What Optron does

Optron GmbH is a privately held German manufacturer of industrial infrared (IR) heating systems and related measurement technology, headquartered and producing at a single site in Garbsen, Germany. The company has been operating since around 1989 and publicly claims roughly 35 years of infrared technology expertise. Its product portfolio spans four tightly integrated categories: ready-to-use IR heater modules (shortwave IRD/IRE series, fast medium wave modules, IR cassettes, focused modules, and IR stands), individual emitters and accessories (shortwave, fast medium wave, medium wave, custom emitters, plus mounting and safety accessories), power controllers (PLS phase-angle and SILS fast pulse group control technologies, offered as table-top devices, custom control cabinets, or semiconductor/thyristor modules), and measuring technology (pyrometers, thermocouples and temperature probes, moisture probes) operated under the OPTRON Messtechnik sub-brand.

Underlying technology centers on shortwave, medium wave, and fast medium wave IR emitters with proprietary in-house power control methods: PLS flicker-free phase-angle control for shortwave and SILS fast pulse group control for medium wave emitters, plus non-contact pyrometry for closed-loop temperature regulation. Custom emitter manufacturing is supported at a minimum order quantity of 10 pieces, while standard modules are held in stock for immediate delivery across a range of sizes and power ratings.

Optron runs a sales-led, direct go-to-market through its Garbsen headquarters (phone and email), with quote-based pricing for custom modules, control cabinets, and custom emitters. It primarily serves German industrial manufacturing and production-plant customers needing IR-based drying, curing, heating, and temperature control, with secondary reach into automotive service for moisture detection. Marketing is technical and content-driven via a detailed product catalog on its website (now available in both German and English), emphasizing application consultation rather than broad-based demand generation.

Name

Optron

Legal name

Optron GmbH

Website

https://optron.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Optron GmbH is a German manufacturer of industrial infrared heating systems, producing ready-to-use IR modules, emitters, power controllers, and pyrometers. It serves German industrial manufacturers and production plants with both standard stocked modules and custom-engineered IR solutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Infrared Heating Equipment

NAICS

Air-Conditioning and Warm Air Heating Equipment and Commercial and Industrial Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturing (333415), Instrument Manufacturing for Measuring and Testing Electricity and Electrical Signals (334515)

SIC

Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823), Air-Cond & Warm Air Heatg Equip & Comm & Indl Refrig Equip (3585)

akta.pro primary industry

Optoelectronic Emitters (LED/Laser/VCSEL) (HDAHALAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Optoelectronic Components (LEDs, photodiodes, optocouplers, optical sensors) (IMAGAJAF)

Keywords

• Industrial infrared heating
• Infrared heater modules
• Infrared power controllers
• Industrial pyrometers
• Process heat automation

Headquarters

HQ city

Garbsen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. IR Heater Modules: Sale of ready-to-use infrared heater modules for industrial heat processes. Standard modules available from stock in various sizes and power ratings. Custom modules manufactured to customer specifications.
2. Single Emitters & Accessories: Individual IR emitters sold as replacement parts or for customer self-construction. Includes shortwave, fast medium wave, and medium wave emitters with various socket types.
3. Power Controllers: Electronic power controllers for regulating IR heater output. Available as table-top devices, control cabinets, or individual semiconductor components. PLS series for phase angle control, SILS series for fast pulse group control.
4. Measuring Technology: Pyrometers, temperature probes, and moisture probes for industrial measurement applications. Includes both stationary and mobile measuring devices.
5. Custom Emitter Manufacturing: Custom-designed IR emitters manufactured to customer specifications for unique applications. Minimum order quantity of 10 pieces.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Optron GmbH designs, manufactures, and sells ready-to-use infrared heater modules (shortwave, fast medium wave, medium wave), individual IR emitters and accessories, electronic power controllers (PLS phase angle and SILS fast pulse group control), and industrial measuring technology (pyrometers, thermocouples, moisture probes) for industrial heat processes. Products are sold as standard items from stock or custom-manufactured to customer specifications, with the company providing complete IR heating systems including emitters, controllers, and measurement devices from a single source.

Product overview

Optron GmbH is a German manufacturer of ready-to-use infrared emitters and modules for industrial heat processes, with 35 years of experience. Their product portfolio consists of four main categories: (1) Infrared heater modules including IRD series (shortwave), IRE series (shortwave), fast medium wave modules, IR cassettes, focused modules/IR spot, and IR stands; (2) Individual emitters and accessories covering shortwave, fast medium wave, medium wave, custom emitters, and various accessories like holding clips, fans, reflectors, and ceramic terminals; (3) Power controllers based on two technologies - Phase Angle Control (PLS series) for shortwave emitters and Fast Pulse Group Control (SILS series) for medium wave emitters, available as table-top devices, control cabinets, or semiconductor components; (4) Measuring technology including pyrometers for contactless temperature measurement (IN4000, IN71X/72X, IN810, IN5PD, ST485), temperature probes/thermocouples (A305 digital thermometer, MP2000), and moisture probes for detecting wet spots in vehicles. These products work together to provide complete infrared heating solutions with temperature control and measurement capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• OPTRON Messtechnik: A division of Optron GmbH producing measuring systems for industry and production plants, including measurement and control devices for infrared systems.

