ESP Safety
ESP Safety, founded in 1973, manufactures optical flame and gas detection systems for hazardous industrial environments. The privately-held San Jose company serves major global oil and gas producers, midstream operators, and select industrial clients through direct enterprise sales.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1973
- HeadquartersSan Jose, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What ESP Safety does
ESP Safety, Inc. is a privately-held U.S. manufacturer founded in 1973 that designs, manufactures, and installs optical flame and gas detection systems for hazardous industrial environments. The company is headquartered in San Jose, California with an additional office in Houston, Texas, and operates with 11-50 employees. Its core technology stack combines multi-spectral infrared (IR) sensing, ultraviolet (UV) detection at 180-250nm, and ratio-based signal processing algorithms to deliver flame and gas detection with sub-five-second response times and engineered false-alarm rejection. The product portfolio spans five families: IPES flame detectors (IR3, IR4000, IR/UV, UV, and IR4000(H2) for hydrogen), Vector combustible and toxic gas and oxygen detectors, SGOES infrared point gas detectors, TGAES open-path gas detection, and UPES multi-channel controllers, all sharing 4-20mA, RS485 Modbus, HART, and relay integration.
ESP Safety's customer base is concentrated among major international oil and gas producers (Chevron, ExxonMobil, Phillips 66, Petronas, ENI, CNOOC, Pemex, CNPC, Dubai Petroleum) and midstream operators (Enterprise Products Partners, Energy Transfer, DCP Midstream, American Midstream, EnLink Midstream), with adjacent references in aerospace (SpaceX) and consumer and industrial manufacturing (Unilever, Owens Corning). The company monetizes entirely through one-time equipment sales under quote-based, multi-year enterprise contracts via direct field sales, with no public pricing, no recurring software component, and no disclosed reseller or e-commerce channels. Products carry an extensive certification stack including FM Approval, ATEX, IECEx, CSA, VDS, Exida, TUV, ABS type approval, CE, ISO, and SIL 3 functional safety ratings. The most recent product refresh is the IPES IR4000 launched in 2025, alongside an IPES IR4000(H2) variant aimed at hydrogen applications and a separately branded ESP Asset Integrity service extension.
ESP Safety firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ESP Safety
- Legal name
- ESP Safety, Inc.
- Website
- https://espsafetyinc.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1973
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- ESP Safety, founded in 1973, manufactures optical flame and gas detection systems for hazardous industrial environments. The privately-held San Jose company serves major global oil and gas producers, midstream operators, and select industrial clients through direct enterprise sales.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ESP Safety industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Industrial Fire and Gas Detection Systems
- SIC
- Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Fire Protection & Life Safety Systems (Firewater, Suppression, Detection, Alarm) (EUAEAFAG)
Keywords
Where ESP Safety is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Jose
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
ESP Safety business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Fire and Gas Detection Equipment Sales: ESP Safety generates revenue primarily from the sale of fire and flame detectors, gas detectors, and controller systems to industrial customers in hazardous environments. Products include flame detectors (IPES series), combustible gas detectors (Vector, SGOES, TGAES), toxic gas detectors, oxygen detectors, and multi-channel controllers. Revenue is derived from equipment sales with no recurring software component mentioned.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Quote-based pricing for industrial safety equipment |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels2 records
ESP Safety product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ESP Safety manufactures, designs, and installs optical flame and gas detection systems for hazardous industrial environments. The company produces a portfolio of flame detectors (IPES IR3, IR4000, IR/UV, UV, and hydrogen-specific models), combustible gas detectors (Vector-Combustible, SGOES, TGAES open path), toxic gas and oxygen detectors (Vector-Toxic, Vector-Oxygen), and multi-channel controllers (UPES) used by oil and gas, petrochemical, energy, and aerospace operators worldwide.
Product overview
ESP Safety provides a comprehensive fire and gas detection portfolio consisting of five core product lines: flame detectors (IPES series including IR3, IR4000, IR/UV, UV, and IR4000(H2) for hydrogen applications), combustible gas detectors (Vector-Combustible, SGOES, and TGAES open path systems), toxic gas and oxygen detectors (Vector-Toxic and Vector-Oxygen), and multi-channel controllers (UPES). The products share common communication protocols (4-20mA, RS485 Modbus, HART) and can be integrated into industrial control systems. The company was founded in 1973 and serves major global oil and gas producers.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- IPES: Product line of flame detectors including IPES IR3, IPES IR4000, IPES IR/UV, and IPES UV models featuring multi-spectral infrared and ultraviolet detection technology.
- Vector
- SGOES
- TGAES
- UPES
Products and services
- IPES IR3 Flame Detector Multi-spectral infrared flame detector that provides the highest sensitivity in detecting flames within a wide field of view by analyzing three different IR wavelengths and their ratios to virtually eliminate false alarms. Designed for hazardous industrial environments such as oil and gas facilities, refineries, and petrochemical plants.
- IPES IR4000 Flame Detector State-of-the-art multi-spectral infrared flame detector using 4.0 to 5.0 micron wavelengths with a 120-degree conical field of view, providing detection range up to 345 feet (105m) for combustible vapor gases. Designed for oil and gas and other hazardous industrial environments.
