Furness Controls
Furness Controls is a UK-based precision instrumentation manufacturer designing capacitive differential pressure, airflow, gasflow, and leak detection instruments for automotive, pharmaceutical, medical device, HVAC, and industrial customers across more than 50 countries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1962
- HeadquartersBexhill, United Kingdom
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Furness Controls does
Furness Controls Limited is a UK-based precision instrumentation manufacturer headquartered in Bexhill-on-Sea, operating for over 60 years (founded 1962/1964) with 101-250 employees. The company designs and produces differential pressure, airflow, gasflow, and leak detection instruments used by industrial customers in automotive, medical device, pharmaceutical, HVAC, consumer appliance, motorsport, and energy sectors. Its core technology is a proprietary capacitive differential pressure sensor capable of ultra-low measurements down to 0.1 Pa and 0.01 ml/min, supported by six decades of internal R&D.
The product portfolio spans four families: leak testers (FCO730, FCO750, FCO780, FCO790, FCO794, including touchscreen and continuous variants), pressure transmitters (FCO418 through FCO460), flow testers and flow elements, and calibration products (FRS4 reference standard, FCO560, FCO99). The company also operates a UKAS-accredited calibration laboratory (UKAS 0580) providing traceable calibration services. Named enterprise customers include GE Healthcare, GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis, Whirlpool, Honeywell, Continental, Faurecia, Dyson, Red Bull Racing, and Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix.
Revenue is generated primarily through capital equipment sales of precision instruments with bespoke, application-specific pricing, supplemented by recurring UKAS-accredited calibration services and reference-standard product sales. Go-to-market is direct plus wholly-owned subsidiaries in China (Shenzhen and Suzhou), Germany (Willich), and France, supported by a partner network reaching 50+ countries including Leading Edge Controls Inc. in North America. The business is structured as a private limited company with no disclosed funding rounds, M&A activity, or external investors.
Furness Controls firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Furness Controls
- Legal name
- Furness Controls Limited
- Website
- https://furness.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1962
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Furness Controls is a UK-based precision instrumentation manufacturer designing capacitive differential pressure, airflow, gasflow, and leak detection instruments for automotive, pharmaceutical, medical device, HVAC, and industrial customers across more than 50 countries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Furness Controls industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Precision Measurement Instrumentation
- NAICS
- Instruments and Related Products Manufacturing for Measuring, Displaying, and Controlling Industrial Process Variables (334513)
- SIC
- Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823), Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Air Quality & Filtration Equipment (IAQ) (IMAHAKAI)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Calibration Services & Standards (Calibration labs, reference standards, traceability services) (IMAGAFAH)
Keywords
Where Furness Controls is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bexhill
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices7 records
Markets served
Furness Controls business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Precision Instrumentation Sales: Sale of automatic leak testers, differential pressure transmitters, flow elements, and flow testers as capital equipment instruments. These are sold as standalone products for integration into manufacturing production lines, laboratory environments, and quality control processes.
- Calibration Products: Sale of calibration instruments including the FRS4 pressure standard, FCO560 pressure calibrator, FCO220 digital leak calibrator, and FCO99 calibrated leaks. These reference instruments maintain traceability for pressure measurement devices.
- Calibration Laboratory Services: UKAS-accredited calibration services for differential pressure, gauge pressure, absolute pressure, and gas flow. Services offered from the UK headquarters calibration laboratory for both Furness and third-party instruments.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Bespoke / Application-Specific Quotation Required |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels4 records
Furness Controls product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Furness Controls designs, manufactures and supplies specialized instruments for ultra-low differential pressure measurement, automatic leak detection and low gas flow measurement, including production-line leak testers, differential pressure transmitters, laminar flow elements, Pitot tubes, and traceable calibration reference standards. Products are built around proprietary capacitive sensor technology and are sold as capital equipment to manufacturers, calibration laboratories and industrial measurement professionals globally, complemented by a UKAS-accredited in-house calibration laboratory service.
