Virtualmechanics

What Virtualmechanics does

Virtualmechanics, S.L. (commercial brand: Virtualmech) is a private Spanish engineering services and product company founded in 2009 as a spin-off of the Mechanical Engineering Department of the University of Seville. The firm provides consulting and technical advisory, computational simulation, mathematical modeling, and R&D outsourcing services grounded in Multibody System Dynamics (MSD) and supported by CFD with heat transfer, FEM analysis, and reduced-order models. It serves three primary industry verticals: railway infrastructure (with the proprietary vmRail embedded track measurement system combining artificial vision, inertial, and positioning sensors plus neural-network defect detection), concentrated solar power (CSP) plant engineering and life assessment using ASME/API FFS criteria, and the refractory and thermal treatment industry.

Its commercial portfolio spans professional services engagements (technical consulting, interactive and parametric simulation, custom mathematical models, and outsourced R&D for firms lacking in-house capability) alongside a one-time-license product sale of vmRail hardware and software, with data integration delivered through partner platforms such as DAVANA (Smart Motors) and Data Station (Railwai). Revenue is generated through project-based engineering services and bespoke simulation tools, with no public pricing and go-to-market executed primarily via direct B2B sales, EU and Spanish public grant programs (Horizon 2020 SME Instrument and REACH Incubator; CDTI; Agencia IDEA/Junta de Andalucía; EGIPTO&Spain Innovating Programme), and multi-party consortium projects such as the Acciona-led INARTRANS initiative.

The company is led by CEO Pedro Fernández-Palacios, CTO Juan Sebastián Valverde García (Doctor Ingeniero Industrial, Fulbright postdoc at UC Berkeley), and COO Juan Carlos Herruzo (PhD in CSP), combining senior researchers, PhD candidates, business management, and engineers with industrial experience. Operations are headquartered in Seville, Spain, with international reach through EU co-funded projects including work in Egypt.

Name

Virtualmechanics

Legal name

Virtualmechanics, S.L.

Website

https://virtualmech.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Virtualmech is a Seville-based engineering services and product firm, spun off from the University of Seville in 2009, that provides MSD-based simulation, consulting, mathematical modeling, and R&D outsourcing to the railway (via its vmRail embedded track measurement system), concentrated solar power, and refractory and thermal treatment sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Engineering Simulation Services

NAICS

Engineering Services (54133), Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711), Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)

akta.pro primary industry

Remote Operations, Control Room & Digital O&M (Monitoring, Diagnostics) (EUAEAGAM)

Keywords

• Engineering consulting services
• Computational simulation
• Railway track measurement
• Multibody system dynamics
• Renewable energy engineering

Headquarters

HQ city

Sevilla

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Engineering Consulting and Technical Advisory Services: Customized consulting and technical advisory services for mechanical engineering problems, including kinematic simulation, dynamic simulation, inverse dynamics, parametric identification, control system design, non-mechanical system simulation, optimization, sensitivity analysis, mechanism synthesis, and stability analysis.
2. Computational Simulation Services: Interactive and parametric computational simulation services delivered through custom-built simulators ranging from conventional PC programs to multi-computer parallel simulators. Services include fluid-thermo-mechanical coupled simulation and high-temperature/pressure component mechanical design for the thermosolar sector.
3. Mathematical Modeling Services: Custom mathematical model generation including MSD-based models (topological formulations, semi-recursive formulations, symbolic computation), solid discretization methods (linear FEM with modal synthesis, nonlinear FEM using Absolute Nodal Coordinate Formulation), and integrated control, hydraulic, and pneumatic systems.
4. R&D Outsourcing: Acting as an external R&D department for companies that do not have internal R&D capabilities, providing specialized engineering, research, and development services on a permanent or occasional basis.
5. vmRail Track Measurement Hardware and Software: Sale and deployment of the vmRail embedded track measurement system including data integration with platforms such as DAVANA and Railwai Data Station, and custom visualization and database control tools developed ad hoc for railway operators.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Virtualmechanics provides customized engineering consulting, computational simulation, mathematical modeling, and R&D outsourcing services for mechanical engineering problems, anchored by its proprietary vmRail embedded track measurement system for the railway sector. The firm applies Multibody System Dynamics, CFD with heat transfer, FEM, and reduced-order models to deliver ad-hoc solutions to enterprise clients in railway infrastructure, concentrated solar power (CSP), and refractory/thermal treatment industries.

