Institut Dr. Foerster GmbH & Co. KG

What Institut Dr. Foerster GmbH & Co. KG does

Institut Dr. Foerster GmbH & Co. KG (operating as FOERSTER) is a privately held German non-destructive testing (NDT) company founded in 1948 and headquartered in Reutlingen. It develops, manufactures, and services instruments and systems that detect defects and characterize material properties in metallic components without damaging them, spanning eddy current, ultrasonic, flux leakage, magnetic field, magneto-inductive, thermographic, hardness, and tensile-strength measurement methods. Its product portfolio is organized into semi-finished product testing, component testing, mobile field testing, and detection & security product lines (which also support landmine clearance and archaeology), with integrated computer tomography and infrared inspection systems added through the Prüftechnik NDT GmbH integration completed in 2025.

FOERSTER monetizes through capital equipment sales to industrial OEMs and processors, multi-year service and calibration contracts, on-site inspection services (notably reformer tube, top-end, and pigtail inspection in chemical and petrochemical plants), the FOERSTERcademy training program, and contract measurement services. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales, with a direct US subsidiary (FOERSTER Instruments Inc., Pittsburgh) and a representative network covering more than 40 countries across Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle East, Africa, and the Caucasus. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed.

The company serves 13 vertical segments — aerospace, automotive, defense, metals, oil and gas, petrochemicals, chemicals, medical technology, fasteners, energy and electrification, explosive ordnance detection, archaeology, and research and education — with primary commercial emphasis on safety-critical and process-critical applications where early defect identification and structural integrity assurance prevent unplanned downtime and component failure. Recent strategic activity includes the 2025 integration of Prüftechnik NDT GmbH and the June 2026 divestiture of the PLATEPROOF product line to IDS GmbH (Rosenxt Group).

Name

Institut Dr. Foerster GmbH & Co. KG

Legal name

Institut Dr. Foerster GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://foerstergroup.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1948

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

FOERSTER is a privately held German non-destructive testing company, founded 1948, that designs and services instruments and inspection services for defect detection and material characterization in aerospace, automotive, petrochemical, and process industries across more than 40 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Non-destructive Testing Equipment

NAICS

Instrument Manufacturing for Measuring and Testing Electricity and Electrical Signals (334515), Testing Laboratories and Services (541380)

SIC

Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823), Instruments For Meas & Testing Of Electricity & Elec Signals (3825), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

NDT/NDE Inspection Equipment (Ultrasonic, eddy current, radiography, thermography) (IMAGAFAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) & Inspection Services (IMAIACAI), Storage Tank Inspection (AST/UST) (EUAEAHAC), NDT/Inspection & Testing Services (Aviation) (IMABALAJ)

Keywords

• Non-destructive testing equipment
• Eddy current testing systems
• Ultrasonic inspection instruments
• Magnetic field measurement devices
• Metal detection systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Reutlingen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. NDT Equipment Sales: Sale of non-destructive testing instruments and systems including eddy current testers, ultrasonic testers, flux leakage systems, magnetometers, and related hardware for semi-finished product testing, component testing, and mobile testing applications
2. On-site Inspection Services: Specialized on-site inspection services for reformer tubes and process components in chemical, petrochemical, refining, fertilizer, and steel production environments. Includes crack detection, creep assessment, and wall thickness measurement
3. Service Contracts & Maintenance: Recurring revenue from service contracts, calibration and verification services, maintenance and repair, commissioning, software lifecycle services, spare parts, and wear parts contracts
4. Training Services (FOERSTERcademy): Professional training programs for semi-finished product testing, component testing, mobile testing, and detection and security applications
5. Contract Measurement: Custom measurement services for specific customer requirements

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Institut Dr. Foerster GmbH & Co. KG (FOERSTER) develops and manufactures non-destructive testing (NDT) instruments and systems for inspecting metallic materials, detecting surface and sub-surface defects, and measuring material properties such as hardness and conductivity. The portfolio spans eddy current, ultrasonic, flux leakage, thermography, magneto-inductive, and magnetic field measurement technologies, complemented by metal/mine detection equipment and on-site inspection services for industrial assets such as reformer tubes.

