LaMotte Company
LaMotte Company is a privately held, Maryland-based manufacturer founded in 1919 that produces water quality testing instruments, reagents, and software—including automated colorimeters, test strips, continuous monitors, and consumables—distributed globally to pool/spa, drinking water, aquaculture, industrial, and education customers across 75+ countries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1919
- HeadquartersChestertown, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What LaMotte Company does
LaMotte Company is a privately held, Maryland-incorporated specialty chemical and instrumentation manufacturer founded in 1919 by Frank L. LaMotte. The company designs, manufactures, and distributes water quality testing instruments, reagents, and software for professional and consumer markets. Core products include automated colorimeters (LaMotte Spin with proprietary SpinDisk sealed reagent cartridges testing up to 10 parameters in approximately one minute), handheld colorimeters (ColorQ, SMART 3), pocket testers (TRACER), continuous in-line monitors (LaMotte Pulse with submersible chemical indicator wheels), test strips (Insta-TEST), tablet reagents (TesTabs), and complementary microbial detection (BioPaddles) and brewing-specific (BrewLab) product lines. EPA-accepted instruments support compliance with NPDWR and NPDES monitoring requirements, and the portfolio carries CE/EMC Declarations of Conformity for European markets.
The company's revenue model blends one-time hardware sales (colorimeters, turbidimeters, pocket testers, test kits) with recurring consumables (SpinDisks, TesTabs, test strips) and a growing subscription software layer (WaterLink Connect 2 desktop app, WaterLink Solutions cloud platform, iOS/Android mobile apps with photo-scan capability). Go-to-market is executed almost entirely through a channel-led model comprising authorized distributors, manufacturer's representatives, dealers, and retail partners spanning 75+ countries, with direct sales focused on enterprise accounts. Eight customer verticals are served: pools/spas/aquatics (primary), drinking water, aquaculture, industrial boiler/cooling, aquariums, environmental science/education, water/wastewater, and laboratory supplies. Operations span a Chestertown, Maryland headquarters; a Newark, Delaware manufacturing and R&D facility opened in the 2020s to expand SpinDisk and test strip capacity; and a Warwick, UK sales office. Leadership is led by President and CEO Scott Amsbaugh, with Richard Rogers as Director of International Sales.
LaMotte Company firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- LaMotte Company
- Legal name
- LaMotte Company
- Website
- https://lamotte.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1919
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- LaMotte Company is a privately held, Maryland-based manufacturer founded in 1919 that produces water quality testing instruments, reagents, and software—including automated colorimeters, test strips, continuous monitors, and consumables—distributed globally to pool/spa, drinking water, aquaculture, industrial, and education customers across 75+ countries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
LaMotte Company industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Water Quality Testing Instruments
- NAICS
- Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516)
- SIC
- Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Laboratory Testing & Analytical Services (in-house/contract labs; microbiology, metals, organics) (EUANAJAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Water Quality Monitoring (Surface Water, Stormwater, Drinking Water) (EUAHACAC), Water Testing Kits & Monitoring (Household) (CRAJAJAL), Water Testing & Chemical Balancing (HSAIALAB), Agricultural Water Testing Services (Irrigation, Groundwater, Surface Water) (AFACAKAC)
Keywords
Where LaMotte Company is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chestertown
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
LaMotte Company business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Water Testing Equipment Hardware: Sale of colorimeters, turbidimeters, pocket testers, and multiparameter meters for water analysis
- Reagents and Consumables: SpinDisks, tablet reagents (TesTabs), and replacement reagents for testing equipment
- Test Kits: Complete test kit solutions for various parameters including chlorine, pH, alkalinity, hardness, and specialty parameters
- Software Licenses: WaterLink Connect 2 application and WaterLink Solutions Pro software for data management
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | B2B/B2G sales through distributor network |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
LaMotte Company product offering
Product offeringCore offering
LaMotte Company manufactures and supplies water quality testing instruments, kits, reagents, test strips, and software used to analyze water across pools, spas, drinking water, aquaculture, food and beverage, industrial, and educational markets. The company produces colorimeters, turbidimeters, pocket testers, continuous in-line monitors, and proprietary reagent chemistries backed by an extensive patent portfolio.
