FRENCO

What FRENCO does

FRENCO GmbH is a privately held German precision engineering firm founded in 1978 and headquartered in Altdorf, Bavaria. The company designs and manufactures metrology hardware and reference artefacts for gears and splines, including spline gauges, master gears, toothed artefacts, universal measuring machines (notably a horizontal measuring system for internal gears), double-flank and single-flank test machines, rack inspection machines, gear flank analysers, size inspection instruments, and supporting clamping systems and electronics. Manufacturing capabilities extend to custom gear and spline production via NC form grinding, manual grinding, and wire EDM, achieving Q2/Q3 accuracy per DIN 3962. The company serves industrial manufacturers across machinery, automotive, aerospace, and mechanical engineering that require compliance with tight tolerances and international standards.

FRENCO's revenue model is multi-stream and largely transactional/technical-consulting in nature. Streams include hardware sales (measuring instruments, gauges, accessories), professional services (DAkkS-accredited calibration of gear normals, VDA 5 certification, custom gear/spline manufacturing), and knowledge transfer (paid seminars in German and English, technical publications). Distribution is direct via a specialized sales team led by Head Sales Johannes Ziegler, supplemented by trade fair presence (Control Stuttgart), a free Gear Calc mobile app for top-of-funnel brand building, and a service portal for existing customers. Pricing is custom-quoted and not publicly disclosed.

The company holds DAkkS accreditation as a conformity assessment body under DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025, offering calibrations with some of the smallest published measuring uncertainties in its field. FRENCO plays an active role in standards development across ISO/TC14, DIN (NA-060-34-31 splines, NA-060-34-11 cylindrical gears), ANSI B92, VDI FA 3.61, VDMA, and the RWTH Aachen Getriebekreis. With approximately 70 employees, the firm operates from a single production and HQ site in Altdorf, has no subsidiaries, no disclosed external funding, and no parent company, consistent with a founder- or family-controlled Mittelstand specialist.

Name

FRENCO

Legal name

FRENCO GmbH

Website

https://frenco.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

FRENCO GmbH designs and manufactures precision metrology hardware, master gears, and spline gauges, and runs a DAkkS-accredited calibration laboratory serving automotive, aerospace, and industrial gear and spline manufacturers from its Altdorf, Bavaria headquarters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Precision Gear and Spline Metrology Equipment

NAICS

Instruments and Related Products Manufacturing for Measuring, Displaying, and Controlling Industrial Process Variables (334513), Other Measuring and Controlling Device Manufacturing (334519), Other Specialized Design Services (54149)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Test & Measurement Equipment (Oscilloscopes, DAQ, signal analyzers, calibration benches) (IMAGAFAC)

Keywords

• Gear metrology equipment
• Spline measurement systems
• Precision calibration services
• Master gear manufacturing
• Industrial measurement instruments

Headquarters

HQ city

Nürnberg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Gear and Spline Measurement Equipment: Production and sale of inspection equipment including master gears, spline gauges, measuring instruments, and accessories for gear metrology.
2. Calibration and Testing Services: DAkkS calibration services for gear normals, wear measurement, gear and spline inspection with detailed certificates.
3. Gear and Spline Manufacturing: Custom production of gears and splines including internal/external gears, worms, crown gears with topological grinding of modifications. Services include NC form grinding, manual grinding, and wire EDM.
4. Seminars and Training: Professional seminars on spline connections and gear drives, offered in German and English, at customer facilities or FRENCO premises, including literature and technical publications.
5. Technical Publications and Literature: Sale of specialized technical books covering spline quality assurance, gear axis position, standards and calculations, and gear metrology history (5 volumes).

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

FRENCO designs, manufactures, and services precision gear and spline metrology equipment, including master gears, spline gauges, universal measuring machines, double-flank and single-flank test machines, and rack inspection systems. The company also operates a DAkkS-accredited calibration laboratory for gear normals and offers custom gear and spline manufacturing, technical consulting, seminars, and specialized technical publications.

