What Inwatec does

Inwatec ApS is a Danish robotics company founded in 2009 and headquartered in Odense, Denmark, that designs and builds AI-enabled automation systems for industrial laundries. Its product portfolio centers on modular hardware and software that automate manual handling along the soiled-to-clean linen value chain: ODIN.Xray deep-learning foreign object detection; HEIMDAL.Camera and HEIMDAL.RFID for visual and RFID-based product classification at up to 98% accuracy; THOR Robot Separator and THOR.Towel robotic picking using 3D cameras and smart grippers at 1,200-1,500 pieces per hour; BIFRÖST.Sorting automated sorting at up to 2,000 pieces per hour; the GREIT stack storage and transport system handling up to 225 stacks per crane module per hour; and the VORTEX and TYPHOON mat rolling machines at up to 500 mats per hour. The company serves four primary segments — workwear, healthcare, hospitality and mats — for enterprise customers that include UniFirst, Canadian Linen, Wasserij van der Kleij, La Nuova, Textilservice Liebhardt, Nor Tekstil, DFD, Vraa Dampvaskeri and MidtVask.

The business operates three revenue streams: capital equipment sales of robotics and automation hardware configured per customer, recurring service and remote support agreements enabled through SiteManager connectivity, and embedded AI/software licensing with continuous model training. GTM is enterprise field sales with regional sales managers covering Scandinavia, Germany and international markets, augmented by the JENSEN-GROUP — a 60+ year incumbent laundry equipment OEM that has held a strategic partnership since 2018 and increased its ownership to 70% in March 2021, providing global distribution and local service infrastructure. JENSEN integration includes direct compatibility between Inwatec's stack storage and JENWAY transport and sorting systems.

Inwatec is a privately held Danish ApS employing approximately 20-30 people, with no public revenue disclosure, no public listings and no arms-length funding rounds reported in the input data. It was recognized as Odense Robotics Company of the Year in 2019. Geographic reach at the customer level now spans Denmark, Germany, Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands, Canada, the United States and New Zealand.

Name

Inwatec

Legal name

Inwatec ApS

Website

https://inwatec.dk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Inwatec ApS is a Danish robotics company that builds AI-powered, modular automation systems — robotic separators, X-ray foreign object detection, visual sorting, stack storage and mat rollers — for industrial laundries serving workwear, healthcare, hospitality and mats customers worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Laundry Automation Equipment

NAICS

Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing (3333)

SIC

Construction, Mining & Materials Handling Machinery & Equip (3530), Industrial Trucks, Tractors, Trailors & Stackers (3537)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial & Warehouse Robotics (HDAAAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Conveyors & Sortation Systems (Warehouse & Parcel) (IMAHABAC), Warehouse Automation Systems (AS/RS, Shuttle Systems, Vertical Lift Modules) (IMAHABAK)

Keywords

• Industrial laundry automation
• Robotic sorting systems
• Mat rolling machinery
• Foreign object detection
• Automated textile handling

Headquarters

HQ city

Odense

HQ country

Denmark

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Robotics and Automation Hardware Sales: Sale of automated laundry machinery including robot separators, mat rollers, X-ray systems, sorting systems, and storage solutions. Modular design allows customized configurations. Products are sold as complete systems or individual modules.
2. Service and Support: Remote support services and on-site maintenance. Service agreements available for quick support, defect remediation, and software updates. Service team provides troubleshooting and spare parts support.
3. Software and AI: AI-powered software for sorting, foreign object detection, and system optimization. Continuous training and parameter optimization included with systems.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Inwatec designs, manufactures, and sells robotics and AI-powered automation systems for industrial laundries. Its product portfolio includes robot separators for soiled textile sorting, automated mat rolling machines, X-ray foreign object detection systems, AI-driven visual and RFID identification modules, modular sorting systems, and automated stack storage/buffering solutions. Systems are modular and customized to each laundry's workflow, and are complemented by remote service, spare parts, and software updates.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Sorting throughput of 1,200-1,500 pieces per hour with THOR Robot Separator
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• JENSEN-GROUPcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Strategic collaboration with JENSEN-GROUP for product integration. Inwatec's storage systems directly integrate with Jenway transport and sorting system. Joint commitment to transforming industrial laundry industry through automation.
• Odense RoboticsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDenmark's national robot, automation and drone cluster. Inwatec participates in network meetings, gains industry insights, and benefits from ecosystem collaboration for innovation and growth.
• University of Southern Denmark (SDU)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRecruitment partnership for talented robotics and software students. Student jobs, project collaborations, and in-company periods. Source of engineering talent for product development.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• JENSEN-GROUP: Belgian-German industrial laundry equipment manufacturer and Inwatec's 70% owner since 2021. JENSEN-GROUP supplies finishing and material handling equipment to the same industrial laundry customers, with overlapping go-to-market and direct integration into Inwatec's sortation/storage systems.
• Herbert Kannegiesser GmbH: German family-owned industrial laundry equipment manufacturer offering washing, drying, ironing, folding, sorting, and material handling systems. Serves the same industrial/commercial laundries globally with installed-base scale comparable to JENSEN-GROUP.
• Lapauw International: Belgian manufacturer of industrial laundry equipment including continuous batch tunnel washers, dryers, and material handling/garment sorting systems. Targets the same industrial laundry customers with end-to-end laundry lines.
• Pellerin Milnor Corporation: US-based industrial laundry equipment maker (washers, dryers, material handling, and wet-cleaning systems). Competes with Inwatec-adjacent offerings in North American industrial laundries served by customers like UniFirst and Canadian Linen.
• TOLON Group: Turkish industrial laundry equipment manufacturer with global reach across washing, drying, ironing, and automated handling. Competes in the same B2B industrial laundry market, particularly in EMEA and emerging markets.

Emerging players

• EazyClean / Trans-Made: Smaller specialist players in industrial laundry automation and garment handling. Compete on niche applications such as automated sorting and tunnel system integration where Inwatec also plays.
• Locus Robotics: US-based autonomous mobile robot (AMR) vendor for warehousing and order fulfillment. Comparable on AI-driven robotics applied to industrial material handling, though different end markets.

Broad incumbents

• Symbotic: Large-scale US warehouse robotics and automation provider using AI-driven robots for storage and sortation. Broader scope and scale than Inwatec but adjacent in applying AI/robotics to industrial material flows.
• AutoStore: Public warehouse automation vendor offering cube-based AS/RS storage and retrieval systems. Comparable on the automated stack storage concept underlying Inwatec's GREIT system, though Inwatec targets laundry-specific applications.
• Berkshire Grey (SoftBank): AI-enabled robotics company for warehouse and supply chain automation, now owned by SoftBank. Adjacent in applying AI/computer vision to industrial sortation workflows at enterprise scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/inwatec
• Facebookfacebook.com/Inwatec
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/inwatec-aps

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

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 Inwatec