What Nivus Gmbh does

Nivus GmbH is a German-based, privately-held developer, manufacturer, and supplier of instrumentation for the water industry, headquartered in Eppingen and operating globally with regional offices in the United Kingdom, India, and Switzerland plus distributor coverage across Europe (France, Poland, Switzerland, Spain) and South Korea. The company has over 50 years of specialized focus on water-industry measurement, offering ultrasonic transit-time flow sensors, hydrostatic level probes (capacitive ceramic and piezo-resistive stainless steel), radar-based non-contact level sensors, and ultrasonic water-quality analyzers. Its product portfolio follows a platform-plus-modules architecture covering sensors, autonomous IoT gateways (NivuLink family with up to seven years of battery life), and software layers including the cloud-based NIVUS WebPortal for data management and the NICOS SCADA/process-control platform with KRITIS-compliant IT security (MQTT with IPsec encryption).

NIVUS generates revenue through four streams: one-time measurement hardware sales (flow meters, level probes, water-quality instruments, accessories), recurring software subscriptions and licenses (WebPortal, NICOS), professional measurement-campaign services delivered as turnkey projects (site inspection, installation, operation, data reporting), and managed customer-support/maintenance contracts. Pricing is consultation-based with custom quotations rather than published tiers, and go-to-market relies on direct enterprise sales backed by trade-show presence (notably IFAT), case-study content, and international distributors. Primary customers are municipal channel/sewer network operators, wastewater treatment plant operators, and water supply utilities; industrial operators and environmental monitoring authorities form secondary segments.

The company is led by managing directors Udo Steppe, Ingrid Steppe, and Marcus Fischer with no external PE or VC ownership disclosed. Differentiated technical credentials include ATEX/IECEx Zone 0 and Zone 1 sensor certifications for hazardous environments, CE conformity, and KRITIS-compliant security that qualify its solutions for critical-infrastructure deployments. Reference engagements include large-scale measurement campaigns such as the Munich Drainage System project (240+ temporary measuring points across a 2,400 km sewer network for a hydrodynamic drainage master plan) and a turnkey NICOS SCADA networking of 42 substations plus a pressure-boosting system for Stadtbetrieb Bornheim AöR.

Name

Nivus Gmbh

Legal name

NIVUS GmbH

Website

https://nivus.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1967

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Nivus GmbH is a German-based privately-held manufacturer of ultrasonic, hydrostatic, and radar measurement systems, IoT gateways, cloud software, and SCADA for municipal water/wastewater utilities and industrial operators across global markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water industry measurement instrumentation

NAICS

Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (33451), Totalizing Fluid Meter and Counting Device Manufacturing (334514), Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (3345)

SIC

Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823), Totalizing Fluid Meters & Counting Devices (3824), Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826)

akta.pro primary industry

Network Monitoring & Smart Water Sensors (Pressure/Flow/Noise Loggers, IoT) (EUANAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

NRW Data Management & Water Balance (IWA Methodology, GIS/SCADA Integration, Digital Twins) (EUANAKAJ), Monitoring & Control (Dosing Systems, Remote Monitoring, Sensors) (BPABAJAK), Data Management, LIMS & Compliance Software (ELN, eDMS, reporting automation) (EUANAJAE)

Keywords

• Flow measurement systems
• Level measurement sensors
• Water industry instrumentation
• Wastewater monitoring solutions
• Ultrasonic measurement technology

Headquarters

HQ city

Eppingen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Measurement Hardware Sales: Sale of flow meters, level sensors, water quality instruments, data loggers, and accessories for permanent installation and mobile use. Products include NivuFlow series, NivuBar/AquaBar/UniBar sensor families, NivuLink gateways, and NIC/NIS clamp-on sensors.
2. Software Subscriptions and Licenses: NIVUS WebPortal cloud platform for data management and NICOS process control system. Software provides monitoring, alarm management, and reporting for distributed measurement networks.
3. Measurement Campaign Services: Turnkey measurement campaign services including site inspection, sensor installation, operation, daily data transmission, quality assurance, and reporting. Provided as a managed service project.
4. Customer Support and Maintenance: Product consultation, service hotline, commissioning support, and ongoing technical support for installed measurement systems and software platforms.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

NIVUS GmbH designs, manufactures, and supplies measurement systems, sensors, IoT gateways, and software for the water and wastewater industry. Its portfolio includes ultrasonic, hydrostatic, and radar-based flow and level instruments, water quality analyzers, autonomous battery-powered data loggers, the cloud-based NIVUS WebPortal, and the NICOS SCADA/process control system. The company also delivers turnkey measurement campaign services for municipal drainage and sewer network monitoring.