Product overview

FRENCO is a globally recognized specialist for gear and spline metrology, offering a comprehensive portfolio of inspection equipment, measuring instruments, and services. The product portfolio includes: Inspection Equipment (Spline Gauges, Master Gears, Toothed Artefacts, Measuring Inserts), Measuring Instruments (Universal Measuring Machines for internal gears, Double Flank Test Machines, Single Flank Test Machines, Rack Inspection Machines, Gear Flank Analyser, Size Inspection Instruments, Circumferential Backlash Instruments), and Accessories (Clamping Systems, FRENCO Software, FRENCO Measurement Electronics, Cleaning Brushes). The company also offers a free Gear Calc mobile application for involute gear calculations. Services include DAkkS calibration, gear and spline manufacturing, technical consulting, seminars, maintenance, retrofit, and VDA 5 certification for size inspection instruments. FRENCO operates from approximately 70 employees and plays an active role in national and international standardization committees including ISO/TC14, DIN, ANSI B92, VDI, and VDMA.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Spline Gauges Precision gauges for measuring internal and external splines using the involute system, with automated gauge testing via FRENCO Pendulum Support.
• Master Gears Reference gears used as standards for calibrating and testing other gears.
• Toothed Artefacts and Masters Artefacts and master gears used as reference standards for gear measurement verification.
• Universal Measuring Machines Horizontal measuring systems for internal gears, highly precise, robust, and fast, developed for production environments.
• Double Flank Test Machines Classic gear testing machines using the double-flank rolling test method, available in numerous variants for quality control.
• Single Flank Test Machines Mesh testing machines combinable with noise measurement for comprehensive gear analysis.
• Rack Inspection Machines Quality control equipment using the double-flank rolling test method for rack-type gears.
• Gear Flank Analyser Instrument for analyzing gear flank geometry and deviations.
• Size Inspection Instruments Two-ball measurement instruments for size inspection of gears, supported by VDA 5 certification.
• Circumferential Backlash Instrument Instrument for measuring circumferential backlash in gear systems.
• FRENCO Software Software products for gear measurement, analysis, and data management, including REANY reality analysis software for all-tooth measurement evaluation.
• FRENCO Measurement Electronics Electronic measurement systems and components for gear metrology equipment.
• Measuring Inserts Replacement and specialized measuring inserts for FRENCO instruments.
• Clamping Systems Tools and clamping systems for securing workpieces during gear measurement.
• Gear Calc Mobile App Free mobile application for calculation of involute gearings, supporting internal/external spline calculations, module, pressure angle, helix angle, tooth thickness, pin diameter, and dimension over/between circles; available on Android and iOS.
• Gear and Spline Manufacturing Custom production of gears and splines including internal/external gears, worms, crown gears with topological grinding of modifications. Services include NC form grinding, manual grinding, and wire EDM.
• DAkkS Calibration Services DAkkS-accredited calibration laboratory for gear normals and master gears with smallest measuring uncertainties, accredited per DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025. Calibration covers external gear involute, flank line, and division normals, pitch, runout, and ball/roller measurement.
• Seminars and Training Professional seminars on spline connections and gear drives, offered in German and English at customer facilities or FRENCO premises, including literature and technical publications.
• FRENCO ZWP 40 Precision measurement solution designed for screw compressors and large shafts in demanding industrial applications.

