CHRONIX

What CHRONIX does

CHRONIX (クロニクス株式会社) is a Tokyo-based B2B value-added distributor specializing in industrial electronic, optical, and semiconductor components for Japanese manufacturers. Founded in 1986, the company aggregates products from over 30 international suppliers across France, Australia, Italy, China, Israel, Taiwan, Lithuania, Switzerland, the United States, Singapore, Germany, and Spain, localizing these offerings for the Japanese market. The company operates as a private firm with an estimated 11–50 employees and is not a manufacturer or technology developer.

The product portfolio is organized into five categories: Image Related (machine vision cameras, imaging sensors, hyperspectral imagers), Microwave (RF and microwave components), Semiconductor (discrete devices and ICs), Connector & Relay (interconnect solutions), and Safety Standard (certified industrial components). Notable distributed suppliers include Calumino (edge AI thermal sensors), Newsight (depth imaging), CEDRAT (aerospace actuators and mechatronics), Opto-Engineering (machine vision optics), and New Imaging Technologies (hyperspectral imaging). End-market applications span aerospace, automotive, semiconductor manufacturing, machine vision, and scientific research.

CHRONIX generates revenue through import-distribution margins on specialized industrial components that are difficult for Japanese customers to source directly from overseas manufacturers. The business model relies on Japanese-language technical support, regulatory compliance navigation (industrial certifications, safety standards), and import logistics management. The company does not manufacture products, develop proprietary technology, or hold patents; its value proposition is curation, importation, and technical intermediation between foreign component makers and Japanese industrial buyers. No revenue figures, customer concentration, growth metrics, or pricing model details are publicly disclosed.

Name

CHRONIX

Legal name

クロニクス株式会社

Website

https://chronix.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CHRONIX (クロニクス株式会社) is a Tokyo-based B2B value-added distributor of specialized industrial electronic, optical, and semiconductor components, sourcing from over 30 international manufacturers and serving Japanese industrial customers across aerospace, automotive, semiconductor, and machine vision sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Distribution of electronic components: CHRONIX generates revenue by importing and distributing specialized industrial electronic, optical, and semiconductor components from international manufacturers to Japanese customers. The company acts as a reseller/distributor, handling sales, technical consultation, and support for imported products in the Japanese market.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

CHRONIX is a Japanese B2B specialized distributor that imports and resells industrial electronic, optical, microwave, semiconductor, and connector components from international manufacturers to Japanese industrial customers. The company aggregates products from 30+ overseas suppliers across five product categories (image-related, microwave, semiconductor, connector/relay, safety-standard), provides Japanese-language technical consultation, and handles import logistics and local support. CHRONIX also offers a small own-brand line of microwave semiconductors and operates the CHRONIX STORE online storefront.

