What IBS Precision Engineering does

IBS Precision Engineering is a Dutch ultra-precision engineering company founded in 1993 by Henny Spaan and headquartered in Eindhoven's Brainport region, with wholly-owned subsidiaries in Germany (Stuttgart), the UK (Solihull), and France (Lille). The firm designs, develops, and manufactures custom ultra-precision measurement machines, modules, and scientific instruments, alongside a catalog of metrology sensors (capacitive, inductive, optical, cryogenic, and ultra-precision force sensors), 3D coordinate measuring systems (ISARA 400), machine qualification tools (Position/Rotary/Spindle Inspector and Analyzer families, Multi-Probe Analyzer, Trinity-m wireless probe), and a broad range of air bearing components (flat, radial, vacuum-preloaded, spherical, conveyor, spindle, thrust). Operations are supported by an ISO Class 5 cleanroom and SI-traceable calibration capability, with stated design accuracy down to picometer levels and demonstrable performance down to 1.5 nm overlay accuracy in semiconductor applications.

The company serves enterprise customers across semiconductor equipment (ASML, Applied Materials), aerospace and defence (Rolls-Royce), automotive (Mercedes-Benz), scientific research (CERN, GraviTower Bremen/ZARM), and printing equipment (Canon Production Printing, formerly Océ). Revenue is generated through custom engineering projects (e.g., the ALICIA sensor module assembly machine for CERN's ALICE detector upgrade, eight units delivered globally for assembling 15,000 sensor chips), catalog hardware sales of components and instruments, and supporting services including integration engineering, calibration, and refurbishment. Go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales supplemented by participation in Euspen, Precision Fair, Hannover Messe, and Automotive Testing Expo, plus digital content via LinkedIn, YouTube, and a technical knowledge library.

IBS maintains long-tenured technology partnerships with New Way Air Bearings (since 2001), Lion Precision (since 1995), and Siemens as a Product Partner for the SINUMERIK CNC portfolio, and is a founding partner of the Advanced Thermal Control Consortium (ATCC) alongside ASML. The company holds JOSCAR accreditation for defence and aerospace supply chains, participates in ISO norming committees (ISO/TC 39/SC 2 and TC 213), and runs the SemiCon02 NXTGEN Hightech R&D project applying Physics-Guided Neural Networks to semiconductor control. Privately held and founder-owned, IBS does not disclose revenue and has only one recorded small grant from EISMEA in 2015, with no external venture or private equity investment on record.

Name

IBS Precision Engineering

Legal name

IBS Precision Engineering

Website

https://ibspe.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

IBS Precision Engineering is a Dutch ultra-precision engineering firm designing metrology systems, machine qualification tools, and air bearing components for enterprise customers including ASML, Rolls-Royce, Mercedes-Benz, CERN, and Canon Production Printing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Precision Metrology and Motion Equipment

NAICS

Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (33451), Instruments and Related Products Manufacturing for Measuring, Displaying, and Controlling Industrial Process Variables (334513)

SIC

Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823), Optical Instruments & Lenses (3827), Special Industry Machinery, Nec (3559)

akta.pro primary industry

Machine Vision & Optical Sensing (Cameras, 3D vision, LiDAR, illumination) (IMAGAFAB)

Keywords

• Ultra-precision metrology
• Air bearing components
• Machine tool qualification
• Coordinate measuring machines
• Precision motion systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Eindhoven

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Ultra-Precision Engineering Solutions: Design, development, and manufacture of custom ultra-precision measurement machines, modules, and scientific instruments for specific customer requirements. Long-term partnerships with customers with aligned development roadmaps.
2. Precision Components (Air Bearings): Sale of air bearing components including standard and custom configurations for integration into customer machines and systems
3. Measuring and Calibration Systems: Sale of measuring systems including capacitive, inductive, and optical systems, plus machine calibration and qualification products
4. Machine Qualification Products: Products for machine tool qualification including position inspectors, rotary inspectors, spindle analyzers for quality control and predictive maintenance
5. Service and Support: Engineering support for integration, calibration services traceable to international standards, repair and refurbishment services

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

IBS Precision Engineering designs, develops, and manufactures ultra-precision measurement machines, non-contact measuring systems (capacitive, inductive, optical), machine qualification products, and a broad portfolio of air bearing components for industries including semiconductors, aerospace, automotive, scientific research, and printing. Its solutions deliver frictionless motion, position and spindle qualification, and dimensional metrology down to picometer-level accuracy. The company also provides integration engineering, SI-traceable calibration, repair, and refurbishment services.

