TIRA

What TIRA does

TIRA GmbH is a privately held German industrial equipment manufacturer founded in 1947 and headquartered at Eisfelder Strasse 23/25, 96528 Schalkau, Thuringia. The company operates four product divisions out of a single in-house manufacturing facility: (1) Vibration Test Systems (Schwingprüftechnik) — electrodynamic shakers covering 9 N to 300 kN force ratings, including standard, modal, calibration, longstroke, inertial, and induction ring configurations, with oil-film and hydrostatically guided slip tables; (2) Material Testing (Materialprüftechnik) — electromechanical TIRAtest universal machines from 0.5 kN to 1300 kN for tensile, compression, bending, and torsion testing including thermal testing from -180°C to +1600°C; (3) Balancing Technology (Auswuchttechnik) — horizontal and vertical balancing machines with rotor capacities from 0.1 kg to 10,000 kg, display sensitivity to 0.01 gmm, automatic correction via drilling/welding/riveting/milling, plus the K3500RUF wheelset system certified to Deutsche Bahn guidelines handling 3.5-tonne wheelsets; and (4) Mechanical Engineering (Maschinenbau) — in-house custom machining, welding (ISO 3834-2 certified), sheet metal, and assembly services. Proprietary software includes the TIRA X9000 WIN universal measurement platform for balancing and TIRAsoft for material testing evaluation.

Name

TIRA

Legal name

TIRA GmbH

Website

https://tira-gmbh.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1947

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

TIRA GmbH is a privately held German industrial equipment manufacturer (founded 1947, Schalkau) producing electrodynamic vibration test systems, precision balancing machines, and universal material testing machines for railway, automotive, aerospace, nuclear research, and general industrial clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Testing Equipment

NAICS

Instruments and Related Products Manufacturing for Measuring, Displaying, and Controlling Industrial Process Variables (334513), Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (3345), Testing Laboratories and Services (54138)

SIC

Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734), Special Industry Machinery (No Metalworking Machinery) (3550)

akta.pro primary industry

Test & Measurement Equipment (Oscilloscopes, DAQ, signal analyzers, calibration benches) (IMAGAFAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Testing, Inspection, Certification & Commissioning (TICx) Technical Services (BPAHAIAL)

Keywords

• Vibration test systems
• Material testing machines
• Balancing machines
• Industrial testing equipment
• Dynamic testing systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Schalkau

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Vibration Test Systems (Schwingprüftechnik): Design, manufacture, and sale of electrodynamic vibration test systems (shakers) and accessories including slip tables, amplifiers, cooling units, and vibration control systems. Systems are sold as standard or custom configurations to industrial clients and research institutions.
2. Balancing Technology (Auswuchttechnik): Design, manufacture, and sale of balancing machines for industry, automotive, and railway sectors. Revenue generated from machine sales, on-site balancing services, training seminars, and spare parts. TIRA Academy provides balancing technology seminars on-site and in-house.
3. Material Testing Machines (Materialprüftechnik): Sale of universal material testing machines (TIRAtest series) from 0.5 kN to 1300 kN, custom testing machines, and accessories including clamping systems, extensometers, load cells, and torsion sensors. Includes modernization and calibration services for existing machines from various manufacturers.
4. Mechanical Engineering Services (Maschinenbau): Custom machining and manufacturing services including drilling/milling/measuring, turning/grinding, sheet metal forming, welding, varnishing, and assembly. Production of single parts and series parts as well as complete machines including assembly, primarily serving TIRA's own product divisions but also external customers.
5. Service, Maintenance, and Calibration: Preventive maintenance, repair, DAkkS calibration, modernization of existing machines (from various manufacturers), remote maintenance (teleservice), spare parts supply, and balancing services at the Schalkau facility. Maintenance and service contracts with fixed intervals are offered.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

TIRA GmbH designs, manufactures, and sells industrial testing and balancing capital equipment, including electrodynamic vibration test systems (shakers, 9 N to 300 kN), precision balancing machines (rotor masses 0.1 kg to 10,000 kg, sensitivity to 0.01 gmm), and electromechanical universal material testing machines (0.5 kN to 1,300 kN) for tensile, compression, bending, and torsion testing. All systems are built in-house at the Schalkau, Germany facility and are sold primarily to enterprise customers in the railway, automotive, aerospace, and general industrial sectors, complemented by service, calibration, modernization, and training offerings.

