Ames Engineering
Ames Engineering designs and manufactures laser-based pavement measurement equipment, including inertial road profilers, texture scanners, real-time paver-mounted profilers, and GPS-based distance measurement instruments, primarily serving US state and federal highway departments, paving contractors, and testing agencies.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1996
- HeadquartersAmes, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Ames Engineering does
Ames Engineering LLC is a privately held Iowa company founded in 1996 that designs and manufactures laser-based pavement measurement equipment. Its product portfolio centers on two inertial road profiler platforms, the Model 8300 High Speed Profiler and the Model 6300 Lightweight Profiler, supported by proprietary sensors (TriODS, LMI RoLine, Gocator-based, AccuTexture 100), the 7200 Real-Time Profiler for paver-mounted smoothness measurement, transverse profiling systems, texture scanners (9400HD and 9500), and a Pro GPS-DMI line that replaces traditional encoder-based distance measurement instruments with DGPS. All systems are powered by the company's proprietary Ames Profiler software, which calculates industry-standard indices (IRI, PI, HRI, RQI, Ride Number) and exports data in multiple formats, with the newer Ames Connect cloud platform extending data management and sharing across the installed base. The company performs most manufacturing in-house and holds ASTM E950 Class 1, AASHTO PP 51-02, and Texas Test Method TEX 1001-S certifications on its core profilers.
The company sells primarily to State and Federal highway departments, paving contractors, testing agencies, and transportation engineering and maintenance teams through a consultative, sales-led direct channel with bundled delivery, installation, and operator training included. Pricing is quote-based with multi-year contracts and no public pricing disclosure. Revenue is generated through hardware sales of complete systems and recurring/aftermarket revenue from technical support, calibration, training services, and custom profiler builds. The company operates exclusively in the United States with its headquarters in Ames, Iowa, and has no parent company, no institutional funding, and no M&A history disclosed. Its strategic positioning relies on proprietary sensor and software development, in-house manufacturing, and deep co-development relationships with government agencies and the paving industry rather than on scale advantages.
Ames Engineering firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Ames Engineering
- Legal name
- Ames Engineering LLC
- Website
- https://amesengineering.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1996
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Ames Engineering designs and manufactures laser-based pavement measurement equipment, including inertial road profilers, texture scanners, real-time paver-mounted profilers, and GPS-based distance measurement instruments, primarily serving US state and federal highway departments, paving contractors, and testing agencies.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Ames Engineering industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Pavement Measurement Equipment
- NAICS
- Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511), Electronic and Precision Equipment Repair and Maintenance (811210)
- SIC
- Measuring & Controlling Devices, Nec (3829), Construction Machinery & Equip (3531)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Calibration Services & Standards (Calibration labs, reference standards, traceability services) (IMAGAFAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Surface Preparation Equipment (Shot Blasting, Scarifiers, Grinders) (IMAHALAL), Metrology, Calibration & Testing Equipment (Balances, pH/DO, Standards) (HLAGAIAL)
Keywords
Where Ames Engineering is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Ames
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Ames Engineering business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Pavement Measurement Equipment Sales: Sale of road profiling and measuring equipment including inertial road profilers, profilographs, texture profilers, texture meters, and GPS-DMI systems. Equipment is sold as complete systems with delivery, installation, and training included.
- Technical Support and Maintenance: After-sale technical support services including on-call daily troubleshooting, on-site operator training, equipment maintenance, and calibration services.
- Training Services: Operator training services provided with new purchases and regional operator training sessions throughout the year.
- Custom Builds: Custom profiler builds available for customers with specific requirements.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Quote-based pricing for all products |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Ames Engineering product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Ames Engineering designs, develops, and manufactures laser-based pavement measurement equipment, including inertial road profilers, profilographs, texture profilers, and texture meters. The company sells complete profiling systems (e.g., Model 8300 High Speed Profiler, Model 6300 Lightweight Profiler, Model 7200 Real-Time Profiler) along with add-on sensors and proprietary software for collecting, analyzing, and exporting pavement smoothness, texture, and distance data. Equipment delivery, installation, and operator training are bundled with each purchase.
Product overview
Ames Engineering offers a comprehensive portfolio of laser-based pavement measurement equipment centered around two main profiler platforms (8300 High Speed and 6300 Lightweight inertial profilers) and a software platform (Ames Connect). The product line includes add-on sensors (LMI Gocator Laser, AccuTexture 100), texture scanners (9400HD and 9500), transverse profiling systems, real-time paver-mounted profilers, and Pro GPS-DMI distance measurement instruments. All systems are supported by proprietary software for data collection, analysis, and export. Products serve paving contractors, testing agencies, and State/Federal highway departments.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Ames Connect: Software Platform for Road Profiler Data
- Model 8300 High Speed Inertial Profiler
- Model 8300 Stop and Go Inertial Road Profiler
- Model 6300 Lightweight Profiler
- Transverse Profiling System
- Laser Texture Scanner 9400HD
- Rapid Laser Texture Scanner 9500
- Real-Time Profiler Model 7200 RTP
- Pro GPS-DMI
- AccuTexture 100
- LMI Gocator Laser System
Products and services
- Ames Connect Cloud-based software platform for road profiler data management, enabling customers to access, analyze, and share profiling data collected from all Ames profiler systems.