Product overview

CHRONIX is a Japanese technology distribution company specializing in specialized imaging components, industrial networking equipment, microwave technology, and electronic components for aerospace, defense, semiconductor, automotive, smart city, and industrial automation sectors. CHRONIX does not operate a single unified software platform but rather distributes a broad portfolio of 30+ international supplier brands as a specialized components distributor. The portfolio is organized into five main product categories: (1) Image Related Products including NIT SWIR cameras with MAGIC pixel HDR technology (SenS, WiDy SenS, WiDy SWIR, WiDy NaNo, HiPe SenS series), Opto-Engineering telecentric and 360-degree multi-view lenses, OPTIGER bilateral telecentric lenses, Calumino AI-powered thermal sensors (CTS), CEDRAT aerospace actuators and fast steering mirrors, IRflex mid-infrared fiber optics, ECM Association fiber optic transceivers, Newsight Imaging CMOS sensors and eTOF LiDAR, ToupTek cameras and autofocus digital microscopes, and Photron polarized high-speed imaging systems; (2) Microwave Related Products including CHRONIX's own-brand microwave components and components from ASB, Polyfet RF, STMicroelectronics, Quest Microwave, SAWCOM, Tronser, and Wakefield; (3) Semiconductor Related Products including SoCe industrial networking FPGAs (SMARTzynq, SMARTmpsoc, MEZU modules), Teltonika industrial cellular routers and vehicle IoT (RUT240/950/955, FMC125/130, CAN-Control, DualCAM, EYE sensors, FMM003), ASINE aerospace/industrial SSDs, and converters from Bellnix; (4) Connector and Relay Related Products including DEGSON terminal blocks and industrial connectors (M5/M8/M12 circular, heavy-duty rectangular), Deltron D-Sub and specialty connectors (filter, high-density, combi-mixed), CMI membrane switches and graphic overlays, and Nicomatic connectors; (5) Safety Standard Related Products including components from High and Low and Betterfuse.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CHRONIX STORE Online e-commerce storefront operated by CHRONIX that lists the full product catalog from its distributed international suppliers, enabling Japanese industrial customers to inquire about and purchase specialized optical, electronic, microwave, semiconductor, and connector components.
• CHRONIX Microwave Components CHRONIX's own-brand microwave semiconductor components for RF and microwave applications, sold to Japanese industrial customers.
• New Imaging Technologies (NiT) SWIR Cameras French-made SWIR (short-wave infrared) cameras and detectors featuring MAGIC pixel technology with HDR sensors up to 140dB, InGaAs fabrication, and dual linear/logarithmic response. Product lines include SenS (full HD), WiDy SenS, WiDy SWIR, WiDy NaNo, and HiPe SenS series.
• Opto-Engineering Telecentric Lenses Italian-made machine vision optical lenses including TC series telecentric lenses, TC CORE series, TC4K flat lens series, TCCX coaxial series, TCDP PLUS dual-camera lenses, TCZRS motorized zoom lenses, and 360-degree multi-view lenses for industrial inspection applications.
• Calumino Thermal Sensor (CTS) Australian-developed smart thermal sensor module combining MEMS thermal detection with edge AI processing for privacy-preserving human activity detection, people counting, X-Y coordinate tracking, temperature measurement, and hot spot detection. Resolution 34x15 IR pixels, 8Hz frame rate, 8-12µm LWIR spectral range.
• CEDRAT Aerospace Actuators and Fast Steering Mirrors French-made precision mechatronics for aerospace including magnetic actuators (M-FSM62 fast steering mirror, voice coil, LAT, MICA), piezoelectric actuators (APA120ML-PP, RPMHPP rotary motor, LPM20-3 linear motor, MINI P-FSM35XS), and wavefront sensors for spacecraft pointing and adaptive optics.
