What PJ Messtechnik does

PJ Messtechnik GmbH (PJM) is an Austria-headquartered railway systems solutions company founded in 2006 as a spin-off of the Technical University of Graz by Martin Joch and Günter Petschnig. The group operates from its Graz headquarters with three additional sites — PJM Swiss in Thalwil, the INFRATRACK test and innovation center at Mellach, and accredited laboratory facilities — and exports approximately 80% of its output to projects in more than 30 countries.

PJM's revenue is generated across four integrated streams: (i) ISO/IEC 17025 accredited testing services covering six disciplines (driving technology, strength, brakes, acoustics, aerodynamics, and pantograph), making it the first private accredited railway-vehicle test facility in Austria and the only one accredited for pantograph testing; (ii) sale of proprietary measurement hardware developed and manufactured entirely in Graz, including the MeRaN instrumented wheelsets, uniaxial and multi-axis accelerometers, Ride Indexer ride-comfort evaluation software, and custom force transducers; (iii) engineering consulting covering Finite Element Analysis with topology optimization, Simpack-based multi-body simulation, and SolidWorks design, often used to substitute physical test runs; and (iv) the patented WaggonTracker digital freight-monitoring system — including WaggonTracker-ADV, automated brake testing, and load monitoring — sold as a recurring-revenue hardware-plus-subscription product under subsidiary PJ Monitoring GmbH. The firm also delivers EMC testing, fatigue-strength validation, acoustic and aerodynamic compliance testing, and infrastructure testing through affiliated entities EMC Rail Services GmbH and INFRATRACK Solutions GmbH.

PJM sells directly to rail vehicle manufacturers (Siemens, Bombardier, Stadler, voestalpine Railway Systems, Tatrawagonka), national railway operators (ÖBB, Deutsche Bahn, SBB, České dráhy, S-Bahn Berlin, Westbahn, Mercitalia), urban transit (Metro Oslo, London Underground, Toronto Cable Car, Metro Barcelona), and freight operators (Transwaggon, Lenzing AG, Indian Railways/GE). Pricing is quote-based with no disclosed public rates; the company is privately held, founder-controlled, and bootstrapped, with the PJM Group comprising seven operating companies.

Name

PJ Messtechnik

Legal name

PJ Messtechnik GmbH

Website

https://pjm.co.at

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

PJM is an Austrian railway measurement, engineering, and accredited testing company serving global rail OEMs, operators, and freight customers with proprietary instruments, FEA simulation, and the WaggonTracker freight-monitoring platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Railway Vehicle Testing and Measurement Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734), Railroad Equipment (3743), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Rolling Stock Testing, Inspection & Certification (NDT, commissioning, compliance) (TLAKAIAM)

Keywords

• Railway measurement technology
• Rail vehicle testing
• Rolling stock engineering
• Freight wagon monitoring
• Pantograph testing systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Graz

HQ country

Austria

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Accredited Testing Services: ISO/IEC 17025 accredited testing laboratory performing tests for approval of rail vehicles worldwide in areas of driving technology, strength, brakes, acoustics, aerodynamics, and pantographs. Revenue from testing fees, calibration services, and test report generation.
2. Measurement Device Sales: Sale of proprietary measurement equipment including measuring wheel sets, accelerometers, Ride Indexer, and force transducers. Products are 100% developed and manufactured in Graz, Austria.
3. Engineering Consulting: Engineering services including FE calculation, multi-body simulation, design, topology optimization, and welding certification. Services provided from concept to approval.
4. WaggonTracker Digital System: Digital monitoring system for rail freight transport combining real-time tracking and automated functions for wagon operators.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

PJ Messtechnik GmbH develops, manufactures, and sells measurement instruments and software for rail vehicles, delivers accredited testing services for type approval and certification, and provides engineering consulting from design through to final approval. Its core products include the WaggonTracker digital monitoring system for rail freight, MeRaN measuring wheel sets, rail-specific accelerometers, force transducers, and the Ride Indexer software for ride comfort evaluation. The company operates an ISO/IEC 17025 accredited test center covering six test areas and uses Finite Element Analysis and multi-body simulation to support vehicle manufacturers and railway operators worldwide.