Product overview
Furness Controls is a global specialist in leak testing, flow testing, and ultra-low pressure measurement with over 60 years of experience. The product portfolio consists of three core instrument families: Leak Testers (FCO730, FCO750, FCO780, FCO790, FCO794) ranging from entry-level to advanced continuous testing models; Pressure Transmitters (FCO418, FCO432, FCO442, FCO452, FCO454, FCO460) offering ultra-low pressure measurement with various form factors and certifications including ATEX; and Flow Testers (FCO732, FCS610, FCO782, FCO792) for production line and laboratory applications. Supporting these are Calibration Products including the FRS4 Reference Pressure Standard, FCO560 Calibrator, and FCO99 Calibrated Leaks, plus Flow Elements (FCO96 Laminar Flow Elements, FCO65/FCO66/FCO68 Pitot Tubes). The company operates a UKAS-accredited calibration laboratory providing traceable pressure and flow calibration services. The FCO780/FCO790 and FCO782/FCO792 represent the advanced touchscreen generation, while the FCO750 and FCO730 provide cost-effective alternatives for production line integration.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Panometer: UK registered trade mark (UK00001157101) owned by Furness Controls Limited
- Vac-U-Bag
Products and services
- FCO780 Production Line Leak Tester Automatic leak tester with touchscreen interface for production lines, supporting differential pressure decay, ramp, blockage and sealed-item test types, configurable for up to 300 products with 16 test steps each, intended for manufacturers needing automated quality control.
- FCO790 Production Line Leak Tester Advanced touchscreen automatic leak tester for production-line integration supporting pressure decay, ramp, blockage, sealed-item, dump and bell test types with PROFINET, EtherNet/IP, RS232, RS485, USB and Ethernet connectivity, aimed at manufacturers requiring automated testing of consumer safety-critical products.
- FCO750 Production Line Leak Tester High specification production line leak tester with graphical display of test progress and programmable I/O, suitable for bench-top use or automated assembly fixtures in manufacturing environments.
- FCO730 Entry-level Leak Tester Entry-level PLC-controlled production line leak tester with up to 50 configurable tests, test pressures from vacuum to 30 bar and leak sensitivity down to 0.1 Pa or 0.01 ml/min, serving manufacturers needing cost-effective automated leak detection.
- FCO794 Continuous Leak Tester Continuous pressure testing leak detector for large enclosures and gas appliances featuring automatic pressure and temperature compensation, 300 product programs, and a datalogger storing up to 1,000,000 test results for production environments such as boiler and gas appliance manufacturing.
- FCO220 Digital Leak Calibrator Portable digital calibrator for production line leak detectors using volumetric and mass flow measurement with high-precision needle valve adjustment, available in 3, 6, 30 and 300 cc/min models, used by quality engineers to verify leak tester performance.
- FCO782 Production Flow Tester Advanced automated flow tester with touchscreen interface for production lines, measuring air and gas flows from 0.01 ml/min to 10,000 l/min with automatic pressure and temperature compensation for manufacturing flow verification.
- FCO792 Production Flow Tester Advanced touchscreen flow tester with automatic pressure regulation, 300 configurable products and a datalogger storing up to 1,000,000 test results, used on production lines to verify gas and air flow rate of manufactured products.
- FCO732 Entry Level Flow Tester Cost-effective entry-level flow instrument with less than 1% of reading accuracy, ISO 17025 calibrated, suitable for air and a wide range of gases with flow ranges from 0.01 ml/min to 10,000 l/min for production line flow verification.
- FCS610 Low-pressure Flow Tester Specialized low-pressure flow tester with automatic ultra-low-pressure regulator control for products designed to flow air or gas at low pressures, particularly suited to boiler and gas-appliance system testing on production lines.
