General Acoustics

What General Acoustics does

General Acoustics is a German sole proprietorship (General Acoustics e.K.) headquartered in Kiel, founded in 1996 as a spin-off from a university research team specializing in acoustic and sensor technology. The company designs and manufactures ultrasonic and radar-based remote sensing measurement systems for hydrological and oceanographic applications, with a product portfolio that includes the LOG_aLevel family of tide gauges (standard, mobile, and long-range variants up to 50m), the UltraLab laboratory wave gauge series (ULS Advanced, ULS 40D, ULS 80D, ULS HFx, UWS) for towing tanks and hydraulic laboratories, the SUBPRO1210 and SUBPRO2545 sub-bottom profilers for shallow-water sediment surveys, the SEAPRO233 hydrographic echo-sounder, and the Doppler Radar Surface Flow Sensor. Supporting software products include LOG_aFlow for hydrodynamic ADCP data evaluation and TidePredictor for tidal harmonic analysis. The company protects its core technology through international patents and holds a registered trademark for LOG_aLevel, which previously won the RIZA 05 tide gauge test.

The business generates revenue through three streams: hardware system sales of specialized measurement equipment manufactured in Germany, software licenses for data analysis tools, and professional services including surveying with SUBPRO and DSLP systems, installation, commissioning, personnel training, and custom monitoring solutions. General Acoustics operates exclusively through a global distributor and representative network spanning more than 60 countries across Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Oceania, with named partners such as EIVA a/s (Nordics), Seafloor Systems (US West), Interactive Oceanographics (US East), Sea and Land Technologies (Southeast Asia), Unique Systems (Gulf), and Radio Holland (South Africa). Marketing is driven primarily by industry exhibitions (Oceanology International, Ocean Business, AMT conferences) and social media presence on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.

The company serves four primary customer segments: hydrographic and oceanographic institutes (governmental and research organizations), port and harbor authorities (operational monitoring and infrastructure planning), research laboratories and universities (ship model testing and hydrodynamic research), and offshore oil, gas, and wind energy operators (environmental monitoring for offshore platforms). Notable customers include Rijkswaterstaat, the Port of Hamburg, the US Army Corps of Engineers, Saudi Aramco, MARIN, Hamburg and Potsdam Ship Model Basins, SINTEF, and E.ON Engineering. The company has approximately 11-50 employees and is wholly owned by Managing Director Jens Hensse as a sole proprietorship, with no institutional investors, funding rounds, or parent company.

Name

General Acoustics

Legal name

General Acoustics e.K.

Website

https://generalacoustics.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

General Acoustics is a Kiel, Germany-based sole proprietorship that manufactures ultrasonic and radar-based remote sensing systems for water level, wave, and flow measurement, serving hydrographic agencies, port authorities, research laboratories, and offshore energy operators across 60+ countries through an exclusive distributor network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hydrographic Survey Equipment

NAICS

Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511), Totalizing Fluid Meter and Counting Device Manufacturing (334514)

SIC

Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823), Totalizing Fluid Meters & Counting Devices (3824), Measuring & Controlling Devices, Nec (3829)

akta.pro primary industry

Marine Sensors, Instrumentation & IoT (Condition Monitoring) (IMAJAJAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Marine Navigation Systems (ECDIS, Radar, GNSS, AIS) (IMAJAJAE)

Keywords

• Acoustic measurement systems
• Water level gauges
• Sub-bottom profilers
• Ultrasonic sensors
• Hydrographic survey equipment

Headquarters

HQ city

Kiel

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Hardware Systems Sales: Sale of specialized measurement equipment including tide gauges, wave sensors, sub-bottom profilers, echo-sounders, and flow sensors. Products are manufactured in Germany with high precision engineering.
2. Software Licenses: Sale of specialized software for data analysis including TidePredictor for tide analysis and prediction, and LOG_aFlow for ADCP data evaluation. Software provides data import, analysis, and export capabilities.
3. Professional Services: Services including surveying with SUBPRO and DSLP systems, installation and commissioning, personnel training, and custom monitoring solutions for special tasks.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

General Acoustics designs, manufactures, and distributes ultrasonic and radar-based remote sensing measurement systems for water level, wave, and flow monitoring. Its product portfolio includes tide gauges (LOG_aLevel family), laboratory wave gauges (UltraLab ULS series), sub-bottom profilers (SUBPRO1210 and SUBPRO2545), survey echo-sounders (SEAPRO233), and Doppler radar surface flow sensors, complemented by specialized software for ADCP data evaluation and tide prediction. The company also provides professional services including surveying, installation, commissioning, training, and custom monitoring solutions.

