WATS
WATS provides cloud-based test data management SaaS for electronics manufacturers, collecting and analyzing production test data from global test stations. Its platform serves ABB, Siemens, GE, Bombardier, Indra, and Frauscher across aerospace, automotive, medical, and industrial electronics.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1998
- HeadquartersDrammen, Norway
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What WATS does
WATS (operating as The WATS Company AS, formerly Virinco AS) is a Norwegian SaaS company founded in 1998 that provides a cloud-based test data management platform for electronics manufacturers. The platform collects, stores, analyzes, and visualizes test and production data from automated test stations on factory floors, enabling manufacturers to identify yield issues, test failures, and quality problems across global production networks. The company rebranded from Virinco AS to The WATS Company AS in June 2026 while retaining organization number 921 673 310, and is headquartered in Drammen, Norway.
The core WATS Platform is offered as cloud SaaS or on-premises deployment, with a free WATS Client installed on test stations for data capture and a Python Client for programmatic integration. WATS surrounds the core with add-on modules including WATS Dashboards (real-time global manufacturing visualization), WATS Enterprise Control Hub (software/firmware distribution and asset management), WATS Traceability and Unit Flow (production visibility), WATS Repair Interface and Analytics (repair tracking), WATS Test Data Analytics (root cause analysis), WATS Alvea (AI-assisted root cause analysis), and WATS MCP Server (Model Context Protocol integration with ChatGPT and Claude). The platform supports 30+ pre-built integrations with dominant test systems (LabVIEW, NI TestStand, Keysight, Teradyne, OpenTAP, ATML IEEE 1671) plus a REST API.
WATS runs a hybrid monetization model combining annual subscription fees with usage-based billing tied to WRML data volume processed, plus optional professional services; a free 30-day trial and a Basic tier drive bottom-up acquisition while enterprise field sales targets large accounts. Its customer base spans multinational manufacturers such as ABB, Bombardier, GE, Siemens, Indra, Sennheiser, Jabra, Delta, Eaton, Emerson, Frauscher, SKIDATA, Trackman, Envisics, and VOGO across aerospace & defense, automotive, medical, consumer electronics, industrial electronics, audio, and EMS verticals. The company employs 11-50 people, holds ISO/IEC 27001 certification, and operates with regional implementation partners (e.g., Mesulog in France).
WATS firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- WATS
- Legal name
- The WATS Company AS
- Website
- https://wats.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1998
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- WATS provides cloud-based test data management SaaS for electronics manufacturers, collecting and analyzing production test data from global test stations. Its platform serves ABB, Siemens, GE, Bombardier, Indra, and Frauscher across aerospace, automotive, medical, and industrial electronics.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
WATS industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Manufacturing Test Data Management Software
- NAICS
- Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Services-Computer Processing & Data Preparation (7374)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Industry/Vertical Cloud Platforms (e.g., Gov/Healthcare/Financial Cloud Regions) (HDABAAAL)
Keywords
Where WATS is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Drammen
- HQ country
- Norway
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
WATS business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- SaaS Subscription: Subscription-based access to WATS Platform with features and quota included. Plans include Basic (free with limited functionality), Enterprise options. Subscription fees are prepaid and non-refundable.
- Usage-based (Processed Data Volume): Fees based on Size of Processed Data (megabyte size of WRML data transmitted to the Services). Overconsumption charges calculated and invoiced bi-annually. Subscription fees based on selected Plan and Quota of processed data.
- Free Trial: 30-day free trial available for evaluation purposes. Automatic conversion to paid subscription upon trial end.
- Data Rollover: Unused quota can be carried forward to next month (limited to one additional month's quota). Only available on annual prepaid Plans.
