What Industrial Test Systems does

Industrial Test Systems, Inc. (ITS), doing business as Sensafe and founded in 1989, is a privately held Rock Hill, South Carolina-based manufacturer of water-quality testing instruments and chemistries. The company sells a multi-brand portfolio of visual test strips (SenSafe, WaterWorks, Quick, Ready Snap, Safe Tap Check, Safe Well Check, PoolCheck, Ascel) alongside a digital photometer platform built around the patented eXact reagent-strip system, the Bluetooth-enabled eXact iDip Smart Photometer, and the eXact iDip companion app on iOS and Android, with optional add-on meters (eXact pH+ / pH+ II, ORP probe) that deliver electrochemistry-based measurements and automated calculations such as the Langelier Saturation Index. ITS also bundles vertical-specific kits for craft brewing and coffee (Smart Brew), well-drilling contractors, and homeland security emergency response, and offers OEM/private-label packaging for international resellers.

ITS monetizes through a multi-channel go-to-market: direct-to-consumer e-commerce at sensafe.com (where online orders avoid minimum-order handling fees), inside sales with $100 reseller and $200 end-user minimums and NET 30 credit terms after the first order, distributor/private-label/OEM partnerships for resale customers worldwide, and an enterprise sales motion managed by Sales Manager George Bailey ([email protected], 1-800-861-9712 ext 1). Visible price points span roughly $20 for visual test strips up to $799.99 for digital photometer kits, with bulk phosphate-removal drums at $774.99, indicating a hybrid high-volume consumable plus mid-priced instrument model. The company holds NSF/ANSI 50 Level 1 certification across its pool, spa, well, and chlorine photometers and USEPA Environmental Technology Verification for its Quick Arsenic II kits (99.8% correlation to ICP-MS reference methods), has been granted U.S. Patent 7333194 covering the LEADQuick lead-detection method, and reports additional US and international patents around the eXact iDip system, supporting procurement access to regulated water-utility, pool/spa, and emergency-response channels.

The business remains tightly held by the Jaunakais family — Ivars Jaunakais as co-founder and president, Daryl Jaunakais as Co-Founder and Secretary Treasurer, and Lea Jaunakais also listed as president — with a headcount of 11–50 employees, no disclosed institutional investors, no M&A history, and a single UK office supporting international distribution. This ownership and scale profile, combined with a 35-year operating history, signals a stable, owner-operated specialty manufacturer rather than a venture-backed or PE-controlled platform.

Name

Industrial Test Systems

Legal name

Industrial Test Systems, Inc. (ITS)

Website

https://sensafe.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Industrial Test Systems (dba Sensafe) is a privately held Rock Hill, SC manufacturer of water-quality test strips and Bluetooth-enabled photometers, serving pool and spa, brewing, coffee, well-drilling, and homeland-security customers via direct e-commerce, distributors, and private-label/OEM channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water Quality Testing Instruments and Reagents

NAICS

Testing Laboratories and Services (541380), Testing Laboratories and Services (54138), Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516), Instrument Manufacturing for Measuring and Testing Electricity and Electrical Signals (334515)

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734), Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826), Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)

akta.pro primary industry

Laboratory Testing & Analytical Services (in-house/contract labs; microbiology, metals, organics) (EUANAJAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Chemical & Metals Water Testing (Nitrates, Lead, Copper, Heavy Metals) (AFALAJAE), Water Testing Kits & Monitoring (Household) (CRAJAJAL), Water, Ice & Process Utility Testing for Food Operations (AFALAAAJ)

Keywords

• Water quality testing
• Reagent test strips
• Digital photometer instruments
• Pool spa testing
• Arsenic lead testing

Headquarters

HQ city

Rock Hill

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Go-to-market motion4 records

Core offering

Industrial Test Systems, Inc. (ITS) manufactures and sells water-quality testing instruments and chemistries, primarily visual reagent test strips and Bluetooth-enabled digital photometers built around its patented eXact Strip micro-chemistry reagent system. Its products span consumer home test kits (Safe Tap Check, Safe Well Check, Pool Check), institutional photometer systems (eXact iDip, eXact Micro 20, eXact LEADQuick, eXact pH+), field arsenic test kits, and vertical-specific kits for brewing, well drilling, and emergency response, sold direct via sensafe.com and through resellers worldwide.