Product overview

General Acoustics is a German manufacturer specializing in sophisticated acoustic measurement technology for water, wave, and flow measurements. The product portfolio centers on ultrasonic and radar-based remote sensing systems. Core products include the LOG_aLevel family of tide gauges (standard, mobile, and long range variants) for water level and wave measurement; the UltraLab laboratory wave gauge series (ULS Advanced, ULS 40D, ULS 80D, ULS HFx, UWS) for towing tanks and hydraulic laboratories; sub-bottom profilers (SUBPRO1210 and SUBPRO2545) for sediment penetration surveys; and the SEAPRO233 echo-sounder for hydrographic surveys. Supporting software includes LOG_aFlow for ADCP data evaluation and TidePredictor for tidal analysis. The Doppler Radar Surface Flow Sensor enables surface flow measurements. Products are designed for coastal, offshore, inland water, and laboratory applications with remote sensing technology for low maintenance and reliability.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• LOG_aLevel: Remote sensing water level gauge (tide gauge) for water level and wave measurement
• LOG_aFlow
• UltraLab
• SUBPRO
• SEAPRO233
• Doppler Radar Surface Flow Sensor
• TidePredictor

Products and services

• LOG_aLevel (Standard) Remote sensing water level gauge (tide gauge) supporting ultrasound, radar, or pressure sensors for precise water level and wave dynamics measurements, designed for hydrographic and oceanographic monitoring applications.
• LOG_aLevel Mobile Easy-to-carry, plug-and-play, stand-alone remote sensing mobile tide gauge for temporary water level and wave measurement deployments, with integrated data communication via GPRS, satellite, or radio.
• LOG_aLevel Long Range Remote sensing long range tide gauge with measurement ranges up to 50 meters using ultrasound or radar sensors, designed for offshore platforms and wave direction measurements.
• LOG_aFlow Hydrodynamic ADCP data evaluation software for rapid water flow chart generation showing velocity, vorticity (turbulence), and divergence (quality), producing up to 5 times higher data point density compared to original ADCP measurements.
• TidePredictor Tide prediction and tidal analysis software for harmonic analysis, current flow analysis, and sea level prediction, with wind speed and barometric pressure data incorporation.
• UltraLab ULS Advanced High speed, calibration-free, remote sensing laboratory wave gauge for towing tanks and hydraulic laboratories, capable of measuring steep, breaking waves with relative velocities up to 15 m/s.
• UltraLab ULS Advanced Field Mobile ruggedized version of the ULS Advanced for field applications with automatic sound velocity correction, featuring wave direction measurement capabilities and Modbus RTU/TCP integration.
• UltraLab ULS 40D Easy-to-use ultrasonic measuring system for laboratories with 4 independent channels, designed for basins, flumes, surface water models, and towing tanks.
• UltraLab ULS 80D Ultrasonic measuring system for ship model basins, flumes, and hydraulic laboratories with 8 channels and resolution up to 0.18mm.
• UltraLab ULS HFx Series High-frequency ultrasonic measurement system with 4/8/16 synchronized channels optimized for challenging remote sensing applications in hydraulic laboratories and towing tanks.
• UltraLab UWS Laboratory miniature echo-sounder for highly spatial and temporal resolved measurements of distances in fluids, adaptable to various laboratory applications.
• UWS Field Miniature echo-sounder for field applications in laboratories, hydraulic models, and wave basins for sediment transport and scour studies.
• SEAPRO233 Single and dual frequency survey echo-sounder for hydrographic surveys with adaptive algorithms for high precision bottom tracking and Hypack interface-ready output; IMO compliant.
• SUBPRO1210 High-frequency, high-power sub-bottom profiler optimized for shallow waters (starting at 1.5m) with typical seabed penetration up to 10m in sand, real-time zoom and re-processing capabilities.
• SUBPRO2545 Portable sub-bottom profiler with best-in-class resolution and sediment penetration for shallow and ultra shallow waters, user selectable 25-45 kHz transmit frequency, suitable for small vessels like ASV and ROV.
• Doppler Radar Surface Flow Sensor 24 GHz Doppler radar sensor for water surface flow monitoring in open flumes, rivers, lakes, and coastal areas with IP68 flood-proof housing and maintenance-free permanent operation.
• Professional Surveying and Hydrographic Services Hydrographic surveying, consulting, hydrographic data processing, installation, commissioning, personnel training, and custom monitoring solutions for special tasks using General Acoustics products and integrated systems.
• Software Solutions and Data Visualization Systems Custom software solutions for ADCP data analysis, hydrological and meteorological databases, website generation, and early warning and alerting systems, integrated with measurement hardware.

