Microtherm

What Microtherm does

Microtherm Sentronic GmbH is a German-based manufacturer of thermal measurement, protection, and control sensors, founded in 1965 and headquartered in Pforzheim, Germany. The company operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Prettl Group following the 2020 transfer of Microtherm GmbH's business operations and global production companies. Its product portfolio centers on three categories: temperature switches (bimetallic snap-disc thermostats with high precision and narrow tolerances), temperature sensors (PTC, NTC, STS, and PT1000 thermistor-based devices with PT-series ranging from -40 to 180°C), and temperature fuses (one-shot thermal cutoffs rated up to 25A and 240°C). It also produces contactless Hall-effect position and angle sensors primarily for automotive air-flap management and has expanded into miniaturized F-series mini-switches and a flexible mini-sensor platform compatible with 0603 chips for confined-space installations such as stator slots in small electric motors.

Microtherm serves five primary end markets: automotive (IATF 16949-certified series supplier to international vehicle brands and Tier-1s for motion and temperature sensing), e-mobility/New Mobility (sensors for EV drive motors, charging plugs, and battery systems), industrial motors and heaters (overheating protection for pumps, compressors, transformers, and automation hardware), sensoric/general industrial and household (protection for appliances, HVAC fire dampers, and medical equipment), and renewable energy/medical technology (precision thermal management for photovoltaic, wind, and laboratory devices). The company runs four production sites in Germany, Czech Republic, China, and India, plus sales offices in Italy, Brazil, the USA, and Canada (Cantherm), and holds DIN-ISO, IATF 16949, VDE, UL, CSA, CCC, ENEC, and RCM certifications across all production facilities.

The revenue model combines direct enterprise field sales to large customers with multi-year supply contracts, a proprietary online shop (temperaturschalter-24h.de) with a €750 minimum order value for small-quantity buyers, and two distribution channels — Bürklin for the German mid-market (€750 minimum) and Mouser Electronics globally (no minimum) for NPI-driven volume. Revenue streams include standardized hardware sales, customer-specific sensor development from feasibility study through series production, and professional development services supporting 2D/3D design verification. The company reports over 250 employees and revenue exceeding €20 million, and is participating in the cross-company sens2act technology cluster established by Prettl Holding in 2025 to market integrated intelligent sensor solutions for electric drive applications.

Name

Microtherm

Legal name

Microtherm Sentronic GmbH

Website

https://microtherm.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Microtherm Sentronic GmbH is a German manufacturer (founded 1965, Prettl Group subsidiary) of thermal measurement, protection, and control sensors — temperature switches, PTC/NTC/PT sensors, fuses, and Hall-effect position sensors — serving automotive, e-mobility, industrial, household, and medical customers worldwide through four production sites and direct-plus-distributor sales channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Temperature Sensors

NAICS

Automatic Environmental Control Manufacturing for Residential, Commercial, and Appliance Use (334512), Other Measuring and Controlling Device Manufacturing (334519)

akta.pro primary industry

Thermistors & Temperature Sensors (NTC/PTC/RTD Elements) (HDAHANAH)

Keywords

• Thermal protection sensors
• Temperature switches
• Industrial temperature sensors
• Automotive position sensors
• Thermal fuses

Headquarters

HQ city

Pforzheim

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Standard Product Sales: Sale of standardized temperature switches, temperature sensors, and temperature fuses. Products are sold directly to large customers, through the company's online shop for small quantities, and via distributor partners (Bürklin, Mouser Electronics).
2. Customer-Specific / Custom Solutions: Development and production of customer-specific sensor solutions, including custom temperature and motion sensors for e-mobility, automotive, and industrial applications. Accompanies customers from product idea to series production.
3. Professional Services (Development Support): Technical development support for customers including feasibility study, sample production, testing, and 2D/3D design with design verification. Project implementation from definition phase to series production introduction.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Microtherm manufactures thermal measurement, protection, and control sensors including bimetallic temperature switches, PTC/NTC/STS/PT1000 temperature sensors, thermal fuses, and Hall/magnetic-based position and angle sensors. The company delivers both standardized products and customer-specific sensor solutions from concept through series production, serving automotive, e-mobility, industrial, household appliance, and building technology applications.