- Support Services: Included email support for paid subscriptions. Immediate response time and remote installation support available at hourly consulting rates for additional fees.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Basic Plan - Free tier with limited functionality |
| Subscription | Annual | Enterprise Plan - Full platform access with unlimited users on shared credentials |
| Subscription | Annual | On-Premises Subscription - Customer-hosted deployment |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
WATS product offering
Product offeringCore offering
WATS is a cloud-based test data management SaaS platform purpose-built for electronics manufacturing. The platform collects, stores, analyzes, and visualizes test and production data from automated test stations and manufacturing lines, supporting both PCBA and semiconductor test correlation. It is delivered as a multi-tenant cloud service (WATS Cloud) or as an on-premises subscription, and is extended by add-on modules for AI-assisted root cause analysis, real-time dashboards, repair tracking, traceability, enterprise asset control, and MCP-based connectivity to AI platforms such as ChatGPT and Claude.
Product overview
WATS is a unified test data management platform for electronics manufacturing offered as SaaS (WATS Cloud) or on-premises. The core WATS Platform collects, stores, analyzes, and visualizes test and production data, with add-on modules including: WATS Dashboards for real-time global manufacturing overview, WATS Repair Interface and Analytics for repair tracking, WATS Traceability and Unit Flow for production visibility, WATS Enterprise Control Hub for global software distribution and asset management, WATS Alvea for AI-assisted root cause analysis, and WATS MCP Server for connecting to AI platforms. The platform includes free WATS Client and Python Client software for test station connectivity, plus a mobile app for on-the-go access.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- WATS Alvea: Built-in AI-assistant for AI-assisted root cause analysis in manufacturing test data.
- WATS MCP Server
Products and services
- WATS Platform All-in-one cloud-based test data management platform that collects, stores, analyzes, and visualizes test and production data from automated test stations in electronics manufacturing. Available as WATS Cloud SaaS or as on-premises subscription.
- WATS Enterprise Control Hub Add-on module for proactive manufacturing control delivering full visibility across factories and subcontractors, centralized test software deployment, asset management, MAC address and serial number distribution, and intelligent alarming and notifications.
- WATS Alvea Built-in AI assistant that uses mathematical and statistical methods to analyze test data, detect patterns and correlations, and surface potential root causes, reducing investigation time from hours to minutes.
- WATS Dashboards Add-on module for creating customized real-time dashboards displaying manufacturing performance, comparing KPIs across global production lines, and visualizing the test network on a world map with GPS coordinates.
- WATS Repair Interface and Analytics Add-on module for capturing repair data with customizable codes, barcode scanning, image attachments, subunit replacement tracking, and serial number history to enable root-cause analysis of returned and failed units.
- WATS Traceability and Unit Flow Add-on module providing full traceability into unit history and comprehensive visibility into unit flow through the production process for compliance and root cause investigation.
- WATS Test Data Analytics Add-on module for analyzing specific test steps of one or more sequences, identifying the top failure modes, and distinguishing marginal from definitive failures to enable proactive quality control.
- WATS MCP Server Model Context Protocol server that enables secure integration of the WATS platform with AI tools such as ChatGPT and Claude, allowing users to ask natural-language questions about their manufacturing test data.
Quantifiable outcome
- Frauscher improved First Pass Yield from 80% to 95% within a few months of implementation
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use WATS
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments8 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
WATS technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration14 records
AI capability7 records
Feature8 records
WATS partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- yieldWerxcorePartnership to integrate WATS test data management platform with yieldWerx's semiconductor manufacturing data platform. Enables manufacturers to correlate PCB assembly (PCBA) test data with upstream semiconductor manufacturing data from wafer fabrication through final test. The combined solution provides real-time visibility into PCBA yield and quality metrics while improving traceability across the full product stack from silicon to board-level testing. Both platforms support open architectures and APIs for flexible deployment without large-scale system changes. Partnership addresses the longstanding gap in electronics manufacturing where PCB and semiconductor test data have traditionally been analyzed separately.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
WATS competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Bluewrist: Bluewrist provides industrial automation, machine vision, and MES integration solutions for electronics manufacturers. Its test and quality modules overlap with WATS in factory-floor data capture and analytics for automotive and industrial electronics customers.
- yieldWerx: yieldWerx is a semiconductor yield management platform and WATS's strategic partner (May 2026). Both platforms operate in electronics test data analytics with overlapping customer profiles, making yieldWerx the most directly comparable peer at the semiconductor side of the value chain.
