What Sofraser does

Sofraser SAS is a privately held French manufacturer of industrial process viscometers, founded in 1972 in Villemandeur, France. The company invented the world's first resonance frequency viscometer and has built its entire product portfolio around a vibration-at-resonance-frequency measurement principle with no moving parts, enabling continuous inline viscosity monitoring in harsh process environments up to 300°C and 1,000 bar. Its catalog spans direct-insertion sensors (MIVI, INVI), kinematic and dynamic viscosity analyzers (Thermoset KV, LT, CF), application-specific units for extrusion, coatings, fuel oil combustion, and high-temperature/high-pressure downhole use (SOFlux, SOFine, SOFuel, SOFeat), plus benchtop (SOFast), portable (PIVI), friction-testing (FTIP), and signal-processing accessories (9710 and 9720 HMI processors). The MIVI Hygienic line carries EHEDG certification, making it one of the few sanitary-compliant viscometers available.

The company sells primarily to enterprise industrial customers across five verticals: polymers and chemicals, oil and energy, food and beverage, pharma and biotech (including cosmetics), and coatings. Named reference customers include Air Liquide, Dior, Kodak, RockWool, Rolpin, and Derbigum, illustrating penetration across industrial gas, luxury cosmetics, imaging, insulation, and construction-coatings end markets. The go-to-market combines direct enterprise field sales with a global distributor network, supported by multilingual web presence in English, French, Spanish, German, and Simplified Chinese, plus technical event participation (e.g., ATC conferences) and content marketing through case studies and industry-focused blog content.

Sofraser generates revenue through hardware sales of process viscometers and signal processors, complemented by service and after-sales support. Entry-level pricing starts at approximately €5,000 per unit, with documentation indicating typical customer ROI of less than six months; pricing for complex industrial deployments is quote-based. The business is privately held by Sofraser SAS, with registered share capital of €267,444 and no disclosed parent company, institutional investors, or funding rounds. Headcount is reported in the 11–50 range, consistent with a focused specialty instrumentation firm operating for over five decades on a single core measurement technology.

Name

Sofraser

Legal name

Sofraser SAS

Website

https://sofraser.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sofraser is a French manufacturer founded in 1972 that builds industrial process viscometers based on proprietary resonance frequency technology, serving enterprise customers in polymers, oil and energy, food and beverage, pharma and biotech, and coatings.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Process Viscometers

NAICS

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

SIC

Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823), Measuring & Controlling Devices, Nec (3829), Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826)

akta.pro primary industry

Process Analytical Instrumentation (Gas analyzers, spectroscopy, pH/ORP, conductivity) (IMAGAFAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Industrial-Grade Sensors & Transducer Components (Discrete sensing elements, transducers, MEMS sensors) (IMAGAJAO)

Keywords

• Process viscometers
• Resonance frequency viscometry
• Inline viscosity measurement
• Process instrumentation
• Industrial viscosity sensors

Headquarters

HQ city

Villemandeur

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Process Viscometer Sales: Sale of industrial process viscometers including MIVI, INVI, THERMOSET (KV, LT, CF), SOFlux, SOFeat, SOFine, SOFuel, SOFast, PIVI, and FTIP models for various industrial applications.
2. Service & Support: Technical support, maintenance services, and after-sales support for viscometry solutions.
3. Investment Starting Price Point: Process viscometer investment starting at 5,000€ for simplest cases, with ROI typically less than 6 months.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Sofraser designs, manufactures, and sells industrial process viscometers based on its proprietary resonance frequency vibrating-sensor technology. Its products enable inline, in-tank, on-line, and at-line real-time viscosity measurement for chemical, oil & energy, pharmaceutical, food & beverage, and coatings process operations. The portfolio spans viscometer families (MIVI, INVI, SOFlux, SOFeat, SOFine, SOFuel, SOFast, PIVI, FTIP), the Thermoset sensor series (KV, LT, CF), and dedicated 9710/9720 processor units.