Product overview

PJ Messtechnik is a railway systems solutions company offering a comprehensive portfolio of measurement technology products and engineering services. The core product portfolio includes: WaggonTracker (a patented digital monitoring system for rail freight transport), Measuring Wheel Sets (MeRaN instrumented wheelsets for force measurement), Accelerometers (uniaxial and multi-axis sensors), Ride Indexer (ride comfort evaluation software), and Force Transducers. These hardware and software products are complemented by a full range of metrology services covering vehicle dynamics, fatigue strength, brake testing, acoustics, aerodynamics, pantograph testing, and EMC testing. Engineering services include FE calculation, multi-body simulation, and design. All testing services are delivered through an ISO/IEC 17025 accredited facility. The company operates as part of the PJM Group, which also includes PJ Monitoring (digital freight transport), PJ Motion (authorization management), RCC (certification body), EMC Rail Services, INFRATRACK (test facilities), and PJM Swiss (Swiss operations).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WaggonTracker: Digital overall system for intelligent rail freight transport combining comprehensive monitoring and automated functions, including automated brake tests and load monitoring
• MeRaN
• Ride Indexer
• INFRATRACK

Products and services

• WaggonTracker Patented digital overall system for intelligent rail freight transport combining comprehensive monitoring and automated functions, including real-time wagon tracking, automated brake tests, and load monitoring. Delivered to freight operators and logistics providers through PJ Monitoring GmbH within the PJM Group.
• Measuring Wheel Sets (MeRaN) Instrumented wheelsets with strain gauges, telemetry units, and evaluation algorithms for measuring wheel-rail forces during technical approval and monitoring of superstructure; includes automated dynamic calibration and end-of-line testing.
• Accelerometers (Uniaxial and Multi-Axis) Uniaxial and multi-axis acceleration sensors designed for extreme operating conditions on rail vehicles with high temperature stability and no overmodulation, used for running gear tests and fatigue strength measurements.
• Ride Indexer Software for evaluating running comfort in railway vehicles, analyzing key figures according to ISO 2631-1, ISO 2631-4, VDI 2057, and Sperlings Wz-value method, used with a triaxial plug-and-play sensor.
• Force Transducers Custom-designed force measurement sensors built with strain gauge strips to evaluate service strength of vehicles and machines under extreme operating conditions.
• Vehicle Dynamics Testing Standardized and customer-specific tests for railway vehicles covering compliance with EN 14363, EN 12299, UIC-Kodex 518 and 513.
• Fatigue Strength Testing Accredited testing for fatigue strength validation including static tests, fatigue tests, and on-track measurements per EN 13749.
• Brake Tests Comprehensive brake testing for rail vehicles including static brake system tests, dynamic tests on dry rail, and wheel slide protection evaluation.
• Acoustic Testing Acoustic tests ranging from stationary noise to pass-by noise measurements according to TSI Noise 1304/2014/EU and EN ISO 3095.
• Aerodynamic Testing Aerodynamic tests for verification of compliance with statutory limits according to TSI, TSI HS, and EN 14067.
• Pantograph Testing Measurements and simulations of dynamic interaction between pantograph and overhead contact line according to EN 50317 and EN 50318.
• EMC Testing Electromagnetic compatibility testing including radiated disturbances, radio protection, human exposure, and compatibility with track circuits and axle counters.
• FE Calculation Finite Element Analysis for strength verification, weld seam assessment, and topology optimization, including TSI-compliant mathematical verification of welded steel and aluminum constructions.
• Multi-body Simulation Vehicle dynamics simulation using Simpack software to replace physical test runs, evaluating ride comfort, conducting impact tests, and performing wear analysis.
• Design Services 3D CAD design using SolidWorks for measurement preparation, in-house developments, and design optimization with topology optimization support.
• ISO/IEC 17025 Accredited Testing Accredited test center for six test areas (driving technology, strength, brakes, acoustics, aerodynamics, and pantograph) - the only private accredited testing facility for railway vehicles in Austria.
• Infrastructure Testing Facilities Testing infrastructure including laboratory and test hall facilities, mobile test benches, and stationary test stands for instrumented wheelsets and pantographs, plus the INFRATRACK test and innovation center.