- Tulip Interfaces: Tulip is a frontline operations / manufacturing app platform used by electronics and medical device manufacturers for connected operator workflows, quality, and analytics. It competes with WATS at the shop-floor analytics layer, particularly for digital work-instruction and test-data-rich use cases.
- Lighthouse Worldwide Solutions: Lighthouse provides real-time monitoring, particle counting, and analytics for electronics manufacturing environments. While focused on environmental/process monitoring rather than test data, it addresses a similar electronics manufacturing customer profile with overlapping IoT and analytics infrastructure.
Broad incumbents
- Aegis (FactoryLogix): Aegis's FactoryLogix MES is widely deployed in electronics manufacturing for traceability, quality, and test integration. It overlaps with WATS in factory data capture and analytics but operates as a full MES suite rather than a dedicated test data platform.
- iBASEt: iBASEt provides MES/MRO solutions for aerospace & defense and complex electronics manufacturers (Bombardier, GE-adjacent suppliers). Its quality and shop floor analytics compete with WATS in test data management and traceability for safety-critical electronics.
- Critical Manufacturing: Critical Manufacturing offers a modern MES for electronics and discrete manufacturing. Its test and quality modules overlap with WATS's traceability and analytics capabilities, addressing similar customers (Indra, Frauscher, EMS providers) but as part of a broader MES suite.
- Siemens Opcenter: Siemens Opcenter (formerly Camstar) is a leading MES for electronics manufacturers including Siemens's own internal operations. It competes with WATS for enterprise-wide quality, test, and manufacturing data management, especially among Siemens/Indra-tier customers.
Direct peers
- Cogiscan: Cogiscan provides real-time traceability, machine connectivity, and analytics for PCB assembly and electronics manufacturing — competing with WATS in factory-floor data capture, MES integration, and traceability for the same EMS/contract manufacturer customer base.
- Cimetrix (PDF Solutions): Cimetrix, now a subsidiary of PDF Solutions, provides connectivity and data management software for semiconductor and electronics test — directly comparable to WATS in test data acquisition, factory integration, and analytics for electronics manufacturing customers.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
WATS social profiles
Digital presenceWATS compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
WATS financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
WATS leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
WATS funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
WATS 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 WATS
What does WATS do?
WATS is a cloud-based test data management SaaS platform purpose-built for electronics manufacturing. The platform collects, stores, analyzes, and visualizes test and production data from automated test stations and manufacturing lines, supporting both PCBA and semiconductor test correlation. It is delivered as a multi-tenant cloud service (WATS Cloud) or as an on-premises subscription, and is extended by add-on modules for AI-assisted root cause analysis, real-time dashboards, repair tracking, traceability, enterprise asset control, and MCP-based connectivity to AI platforms such as ChatGPT and Claude.
Is WATS a public or private company?
WATS is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was WATS founded?
WATS was founded in 1998. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is WATS based?
WATS is headquartered in Drammen, Norway, in the Europe region.
How does WATS make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. SaaS Subscription is the primary driver. The others are usage-based (Processed Data Volume), free Trial, data Rollover and support Services.
Who are WATS's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Bluewrist, yieldWerx, Tulip Interfaces and Lighthouse Worldwide Solutions. Broad incumbents are Aegis (FactoryLogix), iBASEt, Critical Manufacturing and Siemens Opcenter. Direct peers are Cogiscan and Cimetrix (PDF Solutions).
Does WATS have an API?
Yes. WATS offers a REST API for submitting repair reports, forwarding data between WATS accounts, and integrating with test systems. The API supports token-based authentication and enables enterprise connections between WATS instances for secure data flow between OEMs and contract manufacturers. Developer documentation is at support.wats.com/hc/en-us.
What industry is WATS in?
WATS's product category is Manufacturing Test Data Management Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDABAAAL, Industry/Vertical Cloud Platforms (e.g., Gov/Healthcare/Financial Cloud Regions). Its NAICS code is 54151 and its SIC code is 7373.