Quantifiable outcome

• Smallest measuring uncertainties available for gear calibration (Profile Fα: 1.1-1.8 μm, Flank line Fβ: 1.1-1.8 μm, Division/Radial run-out Fp: 0.7 μm)

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ISO/TC14 (Technical Committee on Shafts for Machinery and Accessories)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive participation in ISO TC14 technical committee for standards related to shafts for machinery and accessories. FRENCO contact: Norbert Weiss.
• DIN NA-060-34-31 (Passverzahnungen - Spline Standards Committee)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive participation in DIN standards committee for spline connections. FRENCO contact: Kristoph Simolka.
• DIN NA-060-34-11 (Zylinderräder - Cylindrical Gears Standards)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive participation in DIN committee for cylindrical gears terminology and tolerances. FRENCO contact: Andreas Pommer.
• ANSI B92 (Splines)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipation in American National Standards Institute committee for spline standards.
• VDI FA 3.61 (Measurement of Gears and Transmissions)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerActive participation in VDI (Association of German Engineers) technical committee for gear measurement. FRENCO contact: Thomas Peter.
• VDMA Arbeitskreis Messtechnik (VDMA Measurement Technology Working Group)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipation in VDMA (German Mechanical Engineering Industry Association) measurement technology working group. FRENCO contact: Philip Jukl (General Manager).
• RWTH Aachen Getriebekreis (Gear Circle)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation with RWTH Aachen University's gear research circle. FRENCO contact: Andreas Pommer (Head Design).
• Technische Akademie Wuppertal (TAW) - Technical Academy WuppertalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with TAW for seminar 'Geometrie und Qualität von Passverzahnungen' (Geometry and Quality of Spline Connections) offered at fixed dates at TAW Altdorf location.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Gleason Corporation: Gleason is a US-headquartered global leader in gear design, manufacturing, and inspection equipment, including gear metrology systems. It is a larger but directly comparable competitor in the same precision gear measurement market that FRENCO serves.
• Kapp Niles: Kapp Niles is a German specialist in gear grinding, gear metrology, and profile grinding machines. It directly competes with FRENCO in high-precision gear measurement equipment and serves overlapping automotive, aerospace, and industrial gearbox manufacturers.
• Klingelnberg: Klingelnberg is a German-based global specialist in gear metrology and gear manufacturing technology. It is the closest direct peer to FRENCO, offering complementary cylindrical gear measurement machines, gear cutting, and testing solutions to overlapping automotive/aerospace customers.

Broad incumbents

• Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence: Hexagon is a global broad incumbent in industrial metrology and dimensional measurement software. While gear metrology is not its core focus, its substantial R&D and acquisition capacity pose a long-term competitive threat to niche specialists like FRENCO in precision industrial measurement.
• Renishaw plc: Renishaw is a UK-based precision measurement and motion-control specialist serving industrial metrology markets. It is a broad incumbent whose precision encoder and probing technologies could be extended into gear inspection, making it an adjacent competitive threat to FRENCO.
• Carl Zeiss Industrie (ZEISS Industrial Quality Solutions): ZEISS is a German optical/precision measurement incumbent operating broadly in industrial metrology including coordinate measuring machines and industrial quality solutions. While not gear-specific, its broad metrology portfolio overlaps with FRENCO's industrial customer base in aerospace and automotive precision manufacturing.
• Mahr GmbH: Mahr is a German precision metrology incumbent offering dimensional metrology solutions including gear-related instruments. Its double-flank gear roll testers are explicitly mentioned in FRENCO's recent service expansion announcements, making it an incumbent whose installed base FRENCO is now servicing.
• Hommel (Jenoptik): Jenoptik's Hommel-Etamic division produces precision measurement instruments including double-flank gear testing machines. FRENCO explicitly launched support/calibration services for Hommel brand testers in 2026, indicating Hommel as both an incumbent competitor and a target installed base for FRENCO's service expansion.

Emerging players

• Wenzel Group: Wenzel Group is a German manufacturer of coordinate measuring machines and industrial metrology solutions with growing capabilities in gear and gearbox measurement. It represents an emerging competitor whose CMM-based approach overlaps with FRENCO's precision measurement customer base.

Others

• OptoSigma (Sigma Koki /齿轮 measurement peers): OptoSigma and similar precision optical component/metrology suppliers serve adjacent industrial QC markets. While not directly competing in gear metrology, they share end-customers in precision manufacturing and aerospace with FRENCO.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 FRENCO