What Schmidt Haensch does

SCHMIDT + HAENSCH GmbH & Co. is a privately held, family-owned German manufacturer of optoelectronic precision measurement instruments, founded in 1864 in Berlin and currently managed by the fifth generation of the Schmidt and Haensch families. The company designs, develops, and produces all instruments in-house at its Berlin headquarters, with an additional production facility historically established in Köln-Lövenich and a wholly-owned distribution subsidiary in Shanghai. Its core technology stack rests on polarimetry, refractometry, densitometry, and spectrophotometry, anchored by proprietary quartz-wedge technology dating to 1863 and the proven oscillating U-tube density measurement principle.

The product portfolio is organized into four divisions: Laboratory Instruments (Saccharomat V, Polartronic V, VariPol, UniPol V polarimeters; VariRef and ATR-series refractometers; VariDens density meter; Coloromat and Saccharoflex colorimeters; and the combined Purity Analyzer), Laboratory Automation (AutoDosage and AutoFilt Z), In-line Process Instruments (iPR HR2, C2, FR2, B4, FS, EX refractometers and the iCS2 sensor platform), and Factory Automation (on-line purity, titration, turbidity, and ash analyzers targeted at the sugar industry). The VariFamily instruments share Aquisys 3 laboratory software, which provides 21 CFR Part 11 compliant remote control, monitoring, and archiving.

The company sells through a combination of direct enterprise sales from Berlin and an authorized distributor network of more than 150 partners in over 80 countries across Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, North and South America, and the Middle East. Pricing is quote-based, reflecting configured instruments and application-specific accessories, with multi-year service and validation contracts. Customer logos span pharmaceuticals (Pfizer, Roche, Bayer, Teva, GSK, Fresenius, B. Braun), food and beverage (Nestle, Tetra Pak, Warsteiner, Nordzucker, Masterfoods), chemicals (BASF, Merck KGaA, Celanese, Solenis), energy (Shell, BP), semiconductors and industrial manufacturing (Intel, Micron, Tesla, Bosch, GEA), consumer goods (Procter & Gamble), and academic institutions (Harvard). The company has no external funding, no parent company, and no disclosed M&A activity.

Name

Schmidt Haensch

Legal name

SCHMIDT + HAENSCH GmbH & Co.

Website

https://schmidt-haensch.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1864

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

SCHMIDT + HAENSCH GmbH & Co. is a family-owned Berlin-based manufacturer of optoelectronic precision measurement instruments — polarimeters, refractometers, density meters, and spectrophotometers — serving pharmaceutical, food and beverage, sugar, chemical, semiconductor, and academic laboratories and process plants in over 80 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Laboratory and Process Measurement Instruments

NAICS

Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516), Instruments and Related Products Manufacturing for Measuring, Displaying, and Controlling Industrial Process Variables (334513), Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (33451)

SIC

Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826), Optical Instruments & Lenses (3827), Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)

akta.pro primary industry

Analytical Instruments & Chromatography Systems (HLAGAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Process Analytical Instrumentation (Gas analyzers, spectroscopy, pH/ORP, conductivity) (IMAGAFAE), Liquid Handling & Laboratory Automation (Pipettes, Robots, Workstations) (HLAGAIAD), Mass Spectrometry & Spectroscopy Instruments (HLAGAIAB)

Keywords

• Precision measurement instruments
• Laboratory polarimeters refractometers
• Inline process refractometry
• Density and color measurement
• Sugar factory automation

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Laboratory Instruments Sales: Direct sales of benchtop precision instruments including polarimeters, refractometers, density meters, spectrophotometers, and purity analyzers. Products range from basic models to high-performance instruments for pharmaceutical, food, and chemical applications.
2. Process Instruments Sales: Industrial inline process refractometers and sensors (iPR and iCS series) for continuous real-time measurement in production environments. Includes PAT solutions for quality control.
3. Factory Automation Systems: Automation solutions including on-line purity analyzers, titration systems, turbidity analyzers, and ash analyzers for sugar production and industrial manufacturing.
4. Laboratory Automation: AutoDosage and AutoFilt Z systems for automated sample preparation, dosing, dilution, and filtration in laboratory environments.
5. Professional Services: Application consulting, validation services (21 CFR Part 11, GLP/GMP documentation, IQ/OQ/PQ), calibration, maintenance, repair, and training services.
6. Accessories and Consumables: Lab accessories including polarimeter tubes, flow-through cells, quartz calibration plates, filter aids, reference materials, and spare parts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Schmidt Haensch designs, manufactures, and sells precision optoelectronic measurement instruments — primarily polarimeters, refractometers, density meters, and spectrophotometers — for laboratory and industrial process applications in pharmaceuticals, food & beverage, sugar, chemicals, and related sectors. The company also provides laboratory automation systems (AutoDosage, AutoFilt Z), process instruments (iPR series inline refractometers), factory automation analyzers for sugar production, supporting Aquisys 3 software, accessories, and professional validation/calibration services. All instruments are developed and produced in-house at the Berlin headquarters.

