What Kett Engineering does

Kett Engineering Corporation is a privately held U.S. automotive testing services firm founded in 1953 and headquartered in Van Nuys, California. The company provides a portfolio of vehicle validation, durability, ADAS/autonomous, and brake testing services; proving ground management; test program design; fleet management; and nationwide contract recruiting and staffing for professional, technical, and administrative automotive positions. Kett operates from seven owned locations across California, Arizona, Nevada, and Michigan and states capability to operate anywhere in North America, including extreme environments, public roads, proving grounds, off-road sites, and OEM engineering centers.

The company's underlying technology consists of vehicle testing data acquisition and reporting systems, GPS-based and in-vehicle camera monitoring for safety, and disciplined test execution protocols built around experienced test drivers and data operators. Kett's flagship ADAS/autonomous testing capability evaluates LiDAR, radar, lane departure, steering assist, automatic braking, traffic sign recognition, and GNSS systems across varied climate, traffic, and lighting conditions. A continuous 30+ year brake component wear testing program and hundreds of millions of road test miles of durability testing constitute the deepest documented data assets.

Kett's revenue model is a mix of professional services (test program development, ADAS/OTR testing, data acquisition and reporting) and managed services (proving ground management, fleet management, nationwide contract staffing) billed through direct enterprise contracts to automotive OEMs, Tier-1 suppliers, and technology companies. No public pricing is disclosed. The company differentiates on tenured personnel (many executives with 30+ years at Kett), accumulated testing data and mileage, a Supplier Code of Conduct published in October 2023, and an embedded safety culture with continuous training, performance incentives, and real-time monitoring.

Name

Kett Engineering

Legal name

Kett Engineering Corporation

Website

https://ketteng.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1953

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Kett Engineering is a U.S. automotive testing and contract staffing firm founded in 1953 that provides ADAS/autonomous, durability, brake wear, and proving ground management services to OEMs, Tier-1 suppliers, and automotive technology companies across North America.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Automotive Testing Services

NAICS

Testing Laboratories and Services (54138)

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Diesel Emissions Testing & Opacity/Smoke Testing (TLAKANAG)

Keywords

• Automotive testing services
• Vehicle durability testing
• ADAS testing
• Proving ground management
• Automotive contract staffing

Headquarters

HQ city

Chandler

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Contract Recruiting and Staffing: Provides nationwide staffing services for professional, technical, and administrative positions within the automotive industry. Services include full-time, part-time, project-based, temp-to-hire, direct hire, and contingent workforce solutions.
2. Proving Ground Management: Since 1988, Kett has provided management services to North American proving grounds including staffing, testing, engineering, data collection, safety, facility maintenance, and operational needs.
3. Test Program Development and Execution: Includes test program development, field and fleet test development, data acquisition and reporting, mapping programs, test trip staffing, and logistics and support services.
4. Fleet Management Services: Provides interface between test fleets and fleet users with tailored processes for monitoring test procedures, vehicle usage, logistics, scheduled inspections, and maintenance.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Kett Engineering provides automotive testing and development services to automotive manufacturers, Tier-1 suppliers, and technology companies. Its core offerings include contract recruiting and staffing, proving ground management, test program development, field and fleet test development, data acquisition and reporting, mapping programs, test trip staffing, and logistics and support. Specialized testing includes ADAS/autonomous vehicle testing, over-the-road (OTR) testing, extreme environment testing, brake component wear testing, and durability and quality testing.

