SonTek - a Xylem Brand
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1992
- HeadquartersSan Diego, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
SonTek - a Xylem Brand firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- SonTek - a Xylem Brand
- Legal name
- YSI Incorporated
- Website
- https://sontek.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1992
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
SonTek - a Xylem Brand industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Water Velocity Measurement Instrumentation
- NAICS
- Totalizing Fluid Meter and Counting Device Manufacturing (334514), Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516), Other Measuring and Controlling Device Manufacturing (334519)
- SIC
- Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826), Totalizing Fluid Meters & Counting Devices (3824)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sonar, Undersea Sensors & Acoustic Detection Systems (IMABAGAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Irrigation Monitoring & Sensors (Flow/Pressure Meters, Soil Moisture, Water Quality Sensors) (AFABAHAJ), Water Quality Monitoring (Surface Water, Stormwater, Drinking Water) (EUAHACAC)
Keywords
Where SonTek - a Xylem Brand is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Diego
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
SonTek - a Xylem Brand business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Hardware Instruments Sales: Sale of Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers, velocimeters, and monitoring systems including SonTek-M9, RS5, FlowTracker2, CastAway-CTD, SL Series, and IQ Series. Revenue is generated through one-time hardware purchases with potential for accessories, replacement parts, and service contracts.
- Accessories and Replacement Parts: Sale of accessories, replacement parts, schematics, calibration solutions, and reagents to support existing instrument installations.
- Professional Services and Training: Training programs, project consulting services for environmental, laboratory, and municipal water applications, and authorized service center repairs.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | Enterprise/Government Direct Pricing |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
SonTek - a Xylem Brand product offering
Product offeringCore offering
SonTek designs and manufactures acoustic Doppler instrumentation (ADCPs and ADVs) that use sound waves to measure water velocity, flow direction, and discharge across rivers, lakes, estuaries, coastal zones, deep oceans, and laboratories. The portfolio includes multi-frequency ADCPs (SonTek-M9), compact portable ADCPs (RS5), wading and laboratory velocimeters (FlowTracker2), handheld CTD sensors (CastAway-CTD), continuous water velocity and level monitors (SL Series), and open-channel/pipe flow monitors (IQ Series), sold to hydrologists, scientists, engineers, and government water professionals through direct and distributor channels.
Product overview
SonTek, a Xylem brand since 1992, offers a portfolio of Acoustic Doppler Current Profiling (ADCP) instrumentation and acoustic Doppler velocimeter (ADV) products for water velocity measurement. The product line centers on six core instruments: the SonTek-M9 (multi-frequency discharge measurement), SonTek-RS5 (compact portable ADCP), SonTek-FlowTracker2 (wading discharge/lab ADV), CastAway-CTD (handheld conductivity-temperature-depth sensor), SonTek-SL Series (velocity and level monitoring), and SonTek-IQ Series (open channel/closed conduit flow monitoring). These instruments use sound waves to measure water velocity, flow direction, and discharge across diverse environments including rivers, lakes, estuaries, coastal zones, and deep oceans, serving hydrologists, scientists, engineers, and water resource professionals worldwide.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- SonTek-M9: Multi-frequency discharge measurement technology
- SonTek-RS5
- SonTek-FlowTracker2
- SonTek CastAway-CTD
- SonTek-SL Series
- SonTek-IQ Series
Products and services
- SonTek-M9 Multi-frequency acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) for discharge measurement in rivers, lakes, and estuaries. Uses multiple acoustic frequencies to measure water velocity and flow across varying depths and conditions, from shallow streams to deep channels, targeted at hydrologists, scientists, and water resource professionals.
- SonTek-RS5 World's smallest acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) designed for portable water velocity and current measurement applications. Its compact form factor enables deployment in previously inaccessible locations and easier handling for field measurements.
- SonTek-FlowTracker2 Rugged acoustic Doppler velocimeter (ADV) for wading discharge measurements in the field or laboratory use, featuring automatic water depth measurement via pressure sensor for faster, more accurate discharge data collection.
- SonTek CastAway-CTD Handheld deployable CTD (Conductivity, Temperature, Depth) instrument for rapid environmental profiling of aquatic environments.
- SonTek-SL Series Water velocity and level monitoring system for continuous monitoring applications across various aquatic environments.
- SonTek-IQ Series Flow monitoring system for continuous measurement of water flow and volume data in channels, pipes, or streams, available in Standard, Plus, and Pipe variants, targeted at irrigation, municipal, and industrial flow monitoring applications.
- Project Consulting - Environmental Project consulting service for environmental water applications, providing expert guidance for hydrological and environmental monitoring projects.
- Project Consulting - Laboratory Project consulting service for laboratory water applications, providing expert guidance for laboratory measurement and analysis using SonTek instrumentation.
- Project Consulting - Municipal Project consulting service for municipal water applications, providing expert guidance for water utilities and municipal hydrology projects.