Quantifiable outcome

• Sub-bottom profiler achieves up to 10m sediment penetration in sand with 1mm resolution
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration12 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Sea and Land Technologies Sdn BhdcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRepresents General Acoustics in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, Thailand, Philippines and Vietnam. Handles sales and support for the Southeast Asian region.
• EIVA a/scoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRepresents General Acoustics in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland. Provides marine survey and positioning solutions.
• Unique Systems LLCcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRepresents General Acoustics in United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Iran and Kuwait from their office in Sharjah, UAE.
• Radio Holland South AfricacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRepresents General Acoustics in South Africa from their Cape Town office, part of the RH Marine Group.
• Seafloor Systems Inc.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUS representative for General Acoustics products west of Mississippi River. Also integrates SUBPRO2545 sub-bottom profiler with their EchoBoat platform for ultra shallow water surveys.
• Interactive OceanographicscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUS representative for General Acoustics products east of Mississippi River from their Rhode Island office.
• P-Nav Scientific Instruments Co LtdcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorChinese representative for General Acoustics, exhibiting at Oceanology International China and ITTC conferences.
• Taekwang Electronics Corp.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRepresents General Acoustics in South Korea from their Seoul office.
• S.E.A. CorporationcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRepresents General Acoustics in Japan from their Chiba office.
• MARESCO Ltd.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRepresents General Acoustics in Greece.
• DENAR OCEAN ENGINEERING S.A.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRepresents General Acoustics in Turkey.
• MESURIS SA RennescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRepresents General Acoustics in France.
• Grafinta SAcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRepresents General Acoustics in Spain from their Madrid office.
• F.A.R.O.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRepresents General Acoustics in Italy.
• Blue Zone GroupcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRepresents General Acoustics in Australia.
• GeometiuscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRepresents General Acoustics in the Netherlands.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Valeport: UK-based manufacturer of oceanographic and hydrographic sensors including tide gauges, wave sensors, and CTDs for marine survey and environmental monitoring — closely comparable to GA's LOG_aLevel product line.
• Nortek: Norwegian manufacturer of acoustic Doppler current profilers, wave sensors, and sub-bottom profilers used in oceanographic, coastal, and offshore applications — directly overlapping GA's acoustic and water-measurement product lines.
• RBR: Canadian manufacturer of high-accuracy oceanographic instruments for water level, wave, and conductivity measurement — overlapping with GA's water level and wave gauge offerings.
• SonTek (Xylem): Acoustic Doppler water velocity and flow instruments used in rivers, harbors, and coastal environments — directly comparable to GA's Doppler Radar Surface Flow Sensor and LOG_aFlow ADCP software.
• Aanderaa Data Instruments (Xylem): Marine sensor manufacturer specializing in oceanographic instruments for water level, current, and wave measurement — directly comparable to GA's measurement portfolio.
• Teledyne RD Instruments: Leading manufacturer of ADCPs and Doppler current sensing equipment for hydrographic survey, port, and offshore monitoring — competing head-to-head with GA's flow and Doppler radar offerings.
• Sea-Bird Scientific: Manufacturer of oceanographic sensors for CTD, wave, and water column profiling — competing in similar government, research, and offshore monitoring accounts.

Emerging players

• Aquatec Group: UK manufacturer of underwater instrumentation and optical sensors for water quality and hydrographic monitoring — comparable niche player targeting similar oceanographic and port authority customers.
• Ocean Sonics: Specialist in underwater acoustic recording and signal processing — overlaps with GA's acoustic measurement expertise and shares the same niche oceanographic end customers.

Broad incumbents

• Kongsberg Maritime: Major marine technology supplier offering hydroacoustic, positioning, and survey instruments — overlaps with GA's sub-bottom profiler and marine survey systems as part of a much broader portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/GA_Acoustics
• Facebookfacebook.com/GeneralAcoustics
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/general-acoustics

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 General Acoustics