Tribosonics
Tribosonics is a Sheffield-based industrial sensing company that builds ATEX/IECEx-certified wireless acoustic emissions monitoring systems for hazardous environments, serving oil & gas, petrochemical, energy, and manufacturing operators globally. It monetises through a Sensing as a Service recurring model.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersSheffield, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Tribosonics does
Tribosonics is a Sheffield, UK-based industrial sensing company that designs and manufactures high-frequency acoustic emissions monitoring systems for hazardous and continuous-process environments. Its flagship platform, acoustoSENSE, consists of battery-powered, wireless sensors that operate in the 100–500 kHz ultrasonic band and provide always-on monitoring of pressure relief devices, pressure safety valves, and other process-critical assets. The hardware is qualified to ATEX, IECEx, UL, and INMETRO standards, and Tribosonics is ISO 9001 and ISO 45001 certified, allowing deployment in explosive atmospheres across oil & gas, petrochemical, energy, and manufacturing sites worldwide.
The technology stack combines the rugged wireless sensor hardware, full-waveform capture of ultrasonic acoustic emissions, and an analytics layer that interprets asset behaviour against a continuously building historical baseline. Underlying intellectual property is protected by four filed patents with a stated pipeline of more than twenty additional filings. Tribosonics has anchored deployments at major end-customers including a multi-platform offshore operator (1,000+ PSVs), a major US petrochemical site (170 PRDs), global valve and chemical manufacturers, and ENGEL in injection moulding, demonstrating applicability across both process and discrete industries.
Tribosonics monetises primarily through a Sensing as a Service model in which customers pay a recurring fee for continuous monitoring, data delivery, and asset-health insight rather than purchasing hardware outright. This recurring-revenue orientation is supported by a commercial leadership team (CEO Glenn Fletcher, CCO Christina King, CFO Janet Pryke, COO Mark Wallace) and Founder/CTO Dr Phil Harper. The company has raised over £4 million across three funding rounds between 2020 and 2023 from NPIF – Mercia Equity Finance and Mercia's EIS funds, and has scaled from 21 to 42 staff with a further 25 hires planned, supporting its stated trajectory of revenue having tripled over two years and being on course to double again.
Tribosonics firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Tribosonics
- Legal name
- Tribosonics Limited
- Website
- https://tribosonics.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Tribosonics is a Sheffield-based industrial sensing company that builds ATEX/IECEx-certified wireless acoustic emissions monitoring systems for hazardous environments, serving oil & gas, petrochemical, energy, and manufacturing operators globally. It monetises through a Sensing as a Service recurring model.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Tribosonics industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Industrial Sensing and Monitoring Systems
- NAICS
- Instrument Manufacturing for Measuring and Testing Electricity and Electrical Signals (334515), Instruments and Related Products Manufacturing for Measuring, Displaying, and Controlling Industrial Process Variables (334513), Other Measuring and Controlling Device Manufacturing (334519), Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (33451)
- SIC
- Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823), Instruments For Meas & Testing Of Electricity & Elec Signals (3825), Measuring & Controlling Devices, Nec (3829)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Condition Monitoring Sensors & IoT (online/offline monitoring, edge devices) (EUADAJAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Environmental & Safety Monitoring Instruments (Air quality, emissions, radiation, noise, gas detection) (IMAGAFAJ), Power Quality, Line Monitoring & Grid Edge Sensors (PMUs/µPMUs) (EUADAPAO), SCADA & Telemetry Software (Control Center) (EUADAEAD), Remote Monitoring/Telemetry for Regulators & Meter Stations (RTUs, Sensors) (EUAJAKAM)
Keywords
Where Tribosonics is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Sheffield
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Tribosonics business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Hardware Sales: Sale of integrated hardware systems including sensors, nodes, and gateway equipment for acoustic monitoring installations.
- Sensing as a Service (SaaS): Technology offered on a service basis allowing customers to access monitoring capabilities without capital purchase. Company transitioning toward SaaS business model.
- Software/Cloud Platform: High-resolution acoustic data and analysis visualized in customer data platforms or Tribosonics' cloud platform with real-time customizable alerts.