Product overview

Institut Dr. Foerster GmbH & Co. KG is a global leader in non-destructive testing (NDT) technology established in 1948. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio organized into four main product categories: (1) Semi-finished Product Testing systems including BARPROOF, CIRCOFLUX DA, CIRCOGRAPH, DEFECTOMAT, DEFECTOVIEW HS, DEFECTOVISION IR, EDDYCHEK, and ROTOMAT/TRANSOMAT for automated inspection of raw materials and bars; (2) Component Testing solutions such as DEFECTOVISION CT, GRINDOSONIC MK7, KOERZIMAT, MAGNATEST, ROTO-PUSH, ROTO-SCAN, STATOGRAPH, STATOVISION, TCL, and ZMAG CM for detailed component inspection; (3) Mobile Testing instruments including DEFECTOMETER, MAGNETOMAT, MAGNETOSCOP, SIGMATEST, SONATEST, SONODUR, TCM, and 3-AXIS MAGNETOMETER for field-based measurements; and (4) Detection & Security products like DATA2LINE, DATAMONITOR 4, FEREX, MULTICAT, and MINEX for landmine detection, archaeology, and ordnance clearance. The company also provides specialized inspection services for reformer tubes, top-end, and pigtail inspection in chemical and petrochemical industries, supported by a global 24/7 service network.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• BARPROOF Eddy current system for inspecting bar stock and semi-finished metal products for surface defects; used in metals manufacturing and primary processing.
• CIRCOFLUX DA Digital circular magnetic flux system for crack and defect detection on rotationally symmetric semi-finished metal parts.
• CIRCOGRAPH Product family of circular flux testing systems for surface defect detection on tubes, bars, and wires used in the metals industry.
• DEFECTOMAT Eddy current instrument family for crack and defect detection on metallic semi-finished products such as wire, tubes, and strips.
• DEFECTOVIEW HS High-speed defect visualization system for surface inspection of long semi-finished metal products in production lines.
• DEFECTOVISION IR Infrared thermography-based defect vision system for non-destructive surface inspection of semi-finished metal products.
• EDDYCHEK Modular eddy current testing family for crack detection, hardness testing, and material sorting on metallic semi-finished products.
• ROTOMAT / TRANSOMAT Rotating and transfer eddy current testing systems for high-throughput inspection of rotationally symmetric semi-finished parts.
• DEFECTOVISION CT Computed tomography-based defect vision system for non-destructive inspection of complex finished components.
• GRINDOSONIC MK7 Resonance-based sonic testing instrument for non-destructive determination of material properties such as Young's modulus and integrity in finished components.
• KOERZIMAT Coercivity meter for measuring magnetic material properties on ferromagnetic components, used in materials characterization and quality control.
• MAGNATEST Magnetic testing instrument family for crack detection, hardness sorting, and material identification on finished metal components.
• ROTO-PUSH Rotating probe testing system using eddy current probes for circumferential defect inspection of cylindrical components.
• ROTO-SCAN Automated rotating scanning system for non-destructive eddy current inspection of cylindrical component surfaces.
• STATOGRAPH Stationary eddy current testing system for non-destructive inspection of finished components with through-feed or static probe configurations.
• STATOVISION Stationary inspection system combining eddy current testing with optical or thermographic defect visualization for finished components.
• TCL Tube component testing product family for non-destructive inspection of tubular components using eddy current and ultrasonic techniques.
• ZMAG CM High-precision magnetic field measurement system for characterizing components in research, sensor development, and quality control.
• DEFECTOMETER Portable eddy current flaw detector for mobile non-destructive testing of metallic components in the field.
• MAGNETOMAT Mobile magnetic testing instrument for portable non-destructive inspection of ferromagnetic components.
• MAGNETOSCOP Portable magnetic field measurement instrument for on-site inspection of components and structures.
• SIGMATEST Portable eddy current conductivity meter for non-destructive material identification, heat treatment verification, and alloy sorting in the field.
• SONATEST Portable ultrasonic testing instrument for mobile flaw detection and wall thickness measurement of metallic components.
• SONODUR Portable ultrasonic hardness tester for non-destructive hardness measurement of metallic components on-site.
• TCM Portable ultrasonic thickness gauge for non-destructive wall thickness and remaining wall measurement of pipes and vessels.
• 3-AXIS MAGNETOMETER Three-axis fluxgate magnetometer system for precise magnetic field measurement used in research, geophysics, and inspection applications.
• FEREX Product family of metal detection equipment for locating ferrous and non-ferrous metallic objects, used in security and demining applications.
• MULTICAT Multi-channel metal detection system for simultaneous screening of multiple persons or items in security checkpoints.
• MINEX Product family of handheld and vehicle-mounted dual-sensor metal detectors specifically designed for humanitarian landmine and explosive ordnance detection.
• DATA2LINE Data transmission and acquisition system used to relay inspection data from FOERSTER detection equipment to monitoring systems.
• DATAMONITOR 4 Detection data monitoring software/system for recording, analyzing, and visualizing metal detection results in security operations.
• On-site Inspection Services Field inspection service for industrial assets including reformer tube, top-end, and pigtail inspections in petrochemical, chemical, and oil & gas plants.
• FOERSTERcademy Commercial training program offering courses on FOERSTER NDT technologies, equipment operation, and application engineering for customers and partners.
• Service Contracts (Calibration, Maintenance & Repair) Recurring service agreements covering calibration, verification, preventive maintenance, and repair of FOERSTER NDT and detection equipment, plus contract measurement services.

