What RST Instruments does

RST Instruments is a Canadian geotechnical instrumentation manufacturer founded in 1977 by Robert Straghan Sr. and currently operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary within Orica Limited's (ASX:ORICA) Digital Solutions Geosolutions division. The company designs and manufactures sensors and monitoring systems that measure ground and structural movement, deformation, settlement, tilt, pore water pressure, and load across civil and mining infrastructure. Its product architecture follows a platform-plus-instruments model: the RSTAR Affinity wireless data collection platform (launched 2024, with single-channel vibrating wire and tilt logger extensions in 2026) acts as the connectivity layer integrating MEMS digital in-place inclinometers, piezometers, tiltmeters, settlement systems, extensometers, crack meters, strain gauges and meters, pressure cells, load cells, thermistors, data loggers (with Ethernet, USB, Wi-Fi, radio, cellular, and satellite connectivity), field software, signal cables, and readouts.

RST Instruments sells through enterprise field sales with a Western Canada-based team, quote-based pricing, and full-lifecycle services covering design and build, training and installation, inspection, and system upgrades. Customer segments include surface and underground mining (with emphasis on tailings storage facility monitoring), civil infrastructure (tunnels, dams, bridges), energy (dam and levee monitoring), underground construction and tunnelling, general construction, and oil & gas pipelines. Marketing is delivered through Orica's global content channels including blogs, case studies, industry solution pages, and social media presence on LinkedIn, YouTube, and X. The company is ISO 9001:2015 certified (certificate covering Orica Digital Canada - RST Instruments / Navstar, valid through 18 August 2028) and operates with 51-100 employees under CEO Mark Price, with Robert Straghan Sr. as founder, Alex Chassels as VP of Operations, and James Chung as Director of Manufacturing.

Name

RST Instruments

Legal name

RST Instruments Ltd.

Website

https://rstinstruments.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

RST Instruments is a Canadian geotechnical instrumentation manufacturer founded in 1977, now a subsidiary of Orica, producing sensors and wireless monitoring platforms for ground and structural movement in mining, civil infrastructure, and energy projects.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Geotechnical Instrumentation

NAICS

Other Measuring and Controlling Device Manufacturing (334519)

SIC

Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)

akta.pro primary industry

Geotechnical Instrumentation & Monitoring (Settlement, Inclinometers, Piezometers) (IMAFAOAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Online Condition Monitoring (Sensors, Edge Devices, IIoT Gateways) (EUAEAKAA), Condition Monitoring Sensors & IoT (online/offline monitoring, edge devices) (EUADAJAD), Condition Monitoring & Predictive Maintenance Instrumentation (Vibration/ultrasound, oil analysis sensors, IIoT monitoring) (IMAGAFAG)

Keywords

• Geotechnical instrumentation
• Structural monitoring sensors
• Wireless data acquisition
• Ground movement monitoring
• Mining monitoring solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Maple Ridge

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Geotechnical Instrumentation Hardware: Sale of geotechnical monitoring instruments including inclinometers, extensometers, tiltmeters, settlement systems, piezometers, crack meters, strain gauges, pressure cells, load cells, thermistors, signal cables, and readouts
2. Software Solutions: User-friendly software for data downloading, maintenance, and field operations
3. Services: Full lifecycle support including design and build consultation, training and installation, inspection and system upgrades

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

RST Instruments designs, manufactures, and services geotechnical instrumentation sensors and wireless data acquisition systems used to monitor ground and structural movement in mining, civil infrastructure, energy, and construction projects. The portfolio includes inclinometers, piezometers, tiltmeters, settlement systems, extensometers, crack meters, strain gauges, pressure cells, load cells, and thermistors, supported by the RSTAR Affinity wireless platform, multi-mode data loggers, field software, and project-lifecycle services (design, installation, training, inspection, upgrades).

Product overview

RST Instruments is a geotechnical instrumentation company founded in 1977, now part of Orica Digital Solutions' Geosolutions division. The product portfolio is organized as a platform-plus-instruments architecture: the RSTAR Affinity wireless data collection platform serves as the core connectivity layer, which integrates with a broad suite of specialized geotechnical monitoring instruments. The instrument portfolio spans sensors including Inclinometers, Piezometers, Tiltmeters, Settlement Systems, Extensometers, Crack Meters, Strain Gauges and Strain Meters, Pressure Cells, Load Cells, and Thermistors; supported by Data Loggers (with Ethernet, USB, Wi-Fi, radio, cellular, and satellite connectivity), Software for field data management, Signal Cables, and Readouts. The company also provides services covering the full project lifecycle (design and build, training and installation, inspection and system upgrades).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• RSTAR Affinity: Next generation of RST Instruments' RSTAR legacy system, combining advanced remote, wireless data collection solutions with industry-leading instrumentation.
• RST Data Loggers
• ShapeArray