Quantifiable outcome

• Significant reduction in number of overrun impact tests for freight wagon types with many different wagon lengths through simulation
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers18 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Technical University of Graz (TU Graz)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2006PJM was founded as a spin-off of TU Graz in 2006. Ongoing collaboration with university for research, talent development, and technical expertise.
• NAFEMScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational association of over 1,500 organizations dedicated to technical analysis and simulation. PJM membership demonstrates commitment to excellence in simulation and innovative analysis technologies.
• SteelCERTcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerConducted audit and certification for EN 15085-2 welding certification of PJM.
• Ingenieurbüro RördencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint founding of EMC Rail Services subsidiary for electromagnetic compatibility testing services.
• BOOM SoftwarecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture partner for INFRATRACK Solutions at Mellach test center. Collaboration on railway technology innovation and testing.
• MFLminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on design projects in conjunction with own developments.
• PJ Monitoring GmbHcoreTechnology or IntegrationSubsidiary specializing in WaggonTracker digital freight transport system. PJM Group company offering complementary monitoring technology.
• PJ Motion GmbHcoreTechnology or IntegrationSubsidiary specializing in authorization and project management according to 4th railway package. PJM Group company providing certification services.
• RCC Railway Competence and Certification GmbHcoreTechnology or IntegrationAccredited conformity assessment body according to ISO/IEC 17065 and ISO/IEC 17020. PJM Group company specializing in certifications and safety assessments.
• INFRATRACK Solutions GmbHcoreTechnology or IntegrationJoint venture operating test and innovation center at former Mellach railway. PJM Group company providing physical asset inspections and sensor testing.
• VDV (Verband Deutscher Verkehrsunternehmen)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading German transport association relying on PJM expertise and expert reports.
• CEN (European Committee for Standardization)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean standards organization where PJM experts contribute through active participation.
• ASI (Austrian Standards International)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAustrian standards organization where PJM experts provide expertise.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• SGS: Global TIC (testing, inspection, certification) company with rail sector services including vehicle and infrastructure testing. Larger, more diversified competitor for accredited rail testing work.
• TÜV Rheinland: Global testing, inspection, and certification giant with rail mobility services. Competes with PJM in accredited vehicle and component testing, and offers broader industry coverage beyond rail specialization.
• Bureau Veritas: Global TIC provider with rail industry services. Overlaps with PJM in rail-related testing, certification, and inspection, but at much larger scale and broader scope.
• Siemens Mobility: Major rail OEM that is both a top customer and operator of extensive in-house testing capabilities. Key account for PJM in approval testing, while also representing the in-housing competitive threat to independent labs.
• DEKRA: Global testing and certification firm with rail and industrial testing practices. Competes for accredited rail vehicle approval work while serving broader industrial verticals.

Direct peers

• DB Systemtechnik: Deutsche Bahn's in-house rolling stock testing subsidiary. Directly competes with PJ Messtechnik for vehicle dynamics, strength, brake, acoustics, aerodynamic, and pantograph approval testing on European rail platforms.
• Hottinger Brüel & Kjær (HBK): Global manufacturer of measurement chains, strain gauges, accelerometers, and data acquisition systems for structural and vehicle testing, including rail. Direct overlap with PJM's instrumented wheelsets, accelerometers, and force transducer product lines.
• ME-Meßsysteme: Germany-based supplier of force, torque, and displacement sensors serving rail vehicle testing and structural testing. Closely comparable to PJM's force transducer and sensor product offering, also sold into OEM test environments.
• Kistler Group: Swiss-headquartered manufacturer of piezoelectric force, pressure, acceleration, and strain sensors, with deep exposure to rail vehicle testing, wheel-rail force measurement, and structural fatigue applications overlapping PJM's MeRaN and force transducer portfolio.

Emerging players

• IMC Test & Measurement: Specialist in data acquisition systems and integrated test and measurement platforms for vehicle, mechanical, and structural testing including rail applications. Adjacent competitor in measurement hardware used during rail vehicle approval campaigns.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@pjm-graz
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pjm

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries6 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 PJ Messtechnik