- Professional Services: Installation, deployment, and ongoing support services for industrial monitoring solutions.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Enterprise/Plant-wide monitoring contracts |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Per-valve monitoring (implied) |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Tribosonics product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Tribosonics develops and sells acoustoSENSE, a battery-powered, wireless, always-on acoustic emissions monitoring system that uses high-frequency (100-500 kHz) sensing to continuously monitor critical industrial assets including pressure relief devices (PRDs/PRVs/PSVs) and slow-rotating bearings. The platform combines proprietary hardware (sensors and nodes), edge analytics software, and cloud-based dashboards to detect leaks, mechanical degradation, and abnormal valve behavior in real time, delivering compliance and predictive maintenance data to industrial operators.
Product overview
Tribosonics offers a single unified product: acoustoSENSE, a battery-powered wireless acoustic emissions monitoring platform. The system consists of hardware (acoustic sensors and nodes), software (edge analytics and cloud dashboard), and data services delivered via LoRaWAN connectivity. acoustoSENSE provides always-on, high-frequency monitoring specifically designed for pressure relief devices and slow-rotating bearings in industrial settings. The company previously offered bespoke sensing solutions for applications including film thickness, wear, contact pressure, load, and corrosion measurement, but now focuses primarily on the standardized acoustoSENSE platform for industrial asset monitoring.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- acoustoSENSE: Battery powered, wireless, always-on acoustic emissions monitoring system providing continuous visibility of asset status and performance for pressure relief devices and slow-rotating bearings. Used for PRD/PRV/PSV monitoring, reducing inspection costs, preventing lost product, and avoiding unplanned downtime.
Products and services
- acoustoSENSE acoustoSENSE is a battery-powered, wireless, always-on acoustic emissions monitoring system that provides continuous real-time visibility of critical industrial assets including pressure relief devices (PRDs/PRVs/PSVs) and slow-rotating bearings. It uses high-frequency (100-500 kHz) acoustic sensing to detect leaks, mechanical degradation, and abnormal valve behavior while eliminating false positives through waveform analysis. It is ATEX, IECEx, UL, and INMETRO certified for global hazardous-area deployment and uses LoRaWAN connectivity for up to 10km transmission. Sold to enterprise industrial operators in oil & gas, petrochemical, chemical, and energy sectors for predictive maintenance and compliance (e.g., EPA HON) programs.
Quantifiable outcome
- 65% reduction in PSV maintenance costs
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Tribosonics
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Tribosonics technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability5 records
Feature7 records
Tribosonics partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.
- Peter Collins (Non-Executive Director)flagshipPermasense founder appointed to Board of Directors. Led Permasense from Imperial College lab to 27-country global sales before Emerson acquisition. 4 exits across Chair, CEO, COO, CTO roles. Chairs Mirico, Guided Ultrasonics, Wayland Additive. Brings deep-tech commercialization expertise.
- University of Huddersfield / Network RailcorePartnership with university researchers and Network Rail to develop safer and more reliable track lubrication measurement system using ultrasonic technology.
- NovaresflagshipSigned Joint Development Agreement for sensor technology development. Part of Novares' collaboration with innovative start-ups in fields of sensor technology. Tribosonics won Jury Prize at Novares Venture Day 2019.
- AMRC Training CentreflagshipJoined AMRC Training Centre Industry Advisory Board alongside Boeing, Polypipe, Wavin, AESSEAL, Stanley Black & Decker. Core component of Future Leaders Programme for apprentice development. COO Mark Wallace appointed to Board.
- IfM Education and Consultancy ServicesminorEngaged IfM ECS for strategic IP workshop to develop IP strategy aligned with business strategy. Collaboration with Cambridge IfM's Innovation and IP Management Lab.
- Marks & ClerkminorWorld-class IP attorney firm engaged for patent portfolio development. Patent attorney Andrew Hartley participated in IfM IP strategy workshop.
- Champion HealthminorWellbeing partnership supporting employees with health initiatives including achievement recognition scheme, hydration programme, and wellbeing lunch sessions.
- ENGELflagshipTechnology partnership showcased at K 2019 (World's No.1 Trade Fair for plastics and rubber). Developing sensing solutions for injection molding equipment to reduce downtime and improve productivity in polymer processing.
- PwC Scale ProgrammeminorOnboarding to PwC's Scale programme for business support and growth acceleration. Head of Strategic Partnerships engaged with programme.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights7 records
Tribosonics competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Permasense (now part of Emerson): Emerson-owned ultrasonic integrity-monitoring sensors originally developed for refinery and petrochemical operators — the closest historical analog to acoustoSENSE for PRD and corrosion monitoring. Acquired in 2016 after scaling to 27 countries under Peter Collins, now sits inside Emerson's broader reliability portfolio.