Product overview

Sofraser is a viscometry company founded in 1972 and inventor of the world's first resonance frequency viscometer. The product portfolio centers on process viscometers based on vibration at resonance frequency technology without moving parts. The core product lines include the MIVI series (direct insertion viscometers in Basic, Sanitary, and Hygienic versions with EHEDG certification) and the Thermoset analyzer series (T-KV for kinematic viscosity measurement, T-LT for light extractive applications, and T-CF for all-in-one functionality). Application-specific products include SOFlux for extrusion, SOFeat for HTHP downhole applications, SOFine for coatings, and SOFuel for combustion. The portable/benchtop offerings comprise PIVI (portable) and SOFast (benchtop). Supporting accessories include the 9710 and 9720 processors for signal processing, TCV configuration, and correlation functions. The company serves five industry segments: Polymers & Chemicals, Oil & Energy, Food & Beverage, Pharma & Biotech, and Coatings, with installation solutions spanning In Line, In Tank, On Line, and At Line configurations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MIVI viscometer Inline process viscometer from Sofraser used for real-time viscosity measurement in industrial process lines.
• INVI viscometer In-tank process viscometer designed for viscosity measurement inside tanks/vessels in industrial operations.
• Thermoset sensor series (KV, LT, CF variants) Range of Sofraser sensor variants (KV, LT, CF) tailored to different temperature, flow, and process conditions for viscosity measurement.
• SOFlux viscometer SOFlux flow-oriented viscometer for process applications requiring flow-through viscosity measurement.
• SOFeat viscometer SOFeat viscometer offering for Sofraser's process instrumentation line.
• SOFine viscometer SOFine process viscometer from Sofraser for industrial viscosity measurement applications.
• SOFuel viscometer SOFuel viscometer for fuel-related process viscosity measurement use cases.
• SOFast viscometer SOFast viscometer from Sofraser's process instrumentation family.
• PIVI viscometer PIVI process viscometer from Sofraser for industrial viscosity measurement.
• FTIP viscometer FTIP process viscometer from Sofraser for industrial viscosity measurement use cases.
• 9710 and 9720 processors Dedicated 9710 and 9720 processor units that interface with Sofraser viscometer sensors to deliver measurement signals and integration with plant systems.

Quantifiable outcome

• 10% reduction in downtime
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• INFOMANIAKminorOthersWebsite hosting provider for Sofraser.com. Located at Rue Eugène-Marziano 25, 1227 Genève, Switzerland.
• ARESSY & AssociésminorOthersSite Director / Website management. Located at 47 rue Rouget de Lisle, 92150 SURESNES, France.
• OVHminorOthersWebsite hosting provider for German site version. SAS with capital of 10,000,000€, headquartered at 2 rue Kellermann, 59100 Roubaix, France.
• International Distributor NetworkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGlobal network of distributors mentioned on website, providing regional sales and support for Sofraser products across various countries.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Vinci Technologies: Vinci Technologies supplies laboratory and process viscometers/rheometers primarily for the oil & gas PVT/fluids analysis market, with strong presence in Europe and the Middle East. It overlaps with Sofraser's HTHP SOFeat and oilfield services use cases.

Broad incumbents

• Endress+Hauser: Endress+Hauser is a global leader in industrial process instrumentation (flow, level, pressure, analytics) and offers process viscometry within its broad portfolio. It competes with Sofraser in large plant sales where multi-instrument vendor consolidation is the buyer's priority.
• Emerson Automation Solutions: Emerson (Rosemount) provides process measurement and analytical instrumentation globally, including inline viscosity solutions. As a multi-billion-dollar incumbent, it competes with Sofraser in large integrated plant sales and standard instrument vendor selection processes.
• Yokogawa Electric: Yokogawa supplies process control and field instrumentation (flow, pressure, temperature, analytics) to oil & gas, chemicals, and power. It overlaps with Sofraser when customers bundle viscometry into a broader DCS/field instrument standardization decision.

Direct peers

• Anton Paar: Anton Paar manufactures a broad range of rheometers, viscometers, and process density/viscosity analyzers across laboratory and inline applications. It is a direct competitor in process viscometry and kinematic viscosity analyzers (overlapping with Sofraser's T-KV).
• Brookfield Engineering / AMETEK: Brookfield is the most recognized viscometer/rheometer brand globally, serving laboratory and process viscosity measurement. It is the most direct head-to-head competitor to Sofraser, particularly in laboratory and at-line applications.
• Hydramotion: Hydramotion specializes in inline vibrating-element viscometers for industrial process applications, using a measurement principle architecturally similar to Sofraser's resonance frequency technology. It is a direct niche competitor.
• Cambridge Viscosity (PAC): Cambridge Viscosity (now part of PAC) manufactures inline process viscometers using a piston-based electromagnetic principle for oil & gas, coatings, and chemicals. It is a direct competitor in the process viscometer category.

Emerging players

• Rheonics: Rheonics is a Swiss/US-based manufacturer of inline viscometers and rheometers based on resonant sensor technology. It targets similar process industries (oil & gas, chemicals, food) and overlaps with Sofraser's core resonance frequency measurement approach.
• PetroSpec: PetroSpec specializes in inline optical and vibrational process analyzers for the petroleum and chemical industries, with overlap to Sofraser's oil & energy and refining applications.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@Sofraser
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sofraser

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Sofraser