Product overview

SCHMIDT + HAENSCH offers a comprehensive portfolio of precision measurement instruments organized into four main divisions: Laboratory Instrumentation, Laboratory Automation, Process Analytical Technology, and Factory Automation. Laboratory instruments include polarimeters (Saccharomat V, Polartronic V, VariPol, UniPol V), refractometers (VariRef, ATR series, DHR), the VariDens density meter, spectrophotometers/colorimeters (Saccharoflex 2020, Coloromat 100), and the Purity Analyzer combining polarimeter and refractometer functions. Laboratory Automation features AutoDosage for automated sample preparation and AutoFilt Z for chemical-free filtration. Process instruments comprise inline refractometers (iPR HR2, C2, FR2, B4, FS, EX) and the iCS2 sensor platform. Factory Automation includes on-line purity analyzers, titration systems, and ash analyzers for sugar production. All laboratory instruments are part of the VariFamily with shared Aquisys 3 software for connectivity and compliance with 21 CFR Part 11.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• VariFamily: Intelligent laboratory instruments including polarimeters, refractometers, and density meters with interconnectable design and remote data access capability.
• Saccharomat
• Polartronic V
• VariPol
• UniPol V
• iPR
• VariDens
• Purity Analyzer
• AutoDosage
• AutoFilt Z
• Aquisys 3
• Coloromat

Products and services

• Saccharomat V Sugar Polarimeter Sugar polarimeter featuring worldwide unique quartz-wedge technology with fully automatic compensation for sugar analysis in cane and beet sugar reception laboratories.
• Polartronic V Polarimeter High-performance circle polarimeter designed as an all-rounder for chemical, pharmaceutical, and research applications requiring precise optical rotation measurements.
• VariPol Modular Polarimeter Modular polarimeter developed for pharmaceutical applications offering high precision, modularity, flexibility, and rapidity, with 21 CFR Part 11 compliance.
• UniPol V Digital Polarimeter Fully automatic digital polarimeter for chemical applications, food and beverage, and cosmetics quality control.
• VariRef / VariRef2 Refractometer Full-range laboratory refractometer for precise refractive index, concentration, and Brix measurements with intelligent connectivity as part of the VariFamily.
• ATR P Benchtop Refractometer High-performance benchtop refractometer for laboratory substance identification and concentration measurements.
• ATR L Multi-Wavelength Refractometer Dispersion refractometer enabling multi-wavelength measurements for optical material dispersion and birefringence analysis in polymers, lenses, and glass.
• ATR V/VT Refractometer Benchtop laboratory refractometers for versatile laboratory applications with high precision and reliability.
• ATR BR Compact Refractometer Compact refractometer for laboratory use with robust design and favorable price-performance ratio.
• DHR Digital Handheld Refractometer Digital handheld refractometer for portable concentration and refractive index measurements in field and laboratory use.
• VariDens Density Meter Density meter using the proven oscillating U-tube principle for precise density and concentration measurements of food products, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and petrochemicals.
• Saccharoflex 2020 Sugar Colorimeter Reflectance colorimeter for color grading of crystallized sugar and wort, compliant with ICUMSA standards.
• Coloromat 100 Spectrophotometer Spectrophotometer for precise color measurement of liquid samples in food, beverage, and chemical industry applications.
• Purity Analyzer Integrated system combining polarimeter and refractometer for automatic sugar purity calculation in cane and beet sugar reception laboratories.
• Aquisys 3 Laboratory Software 21 CFR Part 11 compliant intelligent laboratory software controlling, monitoring, archiving, and retrieving measured data from VariFamily polarimeters, refractometers, and density meters, with multi-user management and encrypted remote mode.
• Lab Accessories Accessories including polarimeter tubes (T-CELL, flow-through tubes), quartz control plates, certified reference materials, filter aids, cuvettes, and sample compartment covers for use with Schmidt Haensch laboratory instruments.
• AutoDosage Universal Dosing System Automated dosing and dilution system for laboratories enabling precise, reproducible sample preparation with gravimetric or volumetric dosage, storing up to 70-99 user programs.
• AutoFilt Z Automatic Filtration System Fully automatic pressure filtration unit that works without clarifying agents, providing environmentally-friendly preparation of sugar samples with sensor-controlled operation and automated pre- and post-filtrate discarding.
• iPR HR2 High-Resolution Process Refractometer World's most precise high-resolution inline process refractometer with resolution up to 5 x 10-6 RI; water-cooled for hot processes, CIP-compatible, IP69K rated for industrial environments.
• iPR C2 Compact Process Refractometer Compact inline process refractometer with dimensions of only 150mm x 65mm; all-round instrument for measuring liquid concentration with Ethernet and WiFi connectivity.
• iPR FR2 Full-Range Process Refractometer Full-range inline process refractometer with measuring range from 1.3200-1.5300 RI (0-100 Brix); integrated water cooling enables measurements at process temperatures up to 150 degrees C.
• iPR B4 Inline Brix Refractometer Inline Brix refractometer for continuous concentration monitoring in food and beverage applications.
• iPR FS Hygienic Process Refractometer Inline process refractometer with certified hygienic design for sanitary applications in food, pharmaceutical, and biotech industries.
• iPR EX Explosion-Protected Process Refractometer Explosion-protected inline process refractometer with ATEX certification for hazardous environments.
• iCS2 Process Sensor Platform Customizable process sensor platform available in multiple variants including cooling lubricant sensor (iCS2 CL) and ethylene glycol sensor (iCS2 EG).
• On-line Purity Analyzer On-line system for continuous sugar purity measurement in factory automation applications.
• On-line Titration System Automated on-line titration system for continuous process monitoring under difficult process and environmental conditions.
• Ash Color Turbidity Analyzer Automatic analyzer reducing complete ash color turbidity analysis time from 1 hour to 10 minutes for sugar production processes.
• Ash On-line Analyzer Continuous on-line analyzer for ash measurement in sugar production processes.