Product overview

IBS Precision Engineering offers a comprehensive portfolio of precision engineering solutions organized into four main categories: Engineering Solutions (custom ultra-precision measurement machines, modules, and scientific instruments including the ALICIA for CERN), Measuring Systems (capacitive/inductive/optical displacement sensors, 3D coordinate metrology with ISARA 400, ultra-precision force sensors, and cryogenic sensors), Machine Qualification Products (Rotary Inspector, Spindle Analyzer Systems with Multi-Probe Analyzer, Trinity-m wireless probe, and position/rotary inspection tools), and Air Bearing Components (flat bearings, air bushings, air spindles, conveyors, slides, and custom solutions). The company designs to picometer accuracy and serves semiconductor, aerospace, automotive, printing, and scientific research industries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ISARA 400 3D Coordinate Measuring Machine Ultra-precision 3D coordinate measuring machine for high-accuracy dimensional metrology of components used in semiconductor, aerospace, and scientific applications.
• Capacitive Measuring Systems Non-contact capacitive displacement sensors for precision measurement in ultra-high vacuum and other extreme environments; supplied to semiconductor equipment OEMs since the late 1990s.
• Inductive Measuring Systems High-precision inductive displacement sensors for industrial measurement applications including geometric and kinematic accuracy verification.
• Optical Measuring Systems (ARINNA) Optical measurement systems, including ARINNA technology, used for battery production inspection and other precision optical measurement applications.
• Ultra-Precision Force Sensors Force sensors in 5N, 5N damped, and 20N variants offering mN resolution force measurement combined with nanometer displacement sensing and SI-traceable calibration.
• Cryogenic Displacement Sensors Capacitive displacement sensors operating at cryogenic temperatures below 10K (down to 3K) with sub-12% sensitivity shift versus ambient, designed for quantum computing, particle physics, gravitational wave, MRI, and electron microscopy applications.
• Position Inspector Measurement system for qualifying the linear and rotary position accuracy of precision machine tools.
• Rotary Inspector Wireless probe system for qualifying the accuracy of 5-axis machine tools, sold as a Siemens Product Partner within the SINUMERIK CNC control portfolio.
• Integrated Spindle Inspector System for measuring spindle error motion and performance on precision machine tools, including integrated monitoring for production environments.
• Spindle Analyzer Systems (including Spindle Error Analyzer) Complete spindle analysis systems for characterizing spindle error motion at nanometer levels, used in ultra-precision grinding and machining applications.
• Trinity-m Wireless Probe System Compact non-contact wireless probe system for fast, simple 5-axis machine tool qualification, evolved from the Rotary Inspector and targeted at aerospace manufacturing environments.
• Flat Air Bearings Frictionless air bearing components used for precision positioning, rolling roads, and wind tunnel applications.
• Air Bushings Cylindrical air bearings providing frictionless rotation for precision applications including zero-gravity simulations such as the GraviTower Bremen prototype.
• Vacuum Preloaded Air Bearings Air bearings with vacuum preloading for enhanced stiffness and precision in demanding ultra-precision applications.
• Radial Air Bearings Journal-style air bearings for radial load support in precision machinery, developed in collaboration with New Way Air Bearings.
• Conveyor Air Bearings Air bearings for precision contactless transport and inspection of flat panel displays, solar glass, and thin substrates.
• Air Slides Linear motion air bearing slides for precision positioning applications requiring frictionless travel.
• Air Turns Rotary air bearings used to change transport direction in conveyor-based handling systems.
• Spherical Air Bearings Spherical air bearings providing multi-axis motion and alignment for precision applications.
• Bonded Air Bearings Bonded air bearing designs produced for specialized mounting and integration configurations.
• Air Spindles High-speed precision spindles using integrated air bearing technology for frictionless rotation.
• Thrust Bushings Thrust bushings providing axial load support in air bearing systems.
• Custom Air Bearings Bespoke air bearing solutions designed and manufactured to customer specifications for unique ultra-precision applications.
• Ultra Precision Machines Custom-designed ultra-precision measurement machines for specialized industrial applications.
• Ultra Precision Modules Precision modules integrated into customer products, machines, or instruments to ensure extreme geometric or kinematic accuracy.
• ALICIA Sensor Module Assembly Machine Custom scientific instrument (ALICIA) developed for CERN to measure and assemble 15,000 sensor chips for the ALICE detector upgrade at the Large Hadron Collider; eight units were delivered to sites around the globe.
• Air Bearings for GraviTower Bremen Specialized air bearings integrated into the GraviTower Bremen (GTB) prototype drop tower Release-Caging-Mechanism to enable high-frequency microgravity test campaigns.