Product overview
LaMotte Company offers a comprehensive water analysis solutions portfolio consisting of multiple branded product lines and instrument types. The core products include automated colorimeters (LaMotte Spin with SpinDisk technology), handheld colorimeters (ColorQ, SMART 3), pocket testers (TRACER), continuous monitors (LaMotte Pulse), and test strips (Insta-TEST). These instruments are supported by a suite of software and apps including WaterLink Connect 2 for Windows (USB connectivity and firmware updates) and WaterLink Solutions mobile app (photo-scan capability). The company also provides specialized products for aquaculture (WaterLink Spin Touch FF), brewing (BrewLab), and educational programs (Tapwater Tour, Topsoil Tour). Consumables include TesTabs tablet reagents, SpinDisk cartridges, and BioPaddles for microbial testing. Products test for parameters including chlorine, pH, alkalinity, hardness, nitrates, nitrites, ammonia, phosphates, iron, and turbidity across markets spanning pools/spas, drinking water, aquaculture, food/beverage, environmental education, and industrial applications.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- LaMotte Spin®: Automated Colorimeters for water analysis
- Insta-TEST®
- WaterLink®
- LaMotte Pulse®
- ColorQ®
- SMART® 3
- TesTabs®
- BrewLab®
- TRACER
- Pool MGR®
- BioPaddles®
Products and services
- LaMotte Spin Colorimeters
Quantifiable outcome
- Up to 10 parameters tested simultaneously in 1-2 minutes
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use LaMotte Company
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments8 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
LaMotte Company technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Feature6 records
LaMotte Company partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights4 records
LaMotte Company competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Hach Company: Hach (a Danaher company) is the largest U.S. manufacturer of water quality testing instruments, colorimeters, and reagents for municipal, industrial, and laboratory customers. It is LaMotte's most direct competitor across portable colorimeters, EPA-accepted reagents, and pool/spa testing.
- Hanna Instruments: Hanna Instruments manufactures handheld colorimeters, pocket testers, and continuous monitors for pools, aquariums, aquaculture, and industrial water testing. The product overlap with LaMotte's ColorQ, TRACER, and Pulse lines is nearly 1:1 across multiple parameters.
- Tintometer (Lovibond): Lovibond/Tintometer is a long-established European manufacturer of colorimeters, comparator test kits, and reagents for pool, drinking water, and industrial applications. It competes head-to-head with LaMotte in pool/spa and municipal water testing internationally.
- Palintest: Palintest (a Halma company) produces portable water testing kits and photometers for drinking water, pool, and environmental applications. Its multiparameter photometers directly overlap with LaMotte's Insta-TEST and Spin product lines.
- YSI (a Xylem brand): YSI, part of Xylem, manufactures professional water quality sondes, handheld meters, and continuous monitors used in environmental, aquaculture, and wastewater monitoring. It competes with LaMotte's Pulse continuous monitor and SMART colorimeter in professional/regulated segments.
Broad incumbents
- Thermo Fisher Scientific: Thermo Fisher offers a broad portfolio of laboratory analytical instruments, spectrophotometers, and water testing equipment through its Analytical Instruments and Life Sciences segments. It is a broad incumbent that competes with LaMotte in higher-end laboratory and research customers.
- HORIBA Scientific: HORIBA supplies analytical instruments including spectrophotometers, water quality analyzers, and particle characterization tools. It overlaps with LaMotte in laboratory water analysis and serves many of the same research and industrial customers.
- Xylem Analytics: Xylem is a global water technology company with a broad portfolio spanning water meters, analytics, and treatment. Through brands like YSI, WTW, and SI Analytics, it competes with LaMotte in professional water quality instrumentation.
Emerging players
- OTT HydroMet: OTT HydroMet (an Danaher-owned company) provides water quality monitoring, hydrological, and meteorological instruments, including multiparameter sondes used in environmental and drinking water monitoring. It competes with LaMotte in continuous water quality monitoring.
- Atlas Scientific: Atlas Scientific develops IoT water quality probes and embedded sensing platforms for hobbyist, aquaculture, and industrial OEM applications. It represents a digitally native, low-cost emerging competitor to LaMotte's TRACER pocket testers and Pulse continuous monitors.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
LaMotte Company social profiles
Digital presenceLaMotte Company compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
LaMotte Company financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
LaMotte Company leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
LaMotte Company funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
LaMotte Company 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 LaMotte Company
What does LaMotte Company do?
LaMotte Company manufactures and supplies water quality testing instruments, kits, reagents, test strips, and software used to analyze water across pools, spas, drinking water, aquaculture, food and beverage, industrial, and educational markets. The company produces colorimeters, turbidimeters, pocket testers, continuous in-line monitors, and proprietary reagent chemistries backed by an extensive patent portfolio.
Is LaMotte Company a public or private company?
LaMotte Company is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was LaMotte Company founded?
LaMotte Company was founded in 1919. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is LaMotte Company based?
LaMotte Company is headquartered in Chestertown, United States, in the North America region.
How does LaMotte Company make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Water Testing Equipment Hardware is the primary driver. The others are reagents and Consumables, test Kits and software Licenses.
Who are LaMotte Company's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Hach Company, Hanna Instruments, Tintometer (Lovibond), Palintest and YSI (a Xylem brand). Broad incumbents are Thermo Fisher Scientific, HORIBA Scientific and Xylem Analytics. Emerging players are OTT HydroMet and Atlas Scientific.
Does LaMotte Company have an API?
No public API is recorded for LaMotte Company.
What industry is LaMotte Company in?
LaMotte Company's product category is Water Quality Testing Instruments. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUANAJAB, Laboratory Testing & Analytical Services (in-house/contract labs; microbiology, metals, organics), with a secondary code of EUAHACAC, Water Quality Monitoring (Surface Water, Stormwater, Drinking Water). Its NAICS code is 334516 and its SIC code is 3826.