- IPES IR/UV Flame Detector Dual infrared and ultraviolet flame detector combining UV and IR sensors to eliminate false alarms from non-flame radiation sources such as sunlight and arc welding. For hazardous industrial environments.
- IPES UV Flame Detector Ultraviolet flame detector with superior sensitivity for hydrogen and metal fires, configured for UV radiation range of 180 to 250 nanometers. SIL 3 certified, designed for hazardous industrial environments.
- IPES IR4000(H2) Hydrogen Flame Detector Multi-spectral infrared flame detector designed specifically for hydrogen fire detection applications in industrial environments.
- Vector-Combustible Gas Detector Combustible gas detector combining infrared and catalytic sensing technologies for detecting flammable gases in hazardous industrial environments.
- SGOES Infrared Gas Detector Infrared gas detector for combustible gas detection using infrared sensing technology in hazardous environments.
- TGAES Open Path Detection System Open path detection system for combustible gas detection across extended areas in hazardous industrial sites.
- Vector-Toxic Gas Detector Toxic gas detector using electrochemical sensor technology for detecting hazardous toxic gas concentrations in industrial environments.
- Vector-Oxygen Detector Oxygen detector for monitoring oxygen levels (depletion and enrichment) in hazardous industrial environments.
- UPES Multi-Channel Controllers Multi-channel controller for managing and monitoring multiple gas and flame detectors within integrated industrial safety systems.
Quantifiable outcome
- Fire detection response time of 1-2 seconds for IPES UV model
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use ESP Safety
Customer profileNamed customers19 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
ESP Safety technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
ESP Safety partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators1 record
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
ESP Safety competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Siemens: Industrial automation major with a process safety and fire-gas detection portfolio integrated with its DCS and plant-wide safety systems — competes on integrated plant safety offerings rather than standalone detectors.
- Honeywell: Diversified industrial conglomerate offering fixed gas detection, flame detection, and broader process safety solutions as part of a much larger portfolio of industrial automation and building products — competes on tenders but at vastly greater scale.
- Johnson Controls: Building and industrial safety major with fire detection and suppression portfolios (incorporating Tyco legacy products) — competes primarily on integrated building and facility safety rather than dedicated process-industry flame detection.
- Emerson: Industrial automation and process control company whose Rosemount line includes fixed gas detection used in oil and gas, refining, and chemical plants — competes on integrated measurement and safety solutions.
Direct peers
- Dräger: German-headquartered safety technology company with a substantial fixed and portable gas detection portfolio for oil and gas, chemical, and hazardous industrial environments — directly comparable product offering and certification footprint.
- RKI Instruments: Japanese-headquartered gas detection manufacturer with a strong installed base in petrochemical, refining, and semiconductor cleanrooms in Asia — directly comparable fixed and portable gas detection product lines.
- MSA Safety: Global safety equipment manufacturer with a large fixed gas and flame detection business (incorporating the former General Monitors line) serving oil and gas, petrochemical, and mining customers — directly overlapping with ESP Safety's product portfolio and customer base.
- Crowcon (Halma): UK-based gas detection specialist owned by Halma plc, serving oil and gas, wastewater, and industrial safety markets with fixed and portable detectors — a direct head-to-head competitor in fixed gas detection.
- Detector Electronics (Det-Tronics): Specialist flame and gas detection manufacturer (now part of Carrier) with UV, IR, and multi-spectral detectors certified for hazardous oil and gas applications — the closest direct head-to-head competitor in fixed flame detection.
Emerging players
- Industrial Scientific: Gas detection specialist historically focused on portable instruments but expanding into connected fixed and area monitoring — a partial competitor with growing overlap in industrial safety deployments.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
ESP Safety social profiles
Digital presenceESP Safety financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ESP Safety leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
ESP Safety funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ESP Safety 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 ESP Safety
What does ESP Safety do?
ESP Safety manufactures, designs, and installs optical flame and gas detection systems for hazardous industrial environments. The company produces a portfolio of flame detectors (IPES IR3, IR4000, IR/UV, UV, and hydrogen-specific models), combustible gas detectors (Vector-Combustible, SGOES, TGAES open path), toxic gas and oxygen detectors (Vector-Toxic, Vector-Oxygen), and multi-channel controllers (UPES) used by oil and gas, petrochemical, energy, and aerospace operators worldwide.
Is ESP Safety a public or private company?
ESP Safety is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was ESP Safety founded?
ESP Safety was founded in 1973. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is ESP Safety based?
ESP Safety is headquartered in San Jose, United States, in the North America region.
How does ESP Safety make money?
One revenue line is on record: fire and Gas Detection Equipment Sales.
Who are ESP Safety's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Siemens, Honeywell, Johnson Controls and Emerson. Direct peers are Dräger, RKI Instruments, MSA Safety, Crowcon (Halma) and Detector Electronics (Det-Tronics). Industrial Scientific is listed as an emerging player.
Does ESP Safety have an API?
No public API is recorded for ESP Safety.
What industry is ESP Safety in?
ESP Safety's product category is Industrial Fire and Gas Detection Systems. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUAEAFAG, Fire Protection & Life Safety Systems (Firewater, Suppression, Detection, Alarm). Its SIC code is 3826.