What Kobold Instruments AG does

Kobold Instruments AG, commercially operating as KOBOLD Messring GmbH, is a privately-held German industrial instrumentation company specializing in the measurement and control of physical process quantities — specifically flow, pressure, level, and temperature. Founded in 1980 and headquartered in Hofheim am Taunus, Germany (with a Swiss domicile and a North American office in Pittsburgh, PA), the company designs and manufactures sensors, transmitters, gauges, and meters built on multiple physical measurement principles including ultrasonic, magnetic-inductive, thermal mass, and positive-displacement (oval gear). The product portfolio spans inline and clamp-on ultrasonic flow meters (DUK, DUC), all-metal magnetic-inductive flow meters (MIM, MIK), positive-displacement oval gear meters (DON, DOE), thermal mass flow meters (KEC), digital pressure gauges (MAN-SC, MAN-LC), resistance thermometers and OEM temperature sensors (TWC, MWD, MMA), and supporting accessories such as counters, dosing electronics, flow restrictors, and manifold valves. Product designs emphasize modularity, internationally recognized BUS interface compatibility (IO-Link and HART), and "Made in Germany" quality positioning.

The company's business model is a direct-to-industrial-customer hardware sales operation executed through regional field sales offices (Germany headquarters, US regional office in Pittsburgh) supplemented by an authorized dealer and group-member distribution network (Heinrichs, Henschen, Mesura in Spain, Unirota in Hungary). Pricing is quote-based with no public list price; payment terms indicate enterprise-scale transactions (30-day net for orders up to €25,000 and split milestone payments of one-third each for larger contracts), implying B2B sales into industrial manufacturers and process operators. Go-to-market is supported by a multilingual website (14+ languages), an active trade fair calendar, and LinkedIn/Facebook brand presence. Customer segments are horizontal across industrial manufacturing, process safety/pressure monitoring, and level-measurement applications. Ownership remains with managing directors Klaus J. Kobold and Hans Volz (Dipl.-Ing.), suggesting a founder/family-controlled private company with no disclosed institutional, PE, or venture capital backing.

Name

Kobold Instruments AG

Legal name

Kobold Messring GmbH

Website

https://kobold.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

KOBOLD Messring GmbH is a privately-held German industrial instrumentation company that designs and manufactures flow, pressure, level, and temperature measurement and control sensors for industrial manufacturers and process operators worldwide, distributed through direct field sales and an authorized group-member dealer network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Process Instrumentation

NAICS

Instruments and Related Products Manufacturing for Measuring, Displaying, and Controlling Industrial Process Variables (334513), Totalizing Fluid Meter and Counting Device Manufacturing (334514), Other Measuring and Controlling Device Manufacturing (334519)

SIC

Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)

akta.pro primary industry

Sensors & Feedback Devices (Pressure, Flow, Position, Encoders, Transducers) (IMAHAGAK)

Keywords

• Industrial flow measurement
• Pressure measurement instruments
• Level measurement sensors
• Temperature measurement devices
• Process control instrumentation

Headquarters

HQ city

Dübendorf

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Industrial Measurement Equipment Sales: Direct sales of industrial measuring and control equipment including flow meters, pressure gauges, level indicators, temperature sensors, and related accessories. Products are sold directly to industrial customers for integration into production plants worldwide.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

KOBOLD designs, manufactures, and sells industrial measurement and control instrumentation for the physical quantities of flow, pressure, level, and temperature. The portfolio includes flow meters (ultrasonic, magnetic-inductive, thermal mass, positive displacement oval gear), digital pressure gauges and switches, level sensors and indicators, and resistance thermometers/OEM temperature sensors, with HART and IO-Link interface options. Products are sold to industrial customers worldwide for integration into production plants and process automation systems, with supporting accessories such as counters, dosing electronics, flow restrictors, and manifold valves.

Product overview

Kobold Messring GmbH is a German industrial instrumentation company offering a comprehensive portfolio of measurement and control equipment. The product portfolio centers on four core measurement categories: flow measurement (including ultrasonic, magnetic inductive, positive displacement oval gear, and thermal mass flow meters), pressure measurement (digital pressure gauges and transmitters), level measurement (float switches, level indicators, and sensors), and temperature measurement (resistance thermometers, insertion sensors, and OEM temperature sensors). The product line features multiple communication interfaces including IO-Link for digital integration, HART protocol, and internationally recognized BUS interfaces. The offering also includes supporting accessories such as counters, dosing electronics, flow restrictors, and manifold valves. Products are characterized by 'Made in Germany' quality standards and modular design for various industrial applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• KOBOLD Messring GmbH: Core operating entity specializing in industrial measurement and control equipment for flow, pressure, level and temperature