Segments13 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature9 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• IDS GmbH (member of Rosenxt Group)notableStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 June 2026FOERSTER transferred its PLATEPROOF product line to IDS GmbH, a member of the Rosenxt Group. This represents a strategic divestiture of a specific product line while maintaining FOERSTER's core NDT technology portfolio.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sonatest Ltd: Sonatest is a UK-based manufacturer of ultrasonic flaw detectors and thickness gauges, with a product line (SiteScan, PowerScan) that directly competes with FOERSTER's SONATEST, SONODUR, and TCM families in mobile and field-based NDT.
• Eddyfi Technologies: Eddyfi specializes in advanced eddy current and electromagnetic NDT solutions, competing head-to-head with FOERSTER's EDDYCHEK, DEFECTOMAT, and CIRCOGRAPH families, and serving similar aerospace, oil & gas, and power generation customers.
• Waygate Technologies (a Baker Hughes business): Waygate Technologies (formerly GE Inspection Technologies) provides industrial NDT equipment and services, including ultrasonic, eddy current, and radiographic solutions, directly overlapping with FOERSTER's component and mobile testing offerings.
• Magnaflux (a division of ITW): Magnaflux, part of Illinois Tool Works, manufactures magnetic particle and dye penetrant NDT equipment and consumables, competing with FOERSTER's MAGNATEST, MAGNETOMAT, and flux leakage product lines in industrial inspection.
• Rohmann GmbH: Rohmann is a German specialist in eddy current testing equipment for crack detection in metallic components, directly comparable to FOERSTER's STATOGRAPH, EDDYCHEK, and component testing product lines serving automotive and fastener customers.
• Evident (Olympus Industrial Solutions): Evident, the former Olympus Scientific Solutions division, is one of the largest NDT equipment manufacturers globally, offering eddy current, ultrasonic, phased array, radiographic, and visual inspection instruments that directly overlap FOERSTER's product portfolio across aerospace, automotive, and metals customers.

Broad incumbents

• Bruker Corporation: Bruker is a broad analytical and scientific instruments incumbent whose NDT and materials testing portfolio (e.g., phased array ultrasonics) competes with FOERSTER's high-end systems while also serving adjacent laboratory analytical markets.
• SGS SA: SGS is one of the world's largest testing, inspection, and certification companies; while much broader than FOERSTER, its industrial inspection and NDT services compete for similar chemical, petrochemical, and refining on-site inspection contracts.
• Bureau Veritas: Bureau Veritas is a global TIC incumbent offering industrial inspection and asset integrity services that overlap with FOERSTER's reformer tube and process equipment inspection franchise in oil & gas and chemicals.

Emerging players

• NDT Global (a Baker Hughes company): NDT Global provides ultrasonic and electromagnetic inline inspection services for pipelines, overlapping with FOERSTER's on-site inspection and tube testing service offerings in the oil & gas and petrochemical markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries2 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 Institut Dr. Foerster GmbH & Co. KG