Quantifiable outcome

• iPR HR2 achieves world's most precise process sensor resolution: up to 5 x 10-6 RI (2 x 10-3 Brix)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers25 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational metrology institute of Germany. SCHMIDT + HAENSCH collaborates with PTB on research and development in precision measurement technology, maintaining high standards of measurement accuracy and traceability.
• Fraunhofer InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading German research organization. Joint development of cutting-edge measurement technologies and validation of analytical methods.
• HTW Berlin (Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of Applied Sciences in Berlin. Collaboration on research projects, student training, and development of new measurement applications.
• TU Berlin (Technische Universität Berlin)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnical University of Berlin. Academic partnership for research collaboration and technology development in precision measurement.
• FHNW (Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwiss University of Applied Sciences. Academic collaboration on measurement technology research and development.
• ICUMSA (International Commission for Uniform Methods of Sugar Analysis)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational standards organization for sugar analysis methods. SCHMIDT + HAENSCH instruments comply with ICUMSA methods and participate in standardization efforts.
• VDMA (Verband Deutscher Maschinen- und Anlagenbau)minorOthersGerman Mechanical Engineering Industry Association. Membership supports industry networking and advocacy.
• BDI (Bundesverband der Deutschen Industrie)minorOthersFederation of German Industries. Membership supports industry advocacy and policy engagement.
• SPECTARIS (Deutscher Industrieverband für Optik, Photonik, Analysen- und Medizintechnik)minorOthersGerman industry association for optics, photonics, analytical and medical technology. SCHMIDT + HAENSCH is a member representing precision measurement industry interests.
• SA uni PartnerminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity partnership network for research collaboration and knowledge exchange.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Anton Paar: Austrian precision measurement manufacturer producing benchtop and inline density meters, refractometers, polarimeters, viscometers, and rheometers. Closest direct competitor to Schmidt Haensch in refractometry, density, and process analytical instrumentation, with a broader portfolio.
• ATAGO: Japanese manufacturer of digital and optical refractometers, polarimeters, and Brix/salt concentration meters. Directly competes in food, beverage, and agricultural refractometry with portable and benchtop offerings similar to Schmidt Haensch's DHR and ATR series.
• A. Krüss Optronic: German manufacturer of digital and analog polarimeters, refractometers, and density meters for pharmaceutical, food, and chemical applications. Highly comparable product overlap with Schmidt Haensch VariPol, VariRef, and Saccharomat lines, including same geographic core market (DACH).
• Rudolph Research Analytical: US-based manufacturer of automatic polarimeters and refractometers primarily serving pharmaceutical, sugar, and chemical markets. Direct competitor to Schmidt Haensch in FDA 21 CFR Part 11 compliant polarimetry.
• Bellingham + Stanley: UK-based refractometer and polarimeter manufacturer (now part of Xylem Analytics). Historically direct competitor to Schmidt Haensch in optical polarimetry and ICUMSA-compliant sugar analysis, with strong installed base in sugar and beverage industries.
• Kyoto Electronics (KEM): Japanese manufacturer of density meters, refractometers, and polarimeters for pharmaceutical, chemical, and beverage markets. Direct competitor to Schmidt Haensch in lab and benchtop density and refractive index measurement.
• Reichert Technologies: US-based manufacturer of analytical instruments including refractometers and polarimeters. Comparable to Schmidt Haensch in pharmaceutical and clinical refractometry, with focus on ophthalmic and life-sciences adjacencies.

Broad incumbents

• Mettler Toledo: Large Swiss-American lab and industrial instruments incumbent offering balances, pipettes, pH meters, refractometers, and process analytical sensors. Overlaps with Schmidt Haensch in refractometry and process instrumentation but operates at much greater scale across many lab categories.
• Endress+Hauser: Swiss-German process instrumentation leader offering sensors, analyzers, and process refractometers for industrial applications. Overlaps with Schmidt Haensch's iPR inline process refractometer line, but at much broader scale across flow, level, pressure, and analytical instrumentation.

Emerging players

• Hamilton Company: US-based manufacturer of process sensors including in-line refractive index sensors for biotech, pharmaceutical, and beverage applications. Emerging competitor in the inline process refractometry niche where Schmidt Haensch's iPR series competes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/SchmidtHaensch
• Facebookfacebook.com/schmidthaensch
• LinkedInde.linkedin.com/company/schmidt-haensch-gmbh-&-co-

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Schmidt Haensch