Product overview

Virtualmechanics operates as a virtual mechanics and computational simulation engineering company providing specialized R&D+I services and engineering solutions. The core proprietary product is vmRail, an embedded track measurement system for the railway sector. The company offers a portfolio of simulation and modeling services including computational simulation, mathematical modeling, technical consulting, R&D outsourcing, programming tools, and virtual reality environments. Services are organized around three primary industry sectors: railway infrastructure (with vmRail as the flagship product), concentrated solar thermal energy (CSP), and refractory/heat treatment industries. The vmRail system integrates with third-party digitalization platforms (DAVANA and Data Station) for continuous data delivery to railway operators.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• vmRail: Embedded track measurement system for railway infrastructure that measures track geometry, corrugation, and rail head wear using artificial vision, inertial, and positioning sensors.
• VMRail

Products and services

• vmRail Embedded Track Measurement System Embedded track measurement hardware-software that combines artificial vision sensors, inertial sensors, and vehicle positioning sensors to continuously measure rail geometry (gauge, cant, alignment, leveling, twist) and detect corrugation and infrastructure defects via image processing, visual recognition, and neural networks. Designed for railway operators and infrastructure maintainers, with data integration into third-party platforms DAVANA and Data Station.
• Computational Simulation Services Custom computational simulation services for dynamic design and analysis of machines and mechanical devices, delivered through interactive real-time simulators, parametric simulators, fluid-thermo-mechanical coupled simulations, and multi-computer parallel configurations. Targeted at industrial clients needing advanced engineering simulation in railway, CSP, and refractory sectors.
• Mathematical Modeling Services Custom mathematical model generation services, including MSD-based models (topological and semi-recursive formulations, symbolic computation), solid discretization methods (linear FEM with modal synthesis, nonlinear FEM using Absolute Nodal Coordinate Formulation), and integrated control, hydraulic, and pneumatic systems. Serves industrial and research clients requiring bespoke mathematical models of mechanical systems.
• Technical Consulting and Advisory Services Specialized technical consulting covering kinematic simulation, dynamic simulation, inverse dynamics, parametric identification, control system design, non-mechanical system simulation, optimization, sensitivity analysis, mechanism synthesis, and stability analysis. Delivered to industrial clients facing complex mechanical engineering problems.
• R&D Outsourcing Services External R&D department service in which Virtualmech acts as a full engineering, research, and development function for companies that do not have internal R&D capabilities, on a permanent or occasional basis. Targeted at firms seeking access to PhD-level scientific researchers without building in-house teams.
• MSD Modeling Tools Multibody System Dynamics (MSD) modeling tools and methodologies that enable the analysis, design, and optimization of mechanisms, satellites, robots, and biomechanical systems with rigid or flexible interconnected solids. Used internally for client engagements and applied in client-facing simulation projects.
• Low-Level Simulation Programming Services Custom simulation programming services using low-level programming languages (C++, OpenMP for parallel computing), open-source libraries, Qt GUI framework, OpenGL/OpenSceneGraph for virtual reality, with full documentation of simplifications, numerical methods, and scientific theories disclosed to users. Modular design allows incremental addition of new modules and capabilities.
• Virtual Reality Simulation Environments Virtual reality simulation environments combining stereoscopic projection systems, Stewart motion platforms, surround audio systems (OpenAL), haptic devices, and input peripherals for enhanced user perception of simulated mechanical systems. Targeted at clients needing immersive simulation experiences for design review, training, or research.