Companies that use SonTek - a Xylem Brand
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
SonTek - a Xylem Brand technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
SonTek - a Xylem Brand partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
SonTek - a Xylem Brand competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- RBR: Specialist in high-precision oceanographic instruments including CTDs, tide gauges, and current meters. An emerging challenger with partial overlap to SonTek in serving ocean and environmental researchers with precision water measurement devices.
Direct peers
- Nortek: Designs and manufactures acoustic Doppler instrumentation (ADCPs, ADVs) for oceanography, coastal engineering, and laboratory use. Direct peer to SonTek in underwater acoustic velocity measurement, with comparable customer base in research and offshore industries.
- Aanderaa Data Instruments (AADI): Manufacturer of oceanographic and environmental monitoring instruments including current meters and CTDs. Comparable to SonTek in serving marine researchers and environmental agencies with in-situ water measurement instruments.
- Rowe Technologies: Manufacturer of acoustic Doppler current profilers and oceanographic sensors for hydrographic survey and environmental monitoring. Closely comparable to SonTek in ADCP technology offering and target markets in hydrology and ocean research.
- LinkQuest: Producer of acoustic Doppler products including current profilers and navigation systems. Comparable to SonTek in deploying acoustic Doppler technology for underwater velocity and current measurement in research and survey applications.
- Teledyne RD Instruments (Teledyne Marine): A leading manufacturer of Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (ADCPs) and Doppler Velocity Logs used in oceanographic, hydrological, and offshore applications. Direct competitor to SonTek in the ADCP measurement category, serving similar government, research, and commercial ocean customers.
Broad incumbents
- Hach: A large water analytics company under Veralto offering flow meters and water quality instrumentation. Adjacent to SonTek in serving municipal water and environmental monitoring customers, though Hach focuses primarily on water quality chemistry rather than acoustic Doppler velocity.
- OTT Hydromet (Veralto): Provider of hydrometeorological and water quality monitoring instruments including discharge measurement systems. Comparable to SonTek in serving hydrologists and water resource managers with flow and level instrumentation, though broader in scope across meteorology.
- Sontek parent — YSI Incorporated: SonTek's parent/legal entity offering a much broader portfolio of water quality sensors, sondes, and laboratory instruments. While overlapping in customer base (hydrologists, scientists), YSI's strength is in multi-parameter water quality rather than acoustic Doppler flow measurement.
- Seabird Scientific: Major oceanographic instrumentation provider (CTDs, water sampling sensors) serving global ocean research and monitoring programs. Comparable to SonTek in target customers (oceanographers, climate researchers) though stronger in physical oceanography profiling than acoustic Doppler discharge.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
SonTek - a Xylem Brand social profiles
Digital presenceSonTek - a Xylem Brand financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
SonTek - a Xylem Brand leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
SonTek - a Xylem Brand funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
SonTek - a Xylem Brand M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about SonTek - a Xylem Brand
What does SonTek - a Xylem Brand do?
SonTek designs and manufactures acoustic Doppler instrumentation (ADCPs and ADVs) that use sound waves to measure water velocity, flow direction, and discharge across rivers, lakes, estuaries, coastal zones, deep oceans, and laboratories. The portfolio includes multi-frequency ADCPs (SonTek-M9), compact portable ADCPs (RS5), wading and laboratory velocimeters (FlowTracker2), handheld CTD sensors (CastAway-CTD), continuous water velocity and level monitors (SL Series), and open-channel/pipe flow monitors (IQ Series), sold to hydrologists, scientists, engineers, and government water professionals through direct and distributor channels.
Is SonTek - a Xylem Brand a public or private company?
SonTek - a Xylem Brand is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was SonTek - a Xylem Brand founded?
SonTek - a Xylem Brand was founded in 1992. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is SonTek - a Xylem Brand based?
SonTek - a Xylem Brand is headquartered in San Diego, United States, in the North America region.
How does SonTek - a Xylem Brand make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Hardware Instruments Sales are the primary driver. The others are accessories and Replacement Parts and professional Services and Training.
Who are SonTek - a Xylem Brand's main competitors?
RBR is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are Nortek, Aanderaa Data Instruments (AADI), Rowe Technologies, LinkQuest and Teledyne RD Instruments (Teledyne Marine). Broad incumbents are Hach, OTT Hydromet (Veralto), Sontek parent — YSI Incorporated and Seabird Scientific.
Does SonTek - a Xylem Brand have an API?
No public API is recorded for SonTek - a Xylem Brand.
What industry is SonTek - a Xylem Brand in?
SonTek - a Xylem Brand's product category is Water Velocity Measurement Instrumentation. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMABAGAD, Sonar, Undersea Sensors & Acoustic Detection Systems, with a secondary code of AFABAHAJ, Irrigation Monitoring & Sensors (Flow/Pressure Meters, Soil Moisture, Water Quality Sensors). Its NAICS code is 334514 and its SIC code is 3826.