• 8k Link Active Optical Cables (AOC) Shenzhen-based manufacturer's active optical cable products supporting HDMI 2.0/2.1, DisplayPort 1.4, USB 3.2 Gen1/Gen2 in multiple form factors, with cable lengths up to 100m and data rates up to 10Gbps.
• SoCe Industrial Networking FPGAs Spanish-made FPGA-based industrial Ethernet networking modules and development kits including SMARTZynq PCIe HSR/PRP/PTP networking card, SMARTmpsoc module, MEZU-A7G8 SODIMM module, and MTSN Switch IP. Supports HSR/PRP redundancy, IEEE 1588, TSN, and wire-speed encryption.
• ASINE Aerospace and Industrial SSDs Israeli-made radiation-hardened and ruggedized SSDs in mSATA, 2.5-inch, M.2 SATA/NVMe, and PCIe U.2 form factors (up to 16TB, LEO/MEO space-rated up to 10TB). Features include -40 to 85°C operation, 1000G/0.5ms vibration resistance, and secure erase.
• CMI Membrane Switches and Graphic Overlays Singapore-based company's flexible printed electronics including custom membrane switches, touch sensors with printed conductive ink, force sensing resistors (FSR), weather-resistant graphic overlays, flexible printed circuits, security foils, and light guides for LED illumination.
• OPTIGER Telecentric Lenses China-based bilateral telecentric lens manufacturer (KELIOIL group) with German-designed optics. TTL series wide-field high-precision bilateral telecentric lenses and OTL series high-magnification standard industrial telecentric lenses with IP65 rating and distortion <0.05%.
• IRflex Mid-Infrared Fiber Optics US-based company's chalcogenide glass mid-infrared fiber and device products including IRF-S MWIR fibers (1.5-6.5µm, As2S3), IRF-Se LWIR fibers (1.5-10µm, As2Se3), MWIR fused fiber combiners, and HC-ARA hollow-core anti-resonant fibers for laser delivery, spectroscopy, and IRCM applications.
• ECM Association Fiber Optic Products Taiwan-based fiber optic transceiver and active cable lineup including 1x9, SFF, SFP, SFP+, XFP, QSFP+, CFP transceivers (1Gbps to 100Gbps, up to 100km), GPON and CSFP, active optical cables, direct attach cables, and RF over Fiber solutions for FTTx applications.
• Deltron D-Sub and Specialty Connectors Swiss-made connectors under the Delconec brand including Standard D-Sub (MIL-C-24308/IEC 60807 compliant), Filter D-Sub (EMI/RFI protection), High Density D-Sub, Combi-Mixed/Hybrid D-Sub, Dual Port/Stack D-Sub, and bus connectors.
• DEGSON Terminal Blocks and Industrial Connectors Chinese-made terminal blocks and connectors (Ningbo, Zhejiang) including plug-in terminal blocks, PCB screw and spring clamp terminal blocks, DIN rail terminal blocks, IP20 I/O systems, M5/M8/M12 circular connectors (IP65-IP68), and heavy-duty rectangular connectors certified to IEC/EN, UL, VDE standards.
• Teltonika Industrial Cellular Routers and Vehicle IoT Lithuanian-made industrial 4G LTE routers (RUT240, RUT950, RUT955) and vehicle telematics products (FMC125, FMC130, CAN-Control, DualCAM, EYE Beacon/Sensor, FMM003) for M2M, IoT, and fleet management applications. Run RutOS (OpenWrt-based Linux) with VPN, MQTT, and SNMP support.
• Newsight Imaging CMOS Sensors and eTOF LiDAR Israeli-made CMOS image sensors including NSI3000 line sensor chip (8 lines, 2048 pixels each, up to 40,000 fps), NSI1000 area sensor, eTOF LiDAR module (1024x32 depth resolution, 0.2-100m range), and SpectraLIT spectrometer-on-chip for automotive, robotics, and smart city applications.
• ToupTek Digital Cameras and Autofocus Microscopes Chinese-made industrial and microscopy cameras including E3CMOS USB3.0 series, XCAM1080PX HDMI+USB cameras, AFDM411 4K autofocus digital microscope, OCAM standalone HDMI cameras, and E10ISPM USB3.2 Gen2 industrial cameras for industrial inspection and scientific imaging.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability6 records

