What Gurley Precision Instruments does

Gurley Precision Instruments, Inc. (GPI) is a privately held designer and manufacturer of precision measurement instrumentation headquartered in Troy, New York, operating continuously since 1845. The company offers four core product lines: optical encoders (rotary and linear, including its proprietary Virtual Absolute technology), optics and optographics (precision patterns on glass, encoder discs, optical coatings, and components), hydrological instruments (current meters and flow indicators for open-channel water measurement), and paper/materials testing instruments (densometers, stiffness testers, Cobb testers). Optical encoders are the largest product line. The company sells directly to OEMs worldwide, supported by joint ventures in Lithuania, Slovenia, and China for component and assembly needs, and by regional sales offices in Beijing and Hong Kong alongside independent representatives across India, Israel, Turkey, Australia, Benelux, the UK, and France. GPI holds ISO 9001:2015 certification (over 20 years) and adheres to AS9100, J-STD, NASA, NIST 800-171, and ASTM standards, qualifying it as a supplier to defense and aerospace primes including Lockheed Martin and Raytheon. The company serves military/defense, space/aerospace, semiconductor, medical device, pulp/paper/board, environmental, photonics/optics, and wovens/non-wovens segments.

The company operates a traditional B2B OEM hardware sales model with no public pricing (contact-driven quotes), customized products, and relationship-based sales. It has been debt-free since 1845, employs 1-10 people, and maintains a conservative, long-term business approach. GPI has won the Lockheed Martin Outstanding Small Business Award in 2012 and 2019 and the Raytheon Premier Award for Business Management in 2018, reflecting its positioning as a trusted, low-overhead supplier in the MIL-SPEC and space encoder markets. The company has invested over $1M in space-based encoder infrastructure including clean rooms, personnel, and lifetime component buys to serve the cubesat and constellation satellite segments.

Name

Gurley Precision Instruments

Legal name

Gurley Precision Instruments, Inc.

Website

https://gurley.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1845

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Gurley Precision Instruments is a precision measurement instrumentation manufacturer founded in 1845 in Troy, NY, producing optical encoders, optographics, optical coatings, hydrological instruments, and paper testing instruments for global OEM customers in defense, aerospace, semiconductor, medical, and industrial markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Precision Measurement Instrumentation

NAICS

Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (33451), Instruments and Related Products Manufacturing for Measuring, Displaying, and Controlling Industrial Process Variables (334513), Other Measuring and Controlling Device Manufacturing (334519)

SIC

Measuring & Controlling Devices, Nec (3829), Optical Instruments & Lenses (3827), Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)

akta.pro primary industry

Test & Measurement Equipment (Oscilloscopes, DAQ, signal analyzers, calibration benches) (IMAGAFAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Machine Vision & Optical Sensing (Cameras, 3D vision, LiDAR, illumination) (IMAGAFAB), Metering, Calibration & Flow Measurement Verification (EUAEAHAM)

Keywords

• Precision measurement instruments
• Optical encoders
• Hydrological current meters
• Paper testing instruments
• Optical coatings components

Headquarters

HQ city

Troy

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Optical Encoders: Optical encoders for both rotary and linear motion, in conventional incremental and absolute configurations and Virtual Absolute technology. The company's largest product line.
2. Optics and Optographics: Generation and replication of precision optical patterns and parts such as reticles, resolution targets, encoder discs and scales, prisms, mirrors, beam splitters, filters, lenses and step wedges.
3. Hydrological Instruments: Instruments to measure flow velocity in open channels such as rivers, streams, tidal marshes, sewers, flumes, conduits. Includes Price and pygmy meters, digital indicators.
4. Paper Testing Instruments: Film, Sheet, and Paper Testing Instruments for measuring physical characteristics such as stiffness, flexibility, softness, porosity, air-permeability, and smoothness.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Gurley Precision Instruments designs and manufactures precision measurement instrumentation across four product lines: optical encoders (rotary and linear motion, including proprietary Virtual Absolute technology) for OEM motion control; optics and optographics (precision patterns on glass, encoder discs/scales, optical components and coatings); hydrological instruments (Price and Pygmy current meters, digital indicators, AquaCalc 5000) for open-channel water velocity measurement; and paper, film, sheet, and tubing testing instruments (densometers, stiffness testers, Cobb testers) for physical property testing. The company supports MIL-SPEC and space-grade applications with clean-room manufacturing.

Product overview

Gurley Precision Instruments is a precision instrumentation manufacturer founded in 1845, offering four main product lines: Optical Encoders (rotary and linear motion sensors including incremental, absolute, and proprietary Virtual Absolute technology); Optics and Optographics (precision optical patterns, encoder discs/scales, optical coatings, and optical components); Hydrological Instruments (current meters and indicators for open-channel flow measurement); and Paper Testing Instruments (densometers, stiffness testers, Cobb testers for measuring physical properties of sheet materials). The company operates from Troy, NY with global representation and holds ISO 9001:2015 certification.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Virtual Absolute: Unique optical encoder technology offering absolute position measurement capability
• GENUINE GURLEY
• GENUINE GURLEY Cobb Sizing Testers