Product overview

NIVUS GmbH is a leading international supplier of innovative measurement systems and software solutions for process engineering in the water industry. The product portfolio follows a platform-plus-modules architecture comprising four core product categories: (1) Measurement Systems including flow measurement devices for part-filled and fully filled pipes (NivuFlow series, ultrasonic sensors), level measurement systems for hydrostatic and non-contact detection (NivuBar, AquaBar, UniBar, NivuLink Radar), and water quality analysis equipment (NivuParQ, NivuScope 2); (2) Data solutions including transmission and telecontrol systems with autonomous gateways and data loggers (NivuLink Micro II, NivuLink Control) and visual monitoring (NivuCam); (3) Software Solutions including the cloud-based NIVUS WebPortal for data management and the NICOS SCADA/process control system; and (4) Accessories including mounting hardware, overvoltage protection, and Ex-interface modules. These products integrate to provide end-to-end IoT solutions from sensor measurement through data transmission to process control and optimization.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NivuFlow Mobile 600 Robust portable ultrasonic transit-time flow meter for long-term monitoring of fully filled pipes, featuring IP68 protection, rechargeable battery with up to 1 year of life, up to 2 measurement paths, optional Ex approval, and WLAN operation via web browser. Designed for municipal and industrial users needing temporary or mobile flow measurement.
• AquaBar II Submersible hydrostatic level probe with 4-20 mA transmitter for clean to slightly polluted liquids. Features a piezo-resistive stainless steel measurement cell in a 27 mm diameter housing suited for deep wells and groundwater measurements. CE Declaration of Conformity certified.
• NivuBar Plus II Submersible hydrostatic level probe with 4-20 mA transmitter for water and wastewater applications. Features an oil-free capacitive ceramic measurement cell with large front-flush diaphragm and ATEX II 1G Ex ia IIC/IIB T4 approval for Zone 0 as standard.
• UniBar E II Screw-in hydrostatic level probe with 4-20 mA transmitter for water, wastewater, and gases. Features a piezo-resistive stainless steel measurement cell, G 1/2 inch threaded connection, and ATEX II 1G Ex ia IIC T4 Zone 0 approval.
• NivuLink Micro II Self-sufficient IoT gateway for storage and automatic transmission of plant and measurement data. IP68 rated with up to 7 years of battery life, 4 universal inputs, HART interface, 2G/3G/4G mobile data transmission, VPN communication, and ATEX/IECEx Zone 1 approval. Integrates directly with the NIVUS WebPortal.
• NIC Clamp-On Sensor Non-contact ultrasonic transit-time clamp-on flow sensor for full pipes. Enables flow measurement without contact with the medium, making it suitable for drinking water applications, with 2-path measurement for clean to polluted media. EC Type Examination Certificate certified.
• NIS Pipe Sensor Ultrasonic transit-time pipe sensor for flow measurement in fully filled pipes. One sensor type covers DN100 to DN6000 pipe diameters with up to 100 m cable length, suitable for clean to slightly polluted media. Optional ATEX/IECEx Zone 1 approval.
• NivuLink Radar

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 7 years of autonomous battery-powered sensor operation (NivuLink Micro II)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

AI capability2 records

Feature11 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• IGM Messen GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNIVUS worked in a bidding consortium with IGM Messen GmbH (engineering firm) to win the Munich Drainage System measurement campaign contract. The consortium combined NIVUS's measurement device quality and technical expertise with IGM Messen's engineering and data analysis capabilities.
• Prof. Dieter Sitzmann (Scientific Consultancy for Water and Environment)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProf. Dieter Sitzmann collaborated with Munich Drainage System (MSE) to develop the measurement concept for the Munich sewer network campaign, which was a prerequisite for NIVUS's involvement in the subsequent measurement execution.
• Blasy + Mader GmbHminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerBlasy + Mader GmbH was contracted to take wastewater samples at selected sewer network and sewage treatment plant inlets during dry weather periods as part of the Munich measurement campaign, contributing to the pollution load calculation.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• KROHNE: German-headquartered specialist in industrial flow, level, and process measurement instrumentation. Directly competes with Nivus in flow meters, level sensors, and water/wastewater applications, with overlapping ultrasonic clamp-on and in-line measurement technologies.
• Endress+Hauser: Global leader in industrial process instrumentation with a strong water/wastewater portfolio including flow, level, and analytical measurement. Targets the same municipal and industrial water customers as Nivus with comparable ultrasonic and hydrostatic sensor technologies.
• VEGA Grieshaber: German-based specialist in level and pressure measurement instrumentation serving water/wastewater, chemical, and food industries. Closely overlaps Nivus's NivuBar and AquaBar hydrostatic level sensor range.

Broad incumbents

• Siemens (Process Instrumentation): Broad industrial automation incumbent offering SITRANS flow and level measurement instruments alongside its SIMATIC SCADA platform. Competes with Nivus in large municipal water/wastewater tenders where full-stack automation is preferred.
• ABB: Global industrial automation and instrumentation supplier offering flowmeters, level sensors, and water-industry digital solutions. Competes with Nivus for municipal and industrial water network monitoring business through its Measurement & Analytics division.
• Badger Meter: US-listed leader in flow measurement, water metering, and smart-water solutions (BEACON SaaS platform). Overlaps with Nivus on utility-grade flow meters and SCADA/subscription software for water networks.
• Xylem: Global water technology major spanning pumps, smart metering, and water quality analytics (including the former Sensus smart-water network portfolio). Competes with Nivus in smart-water network instrumentation and digital water platforms.
• Hach (Veralto): Specialist in water quality analysis and process instrumentation, part of Veralto (spun out of Danaher). Overlaps with Nivus's NivuParQ and NivuScope 2 water-quality measurement products for municipal and industrial customers.
• Yokogawa Electric: Global supplier of industrial process control and field instruments including flowmeters. Competes with Nivus in large water utility projects requiring integrated control, SCADA, and instrumentation.
• Honeywell Process Solutions: Broad industrial process instrumentation and control vendor serving water and wastewater utilities. Overlaps with Nivus's NICOS SCADA and field instrumentation offering for utility customers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/nivusgroup
• Instagraminstagram.com/nivus_gmbh
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nivus-gmbh
• YouTubeyoutube.com/nivus

Compliance10 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Nivus Gmbh