Product overview

TIRA GmbH is a German industrial equipment manufacturer offering complete systems for vibration testing, dynamic balancing, and material testing. The core product portfolio consists of four main divisions: (1) Vibration Test Systems - electrodynamic shakers and accessories for environmental simulation testing; (2) Balancing Technology - precision balancing machines for industry, automotive, and railway sectors; (3) Material Testing - electromechanical universal testing machines and custom solutions for tensile, compression, bending, and torsion testing; (4) Mechanical Engineering - custom manufacturing services. Key products include the TIRA X9000 measurement software platform, TIRAtest series material testing machines, K-series balancing machines, and the K3500RUF wheel set balancing machine. The company also provides TIRA Academy training services and comprehensive service/support including calibration, modernization, and remote maintenance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Vibration Test Systems (Schwingprüftechnik) Electrodynamic vibration test systems for product qualification, environmental simulation, and performance evaluation, including standard, modal, calibration, longstroke, inertial, and induction ring systems with force ranges from 9 N to 300 kN. Designed for aerospace, automotive, railway, and general industrial customers.
• Balancing Technology (Auswuchttechnik) Precision balancing machines for rotating components in industry, automotive, and railway applications, including horizontal and vertical machines with manual or automatic unbalance correction (drilling, welding, riveting, milling). Supports rotor masses from 0.1 kg to 10,000 kg with up to 6,000 rpm balancing speeds and 0.01 gmm display sensitivity.
• Material Testing Machines (Materialprüftechnik) Electromechanical universal material testing machines for tensile, compression, bending, and torsion testing of metals, composites, rubber, paper, textiles, glass, and wood. Force range from 0.5 kN to 1,300 kN with optional thermal testing capability from -180 °C to +1,600 °C. Includes TIRAtest series and TIRAtorsion models.
• K3500RUF Wheelset Balancing Machine Precision wheelset balancing and measurement system for rail vehicles, designed for internally and externally mounted wheelsets and gear wheel sets up to 3.5 tonnes. Features servo-electric, non-contact measurement systems for simultaneous unbalance and concentricity/runout measurement on wheel and brake discs. Certified to Deutsche Bahn guidelines and installable without a machine pit via an elevated track system.
• TIRAtest Series Universal Testing Machines Electromechanical universal material testing machines including models TT 28025 through 281300, covering force ratings from 2.5 kN to 1,300 kN for tensile, compression, bending, and torsion testing applications.
• Custom Material Testing Machines (Sonderprüfmaschinen) Custom-engineered material testing machines for specialized applications including nuclear research, cable and rope testing, door strength testing, wood/floor panel testing, and railway car components, accommodating non-standard specimen geometries, extreme temperatures, vacuum conditions, and high forces.
• Drive Shaft Balancing Machines Horizontal automatic balancing machines for drive shafts (including beit for trucks, passenger vehicles, and marine drives) supporting up to 4 planes at up to 6,000 rpm, with manual or automatic operation and 60-second cycle times for mass production integration.
• Vertical Balancing Machines K Series Automatic vertical balancing machines with unbalance correction through drilling, riveting, or milling, available in sizes 1–1000 covering rotor masses from 0.1 kg to 1,000 kg for industry, workshop, and automotive applications.
• Horizontal Balancing Machines K Series Automatic horizontal balancing machines with or without correction, available in sizes 3–10000 covering loading from 0.3 kg to 10,000 kg for industry, workshop, and automotive applications.
• Mechanical Engineering Services (Maschinenbau) Custom machining and manufacturing services including drilling/milling/measuring, turning/grinding, sheet metal forming, welding, varnishing, and assembly. Production of single parts, series parts, and complete machines including assembly, primarily serving TIRA's own product divisions and external customers.
• TIRA Academy Training Seminars Structured training seminars on vibration testing (5 competency levels KS00–KS05) and balancing technology, conducted at the Schalkau facility or on-site at customer locations. Topics include vibration test fundamentals, environmental simulation, 3D vibration testing, and competence certification aligned with IEC 17025 standards, in partnership with HTW Saarland university.
• Service, Maintenance, Calibration, and Modernization Preventive maintenance, repair, DAkkS calibration, modernization of existing machines (including those from other manufacturers), remote maintenance (teleservice), spare parts supply, and on-site balancing services at the Schalkau facility. Maintenance and service contracts with fixed intervals are offered.

Quantifiable outcome

• Balancing precision down to 0.01 gmm sensitivity across the machine range
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• HTW Saarland (Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft des Saarlandes)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTIRA GmbH has established an academic partnership with HTW Saarland (University of Applied Sciences) for the TIRA Academy seminar and training program. The collaboration combines TIRA's decades of practical industry experience and state-of-the-art testing equipment with the academic rigor of the university, providing professional knowledge management through structured training courses with competency certification aligned to IEC 17025 and IEC 17020 standards.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Instron (Illinois Tool Works): Global leader in materials testing systems for tensile, fatigue, and impact testing. Directly comparable to TIRA's TIRAtest universal testing machines for metals, composites, and polymers.
• MTS Systems (Ametek): Global leader in electrodynamic shakers and vibration test systems, with similar force ranges to TIRA. Directly competes with TIRA's Schwingpr\u00fcftechnik division in aerospace, automotive, and defense qualification testing.
• IMV Corporation: Japanese manufacturer of electrodynamic shakers and vibration test systems with similar product breadth. Competes with TIRA in automotive, electronics, and aerospace vibration testing, particularly in APAC markets.
• ZwickRoell: German specialist in materials testing machines (tensile, compression, fatigue) and offers the broadest force range in the industry. TIRA's Materialpr\u00fcftechnik division competes head-to-head with ZwickRoell's universal testing machines.
• Schenck RoTec (Carl Schenck AG): German manufacturer of industrial balancing machines for rotating components across automotive, railway, and general industry. Directly competes with TIRA's Auswuchttechnik division and shares key segments including wheelset balancing.
• DataPhysics Instruments: German manufacturer of vibration, shock, and acoustic test equipment, including shakers and signal analyzers. Direct peer in vibration testing with comparable niche focus on German Mittelstand engineering depth.
• Br\u00fcel & Kj\u00e6r (HBK - Hottinger Br\u00fcel & Kj\u00e6r): Danish specialist in sound and vibration measurement and shaker systems. Directly comparable to TIRA's vibration test systems and vibration control instrumentation.
• Hofmann Mess- und Auswuchttechnik: German manufacturer of horizontal and vertical balancing machines for industrial applications including automotive and aerospace. Direct competitor in TIRA's core balancing technology market.

Broad incumbents

• Shimadzu Scientific Instruments: Large Japanese scientific instruments group with a broad testing portfolio including materials testing machines, vibration systems, and analytical instruments. Overlaps with TIRA's offerings through its universal testing machine line.

Emerging players

• Crystal Instruments: US-based specialist in vibration controllers and dynamic signal analyzers. Emerging player that competes with TIRA's vibration control systems and testing software stack, particularly in mid-tier shaker applications.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 TIRA