Quantifiable outcome

• 146,880 km of track measured by vmRail system generating continuous geometry data for railway operators
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Acciona ConstrucciónflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Acciona Construcción leads the INARTRANS project consortium (CDTI-funded, MIG-20232067), which focuses on digital transition toward AI solutions for transport infrastructure. Virtualmech participates as a consortium partner alongside Indra, Grupo Azvi, MainRail, JIG Internet Consulting, and five research institutions (CTCON, INTROMAC, TEKNIKER, UPM, UAH). Project duration: January 2024 – January 2027.
• IndraflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Indra participates as a large enterprise in the INARTRANS consortium (CDTI-funded project MIG-20232067), working alongside Virtualmech, Acciona, Grupo Azvi, and other partners to develop AI solutions for transport infrastructure.
• Grupo AzviflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Grupo Azvi participates as a large enterprise in the INARTRANS consortium (CDTI-funded project MIG-20232067), collaborating with Virtualmech and other partners on AI-driven transport infrastructure solutions.
• MainRailflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024MainRail participates as a SME alongside Virtualmech in the INARTRANS consortium, contributing to digital AI solutions for transport infrastructure.
• Plataforma Tecnológica Española de la Construcción (PTEC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024The INARTRANS project was born within the PTEC (Spanish Construction Technology Platform) ecosystem, which provides the collaborative and structuring framework for the consortium.
• ASME/APIcoreOthers · 1 January 2020Virtualmech applies ASME/API FFS (Fitness-for-Service) standards including Ratcheting (ASME/API 579), fatigue damage, creep damage, and creep-fatigue interaction criteria for central receiver life assessment in CSP tower plants. ASME/API are standards bodies whose codes are used as the evaluation framework.
• Smart Motors (DAVANA)coreTechnology or IntegrationVirtualmech collaborates with Smart Motors to integrate vmRail track measurement data into the DAVANA railway digitization platform, enabling continuous and fully integrated data delivery for railway operators.
• Railwai (Data Station)coreTechnology or IntegrationVirtualmech partners with Railwai to deliver vmRail measurement results through the Data Station platform, providing continuous and integrated data access for railway infrastructure management.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• IDOM: Spanish-headquartered multinational engineering consulting firm offering simulation, design, and project engineering across energy, railway, and industrial sectors. Directly comparable to Virtualmech as a Spanish engineering services firm with multi-sector industrial clients.
• MainRail: Spanish SME participating in the INARTRANS consortium alongside Virtualmech, focused on railway digitalization and AI-driven transport infrastructure. Directly comparable as a small Spanish railway technology firm targeting similar railway operator customers.

Regional players

• Empresarios Agrupados: Spanish engineering services firm historically focused on energy and industrial plant engineering, including CSP and conventional power. Comparable to Virtualmech as a Spain-based engineering consulting peer serving the same thermosolar/industrial client base.

Broad incumbents

• SENER Grupo de Ingeniería: Spanish engineering group with deep CSP/thermosolar and railway engineering capabilities, including tower plant design and rail infrastructure projects. A larger, established incumbent in the same core verticals as Virtualmech (CSP, railway).
• TÉCNICAS REUNIDAS: Large Spanish engineering and EPC contractor with significant CSP/energy and industrial simulation capabilities. Comparable to Virtualmech as a Spain-based engineering services peer serving the same energy and industrial infrastructure customers.
• MERMEC: Established Italian-headquartered provider of railway measurement, diagnostics, and signaling systems with global operator customers. Comparable to vmRail as a railway track measurement and diagnostics platform, though at a much larger commercial scale.
• Plasser & Theurer: Global leader in railway track maintenance machinery and measurement systems. Comparable to vmRail as a provider of railway track geometry measurement and maintenance equipment, with an extensive installed base worldwide.
• ESI Group (now part of Keysight): Major engineering simulation software and services provider serving industrial customers with multi-physics simulation tools. Comparable to Virtualmech's simulation services in CSP and mechanical engineering, though at substantially larger scale and with standardized commercial software.

Emerging players

• TRYO Aerospace (formerly INTA): Spanish virtual reality and simulation firm serving aerospace, defense, and industrial clients. Comparable to Virtualmech's VR/real-time simulation capabilities and as another Spanish niche simulation services provider.
• Railwai: Railway data platform partner of Virtualmech (Data Station integration with vmRail). Comparable as an emerging railway digitization player serving the same rail operator customers with measurement-data analytics.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/virtualmech

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Virtualmechanics