Andover Controls
Andover Corporation is a Salem, NH-based, vertically integrated manufacturer of precision optical filters and coatings spanning UV to far IR (193nm–15µm). Founded in 1976, the privately held company supplies custom and catalog optics to aerospace, defense, biomedical, astronomy, LiDAR, machine vision, and semiconductor markets.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1976
- HeadquartersSalem, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Andover Controls does
Andover Corporation is a Salem, New Hampshire-based, privately held manufacturer of precision optical filters and coatings, founded in 1976 and operating continuously for over 50 years. The company runs a vertically integrated production facility handling design, substrate fabrication, polishing, and final coating for optical components spanning the ultraviolet to far-infrared spectrum (193nm–15µm). It supplies custom and catalog optical components to mission-critical applications across aerospace, defense, biomedical, environmental monitoring, astronomy, LiDAR, machine vision, and semiconductor markets.
The technical core rests on three coating deposition methods — magnetron sputtering, ion-assisted e-beam deposition, and resistance evaporation — applied across more than 624 standard bandpass filters, 411+ semi-custom bandpass filters, IR windows and substrates, dichroic filters, calibration sets, beamsplitters, prisms, colored glass filters, heat control filters, dual-band coatings, AR coatings, infrared AR coatings, fiber-tip coatings, DLC coatings, and chalcogenide glass coatings. Every optic is 100% inspected with full metrology traceability. The company maintains ISO 9001:2015, AS9100:2016, and ITAR registrations through NQA and the U.S. Department of State. Named customers include Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon (RTX), BAE Systems, Collins Aerospace, L3Harris, KBR, Anduril Industries, NASA, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, Los Alamos and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories, Thorlabs, Edmund Optics, Siemens, Teledyne, and Leonardo.
The business model combines (a) direct enterprise sales with engineer-to-engineer collaboration on custom projects under quote-based, multi-year contracts, (b) an e-commerce storefront (store.andovercorp.com) selling 530+ surplus SKUs and standard catalog items directly online, and (c) a global distributor network for international reach. Revenue is generated from custom optical filters and coatings, standard catalog products, surplus inventory liquidation, custom fabrication services (prototyping through high-volume production), and testing and measurement services (metrology, interferometry, verification). Revenue is not publicly disclosed, the company is bootstrapped with no external funding, and ownership appears to be closely held with no recorded M&A or leadership-change events.
Andover Controls firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Andover Controls
- Legal name
- Andover Corporation
- Website
- https://andcorp.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1976
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Andover Corporation is a Salem, NH-based, vertically integrated manufacturer of precision optical filters and coatings spanning UV to far IR (193nm–15µm). Founded in 1976, the privately held company supplies custom and catalog optics to aerospace, defense, biomedical, astronomy, LiDAR, machine vision, and semiconductor markets.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Andover Controls industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Precision Optical Filters and Coatings
- NAICS
- Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing (33441)
- SIC
- Optical Instruments & Lenses (3827)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Optoelectronics & Photonics (LED/Laser/Optical ICs) (HDAHAAAH)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Optoelectronic Components (LEDs, photodiodes, optocouplers, optical sensors) (IMAGAJAF)
Keywords
Where Andover Controls is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Salem
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Andover Controls business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Custom Optical Filters and Coatings: Design and manufacture of custom optical filters and coatings for aerospace, defense, medical, and environmental industries. Products serve mission-critical applications requiring exceptional transmission, durability, and stability.
- Standard Catalog Products: Sale of standard bandpass filters, ND filters, IR filters, UV filters, edge filters, and other catalog optical components. Over 624 standard bandpass filters and extensive other product lines.
- Surplus Products: Sale of surplus optical products including bandpass filters (530+), edge filters (52+), hard-coated bandpass filters (52+), IR bandpass filters (167+), and IR edge filters (68+).
- Custom Fabrication Services: Custom prototyping and high-volume production services including optical assemblies, polishing, and fabrication. Vertically integrated facility handles both specialized custom projects and large-scale production runs.