- 8300 High Speed Inertial Road Profiler Portable inertial profiling system operating at 10-70 mph speeds, mountable on multiple vehicles via standard 2-inch receiver hitch. Collects pavement profile data for roughness measurement using laser height sensors and accelerometers. Meets ASTM E950 Class 1 and AASHTO PP 51-02 specifications.
- 8300 Stop and Go Inertial Road Profiler High-speed inertial profiler enabling accurate profile data collection in live traffic situations where stops and starts are necessary. Proprietary sensor technology removes vehicle dynamics error caused by starting and stopping. 0-70 mph speed range with no lead-in/out sections required.
- 6300 Light Weight Profiler Second-generation inertial profiler designed for surfaces that would be damaged by heavy vehicles. Operates at 8-15 mph speeds, available with one or two wheel track sensors. Meets ASTM E950 Class 1 specifications. Based on John Deere Gator platform with enclosed transport trailer.
- Real-Time Profiler (Model 7200 RTP) Paver-mounted laser smoothness measurement system that monitors profile and calculates indices directly behind the paver during concrete placement. Collects at 0-80 ft/min speeds with up to four sensors and displays Profile Index (PI) and International Roughness Index (IRI) in real time.
- Transverse Profiling System 3D transverse profile measurement system using a single laser and high-speed camera to capture lane-width data at highway speeds. Measures rutting, lane markings, crack detection, and edge drop-offs. Available in 2K (2,048 points/profile) and 4K (4,096 points/profile) configurations.
- Laser Texture Scanner 9400HD High-definition texture scanner measuring both microtexture and macrotexture with excellent correlation to Sand Patch Test. Sample area 104mm x 72mm, vertical resolution 0.003mm, maximum laser sampling speed 5 kHz. Calculates MPD, TPI, ETD, RMS, Ra, Rq, Skewness, and Kurtosis.
- Rapid Laser Texture Scanner 9500 Rapid macrotexture scanner completing a full 4" x 4" scan in 90 seconds. Portable design with built-in GPS receiver, replaces Sand Patch Test and Circular Texture Meter. Includes a 3D analysis suite for point-to-point measurement and surface modeling.
- LMI Gocator Laser System Line laser sensor using simulated tire tread pattern to reduce artificially high IRI values on textured surfaces. Best choice for ground or longitudinally tined concrete. Replaces RoLine sensors on high-speed and lightweight profilers.
- Ames AccuTexture 100 100 kHz single-point laser sensor for simultaneous profile and texture collection at highway speeds. New standard in texture measurement accuracy, outperforming Optocator on all surfaces. Retrofittable to existing Ames profilers.
- Pro GPS-DMI 100 Distance measurement instrument using DGPS signals with Nitestar display head. Magnetically mounted GPS receiver, OBD-II backup. 0.2% distance accuracy.
- Pro GPS-DMI 250 All-in-one GPS distance measurement instrument with built-in 4-line sunlight-readable LCD display. Uses DGPS with OBD-II backup. Units selectable between Feet, Miles, Meters, Kilometers. Accurate to 0.15% of measured distance.
- Pro GPS-DMI for Laptop GPS-DMI system using USB connection to Windows laptop with Ames GPS-DMI Display software. Collects distance, GPS station information, and exports as .kml file. No vehicle wiring required; moves between vehicles in minutes.
- Pro GPS-DMI HD Imaging Laptop-based GPS-DMI with HD camera for automatic image capture at regular intervals. Images are geo-tagged with time, date, distance, and GPS location, attached to .kml files for accurate roadway reference.
- Ames Profiler Software and Data Analysis Proprietary software suite including Data Collection, Data Viewer, GPS Tracer, Transverse Data Viewer, and Transverse 3D Viewer modules. Calculates PI, IRI, HRI, RQI, and Ride Number (RN). Export formats include PPF, ERD, Texas PRO, CSV, and HTML.
- Technical Support, Training, and Calibration Services After-sale technical support services including on-call daily troubleshooting, on-site operator training, equipment maintenance, and calibration services. Regional operator training sessions are offered throughout the year.
- Custom Profiler Builds Custom profiler builds available for customers with specific requirements, leveraging in-house manufacturing capabilities. Ames Engineering is positioned as consultants to design tailored solutions.