- Guided Ultrasonics: UK-based non-destructive testing specialist using guided-wave ultrasound to inspect piping and industrial assets. Comparable in ultrasonic sensor technology and industrial inspection customer base; chaired by Peter Collins alongside Tribosonics.
Broad incumbents
- Emerson (Rosemount / Emerson Reliability Solutions): Emerson's measurement and reliability instrumentation portfolio includes pressure, valve and acoustic monitoring products sold to the same oil & gas and process industry buyers as Tribosonics, but as part of a much broader automation offering.
- HBK (Hottinger Brüel & Kjær): Global leader in acoustic and vibration measurement hardware and software used for industrial condition monitoring and NVH testing; overlaps with Tribosonics in high-frequency acoustic sensing but serves a much broader test & measurement market.
- SKF (Condition Monitoring): SKF's rotating equipment performance and condition monitoring solutions, including wireless bearing monitoring, target the same industrial reliability buyers as Tribosonics' slow-rotating bearing capability, but as part of a global bearings-and-services franchise.
- IFM Electronic: German manufacturer of industrial sensors and IO-Link connectivity used across factory automation and process industries; competes in adjacent condition and process sensing categories where Tribosonics sells into manufacturing customers.
- Pepperl+Fuchs: Industrial sensor and hazardous-area connectivity specialist serving process industries with intrinsic safety products comparable to Tribosonics' ATEX/IECEx-certified deployments.
- Azima DLI (a Baker Hughes company): Provider of machine condition monitoring, vibration analysis and reliability services to industrial operators; overlaps with Tribosonics on predictive maintenance and asset health programs for rotating equipment.
Emerging players
- Mirico: UK-based laser-based gas detection and emissions monitoring company chaired by Peter Collins; an emerging deep-tech sensing player serving similar industrial compliance and emissions monitoring needs as Tribosonics but with a different underlying physics.
- PCB Piezotronics (MTS Sensors): Manufacturer of high-frequency acoustic and vibration sensors used in industrial monitoring, aerospace and research; supplies sensor hardware comparable to Tribosonics' acoustic emissions nodes but as a components vendor rather than integrated monitoring platform.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Tribosonics social profiles
Digital presenceTribosonics compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance6 records
Tribosonics financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Tribosonics leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Tribosonics funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Tribosonics 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 Tribosonics
What does Tribosonics do?
Tribosonics develops and sells acoustoSENSE, a battery-powered, wireless, always-on acoustic emissions monitoring system that uses high-frequency (100-500 kHz) sensing to continuously monitor critical industrial assets including pressure relief devices (PRDs/PRVs/PSVs) and slow-rotating bearings. The platform combines proprietary hardware (sensors and nodes), edge analytics software, and cloud-based dashboards to detect leaks, mechanical degradation, and abnormal valve behavior in real time, delivering compliance and predictive maintenance data to industrial operators.
Is Tribosonics a public or private company?
Tribosonics is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Tribosonics founded?
Tribosonics was founded in 2016. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Tribosonics based?
Tribosonics is headquartered in Sheffield, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Tribosonics make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Hardware Sales are the primary driver. The others are sensing as a Service (SaaS), software/Cloud Platform and professional Services.
Who are Tribosonics's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Permasense (now part of Emerson) and Guided Ultrasonics. Broad incumbents are Emerson (Rosemount / Emerson Reliability Solutions), HBK (Hottinger Brüel & Kjær), SKF (Condition Monitoring), IFM Electronic, Pepperl+Fuchs and Azima DLI (a Baker Hughes company). Emerging players are Mirico and PCB Piezotronics (MTS Sensors).
Does Tribosonics have an API?
No public API is recorded for Tribosonics.
What industry is Tribosonics in?
Tribosonics's product category is Industrial Sensing and Monitoring Systems. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUADAJAD, Condition Monitoring Sensors & IoT (online/offline monitoring, edge devices), with a secondary code of IMAGAFAJ, Environmental & Safety Monitoring Instruments (Air quality, emissions, radiation, noise, gas detection). Its NAICS code is 334515 and its SIC code is 3823.