Product overview

Industrial Test Systems, Inc. (ITS) operates a multi-brand portfolio of water-quality testing products sold primarily through its Sensafe® storefront at sensafe.com. The portfolio combines visual test strips across multiple sub-brands (SenSafe®, WaterWorks™, Quick™, Ready Snap®, Safe Tap Check® / Safe Well Check®, PoolCheck®, Ascel®, ITS) with a digital photometer line centered on the patented eXact® reagent strips and the Bluetooth-enabled eXact iDip® Smart Photometer System, which is paired with the eXact iDip® iOS/Android companion app for live, GPS-tagged, emailable, CSV-exportable results. Vertical-specific kits — Smart Brew® for brewing and coffee, the ITS Well Driller's kits for well contractors, and the ITS Homeland Security Emergency Response Kit — bundle the appropriate photometer or strips, while the Eco-Check and Pool/Spa/Well/Chlorine+ eXact® EZ photometers extend the platform into aquarium, pool, spa, well, and sanitizer/disinfectant markets. The eXact® pH+ / pH+ II Multi-Parameter Meter (with optional ORP probe) is an add-on module that plugs into the same app and photometer workflow to deliver electrochemistry-based readings and automatic calculations such as the Langelier Saturation Index, and ITS also offers an OEM/custom private-label packaging service for resale customers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• eXact: Digital photometers, strips, and reagent-based water testing product line (including eXact iDip®, eXact® Micro 20, eXact® LEADQuick®, eXact® pH+).
• SenSafe
• WaterWorks
• Quick
• ReadySnap
• SafeTap
• SafeWell
• Ascel
• Smart Brew
• Pool Check
• Swim Check Fix
• Eco-Check

Products and services

• eXact iDip Smart Photometer System Patented Bluetooth-enabled smart photometer that pairs with the iDip companion app on iOS and Android to deliver live, GPS-tagged, emailable, CSV-exportable readings of 40+ water parameters using eXact reagent strips.
• eXact Micro 20 with Bluetooth Photometer Dual-wavelength photometer that connects to the eXact iDip app via Bluetooth and tests over 40 water quality parameters with lab-quality accuracy using the EZ-3 method.
• eXact LEADQuick with Bluetooth Water Test Kit Smart photometer for detecting lead (1-500 ppb) in water using patented technology (U.S. Patent 7333194) and pairing with the eXact iDip app via Bluetooth.
• eXact pH+ / pH+ II Multi-Parameter Meter Bluetooth-enabled multi-parameter handheld meter measuring pH, TDS, salinity, conductivity, temperature, and ORP, integrating with the eXact iDip app to perform automatic calculations such as the Langelier Saturation Index.
• Pool eXact EZ Photometer (and Master/Professional kits) NSF/ANSI 50 L1 Certified pool photometer delivering 10 pool water parameters (Total Alkalinity, Cyanuric Acid, pH, Free/Total/Combined Chlorine, Chloride, Copper, Phosphate, Calcium Hardness) using patented eXact Strip reagents with 20-second dip-and-read workflow.
• Spa eXact EZ Photometer (and kits) NSF/ANSI 50 L1 Certified spa photometer delivering 7 spa water parameters, calibrated for spa temperatures, using eXact Strip Micro reagents with a 10-second dip-and-read workflow.
• Well eXact EZ Photometer (and kits) NSF/ANSI 50 Certified well-water photometer measuring 5 critical parameters (pH II, Total Iron, Nitrate, Total Alkalinity, High Range Total Hardness) using the patented eXact Strip reagent system.
• Chlorine+ eXact EZ Photometer (and kits) NSF/ANSI 50 L1 Certified photometer testing 9 important water-quality parameters including Free Chlorine (DPD-1), Total Chlorine (DPD-4), High Range Chlorine, Chlorine Dioxide, Peracetic Acid, and Glycine using eXact Strips.
• Eco-Check eXact EZ Photometer Handheld Bluetooth photometer for marine and aquaria parameters, available as a starter kit and paired with the Eco-Check EZ Freshwater and Marine refill boxes.
• Quick Arsenic Test Kits (Low-Range, Ultra-Low II, Econo, Water/Soil/Wood, II Mini) USEPA-ETV-verified field test kits for inorganic arsenic (As+3 and As+5) producing results in 12-14 minutes from 0.3 ppb without technical training, with 99.8% correlation to ICP-MS reference methods. Winner of the 2003 WEF Innovative Technology Award.
• Ascel Arsenic Test Kit Patented field kit described as 'the world's fastest arsenic field kit,' using non-hazardous chemicals to test various detection levels of inorganic arsenic, with 50- and 100-test configurations and an emergency-response variant.
• Quick Arsenic Scan Density Reader Battery-operated portable density measurement device that scans reacted arsenic test strips and reports a color-density value, eliminating color-matching errors. Compatible with all Quick and Quick II arsenic kits.
• Ready Snap Test Strips (1P/3B/3P/4) Visual dip-and-read test strips offered in 1-parameter, 3-parameter, 3-parameter pH, and 4-parameter configurations for quick water screening.
• PoolCheck Test Strips Pool test strips including the Pool Check Xpress 3-Way strip with safe-range indicators printed directly on the strip itself, testing Total Alkalinity, Free Chlorine, and pH.
• SenSafe Visual Test Strips Brand of ITS visual test strips covering Free Chlorine, Low Range Chlorine Dioxide, Manganese (bottle and pocket pack), Mercury, Ozone Check, Copper, Iron (Fe+2), Silver, Water Metals Check, and others, available in bottle and pocket-pack formats.
• WaterWorks Visual Test Strips Sub-brand of ITS visual test strips covering Chloride (Check and Low Range), Low Range Peroxide, Nitrate/Nitrite, Sulfate (pocket pack), Free & Total Chlorine pocket packs, Phosphate (pocket pack), Iron Total, TDS, Bacteria, Sulfate, Protein, Coffee Check, and Bacteria Growth Check.
• Safe Tap Check / Safe Well Check Home Water Test Kits Consumer home water test kits including Safe Tap Check (Home and 9-Way) for tap water and Safe Well Check for well water, covering Copper, Free Chlorine, Iron, Nitrate, Nitrite, pH, Total Alkalinity, Total Chlorine, and Total Hardness.
• Smart Brew Brewing Water Test Kits (Starter, Professional, Pro II, Coffee Starter, Coffee PRO) Targeted water-analysis kits for craft breweries and coffee professionals built around the eXact iDip Smart Photometer and eXact pH+ Meter, calculating Magnesium, Residual Alkalinity, Sodium, and Langelier Saturation Index automatically with no manual math.
• ITS Well Driller's Test Kit (Standard and Master) Visual test kits for well-drilling professionals covering 11 (Standard) to 15 (Master) parameters including Free Chlorine, Ultra Low Total Chlorine, Hydrogen Sulfide, Total Hardness, Nitrate/Nitrite, pH, Manganese, Water Metals, Arsenic, Total Iron, Copper, Lead, Pesticide, and Bacteria.
• ITS Homeland Security Emergency Response Kit Field kit combining a DX-1 handheld radiation monitor with USEPA-approved SenSafe Free Chlorine, Cyanide, pH, and conductivity tests for suspected water-contamination response, available with an 8-week lead time.
• Swim Check Fix Pool Care Products (Phosphate, pH Minus, Tri-Guard) Pool-care product line including phosphate-removing tablets, pH Minus tablets, and Tri-Guard clarifier tablets sold in retail 12-packs and bulk drums.
• ITS Custom / Private Label Packaging Service OEM/private-label service that rebrands ITS water-testing products with customer branding for resale worldwide, with minimum order and setup costs.
• eXact iDip Companion Mobile App (iOS / Android) Free downloadable mobile app for iOS and Android that pairs with ITS Bluetooth photometers to display, save, GPS-tag, and share test results, download CSV files, and access step-by-step instructions.

