What Allectra does

Allectra is a privately held German-British manufacturer and supplier of High Vacuum (HV) and Ultra-High Vacuum (UHV) components, founded in 2002 and operating through two sister entities, Allectra GmbH in Germany and Allectra Limited in the UK. The company designs, manufactures and distributes a broad catalog of electrical feedthroughs (M12, Triaxial 50 Ohm, Sub-D, BNC, MHV/SHV, SMB, power, thermocouple, multi-way and high-current variants), UHV/HV valves, viewports, cables, connectors, rupture disks, hardware and accessories, together with proprietary products such as the KAP301 PFAS-free radiation-resistant Kapton insulated wire family. Its technology centers on precision electrical and mechanical interfaces that maintain vacuum integrity under extreme conditions, including radiation resistance, high current and temperatures up to 300°C.

Allectra serves a primarily institutional customer base, including major particle physics and synchrotron facilities (CERN, DESY, ESRF, Diamond Light Source, BESSY, Elettra, Taiwan Photon Source, European Spallation Source), national metrology institutes (NPL) and high-technology manufacturers in semiconductor, photonics, cryogenics, nanotechnology and alternative energy research. The company operates three production facilities in Germany (Schönfliess b. Berlin and Villingen-Schwenningen) and the UK (Sheffield Park, East Sussex), holds ISO 9001 certification for both entities, and is compliant with REACH, RoHS, TSCA, Conflict Minerals, POP and Russian Steel regulations.

The business model combines (1) unit-priced catalog sales of standard components via a multilingual e-commerce webshop, (2) project-based custom and bespoke manufacturing for accelerators and beamlines staffed by physicists, engineers and project managers, and (3) ongoing in-house R&D that feeds proprietary new products into the catalog. Distribution is hybrid: direct enterprise sales for custom projects, direct webshop for standards, and a worldwide distributor and regional sales-agent network covering Europe, Asia, North America and Oceania. The company is founder/management-owned with no disclosed external institutional investors.

Name

Allectra

Legal name

Allectra GmbH / Allectra Limited

Website

https://allectra.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Allectra is a privately held German-British manufacturer of high vacuum and ultra-high vacuum components, including electrical feedthroughs, valves, viewports and specialty radiation-resistant wires, serving particle physics laboratories, synchrotron facilities and high-technology manufacturers worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Standard Component Sales: Sale of catalog HV and UHV components including feedthroughs, cables, connectors, valves, viewports, hardware and accessories through e-commerce Webshop platform
2. Custom/Bespoke Manufacturing: Project-based custom manufacturing services for bespoke vacuum solutions, involving physicists, technical advisers, engineers and specialist project managers working with customers on specific requirements
3. Product Development: Proprietary new products developed in-house including M12 feedthroughs, Triaxial feedthroughs, High Current Sub-D feedthroughs, and specialized wire products

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Allectra designs, manufactures, and supplies a complete range of High Vacuum (HV) and Ultra-High Vacuum (UHV) components, with electrical feedthroughs (Sub-D, M12, Triaxial 50 Ohm, BNC, MHV/SHV, Power, etc.) at the core, complemented by KAP301 radiation-resistant PFAS-free Kapton insulated wires, UHV/HV valves, viewports, cables, connectors, hardware, and rupture disk assemblies. The company serves scientific research facilities and high-technology manufacturers worldwide, and supplements its standard catalog offering with custom/bespoke engineering solutions developed by an in-house team of physicists, engineers, and specialist project managers.

Product overview

Allectra is a manufacturer and supplier of High Vacuum (HV) and Ultra-High Vacuum (UHV) components serving the high technology manufacturing industry and advanced research facilities. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of standardized catalogue components alongside custom-designed bespoke solutions. The core product line centers on electrical feedthroughs including M12, Triaxial 50 Ohm, High Current Sub-D, Sub-D (standard and mixed), BNC, 50 Ohm coaxial, MHV, SHV, SMB, Power, Multi-Way, Power Glove, Thermocouple, and Dual In-line variants. Supporting products include KAP301 radiation-resistant PFAS-free Kapton insulated wires (available as stranded, solid conductor, twisted pair, thermocouple, coaxial, and ribbon cable), vacuum valves, viewports, cables, connectors, hardware, and rupture disk assemblies. The company operates through two entities (Allectra GmbH and Allectra Limited) with manufacturing facilities in Germany and UK.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Radiation resistance increased by factor of 100 compared to standard wires
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered regional and minor.

• Alba Scientific (Benjamin Holmes)regionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBenjamin Holmes appointed as sales agent for BeNeLux region (Netherlands, Luxembourg, Belgium) through his company Alba Scientific. Provides local sales support and customer service for the region, bringing extensive knowledge of ultra-high vacuum technology.
• laOlaWeb GmbHminorOthersWeb design, conception and implementation partner responsible for the Allectra website design and development.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves17 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• UHV Design: UK-based manufacturer specializing in HV/UHV components including viewports, feedthroughs, manipulators, and bespoke vacuum solutions. Similar scale and customer focus to Allectra, with overlapping scientific research customer base in Europe.
• Kurt J. Lesker Company: US manufacturer of vacuum components, materials, thin-film deposition equipment, and instruments. Direct competitor with overlapping product lines (feedthroughs, flanges, viewports, custom vacuum hardware) and similar scientific/industrial customer base.
• Nor-Cal Products: US-based HV/UHV component manufacturer offering feedthroughs, viewports, valves, flanges, and custom chambers. Similar size and product focus to Allectra, serving comparable scientific research and high-tech manufacturing customers.
• Huntington Mechanical Laboratories: US manufacturer of vacuum components including viewports, feedthroughs, chambers, and motion feedthroughs for UHV applications. Direct comparable in product category and customer segments.
• MDC Vacuum Products: US-based manufacturer of high-vacuum and ultra-high-vacuum components including electrical feedthroughs, flanges, viewports, valves, and custom vacuum chambers. Closely comparable product portfolio and serves similar scientific research and semiconductor customers.

Broad incumbents

• INFICON: Swiss/US publicly-traded company specializing in vacuum instrumentation, leak detection, and gas analysis. Serves overlapping research and industrial customers but focuses on measurement instrumentation rather than vacuum components.
• Edwards Vacuum: UK-headquartered vacuum technology provider (part of Atlas Copco) offering pumps, components, and abatement solutions. Significantly larger scale and broader product portfolio than Allectra, serving overlapping scientific and industrial customers.
• VAT Group: Swiss publicly-traded global leader in vacuum valves and related components serving semiconductor, display, scientific, and industrial customers. Overlaps with Allectra in vacuum valves and feedthroughs but operates at significantly larger scale and broader scope.
• Pfeiffer Vacuum: German vacuum technology leader offering comprehensive vacuum solutions including pumps, components, instruments, and services. Much larger and broader scope than Allectra, with overlapping customer base in research and semiconductor applications.

Emerging players

• HSR AG: Swiss vacuum component manufacturer offering HV/UHV components for research and industrial applications. Similar size and product focus to Allectra, with comparable scientific customer base primarily in Switzerland and Europe.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/allectraVacuum
• Facebookfacebook.com/allectra
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/allectra
• Instagraminstagram.com/allectraltd

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Allectra