Products and services

• DUK Ultrasonic Flow Meter with IO-Link (Inline) Inline ultrasonic flow meter with IO-Link interface for measuring flow rates of liquids in industrial applications, designed for direct integration into piping.
• DUC Ultrasonic Flow Meter (Clamp-on) Clamp-on ultrasonic flow meter for non-invasive flow measurement on existing pipe installations without process interruption.
• MIM Magnetic-Inductive Flow Meter with IO-Link (All-Metal Stainless Steel) All-metal stainless steel magnetic-inductive flow meter with IO-Link for measuring conductive liquids in demanding industrial environments.
• MIK Magnetic-Inductive Flow Meter/Monitor with IO-Link Magnetic-inductive flow meter and monitor with IO-Link interface for industrial liquid flow measurement and monitoring.
• PITe/UMF-2 Electromagnetic Insertion Flow Meter Electromagnetic insertion flow meter designed for large pipe diameters and demanding industrial applications.
• KEC Thermal Mass Flow Meter Thermal mass flow meter for measuring gas and air flow rates in industrial applications.
• DON-H Positive Displacement Oval Gear Flow Meter Positive displacement oval gear flow meter for precise volumetric measurement of liquids and oils.
• DOE Positive Displacement Oval Gear Flow Meter Positive displacement oval gear flow meter for industrial liquid measurement applications.
• MAN-SC Battery-Powered Digital Pressure Gauge Battery-powered digital pressure gauge for portable or remote pressure monitoring applications.
• MAN-LC Digital Pressure Gauge with IO-Link Digital pressure gauge with IO-Link connectivity for industrial process monitoring and automation integration.
• TWC OEM Temperature Sensors Temperature sensors designed for original equipment manufacturer (OEM) applications with customizable specifications for embedded industrial use.
• MMA Insertion Temperature Sensors (with/without Transmitter) Insertion temperature sensors available with or without integrated transmitter for process temperature monitoring.
• MWD Resistance Thermometers (Pt100/Pt1000) Resistance thermometers (Pt100/Pt1000) for precision temperature measurement in industrial processes.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• HeinrichscoreOthersPart of the KOBOLD group of companies. Heinrichs is shown as a related group member on the KOBOLD website, suggesting affiliated company relationship under common ownership.
• HenschencoreOthersPart of the KOBOLD group of companies. Henschen is shown as a related group member on the KOBOLD website, suggesting affiliated company relationship under common ownership.
• MesuracoreOthersPart of the KOBOLD group of companies. Mesura is shown as a related group member (based in Spain), suggesting affiliated company relationship under common ownership.
• UnirotacoreOthersPart of the KOBOLD group of companies. Unirota is shown as a related group member (based in Hungary), suggesting affiliated company relationship under common ownership.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Endress+Hauser: Global leader in industrial process measurement instrumentation for flow, level, pressure, and temperature — direct overlap with KOBOLD's core portfolio across the same customer base of industrial process plants.
• Baumer Group: Swiss-headquartered industrial sensor manufacturer with process instrumentation offerings in pressure, temperature, level, and flow — same geographic and product positioning.
• WIKA: German-based manufacturer of industrial measurement instruments for pressure, temperature, level, and flow — comparable product breadth, customer base, and 'Made in Germany' mid-market positioning.
• IFM Electronic: German sensor and instrumentation company offering flow, pressure, level, and temperature sensors with IO-Link connectivity — directly comparable in product mix and IIoT positioning.
• VEGA Grieshaber: German specialist in level, pressure, and process instrumentation with strong industrial customer overlap and similar mid-tier European positioning as KOBOLD.
• Bürkert: German manufacturer of fluid measurement and control solutions including flow meters, sensors, and controllers — comparable in targeting industrial process customers and flow-measurement applications.

Broad incumbents

• ABB Measurement & Analytics: Broad industrial automation and process instrumentation portfolio including flow, pressure, level, and temperature devices — comparable products delivered through a much larger systems-integrator-led go-to-market.
• Emerson (Rosemount): Major automation incumbent whose Rosemount line covers pressure, temperature, level, and flow measurement — directly overlapping products but sold as part of full plant automation solutions.
• Siemens (Process Instrumentation): Global automation conglomerate offering SITRANS process instrumentation as part of a much broader portfolio — overlaps in flow, pressure, level, and temperature but bundled with PLCs, drives, and DCS.
• Yokogawa Electric: Global process automation vendor with a dedicated industrial sensor and measurement instrument line — overlaps in flow, pressure, level, and temperature for process plant customers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookde-de.facebook.com/Kobold.Group
• LinkedInde.linkedin.com/company/kobold-messring-gmbh

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries4 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 Kobold Instruments AG