TESS

What TESS does

TESS (株式会社テス) is a privately held Japanese railway technology company founded in 1988 and headquartered in Kunitachi, Tokyo. The company operates as a commercialization and engineering extension of Japan's Railway Technical Research Institute (RTRI / 公益財団法人鉄道総合技術研究所), handling design supervision, manufacturing coordination, sales, and technical support for RTRI-developed railway safety and efficiency technologies. Its product portfolio is organized into three categories: (1) railway infrastructure hardware, led by Cerajet high-speed ceramic-particle anti-slip devices (adopted by every Shinkansen from the 500 series onward) and ladder track systems deployed at 30+ Japanese railway operators; (2) measurement and analysis equipment including Digital Vibration Meters (W0051, W0031A), PQ wheel axles, and wheel-load lateral-pressure measurement devices; and (3) safety-education software and training materials, including STAT-VR VR content, STAT-ZERO manuals, SimError call-and-response training, and the Wire Frost Prediction Program.

TESS makes money primarily through one-time/perpetual license sales of hardware equipment and software to Japanese railway operators and safety training customers. Distribution is direct, sales-led, and domestic-only, supported by PDF catalogs, a corporate website (www.tess.co.jp), and inquiry-based pricing. Manufacturing is handled in partnership with Watt System, while sales and technical support sit inside TESS. The customer base is concentrated in Japanese railway operators, with 30+ ladder track adopters and full fleet penetration across recent Shinkansen models, and a small but growing footprint in non-railway industrial safety training via safety-tess.jp.

Name

TESS

Legal name

株式会社テス

Website

https://tess.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

TESS is a Japanese railway technology company that develops, manufactures, and sells safety hardware and training software co-developed with the Railway Technical Research Institute (RTRI). It serves Japanese railway operators, including all Shinkansen 500-series and later models, plus adjacent industrial safety customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Railway Safety and Track Infrastructure Equipment

NAICS

Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (33451), Railroad Rolling Stock Manufacturing (336510), Support Activities for Rail Transportation (488210)

SIC

Railroad Equipment (3743), Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823), Measuring & Controlling Devices, Nec (3829)

akta.pro primary industry

Rolling Stock Testing, Inspection & Certification (NDT, commissioning, compliance) (TLAKAIAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Rail Asset Inspection, Monitoring & Diagnostics (Track Geometry, Wayside Sensors) (TLAJADAG), Braking Systems Maintenance & Overhaul (Pneumatic/Electro-Pneumatic) (TLAKAIAF), Testing, Inspection, Certification & Commissioning (TICx) Technical Services (BPAHAIAL)

Keywords

• Railway safety equipment
• Anti-slip sand systems
• Railway measurement instruments
• Ladder track systems
• Railway safety training

Headquarters

HQ city

Kunitachi

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Railway Equipment Sales: Sale of railway track systems (Cerajet, ladder tracks), measurement devices, and sand sprayers to railway operators.
2. Software Sales: Sale of educational software for safety training, human error prevention, and ride comfort analysis software.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

TESS develops, distributes, and provides technical support for proprietary railway safety, track-structure, and measurement products created in collaboration with Japan's Railway Technical Research Institute (RTRI). Its portfolio includes the Cerajet high-speed anti-slip sand sprayer, Ladder Track systems, Musijet sand systems, digital vibration meters, PQ wheel axles for measuring wheel load and lateral pressure, and software for wire frost prediction and human-error prevention training. The company sells these products primarily to Japanese railway operators, including Shinkansen operators, through direct sales.

Product overview

TESS (株式会社テス) is a railway technology company that develops, manufactures, and sells products created in partnership with the Railway General Research Institute (鉄道総合技術研究所). The product portfolio is organized into three main categories: (1) Railway infrastructure products including Cerajet anti-slip devices and Ladder Track systems for safety and maintenance; (2) Measurement and analysis equipment including Digital Vibration Meters (W0051, W0031A), PQ wheel axles, and wheel load measurement devices; (3) Safety education software including SimError training programs, STAT-VR VR materials, and the Wire Frost Prediction program. All products leverage railway engineering expertise from the research institute, with TESS handling design supervision, manufacturing coordination, sales, and technical support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cerajet (セラジェット): High-speed anti-slip sand spraying device for railways, developed by RTRI and sold by TESS since 2002
• Ladder Track (ラダー軌道)
• Digital Vibration Meter W0051/W0031A

Products and services

• Cerajet (セラジェット) high-speed anti-slip sand sprayer High-speed compatible adhesion-material injection device that uses 0.3 mm ceramic particles ejected at 100 m/s at a standard 30 g/min rate to prevent wheel slip and slide on trains; adopted by all Shinkansen models from the 500 series onward and used on locomotives, Shinkansen, conventional lines, and trams.
• Ladder Track (ラダー軌道) system

Quantifiable outcome

• Cerajet reduces slip occurrences from 17.4 to 1.0 average in emergency braking tests
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• 公益財団法人鉄道総合技術研究所 (Railway Technical Research Institute / RTRI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRTRI developed the ladder track technology and Cerajet system, with TESS handling design supervision and sales. TESS was transferred Cerajet sales and technical support from RTRI in 2002. TESS also collaborates on box-type Musheet developed jointly with RTRI.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• HBK (Hottinger Brüel & Kjær): Global supplier of sound, vibration, and measurement instrumentation. Comparable product overlap with TESS's digital sway/vibration meters used for ride comfort and floor vibration measurement on rail vehicles.
• Plasser & Theurer: World leader in track maintenance and track geometry measurement machines. Directly comparable to TESS's measurement and diagnostic product line (PQ wheel axles, sway meters, wheel load measurement devices).
• voestalpine Railway Systems: One of the world's largest rail track infrastructure suppliers, offering fastening systems, sleepers, and noise/vibration solutions that compete with TESS's Ladder Track portfolio in the rail track infrastructure category.
• Knorr-Bremse AG: Global market leader in rail braking systems. Knorr-Bremse sells adhesion control and sanding equipment that directly competes with TESS's Cerajet and cylindrical/box-type Musheet products on the same rail operator customers.
• Pandrol: Rail fastening and track technology specialist owned by voestalpine, offering rail fastening, sleeper, and noise-reduction solutions directly comparable to TESS's Ladder Track and floating track systems.
• Rhomberg Sersa Rail Group: Rail construction, maintenance, and track engineering services provider with capabilities in track renewal and noise/vibration mitigation, comparable to TESS's ladder track installation and maintenance offerings.
• Getzner Werkstoffe: Specialist in elastic vibration isolation materials for rail track superstructures. Directly comparable to TESS's floating Ladder Track, which addresses track-induced vibration/noise on elevated bridges.
• Kistler Group: Manufacturer of precision sensors and measurement systems for dynamic pressure, force, and vibration. Comparable to TESS's digital vibration meters and PQ wheel axle products used for railway ride comfort and wheel-rail load measurement.

Broad incumbents

• L.B. Foster Company: North American supplier of rail products including track components, friction management, and monitoring equipment. Comparable to TESS in the niche of railway infrastructure and condition-monitoring products.
• Wabtec Corporation: Large diversified rail equipment OEM combining braking, adhesion, track measurement, and condition-monitoring products. Overlaps with TESS across Cerajet-class adhesion systems and digital measurement instruments.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 TESS