- FCO432 Differential Pressure Transmitter Cost-effective ultra-low differential pressure transmitter in 11 models ranging from ±50 Pa to -1 bar to +10 bar with capacitive sensor technology and accuracy better than 0.25% of reading, used for industrial low-pressure monitoring.
- FCO418 Panel Mount Pressure Transmitter Panel-mount differential pressure transmitter in 11 models with accuracy better than 0.25% of reading, featuring high-clarity LCD or high-brightness OLED display options for instrumentation panels and equipment integration.
- FCO452 Industrial Pressure Transmitter Industrial-grade differential pressure transmitter in a robust industrial case with USB, RS232 or RS485 output and optional membrane keypad, designed for harsh industrial environments requiring ultra-low-pressure measurement.
- FCO442 Stainless Steel Pressure Transmitter IP64 brushed stainless steel differential pressure transmitter for clean-environment applications, providing ultra-low pressure measurement with 2-wire mA, 3-wire or 4-wire voltage output options, used in pharmaceutical and clean-room environments.
- FCO454 ATEX Pressure Transmitter ATEX, UKEX and IECEx certified differential pressure transmitter for hazardous-area use, with Gas Ex ia IIC T4 Ga and Dust Ex ia IIIC T200 135°C Da approvals for zones 0, 1 and 2, used in oil and gas, chemical and other explosive atmospheres.
- FCO460 Benchtop Pressure Transmitter Benchtop differential pressure transmitter and micromanometer with high-brightness OLED display, providing ultra-low pressure measurement down to ±50 Pa with configurable units and output scaling for laboratory and bench-top use.
- FRS4 Reference Pressure Standard Reference pressure standard for ultra-low pressure built around a non-rotating piston gauge with automatic force balance, offering resolution down to 0.001 Pa and uncertainty of ±(0.005% reading + 0.02 Pa) with full traceability to national standards, intended for calibration laboratories and national metrology institutes.
- FCO560 Pressure Calibrator Portable multifunction pressure calibrator and manometer for low and ultra-low pressures featuring differential pressure measurement down to 0.01 Pa, integrated automatic pressure generator, built-in datalogging and USB/RS232C output, combining calibration and measurement modes for field and laboratory use.
- FCO99 Calibrated Leaks Precisely calibrated leak source providing stable air flow rates for the calibration of leak detectors, available from 150 mbar to 14 bar with 5% accuracy and 0.1% repeatability, used as a reference standard in production and laboratory leak measurement.
- FCO96 Laminar Flow Elements Primary flow devices for low-volume air and gas flows from 0.1 ml/min to 40,000 l/min that use a laminar flow architecture to provide a linear relationship between differential pressure and flow, enabling very high turndown ratios and very low pressure drop compared with orifice-plate or venturi methods.
- FCO65 Pitot Tube Classic Prandtl-design stainless steel Pitot static tube for air and gas flow measurement, available in 2.1-25 mm diameters and suitable for temperatures up to 500°C, used as a primary flow sensor with Furness Controls differential pressure transmitters.
- FCO66 Pitot Tube Classic precision-design stainless steel Pitot static tube with brass fittings and a K factor of 1.00, used in various duct sizes to provide calibrated air and gas flow readings when paired with a Furness Controls differential pressure transmitter.
- FCO68 Averaging Pitot Static Tube Straight-shaft averaging Pitot static tube with multiple upstream sensing holes and a single downstream hole, in stainless steel with welded flange or stuffing box options, used for accurate flow profiling in large ducts.
- UKAS Calibration Laboratory Service UKAS-accredited calibration laboratory service (Laboratory UKAS 0580) operated from the Bexhill-on-Sea headquarters, providing NPL-traceable calibration for differential pressure (0.001 Pa to 40 kPa), gauge pressure (up to 4 MPa), absolute pressure and air/gas flow (0.1 ml/min to 40,000 l/min) for both Furness Controls and third-party instruments.