Quantifiable outcome
- GPS-DMI distance measurement accurate to within 0.15-0.2% of measured distance
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Ames Engineering
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Ames Engineering technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
Feature4 records
Ames Engineering partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- TransTech SystemsminorTransTech Systems is referenced as a related company/affiliate on the Ames Engineering website, linking to their website at transtechsys.com.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Ames Engineering competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Pavemetrics: Pavemetrics specializes in laser-based 3D pavement imaging and texture measurement systems used for pavement condition assessment. It overlaps with Ames' Laser Texture Scanner product line and transverse profiling capabilities.
- Dynatest: Dynatest is a leading global manufacturer of road profiling and pavement evaluation equipment, including inertial profilers and falling weight deflectometers. It competes head-to-head with Ames Engineering in the US state DOT and paving contractor segments with overlapping laser-based profilers and pavement management offerings.
- Surface Systems & Instruments (SSI): SSI manufactures laser-based road profilers and pavement roughness measurement systems including the Classic Plus and LaserPlus product lines. It competes directly with Ames in inertial profiling and texture measurement.
- International Cybernetics (ICP): ICP manufactures road profilers, profilographs, and pavement roughness measurement equipment used by State DOTs and contractors. It is one of the closest direct competitors to Ames in high-speed inertial profiling and profilograph systems.
- K.J. Law Engineers: K.J. Law Engineers is one of the original US profilograph and inertial profiler manufacturers with a long installed base at State DOTs. It directly overlaps with Ames' core inertial road profiler product line.
Regional players
- ARRB Systems (Australian Road Research Board): ARRB Systems provides road and transport infrastructure solutions including road profiling and pavement evaluation equipment, with strong presence in Australia and the Asia-Pacific region. Comparable to Ames Engineering in pavement measurement hardware and consulting services but focused on a different geography.
- Rapport IT: Rapport IT supplies road profiling and pavement data management solutions primarily in Australia and the Asia-Pacific region. It is geographically regional but offers directly comparable inertial profiler hardware and Pavement Management System software to Ames' offerings.
Broad incumbents
- Trimble Transportation/Infrastructure: Trimble is a large incumbent in construction and infrastructure measurement with mobile mapping, surveying, and pavement management offerings. While it doesn't focus exclusively on pavement profilers, it competes at the high end of road condition and asset data solutions for transportation agencies.
Others
- TransTech Systems: TransTech Systems is referenced as a related/affiliate company on the Ames Engineering website and supplies pavement testing equipment such as nuclear gauges and asphalt content testers. It sits in the same ecosystem of pavement testing equipment but addresses a different measurement niche.
- Infrastructure Management Services (IMS): IMS provides pavement condition survey services using profilers and related equipment, often using Ames/Dynatest-type hardware, and competes indirectly as a service-bureau alternative to owning Ames profilers. It is adjacent rather than directly competitive on hardware.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Ames Engineering social profiles
Digital presenceAmes Engineering compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance6 records
Ames Engineering financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Ames Engineering leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Ames Engineering funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Ames Engineering 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 Ames Engineering
What does Ames Engineering do?
Ames Engineering designs, develops, and manufactures laser-based pavement measurement equipment, including inertial road profilers, profilographs, texture profilers, and texture meters. The company sells complete profiling systems (e.g., Model 8300 High Speed Profiler, Model 6300 Lightweight Profiler, Model 7200 Real-Time Profiler) along with add-on sensors and proprietary software for collecting, analyzing, and exporting pavement smoothness, texture, and distance data. Equipment delivery, installation, and operator training are bundled with each purchase.
Is Ames Engineering a public or private company?
Ames Engineering is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Ames Engineering founded?
Ames Engineering was founded in 1996. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Ames Engineering based?
Ames Engineering is headquartered in Ames, United States, in the North America region.
How does Ames Engineering make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Pavement Measurement Equipment Sales are the primary driver. The others are technical Support and Maintenance, training Services and custom Builds.
Who are Ames Engineering's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Pavemetrics, Dynatest, Surface Systems & Instruments (SSI), International Cybernetics (ICP) and K.J. Law Engineers. Regional players are ARRB Systems (Australian Road Research Board) and Rapport IT. Trimble Transportation/Infrastructure is listed as a broad incumbent. Others are TransTech Systems and Infrastructure Management Services (IMS).
Does Ames Engineering have an API?
No public API is recorded for Ames Engineering.
What industry is Ames Engineering in?
Ames Engineering's product category is Pavement Measurement Equipment. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAGAFAH, Calibration Services & Standards (Calibration labs, reference standards, traceability services), with a secondary code of IMAHALAL, Surface Preparation Equipment (Shot Blasting, Scarifiers, Grinders). Its NAICS code is 334511 and its SIC code is 3829.