Product overview

Microtherm is a manufacturer of thermal measurement, protection, and control sensors. The product portfolio consists of three core product categories: Temperature Switches (thermostats, half-inch switches, temperature controllers, CD series), Temperature Sensors (PTC, NTC, STS, PT-series including PT100/PT500/PT1000), and Temperature Fuses (L-series, S3M-series, MT-series). The company also offers multiple product series including B, F, T, M, R, IT, TK, PTC (YAM/EF1), STS, Minisensors, CD, K1, and S3M. Products serve applications in electric motors and heaters, automotive, new mobility/e-mobility, and sensoric industries. The offering includes both standardized products and customer-specific solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Temperature Switches Reliable temperature switches for overheating protection in extreme conditions and tight spaces, including thermostats with housing, half-inch switches, temperature controllers, and CD series switches. Built on bimetallic snap-disc switching principle with high switching performance and narrow tolerances.
• Temperature Sensors Sensors for temperature measurement used in overtemperature protection, function triggering, and temperature display, including PTC, NTC, STS, PT1000, and PT-series sensors. Available with jerky, linear, and linearized characteristics, including miniaturized versions for tight installation spaces.
• Temperature Fuses Thermal fuses that automatically open the circuit when the rated switching temperature is exceeded and must be replaced after tripping, including L-series, S3M-series, and MT-series. Feature melting blow-out elements (organic melt pellet or melting alloy), current load capacity up to 25 A, and maximum triggering temperature up to 240°C.
• Position and Angle Sensors Contactless displacement and angle sensors based on Hall or magnetic technology, primarily focused on product development and production for the automotive industry. Includes linear Hall sensors for air flap position management in combustion engine intake manifolds and rotation angle Hall sensors in end-of-shaft mounting.
• Customer-Specific Sensor Solutions Custom development and production of application-specific temperature and motion sensors for e-mobility, automotive, and industrial applications, accompanying customers from product idea through feasibility study, sample production, testing, 2D/3D design, and series production introduction.

Quantifiable outcome

• Miniaturization of temperature sensors enables faster response to temperature changes, allowing manufacturers to push motor load capacity limits higher and increase peak performance.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• sens2act Technology Cluster (Prettl Holding)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Four specialists from Prettl Holding joined forces in a technology cluster called sens2act, pooling expertise as a one-stop shop for intelligent sensor solutions. Focus: customized innovations for electric drive sensor applications. As a one-stop shop, they offer tailored innovations for customer applications with emphasis on solving sensor tasks for electric drives: Reliable. Tailor-made. Fast.
• Mouser ElectronicscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMicrotherm Sentronic entered into a landmark global distribution agreement with Mouser Electronics, the industry's leading New Product Introduction (NPI) distributor with the broadest selection of semiconductors and electronic components. Mouser distributes Microtherm products globally without minimum order value, providing broad market access.
• BürklinminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGerman electronic components distributor handling small quantities of Microtherm products under a minimum order value of €750.00.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Bourns, Inc. US manufacturer of electronic components including temperature sensors, PTC thermistors, and position sensors. Overlaps in component-level thermal and position sensing for automotive and industrial OEMs.

Broad incumbents

• Endress+Hauser Group Services AG: Swiss global leader in process instrumentation including temperature measurement, RTDs, and thermometers. Overlaps in industrial temperature monitoring but operates at much larger scale with broader instrumentation portfolio.
• Sensata Technologies Holding plc: US-listed industrial sensor specialist with broad portfolio including temperature, pressure, and position sensors for automotive and industrial applications. Comparable customer base and product categories, but at significantly larger scale.
• Honeywell International Inc. US industrial conglomerate producing a wide range of temperature sensors, thermostats, and thermal switches. Overlaps in automotive, HVAC, and appliance thermal protection but as one line within a much larger diversified portfolio.
• Texas Instruments Incorporated: US semiconductor manufacturer whose analog products include integrated silicon temperature sensors and switches. Competes in industrial and automotive temperature sensing at the chip level rather than discrete component level.

Direct peers

• JUMO GmbH & Co. KG: German manufacturer of temperature sensors, thermostats, and process automation instrumentation. Direct overlap in temperature switches, RTDs, and thermal protection devices for industrial and HVAC applications.
• IST AG (Innovative Sensor Technology): Swiss manufacturer of thin-film platinum and NTC temperature sensors. Closest direct competitor in micro-precision temperature sensing for industrial and automotive applications, with overlapping PT/NTC/PTC product lines and similar miniaturization focus.
• Heraeus Sensor Technology: German-based division of Heraeus specializing in platinum and NTC temperature sensors. Direct competitor in precision temperature sensing, particularly PT1000-class sensors for automotive and industrial customers.
• WIKA Alexander Wiegand SE & Co. KG: German global leader in industrial measurement technology including temperature sensors, switches, and thermowells. Comparable in serving industrial process monitoring, HVAC, and OEM customers with broad thermal instrumentation portfolios.
• Thermik Corporation: German specialist in thermal protection switches (bimetallic snap-disc thermostats) and motor protection devices. Closely comparable to Microtherm's temperature switch and motor PTC product lines, serving appliance, motor, and industrial OEMs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/about

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries8 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 Microtherm