Products and services

• RSTAR Affinity Next-generation wireless remote data collection platform combining advanced remote, wireless data collection with RST Instruments' legacy instrumentation, supporting automated, remote deformation monitoring across geotechnical applications.
• Inclinometers Advanced inclinometer systems delivering precise subsurface lateral displacement data for monitoring underground movement within soil and rock formations.
• Piezometers Devices installed in vertical columns such as boreholes, standpipes, and wells, consisting of a pressure-sensitive tip connected to the ground surface by a rugged cable, used for measuring pore water pressure.
• Tiltmeters Instruments used to measure and monitor changes in inclination and vertical rotation of structures, providing accurate rotation and structural tilt measurement.
• Settlement Systems Industry-leading systems used to monitor changes in ground surface and subsurface in terms of settlement and heave, or to monitor the efficiency of preconsolidation of soft soil formations.
• Extensometers Instruments used to measure displacement or general deformation of rock, soil, and concrete structures across various geotechnical applications, supporting long-term displacement monitoring.
• Crack Meters Devices employed in geotechnical construction applications to monitor movement in structures along surface cracks or construction joints.
• Strain Gauges and Strain Meters Devices used for measuring strain in a range of materials including steel and concrete for structural monitoring applications.
• Pressure Cells Devices used to measure total pressure in soils, rock and concrete, and at the interface between soil and natural or concrete abutment structures, as well as on foundation contacts.
• Load Cells Devices used to record and measure the force of compressive and tensile loads in various industrial applications.
• Thermistors Custom-manufactured thermistor strings providing reliable and easy-to-implement temperature monitoring, available in single-point and multipoint configurations with short or extended lengths.
• Data Loggers Flexible data loggers offering communication options including direct connections via Ethernet or USB cables, as well as wireless connectivity through Wi-Fi, radio, cellular, or satellite modems.
• RST Software User-friendly software enabling easy downloading and maintenance of geotechnical instrumentation data in the field.
• Signal Cables Full range of outdoor-rated signal cables connecting vibrating-wire piezometers, load and pressure cells, crack meters, and other instruments.
• Readouts Multiple solutions for reading, displaying, and logging data from RST Instruments' geotechnical instruments.
• Service and Partners Full project lifecycle services including design and build, training and installation, inspection and system upgrades, provided by the Western Canada-based team for geotechnical instrumentation projects.
• RSTAR Affinity Single Channel Vibrating Wire Data Logger Single-channel vibrating wire data logger designed for cost-effective data connectivity with single-point vibrating wire sensors, part of the RSTAR Affinity product family.
• RSTAR Affinity Tilt Logger Wireless tilt logger for automated, remote geotechnical deformation monitoring, part of the RSTAR Affinity family.

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• MeasurandcoreOthersSister company under Orica Digital Solutions' Geosolutions portfolio. Part of the global geotechnical, geospatial and structural monitoring portfolio.
• GroundProbecoreOthersSister company under Orica Digital Solutions' Geosolutions portfolio. Part of the global geotechnical, geospatial and structural monitoring portfolio.
• 3vGeomaticscoreOthersSister company under Orica Digital Solutions' Geosolutions portfolio. Part of the global geotechnical, geospatial and structural monitoring portfolio.
• NavStarcoreOthersSister company under Orica Digital Solutions' Geosolutions portfolio. Part of the global geotechnical, geospatial and structural monitoring portfolio.
• Syscom InstrumentscoreOthersSister company under Orica Digital Solutions' Geosolutions portfolio. Part of the global geotechnical, geospatial and structural monitoring portfolio.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Fugro: Large Dutch geotechnical and geo-data services company that operates a structural and geotechnical monitoring division (Fugro Monitoring) competing with RST on integrated monitoring service contracts for major infrastructure and offshore projects, while also being a customer/buyer of geotechnical instruments.
• James Fisher Strainstall: UK-based engineering services group providing structural health monitoring, load monitoring, and offshore monitoring solutions using both proprietary and third-party sensors. Overlaps with RST in bridge, rail, and offshore monitoring projects, though broader in services and scope.
• Keller Group: Global geotechnical specialist providing foundation and ground engineering services, with instrumentation and monitoring offerings. Competes with RST on monitoring scope in infrastructure projects and is a significant buyer/integrator of geotechnical sensors in Europe, North America, and APAC.

Direct peers

• Encardio Rite: India-based manufacturer of geotechnical instruments and monitoring systems including inclinometers, piezometers, extensometers, strain gauges, and data loggers. Competes with RST on cost in emerging markets and on project specifications in South and Southeast Asia infrastructure and mining.
• Geokon: One of the largest independent manufacturers of geotechnical and structural instrumentation, offering vibrating wire sensors, inclinometers, piezometers, load cells, and data acquisition systems. Directly comparable in product breadth, customer segments (mining, civil, geotechnical engineering), and direct-to-engineer sales motion.
• Sisgeo: Italian-headquartered manufacturer of geotechnical and structural monitoring instruments (inclinometers, piezometers, settlement systems, tiltmeters, data loggers) with global distribution. Direct competitor in nearly every product category RST offers, particularly on European civil infrastructure projects.
• Roctest: Specialized manufacturer of geotechnical and structural monitoring instruments including inclinometers, extensometers, pressure cells, and fiber-optic sensors. Closely comparable product portfolio and serves the same dam, tunnel, bridge, and mining customer base as RST.
• Measurand: Sister company under Orica Digital Solutions' Geosolutions portfolio. Manufactures ShapeArray, a wireless deformable monitoring system that directly competes with RST's MEMS inclinometer product line for subsurface deformation monitoring in tunnels, mines, and slopes.
• Nova Metrix: Holding company for a portfolio of structural and geotechnical health monitoring brands (e.g., Durham Geo, Geomation, Sensemetrics) offering sensors, data acquisition, and software for dams, bridges, tunnels, and mining. Direct competitor across RST's product lines and end markets.
• Soil Instruments (COWI): UK-based designer and manufacturer of geotechnical and structural monitoring instruments, owned by COWI. Offers an overlapping product suite (inclinometers, extensometers, piezometers, settlement systems) and competes directly in the European and Middle East infrastructure market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/orica

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 RST Instruments