Quantifiable outcome

• Overlay accuracy in semiconductor production reaching 1.5 nanometers (approximately 1/50,000 of hair width)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability4 records

Feature10 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• New Way Air BearingscoreTechnology or IntegrationStrategic partnership initiated in 2001 between IBS and New Way Air Bearings. IBS uses New Way's porous media air bearings in their own systems and advises customers on air bearing applications. Collaboration has led to innovative applications including frictionless radial air bearings for CT scanners, contactless handling of solar glass and flat panel displays, and contactless transport of films in organic and printed electronics (roll-to-roll).
• Lion PrecisioncoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership formed in 1995 when TU Eindhoven's Precision Engineering group brought Lion Precision and IBS together. IBS supplies Lion sensors in Europe and supports customers with application and integration. Joint development has created leading spindle metrology systems, run-out measurement systems for hard disk industry, and ultra-precision product range down to picometer accuracy.
• SiemenscoreTechnology or IntegrationIBS is a Siemens Product Partner with the Rotary Inspector qualifying tool for 5-axis machine tools. The Siemens Product Partner Program identifies leading companies with recognized expertise in specific areas that complement Siemens solutions. IBS is a product partner to the SINUMERIK CNC control portfolio.
• Advanced Thermal Control Consortium (ATCC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIBS Precision Engineering is founding partner alongside ASML of the Advanced Thermal Control Consortium (ATCC), supporting leading research and development for industry in thermal control applications from inkjet printing to automotive to lithography systems.
• Onnes TechnologiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Onnes Technologies (Leiden, NL) for cryogenic testing. Onnes provided access to their cryogenic test facility and expertise in cryostat environments, while IBS contributed precision measurement knowledge and ultra-high-accuracy measurements for validation. A win-win collaboration for cryogenic sensor development.
• VDMAminorOthersIBS is a member of VDMA (Verband Deutscher Maschinen- und Anlagenbau), Europe's largest industry association for mechanical and plant engineering. Henny Spaan, IBS founder, serves on the board of the Electronics, Micro and Nano Technologies (EMINT) sector. IBS participated in developing Industry 4.0 standards for sensor and system integration.
• ISOminorOthersIBS participates in ISO norming committees. Dr. Ir. Guido Florussen serves as chair of ISO/TC 39/SC 2 (Test conditions for metal cutting machines) until end of 2022. IBS is member of ISO TC 213 (Dimensional and geometrical product specifications and verification) committee addressing new surface metrology innovations.
• ASPEminorOthersIBS contributes to the American Society for Precision Engineering through board membership, helping develop the society through conferences, member groups, peer-reviewed journals, and website resources.
• euspenminorOthersIBS directors contribute to the European Society for Precision Engineering and Nanotechnology in their roles as CEO and President, helping develop the society that connects entrepreneurs, researchers, authorities, and established/new actors worldwide.
• CIRPminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIBS contributes papers to CIRP (International Academy for Production Engineering), the world's leading organization in production technology research. IBS has contributed papers and keynote contributions to CIRP.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence: Global metrology and manufacturing intelligence platform (includes Leica, DEA, Brown & Sharpe). Comparable as a broad incumbent serving the same precision-measurement use cases as IBS but with a much larger software, hardware, and services portfolio.
• Carl Zeiss Industrial Metrology: Division of Carl Zeiss offering CMMs, optical and CT-based 3D metrology for industrial customers. Overlaps with IBS in coordinate and optical metrology, but operates at much larger scale and broader product breadth across automotive, aerospace, and medical.

Direct peers

• Zygo (AMETEK): US-based manufacturer of optical profilers, interferometers, and laser metrology instruments. Closely comparable in non-contact optical and interferometric measurement for semiconductor, aerospace, and scientific applications.
• Lion Precision: US-based specialist in capacitive and inductive displacement sensors for precision positioning and spindle metrology. Long-standing IBS partner since 1995 with overlapping sensor product lines and joint go-to-market in Europe.
• Mahr: German precision measurement specialist producing dimensional metrology instruments, optical and contact sensors, and CMM systems. Closely comparable in capacitive/inductive/optical measurement and coordinate metrology offerings overlapping with IBS measuring systems.
• Taylor Hobson (AMETEK): UK-based precision surface metrology and form-measurement specialist within AMETEK. Directly comparable in ultra-precision surface form and roundness measurement used in bearings, optics, and semiconductor applications.
• Renishaw: UK-based global leader in precision metrology, machine tool probing, and additive manufacturing measurement. Directly comparable as both firms supply high-precision position/spindle measurement, calibration, and gauging products to semiconductor, aerospace, and scientific OEMs.
• Heidenhain: German manufacturer of high-precision linear and angle encoders, length gauges, and machine-tool calibration systems. Comparable to IBS in serving 5-axis machine tool builders and OEMs requiring sub-micron positioning feedback and qualification.
• New Way Air Bearings: US manufacturer of porous-media air bearings used across precision machinery, semiconductors, and metrology. Strategic partner of IBS since 2001 with overlapping component portfolios serving many of the same OEMs.

Emerging players

• Optodyne: Specialist in laser-based linear and angular measurement systems for machine tool calibration. Comparable niche overlap with IBS machine qualification products (Position Inspector, Rotary Inspector) for high-precision machine builders.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/IBSPrecision
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ibs-precision-engineering
• Xx.com/ibspe

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries3 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 IBS Precision Engineering