- Pressure Calibration Service UKAS-accredited pressure calibration service covering differential pressure (0-40 kPa), absolute pressure (80 Pa-4 MPa), gauge pressure (0-4 MPa) and negative gauge pressure, supplied to manufacturers and laboratories needing traceable pressure measurements.
- Flow Calibration Service UKAS-accredited flow calibration service covering gas flowrate from 0.02 mL/min to 2,000 L/min (accredited) and up to 30,000 L/min (traceable) and gas volume from 10 L to 10^4 L, supplied to manufacturers, calibration laboratories and standards facilities.
- Mask Testing Service Fully automated mask testing service using the FCS600 PAPR Durability Tester and related instruments to perform positive and negative flow testing on face masks in under one minute, verifying compliance with EN-149 (FFP respirators) and EN-14683 (medical face masks) standards for manufacturers and PPE testing facilities.
Quantifiable outcome
- Leak detection sensitivity of 0.1 Pa (differential pressure) / 0.01 ml/min flow rate
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Furness Controls
Customer profileNamed customers21 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Furness Controls technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
Furness Controls partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
22 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Leading Edge Controls Inc.coreDistributor for North America (USA and Canada), operating from Indian Trail, NC 28079. Handles sales, service, and support for Furness Controls products across the North American market.
- FC (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd.coreWholly-owned subsidiary in Shenzhen, China covering Southern China and Hong Kong markets. Provides local sales, service, and calibration laboratory capabilities for Chinese customers.
- FC (Suzhou) Co., Ltd.coreWholly-owned subsidiary in Suzhou, China covering Eastern China markets. Provides local sales, service, and calibration capabilities.
- Furness Controls GmbHcoreGerman subsidiary covering German-speaking markets (Germany, Austria, Switzerland), Dutch-speaking markets (Netherlands, Belgium Dutch), Baltic states, Central and Eastern European markets. Operates from Willich (regional HQ) and Langenenslingen (Southern Germany).
- Furness Controls s.a.r.l.coreFrench subsidiary covering France, French-speaking Belgium, and French-speaking Switzerland. Operates from Saint Michel sur Orge near Paris.
- Wilsonic d.o.o.minorDistributor covering Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, Montenegro, and Macedonia. Based in Medvode, Slovenia.
- Delta Strumenti s.r.l.minorDistributor covering Italy. Based in Gemonio (VA), Italy.
- Neotek O.E.minorDistributor covering Greece. Based in Athens, Greece.
- Gometrics S.L.minorDistributor covering Portugal. Based in Barcelona, Spain.
- BIS Sistem ElectronikminorDistributor covering Turkey. Based in Istanbul, Turkey.
- Precitool s.a. de c.v.minorDistributor covering Mexico. Based in Mexico City, DF.
- Rabinovich & AsociadosminorDistributor covering Argentina. Based in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
- G&M Comércio de Produtos Ltda.minorDistributor covering Brazil. Based in Santo André, São Paulo, Brazil.
- Instru Electronic Colombia S.A.S.minorDistributor covering Colombia. Based in Bogotá D.C., Colombia.
- Assinfilt Cia.Ltda.minorDistributor covering Ecuador. Based in Quito, Ecuador.
- Mechtech Marketing Pvt Ltd.minorDistributor covering India. Based in Chennai, India.
- FC Measurement and Controls Pte. LtdminorDistributor covering Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia. Based in Singapore.
- Fine Tech Trading Corp.minorDistributor covering Japan. Based in Tokyo, Japan.
- Samduk Hi-Tech Corp.minorDistributor covering South Korea. Based in Seoul, South Korea.
- Sinom CorporationminorDistributor covering Taiwan. Based in New Taipei City, Taiwan (R.O.C.).
- Bestech Australia Pty LtdminorDistributor covering Australia. Based in Dingley, Victoria, Australia.