- Testing and Measurement Services: Metrology, interferometry, and verification services for optical components. Full documentation and quality assurance support.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Custom Products - Quote-based pricing |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels8 records
Andover Controls product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Andover Corporation designs and manufactures precision optical filters and coatings spanning the UV to far IR spectrum (193nm–15µm). Operating from a vertically integrated facility in Salem, New Hampshire, the company produces custom and standard bandpass, neutral density, infrared, ultraviolet, edge, astronomy, dichroic, and image quality filters, plus specialty optics, coatings, fabrication, and metrology services for aerospace, defense, biomedical, environmental, LiDAR, machine vision, and semiconductor customers.
Product overview
Andover Corporation is a vertically integrated manufacturer of precision optical filters and coatings. The portfolio consists of optical filters (bandpass, ND, IR, UV, edge, astronomy, and image quality filters), specialty products (custom prototyping, colored glass, heat control, dichroic, calibration sets, beamsplitters/prisms, optical mounts, cryolite evaporation material, and epoxies), and coating/fabrication services (dual-band, AR, IR-AR, fiber tip, DLC, chalcogenide coatings, plus optical assemblies, polishing, high-volume fabrication, metrology, interferometry, and verification). The company operates from UV to far IR (193nm–15µm) and serves aerospace, defense, medical, environmental, astronomy, LiDAR, machine vision, and semiconductor markets.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Optical Filters (Bandpass, ND, IR, UV, Edge, Astronomy, Image Quality) Andover's core optical filter product line covering bandpass, neutral density, infrared, ultraviolet, edge, astronomy, and image quality filters, sold as standard catalog items and as custom-engineered components for aerospace, defense, biomedical, environmental, astronomy, LiDAR, machine vision, and semiconductor customers.
- Infrared Windows & Substrates Specialized infrared window materials and substrates for IR optical applications, including antireflective (AR) coated IR windows.
- Surplus Products Discounted surplus optical filters and substrate materials available for direct online purchase, spanning bandpass, edge, hard-coated, IR, and other filter categories.
- Legacy ANDV Filters Legacy ANDV filter product line carried over from a previous product family, offered as standard catalog items.
- Custom Products & Prototyping Custom optical filter design and prototyping services for customers with specialized requirements or unique specifications, from prototype through high-volume production.
- Colored Glass Filters Colored filter glass products including bandpass-type, heat-absorbing, and long-pass-type variants.
- Heat Control Filters Filters designed for thermal management and heat control in optical systems, including hot mirrors, cold mirrors, and infrared suppressing filters.
- Dichroic Filters Dichroic filter sets and individual dichroic filters for spectral separation applications.
- Calibration Filter Sets Pre-configured filter sets for calibration and reference applications in optical systems.
- Beamsplitters & Prisms Beamsplitter optics and prisms for light splitting and combining applications.
- Optical Mounts & Hardware Mechanical mounting solutions and hardware for optical components.
- Cryolite Evaporation Material Naturally mined cryolite material used in optical coating evaporation processes.
- Epolite Epoxies Epolite FH-5313 epoxies for optical bonding and assembly applications.
- Accessories Miscellaneous optical accessories including filter wheels, threaded filter rings, and temperature controllers.
- Dual-Band Coatings Custom dual-band optical coatings that operate at two distinct wavelength ranges.
- Antireflective (AR) Coatings AR coating services to reduce surface reflection and maximize optical transmission.
- Infrared AR Coatings Antireflective coatings specifically designed for infrared wavelengths.
- Fiber Tip Coatings Specialized optical coatings applied to fiber optic tips.
- DLC Coatings (Diamond-Like Carbon) Diamond-like carbon coatings for enhanced durability and wear resistance on optical components.
- Chalcogenide Glass Coatings Coating services for chalcogenide glass substrates used in IR applications.
- Optical Assemblies Integration and assembly of optical components into finished optical systems.
- Polishing & Fabrication Custom polishing and fabrication services for optical substrates, performed in-house.
- High-Volume Optical Fabrication Large-scale production manufacturing for optical components with consistent quality.
- Metrology Services Precision measurement and metrology services for optical components.
- Interferometry Services Optical interferometry testing and measurement for surface quality verification.
- Verification Services Quality verification and validation services for optical products, with full documentation.