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• CaluminocoreTechnology or Integration · 2 August 2024Australian company developing AI-enabled smart thermal sensors. CHRONIX distributes their Calumino Thermal Sensor (CTS) modules designed for privacy-preserving human activity detection in Japan.
• CEDRAT TechnologiescoreTechnology or Integration · 3 June 2024French company specializing in aerospace-grade precision mechatronics including high-speed steering mirrors and piezo actuators. CHRONIX distributes their space and aerospace products in Japan.
• 8k LinkcoreTechnology or Integration · 19 April 2024Chinese company manufacturing active optical cables (AOC) for HDMI, USB, and DisplayPort standards. CHRONIX distributes their full product range in Japan including USB and HDMI active optical cables.
• SoC-ecoreTechnology or Integration · 25 January 2024Company specializing in FPGA-based industrial Ethernet networking solutions. CHRONIX distributes their industrial networking modules including HSR/PRP/PTP cards and TSN (Time-Sensitive Networking) solutions in Japan.
• ASINEcoreTechnology or Integration · 23 May 2023Israeli company manufacturing radiation-tolerant and industrial-grade SSDs for aerospace and harsh environment applications. CHRONIX distributes their storage products in Japan.
• CMI (Central Midori)coreTechnology or Integration · 31 March 2023Singapore-based company specializing in membrane switches, graphic overlays, sensors, and security foils. CHRONIX distributes their full product range in Japan.
• OPTIGERcoreTechnology or Integration · 27 September 2022Chinese company (part of KELIOIL group) manufacturing telecentric lenses for machine vision applications. CHRONIX distributes their full lens product line in Japan.
• IRflexcoreTechnology or Integration · 17 June 2022US-based company specializing exclusively in mid-infrared (2-10 micron wavelength) optical fibers and devices made from chalcogenide glass. CHRONIX distributes their infrared fiber products in Japan.
• ECM AssociationcoreTechnology or Integration · 9 May 2022Taiwanese company manufacturing fiber optic transceivers, RF over fiber solutions, active optical cables, and DAC cables. CHRONIX distributes their products in Japan.
• DEGSONcoreTechnology or Integration · 4 March 2022Chinese company (headquartered in Ningbo, Zhejiang) manufacturing terminal blocks, circular connectors, and heavy-duty rectangular connectors. CHRONIX distributes their products in Japan.
• Teltonika TelematicscoreTechnology or Integration · 25 October 2021Lithuanian company (part of Teltonika Group) developing vehicle IoT and GPS tracking products. CHRONIX distributes their automotive IoT products in Japan.
• Teltonika NetworkscoreTechnology or Integration · 6 October 2020Lithuanian company (part of Teltonika Group) manufacturing industrial routers and network devices. CHRONIX distributes their industrial LTE routers and network equipment in Japan.
• Newsight ImagingcoreTechnology or Integration · 30 August 2020Israeli company developing CMOS image sensor chips for automotive, robotics, barcode scanners, and AR/VR applications. CHRONIX distributes their sensors and eTOF LiDAR products in Japan.
• Alysium TechcoreTechnology or Integration · 28 May 2020German company manufacturing USB 3.1 Gen1 active optical cables. CHRONIX distributes their products in Japan.
• New Imaging Technologies (NiT)coreTechnology or IntegrationFrench company specializing in high dynamic range SWIR cameras and sensors. CHRONIX distributes NiT's industrial infrared cameras in Japan. NiT's MAGIC pixel technology enables sensors from design through camera engineering.
• Opto-EngineeringcoreTechnology or IntegrationItalian company and global leader in telecentric lens technology for machine vision. CHRONIX distributes their lenses for industrial inspection applications in Japan.
• ToupTekcoreTechnology or IntegrationChinese company manufacturing cameras for microscopy, astronomy, medical imaging, and industrial inspection. CHRONIX distributes their USB3.0 cameras, HDMI cameras, and autofocus digital microscopes in Japan.
• DeltroncoreTechnology or IntegrationSwiss company (established 1978) manufacturing D-Sub connectors and connector systems under the Delconec brand. CHRONIX distributes their full product range in Japan.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Macnica: Japan's largest specialized semiconductor and electronic components distributor, with deep exposure to industrial, automotive, and aerospace markets. Highly comparable to CHRONIX's niche-foreign-supplier distribution model but at materially greater scale and broader supplier breadth.
• Ryosan Company: Japanese electronic components distributor with a long history of carrying foreign-made semiconductors and industrial components into the Japanese market. Closely mirrors CHRONIX's business model of aggregating third-party brands under a domestic sales channel.
• Restar Holdings: Japanese semiconductor and electronic components distribution group with industrial and factory automation focus. Operates a similar specialized-import model for niche foreign brands serving Japanese manufacturing customers.
• Marubun Corporation: Long-established Japanese electronic components and semiconductor distributor with notable aerospace/defense and industrial exposure. Comparable business model to CHRONIX — importing foreign-made specialized components and reselling to Japanese industrial customers.

Broad incumbents

• Mouser Electronics: Global broad-line electronic components distributor with significant Asia/Japan reach. While its model is high-volume catalogue rather than niche industrial, it competes for many of the same Japanese industrial buyers CHRONIX serves.
• RS Components (RS Japan): Industrial components and electronics distributor with Japan operations. Competes with CHRONIX at the lower-complexity end of the Japanese industrial buyer market, particularly for connectors, sensors, and industrial networking products.
• Arrow Electronics Japan: Global electronic components distributor serving industrial, automotive, and aerospace markets from Japan. Comparable to CHRONIX in component categories served, though with a much wider catalogue and global footprint.
• Avnet Asia (Avnet Japan): Global electronic components distributor with Japan operations. Overlaps with CHRONIX in semiconductors, connectors, and embedded solutions, but at vastly larger scale and with a far broader supplier portfolio.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 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 CHRONIX