSpectra® Lateral/Diagonal Inspection (lateral geometry for vertical packages). All systems combine three proprietary technologies—nuclear electronics (CdTe photon-counting detector), photonics (integrated micro-electronic circuit), and AI deep learning—developed entirely in-house over 10 years of R&D. The systems analyze product composition directly on production lines in milliseconds, detecting both high and low-density foreign bodies including glass-in-glass and metal-in-metal contamination.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- XSpectra: A new generation of hyperspectral X-ray inspection systems capable of analyzing product composition directly on production lines to determine compliance with quality requirements. It combines photonics, nuclear electronics, and AI deep learning technology.
Products and services
- XSpectra® Top Down Inspection Hyperspectral X-ray inspection system with vertical (top-down) geometry for inspecting packaged products such as dairy, salads, frozen foods, bakery, and filled pasta on production lines in real time. Performs multispectral analysis comparing up to 1024 X-ray energy levels.
- XSpectra® Top Down Inspection XL Hyperspectral X-ray inspection system with an expanded 60 cm inspection area for bulk products such as chicken nuggets, filled pasta, and meat, suitable for large products or multiple production lines.
- XSpectra® Lateral/Diagonal Inspection Hyperspectral X-ray inspection system with lateral/diagonal beam geometry optimized for vertical packaging formats including bottles, jars, cans, and biscuit bags. Hardware and software are configurable to specific product specifications.
- XSpectra® Service and Support Installation, on-site and remote assistance, emergency services, and upgrades (both hardware and software) for XSpectra® inspection systems, including definition and remediation of production-line criticalities and quality-control objectives.
- Predictive Inspection Software AI-based inspection software trained on product characteristics for defect detection, integrated with next-generation sensors to enable intelligent and predictive management of each XSpectra® inspection system.
Quantifiable outcome
- Average food recall costs €8-10 million per incident
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use Xnext
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Xnext technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability4 records
Feature7 records
Xnext partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Regione LombardiaminorRegione Lombardia supported Xnext's participation in international trade fairs through the 'Contributi per la partecipazione delle MPMI alle Fiere internazionali in Lombardia' program, helping present XSpectra technology to Italian food companies.
- TuratticoreInternational commercial partnership announced at Fruit Logistica Berlin. Xnext's XSpectra inspection technology combined with Turatti's fresh fruit and vegetable processing machinery creates complete production and quality control solutions for the fresh-cut sector. Partnership enhances Xnext's competitive advantage in the fresh produce processing industry.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Xnext competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Mettler-Toledo International: Global leader in industrial weighing and inspection solutions, including X-ray-based product inspection for food, pharma, and packaging. Directly comparable product line (X-ray inspection) but operates at vastly greater scale with a much broader product portfolio.
- Thermo Fisher Scientific: Global scientific instrumentation giant offering X-ray inspection, analytical instruments, and laboratory equipment relevant to food/pharma safety. Comparable at the level of X-ray-based measurement but operates across many verticals beyond inspection.
Direct peers
- Anritsu: Japanese manufacturer of X-ray inspection systems for food and pharmaceutical production lines. Directly comparable to Xnext's XSpectra with a focus on contaminant detection in packaged goods, though using conventional (not hyperspectral) X-ray technology.
- Loma Systems (ITW): UK-based manufacturer of metal detection, X-ray inspection, and checkweighing equipment for food and packaging lines. Direct competitor in industrial X-ray inspection with broad product portfolio and global service network.
- Ishida (Ishida Co., Ltd.): Japanese manufacturer of multi-head weighers, checkweighers, and X-ray inspection systems for food packaging. Directly competes with Xnext in packaged-food inspection with strong global presence and established OEM relationships.
- Key Technology (Duravant): US-based supplier of optical sorting and digital inspection systems for food processing, with focus on fresh produce, nuts, and processed foods. Comparable to Xnext in fresh-cut produce sorting and food inspection, but with optical (visible/NIR) rather than X-ray technology.
- Eagle Product Inspection (MULTIVAC): Specializes in X-ray inspection, metal detection, and checkweighing equipment for food, pharmaceutical, and packaging customers. Direct competitor to Xnext in food and pharma inspection, with a much larger installed base and broader product line.
- Sesotec: German manufacturer of metal detection, X-ray inspection, and sorting systems for food, plastics, and recycling industries. Directly comparable to Xnext across two of Xnext's verticals (food + recycling), with broader but less hyperspectrally differentiated technology.
Market position
Strengths1 record
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks1 record
Customer concentration
Xnext social profiles
Digital presenceXnext compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Xnext financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Xnext leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Xnext subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Xnext funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Xnext M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Xnext
What does Xnext do?
Xnext designs, manufactures, and sells XSpectra®, a proprietary line of hyperspectral X-ray inspection systems for industrial production lines in food, pharmaceutical, and recycling manufacturing. The systems combine a solid-state CdTe photon-counting detector, integrated photonics, and AI deep-learning software to detect both high- and low-density foreign bodies (plastics, bones, insects, wood, rubber, glass, metal) in real time, enabling contaminant detection that conventional X-ray and metal-detection systems cannot perform.
Is Xnext a public or private company?
Xnext is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Xnext founded?
Xnext was founded in 2014. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Xnext based?
Xnext is headquartered in Milan, Italy, in the Europe region.
How does Xnext make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. XSpectra Inspection Systems are the primary driver. The others are service and Support and predictive Inspection Software.
Who are Xnext's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Mettler-Toledo International and Thermo Fisher Scientific. Direct peers are Anritsu, Loma Systems (ITW), Ishida (Ishida Co., Ltd.), Key Technology (Duravant), Eagle Product Inspection (MULTIVAC) and Sesotec.
Does Xnext have an API?
No public API is recorded for Xnext.
What industry is Xnext in?
Xnext's product category is Industrial X-Ray Food Inspection Equipment. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMALAOAH, Inspection, Checkweighing & Detection Systems (Vision, Metal, X-ray), with a secondary code of HDAAAEAG, Industrial Vision & Quality Inspection. Its NAICS code is 334517 and its SIC code is 3844.