Quantifiable outcome
- 0.90% return rate - industry-leading quality
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Andover Controls
Customer profileNamed customers27 records
Segments7 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Andover Controls technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Andover Controls partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Lawrence Business Growth CenterminorAndover Corporation is a proud sponsor of the Lawrence Business Growth Center, a nonprofit organization empowering the next generation of leaders. This is a charitable/community sponsorship relationship rather than a business partnership.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Andover Controls competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Schott AG: Major manufacturer of optical glass, substrates, and coated optical components. Comparable to Andover on substrates and IR materials but at significantly larger scale and with broader product portfolio.
- II-VI / Coherent (now Coherent Corp): Large diversified photonics company producing optical components, filters, and laser optics. Overlaps with Andover in precision optical components and coatings across UV to IR, but as part of a much broader portfolio.
- Newport Corporation (MKS Instruments): Broad optics and photonics platform within MKS Instruments offering filters, optics, motion, and light sources. Overlaps with Andover on optical filters but as part of much larger portfolio serving research and OEM markets.
- Materion Corporation: Advanced materials company producing thin-film coatings, optical filters, and specialty materials including precious metals. Competes with Andover in optical coatings and IR materials but at much larger scale across multiple end-markets.
Direct peers
- Edmund Optics: One of the largest global suppliers of optical components including filters, lenses, and coatings. Directly comparable to Andover across bandpass and edge filters, but at significantly larger scale and catalog breadth. Listed among Andover's known customers/competitors.
- Omega Optical: Specialty manufacturer of custom optical filters and coatings for scientific, medical, and industrial applications. Highly comparable in size, custom engineering model, and target applications to Andover.
- Chroma Technology: Specialty manufacturer of optical filters for fluorescence microscopy, biomedical imaging, and aerospace/defense. Closest direct specialty competitor to Andover, with similar custom engineering focus and comparable spectral coverage.
- Thorlabs: Vertically integrated manufacturer and distributor of photonics components including optical filters, mirrors, lenses, and coatings. Competes directly with Andover in catalog and custom optical filters for research and OEM markets. Listed in Andover's customer-adjacent ecosystem.
- Semrock (IDEX Corporation): Manufacturer of high-performance optical filters, particularly hard-coated bandpass filters for laser, biomedical, and analytical applications. A direct specialty competitor with comparable coating technology focus (ion-beam sputtering) and served end-markets.
Emerging players
- Daystar Filters: Specialty manufacturer of solar and astronomical filters. Listed in Andover's ecosystem as a known industry contact. Comparable niche focus on astronomy/solar optical filters but smaller and narrower in scope.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Andover Controls social profiles
Digital presenceAndover Controls compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Andover Controls financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Andover Controls leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Andover Controls funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Andover Controls 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 Andover Controls
What does Andover Controls do?
Andover Corporation designs and manufactures precision optical filters and coatings spanning the UV to far IR spectrum (193nm–15µm). Operating from a vertically integrated facility in Salem, New Hampshire, the company produces custom and standard bandpass, neutral density, infrared, ultraviolet, edge, astronomy, dichroic, and image quality filters, plus specialty optics, coatings, fabrication, and metrology services for aerospace, defense, biomedical, environmental, LiDAR, machine vision, and semiconductor customers.
Is Andover Controls a public or private company?
Andover Controls is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Andover Controls founded?
Andover Controls was founded in 1976. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Andover Controls based?
Andover Controls is headquartered in Salem, United States, in the North America region.
How does Andover Controls make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Custom Optical Filters and Coatings are the primary driver. The others are standard Catalog Products, surplus Products, custom Fabrication Services and testing and Measurement Services.
Who are Andover Controls's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Schott AG, II-VI / Coherent (now Coherent Corp), Newport Corporation (MKS Instruments) and Materion Corporation. Direct peers are Edmund Optics, Omega Optical, Chroma Technology, Thorlabs and Semrock (IDEX Corporation). Daystar Filters is listed as an emerging player.
Does Andover Controls have an API?
No public API is recorded for Andover Controls.
What industry is Andover Controls in?
Andover Controls's product category is Precision Optical Filters and Coatings. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAHAAAH, Optoelectronics & Photonics (LED/Laser/Optical ICs), with a secondary code of IMAGAJAF, Optoelectronic Components (LEDs, photodiodes, optocouplers, optical sensors). Its NAICS code is 33441 and its SIC code is 3827.