- Instrumetrics EngineeringminorDistributor covering Israel. Based in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Furness Controls competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- ATEQ: France-based global specialist in leak testing equipment for automotive, HVAC, medical device, and consumer appliance production lines. Competes head-to-head with the FCO730-FCO794 product range in similar end markets and customer segments.
- INFICON: Swiss-listed leader in leak detection, gas analysis, and vacuum instrumentation serving semiconductor, automotive, HVAC, and refrigeration markets. Directly competes with Furness Controls in leak testing and gas flow measurement for similar industrial customer bases.
- TSI Incorporated: US-based manufacturer of precision measurement instruments for airflow, particle, pressure, and gas flow analysis. Direct overlap in flow measurement, calibration, and cleanroom/HVAC monitoring use cases.
- Bronkhorst: Dutch specialist in low-flow mass flow meters and controllers for gases and liquids. Comparable niche focus on precision flow measurement with proprietary sensor technology serving similar industrial and laboratory customers.
- Kistler Group: Swiss precision sensor manufacturer specializing in pressure, force, and acceleration measurement for automotive, manufacturing, and R&D applications. Comparable in niche industrial instrumentation focus and high-precision sensor IP.
- MKS Instruments: US-listed provider of instruments, subsystems, and process control solutions for pressure, flow, gas composition, and vacuum measurement. Closest public-company comparable for product breadth in industrial pressure and flow measurement.
Broad incumbents
- Endress+Hauser: Swiss family-owned global leader in industrial process measurement instrumentation, including flow, pressure, level, and analytical. Competes in industrial pressure/flow but at a vastly broader scale and with a full process-automation portfolio.
- Parker Hannifin: US-listed diversified motion and control technologies company with a broad portfolio of fluid handling, pressure, and flow components. Overlaps with Furness Controls in industrial flow measurement but operates at significantly larger scale across multiple industrial verticals.
- Fluke (Fortive): US-based industrial test and measurement brand owned by Fortive, providing handheld and bench instruments for electrical, temperature, pressure, and process calibration. Overlaps with Furness Controls' calibration instrument line but addresses a much broader technician and field-service market.
Emerging players
- Sensirion: Swiss MEMS-based sensor specialist for flow, gas, humidity, and temperature measurement. Emerging threat via lower-cost semiconductor-based pressure and flow sensors targeting adjacent automotive and HVAC applications.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Furness Controls social profiles
Digital presenceFurness Controls financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Furness Controls leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Furness Controls subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries4 records
Furness Controls funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Furness Controls 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 Furness Controls
What does Furness Controls do?
Furness Controls designs, manufactures and supplies specialized instruments for ultra-low differential pressure measurement, automatic leak detection and low gas flow measurement, including production-line leak testers, differential pressure transmitters, laminar flow elements, Pitot tubes, and traceable calibration reference standards. Products are built around proprietary capacitive sensor technology and are sold as capital equipment to manufacturers, calibration laboratories and industrial measurement professionals globally, complemented by a UKAS-accredited in-house calibration laboratory service.
Is Furness Controls a public or private company?
Furness Controls is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Furness Controls founded?
Furness Controls was founded in 1962. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Furness Controls based?
Furness Controls is headquartered in Bexhill, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Furness Controls make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Precision Instrumentation Sales are the primary driver. The others are calibration Products and calibration Laboratory Services.
Who are Furness Controls's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are ATEQ, INFICON, TSI Incorporated, Bronkhorst, Kistler Group and MKS Instruments. Broad incumbents are Endress+Hauser, Parker Hannifin and Fluke (Fortive). Sensirion is listed as an emerging player.
Does Furness Controls have an API?
No public API is recorded for Furness Controls.
What industry is Furness Controls in?
Furness Controls's product category is Precision Measurement Instrumentation. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAHAKAI, Air Quality & Filtration Equipment (IAQ), with a secondary code of IMAGAFAH, Calibration Services & Standards (Calibration labs, reference standards, traceability services). Its NAICS code is 334513 and its SIC code is 3823.