Products and services

• IRD Series Shortwave Infrared Modules Ready-to-use shortwave infrared heater modules for industrial heating processes, providing fast-response heating with high surface power density. Available in standard sizes and power ratings from stock, with custom modules manufactured to customer specifications.
• IRE Series Shortwave Infrared Modules Shortwave infrared heater modules for industrial heating applications, offered alongside the IRD series for fast-response process heating.
• Fast Medium Wave Infrared Modules Medium wave infrared modules with reduced blinding effect and a fast 1-2 second heating-up time, operating at 1800 K filament temperature with 1.6 µm wavelength peak. Designed for industrial heat processes requiring quick response.
• IR Cassettes Compact infrared radiation units with high surface power output for industrial heat processes.
• IR Fields (Medium Wave) Medium wave IR fields consisting of emitter hoods with medium wave IR emitters mounted on aluminum frame profiles with cable duct, designed for continuous furnace applications.
• Focused Modules / IR Spot Focused infrared modules for spot heating applications requiring concentrated IR energy on a defined area.
• IR Stands / Shock Module IR stands for flexible positioning of infrared modules in industrial heating setups.
• Individual IR Emitters (Shortwave, Fast Medium Wave, Medium Wave) Individual IR emitters sold as replacement parts or for customer self-construction, including shortwave, fast medium wave (SK15 socket, 1-2 second heating-up time), and medium wave twin tube emitters (with gold reflector, robust design for high ambient temperatures, 10,000 hour lifetime, 2.6 µm wavelength peak).
• Custom IR Emitters Custom-designed infrared emitters built to exact specifications for overall length, heated length, and wavelength requirements, available in quantities as low as 10 pieces.
• IR Emitter Accessories Accessories for IR emitters and modules including holding clips, fans, ceramic terminals, cable feedthroughs, reflectors, excess temperature cut-outs, radiation protection, and emitter failure control systems.
• PLS Series Phase Angle Power Controllers Flicker-free phase angle power controllers designed for controlling shortwave emitters and modules, with integrated fan supply and VDE and CE certification. Family includes table-top devices (PLD up to 3.0 kW, PLS up to 19 kW), control cabinets (PLS-R), and thyristor modules (up to 75 A load current) with optional heatsinks for top-hat rail assembly.
• SILS Series Fast Pulse Group Power Controllers Fast pulse group control power controllers ideal for medium wave and fast medium wave IR modules, providing a low-cost alternative to phase angle control with nearly eliminated flickering. Family includes table-top devices (up to 19 kW), control cabinets (SILS-R), and thyristor modules (75 A max and 30 A basic type).
• Stationary and Handheld Infrared Pyrometers Infrared pyrometers for contactless temperature measurement of non-metallic surfaces, including the IN4000 entry-level stationary model (-20 to 500°C, 13:1 distance ratio, 8-14 µm spectral range), IN71X (10:1) and IN72X (22:1) high-performance models with small measurement heads for ambient temperatures up to 180°C, IN810 high-precision model with double laser pilot light (-30 to 1000°C, 50:1), IN 5PD for profile rubber and plastics, and ST485 universal handheld pyrometer with cross-laser and 20:1 optics (-50 to 800°C) with adjustable visual and acoustic alarm.
• Digital Thermometers, Temperature Meters, and Thermocouples Electronic temperature measurement products including the A305 digital thermometer for NiCr-Ni thermocouples with selectable resolution and ISO 9000 calibration, MP2000 high-range temperature meter (-200 to +1300°C) with RS232C interface, and Type K thermocouples plus immersion and contact probes (-200°C to +1300°C) for contact or immersion measuring.
• Moisture Probes Moisture detection devices for identifying wet spots under floor coverings and in cavities of motor vehicles, available with single or double electrode configurations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Medium wave emitters: 10,000 hours lifetime
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Chromalox: Large US-headquartered manufacturer of industrial heating solutions including electric process heaters, infrared, and temperature controls. Overlaps with Optron in industrial IR heating but serves a much broader portfolio and scale.
• Honeywell Thermal Solutions: Global provider of industrial thermal solutions including burners, heaters, and process control systems under brands like Eclipse and Hauck. Competes with Optron in industrial process heating but with vastly broader scope and resources.
• Testo SE & Co. KGaA: German-headquartered global leader in measurement technology including portable and stationary temperature/moisture instruments. Comparable on the measurement instruments side of Optron's portfolio (thermocouples, moisture probes, pyrometers) but operates at much larger scale.

Direct peers

• Ceramicx: Irish manufacturer of infrared ceramic emitters and heating elements for industrial applications. Comparable in being a specialized IR emitter/module supplier serving industrial OEMs and processors.
• Optris GmbH: German manufacturer of non-contact infrared temperature measurement devices (pyrometers and thermal cameras). Direct overlap with Optron's pyrometer/measurement product line and similar industrial customer base in Germany.
• Krelus: Swiss manufacturer of infrared heaters and modules for industrial heat processes, including shortwave and medium wave emitters. Closely comparable niche specialist competing for the same European industrial customers.
• Heraeus Noblelight: German-headquartered specialist in industrial infrared emitters, modules, and flash lamps for process heating. Directly comparable product portfolio (IR emitters, modules, controls) and customer base (industrial manufacturers) make it Optron's closest competitor.
• Adphos North America: Manufacturer of industrial infrared heating systems and emitters with a German origin and global presence. Comparable offering of IR modules, emitters, and turnkey heating lines for industrial processes.
• Heatlight: UK-based supplier of infrared heating emitters and modules for industrial and commercial processes. Comparable product range and customer base of European industrial manufacturers.
• Glenro: US manufacturer of infrared ovens, heaters, and process heating systems for industrial applications. Comparable scope of IR heating modules, emitters, and integrated process systems.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 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 Optron