Product overview

Kett Engineering provides automotive testing and development services through a unified portfolio of interconnected offerings rather than a traditional software product. The core services include contract recruiting and staffing (Nationwide Contract Personnel Services), proving ground management (since 1988), test program development, field and fleet test development, data acquisition and reporting, mapping programs and test trip staffing, and logistics and support. Specialized testing services include ADAS Testing/OTR evaluating autonomous vehicle technologies including LiDAR, radar, and sensor systems; over-the-road autonomous technology testing; extreme environment testing; City Brake Noise and Wear Testing (30+ years); and Durability and Quality Testing (hundreds of millions of road test miles). Fleet Management Services provides interface management between test fleets and users. These services serve automotive manufacturers, Tier-1 suppliers, and technology companies on public roads, proving grounds, off-road, and at engineering centers throughout North America.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Contract Recruiting and Staffing
• Proving Ground Management Management services for North American proving grounds including staffing, contingent workforce management, testing, engineering, data collection, safety, facility maintenance, and other operational needs.
• Test Program Development Design and refinement of durability, reliability, and over-the-road test programs including route development and operating procedures for clients globally.
• Field and Fleet Test Development Development and execution of field testing programs that evaluate vehicle performance across various real-world conditions and usage patterns.
• Data Acquisition and Reporting Collection and analysis of vehicle testing data with comprehensive reporting on test results and vehicle performance metrics.
• Mapping Programs and Test Trip Staffing Route mapping services and staffing support for test trip operations throughout North America.
• Logistics and Support Operational logistics and support services for vehicle testing programs, including organization of routes, travel, and shipment of data storage devices.
• ADAS Testing/OTR (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) Comprehensive ADAS testing that challenges vehicle automation and development systems using routes designed to test climate, traffic, and lighting conditions. Evaluates partial automation, transversal detection, frontal detection, and lateral detection systems including traffic sign recognition, collision avoidance, video and sensor data, LiDAR, radar, lane departure, steering assist, automatic braking, and Global Navigation Satellite Systems.
• Over-the-Road (OTR) Testing of Autonomous Technologies Extended cross-country travel test programs for autonomous vehicle technologies using experienced test drivers and data operators, with full execution and management including route organization, travel, and data storage shipment.
• Extreme Environment Testing Vehicle testing in extreme environments throughout North America including public roads, proving ground facilities, and off-road environments across all seasons, climates, elevations, and surface types.
• City Brake Noise and Wear Testing Specialized brake component wear testing programs conducted for over 30 years for major car companies, OEMs, and Tier 1 suppliers to verify test results and determine optimal brake components.
• Durability and Quality Testing Road test programs involving hundreds of millions of miles performing durability and quality testing on prototype to production level development vehicles, evaluating every vehicle function from bumper to bumper.
• Fleet Management Services Seamless interface between test fleets and fleet users with tailored processes for monitoring test procedures, vehicle usage, logistics, scheduled inspections, and maintenance.

Quantifiable outcome

• Hundreds of millions of road test miles logged for durability and quality testing
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Intertek: Global TIC (testing, inspection, certification) company with extensive automotive and mobility testing capabilities. Compares to Kett on automotive component and vehicle-level testing services, while serving far more end markets.
• SGS: World-leading testing, inspection, and certification company with automotive industry services including vehicle testing and component validation. Comparable to Kett on outsourced automotive testing, though as a far larger diversified incumbent.
• TÜV SÜD: Large global testing, inspection, and certification organization with a dedicated automotive service line covering homologation, ADAS, and EV testing. Comparable to Kett in automotive testing and certification work, though much broader in scope and geography.
• HORIBA: Global provider of test and measurement instruments and services, with significant automotive emissions, drivetrain, and ADAS testing offerings. Comparable to Kett at the vehicle testing and validation layer, though broader in scope and as an equipment vendor as well.

Direct peers

• Applus+ IDIADA: Spain-headquartered provider of design, engineering, testing and homologation services for the automotive industry, operating its own proving grounds and ADAS/autonomous validation programs. Highly comparable to Kett's mix of proving-ground management, ADAS/AV testing, and OEM/Tier-1 customer base.
• Roush Industries: US-based automotive engineering, prototyping, and testing services company serving OEMs and Tier-1 suppliers. Compares to Kett's combination of vehicle testing, proving-ground work, and staffing-style engineering services within North America.
• AVL List: Global powertrain and vehicle development company offering testing, simulation, and engineering services to automotive OEMs and suppliers. Comparable to Kett as a vehicle testing and validation partner across ICE, hybrid, and EV programs.
• UTAC: International automotive testing and certification group operating proving grounds and homologation services for OEMs. Comparable to Kett in vehicle testing and certification, including ADAS and regulatory-related test programs.
• Element Materials Technology: Global testing, inspection, and calibration services provider with significant automotive and component testing exposure. Comparable to Kett in third-party-style testing services across vehicle and component programs.
• FEV Group: Provider of engineering services and vehicle/powertrain testing for automotive OEMs worldwide, including ADAS and EV development. Overlaps with Kett in vehicle-level durability, ADAS, and powertrain-related test execution.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Kett-Engineering-246228728913499

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 Kett Engineering