Products and services

• Optical Encoders Precision optical encoders for measuring position or speed, available in rotary and linear motion configurations, including conventional incremental and absolute encoders plus GPI's proprietary Virtual Absolute technology. Used by OEMs worldwide for motion-control applications in motors, robotics, automation, semiconductors, and OEM systems.
• Optics and Optographics Generation and replication of precision optical patterns and parts including reticles, resolution targets (USAF and Sayce), encoder discs and scales, prisms, mirrors, beam splitters, filters, lenses, and step wedges for photonics and OEM optics customers.
• Hydrological Instruments Open-channel flow meters and current meters for measuring water velocity in rivers, streams, tidal marshes, sewers, flumes, and conduits, including Gurley Price AA and Pygmy meters used by hydrology agencies, environmental consultants, and wastewater utilities.
• Paper Testing Instruments Industry-standard film, sheet, tubing, and paper testing instruments for measuring physical characteristics including stiffness, flexibility, softness, porosity, air-permeability, and smoothness, used by pulp/paper/board, medical tubing, wovens/non-wovens, and filter-media manufacturers.
• MIL and Space Encoders Military and aerospace-grade optical encoders with enhanced radiation shielding, available in enclosed or modular configurations, designed for cubesats, constellation satellites, filter wheel encoders, and rate sensors with flight pedigree.
• Model 4340 Automatic Densometer & Smoothness Tester Flagship instrument combining low, standard, and high-pressure densometer and smoothness tester capabilities with state-of-the-art mass flow technology for instant, oil-free testing of materials with porosity values up to 50,000 Gurley Seconds.
• Model 4110N GENUINE GURLEY Densometer Most popular densometer model for measuring porosity and air-permeability in materials with average permeability values, featuring a 20 oz. cylinder and 1.0 square inch orifice.
• Model 4118N GENUINE GURLEY Densometer Densometer designed for testing fabrics and other more permeable materials using a 5 oz. cylinder in place of the standard 20 oz. inner cylinder and 0.1 sq. in. clamp plates.
• High Pressure Densometers Standard for measuring porosity and air-permeability of materials with low permeability such as coated papers and membranes, featuring faster measurement times using higher air pressure and smaller air volumes.
• Standard and Low Pressure Manual Densometers Accepted standard densometer for measuring porosity of papers, wovens, plastics, and membranes by recording the time required for a given volume of air to flow through a standard area under light uniform pressure.
• Model 4190N GENUINE GURLEY S-P-S Tester Tests smoothness, porosity, and softness/compressibility of paper and other material surfaces by detecting air flow through samples and leakage across surfaces.
• Model 4320 Digital Timing Attachment Programmable digital timer designed for all Gurley Densometers providing increased accuracy and productivity with recording and computing capabilities, including RS-232 and Centronics output.
• Gurley Cobb Testers Economical apparatus for determining liquid absorptiveness or resilience of treated and untreated papers, boards, fabrics, and other sheet materials using the Gurley-Cobb sizing test method.
• Gurley Bending Resistance/Stiffness Testers Precision instruments using a balanced pendulum mechanism on cylindrical jewel bearings for measuring bending resistance and stiffness of flat sheet materials, tubing, and catheters, available in manual, motorized, and digital models.
• Gurley Price Type AA Current Meters Fast, accurate water current meters for measuring stream flow, available in headphone or digital styles, suitable for suspension from bridges, boats, or wading rods in shallow streams.
• Gurley Pygmy Current Meters Compact current meters with a bucket wheel measuring 3/4 inch by 2 inches diameter for reliable measurement of shallower and lower velocity flows down to 0.05 feet per second at depths as shallow as 3 inches.
• Model 1100 Digital Indicator Economical digital indicator with CMOS circuitry for manual stream gauging with automatic and manual sampling modes, converting opto-electronic pulses to direct display of flow velocity.
• AquaCalc 5000 Handheld, weather-resistant device for measuring, recording, and calculating velocity and total flow measurements, computing formulas automatically for efficient stream flow calculations and reduced operator error.
• Optical Coatings Custom and standard optical coatings including Anti-Reflective coatings (narrowband vee-coat, broadband, low-cost), Reflective Mirrors (aluminum, chrome, inconel, dielectric), beamsplitters, dichroic mirrors, and neutral density filters, with high durability and typical 20 J/cm² laser damage threshold (20 ns pulse).
• Optical Components Standard, precision, and custom optical components including plano convex/concave, bi-convex/concave, meniscus, achromatic lenses, beamsplitters (plates and cubes), mirrors, and prisms (wedge, Brewster's angle, equilateral, roof, penta, right angle, dove, retro-reflector).

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered regional and core.

• Spectra Innovations Inc.regionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIndia representation for Gurley Precision Instruments encoders. Contact: Prasad Mamidanna, 1141 Ringwood Ct. #190, San Jose, CA 95131, Ph# 408-954-8474, Email: [email protected]
• Militram Industries (93) Ltd.regionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIsrael representation for Gurley Precision Instruments. Contact: 87 Harav Kook St., Herzelia, Israel, Tel: +972-9-9581860, [email protected]
• HabesisregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTurkey representation for Gurley Precision Instruments. Contact: Yeni Foça Sok. No: 7/9 Gaziosmanpaşa, Ankara, Turkey, Tel: +90312 447 17 79, [email protected]
• Maxon Motor AustraliaregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAustralia/Oceania representation for Gurley Precision Instruments. Contact: Brett Motum, Ph: +61 2 9476 4777, [email protected]
• PIMZOS CV, Technical Trading CompanyregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBenelux (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg) representation. Contact: Pim Verberne, Lange Dreef 54, NL-2285LA Rijswijk, The Netherlands, Tel: +31-70-393 41 37, [email protected]
• Motionlink Ltd.regionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUnited Kingdom representation for commercial and industrial applications. Contact: John Naples, Main Street, Chaddleworth, Berkshire, England RG20 7EH, Tel 44 (0) 1488 638488, [email protected]
• NEOPEPregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFrance representation for military/defense/aerospace applications. Contact: Joffrey Longour, Paris, France, [email protected], www.neopep.com
• Joint Ventures (Lithuania, Slovenia, China)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGurley maintains joint ventures in Lithuania, Slovenia, and China to support various component and assembly needs. These partnerships support manufacturing capabilities for the company's encoder and optical products.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gurley-precision-instruments

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries10 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 Gurley Precision Instruments