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Hach Company (Danaher): Industry-leading water analysis brand under Danaher, offering portable colorimeters, photometers, reagents, and full lab/online instrumentation to utilities and industrial customers; competes with ITS in pool, drinking-water, and field-testing kits but at much larger scale and broader portfolio.
• Xylem Analytics: Water technology company owning brands such as YSI, WTW, and SI Analytics that make portable and laboratory water quality meters and probes; adjacent incumbent competing for utility and environmental customers rather than the consumer/brewing niche ITS serves.
• Thermo Fisher Scientific: Global analytical instruments and laboratory products giant whose Orion, Thermo Scientific, and Environmental brands supply lab-grade and field water analysis; competes with ITS in regulated water testing but at vastly greater scale and breadth.

Direct peers

• Tintometer (Lovibond): German-headquartered manufacturer of colorimetric water testing instruments, reagents, and pool/spa test kits; direct peer given overlapping photometer + reagent consumable model and similar target markets including brewing and pool.
• LaMotte Company: Long-standing US manufacturer of water quality test kits, reagent strips, and photometers for pool/spa, drinking water, and environmental testing; closest direct comparable given overlapping product formats (colorimetric strips + digital photometers) and overlapping customer segments.
• Taylor Water Technologies: US manufacturer of pool, spa, and industrial water testing kits including visual test strips and electronic meters; a direct niche peer for ITS's PoolCheck, Sensafe, and Pool eXact EZ product lines.
• Palintest (Halma): UK-based water quality testing manufacturer owned by Halma, selling photometers, reagent-based test kits, and pool/spa testing products; highly comparable to ITS given shared reagent-strip-plus-photometer model and international distribution.
• Hanna Instruments: Privately held manufacturer of bench and portable meters, photometers, and chemical test kits for water quality, pool, and aquaculture; competes head-to-head with ITS in handheld photometers and reagent strips for field use.

Regional players

• 3M (Liquatite / discontinued water test divestitures): Historical competitor in residential water test kits (e.g., formerly sold under private label and retail brands); relevant as a benchmark for retail-channel water test kit economics even though 3M has exited several of those lines.

Emerging players

• Oakton Instruments (Cole-Parmer / Antylia Scientific): Distributor and brand of portable pH, conductivity, and water quality meters sold into laboratory and field users; comparable to ITS in the digital-meter segment while relying on third-party reagent chemistry rather than proprietary strips.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/sensafe
• YouTubeyoutube.com/itssensafe
• Facebookfacebook.com/sensafe
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/523094
• Instagraminstagram.com/sensafe_its

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Industrial Test Systems