Phitech
Phitech is a French SAS founded in 2003 that designs sound, tactile, and digital accessibility solutions — primarily pedestrian crossing sound modules, building sound beacons, and metro station announcement systems — for visually and hearing impaired persons, serving French municipalities and public transport operators.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2003
- HeadquartersVillers-lès-nancy, France
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Phitech does
Phitech is a French privately-held SAS, founded in 2003 in Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy, that designs and manufactures accessibility solutions primarily for visually impaired persons, with secondary offerings for hearing-impaired users via induction loops. The company's product portfolio centers on sound-based accessibility systems deployed across three domains: public roads (Sinféa S10 and CrossVoice pedestrian crossing sound modules compliant with NF S32-002), buildings (sound beacons, tactile guidance strips, stair nosing, magnetic loops compliant with NF P98-351 and EN 60118-4), and public transport (ActiSono on-train station announcement systems, ARP door localization, and vocal passenger information terminals). Activation is delivered either through standardized NF S32-002 remote controls or the proprietary ActiApp mobile application using Bluetooth Low Energy; the app supports French, English, Spanish, Italian, Chinese, and Portuguese.
The business model is a hybrid B2B/B2G/B2C hardware manufacturer. Phitech sells directly to French municipalities, transport authorities (notably RATP and Île-de-France Mobilités), and building operators via competitive public-sector tenders, with individually quoted project pricing for large deployments. Complementing this anchor channel, the company sells standardized products — tactile warning dots, tiles, stair nosing, magnetic loops, and guidance bands — through its owned e-commerce storefront at shop.phitech.fr with unit prices publicly listed between roughly €15 and €670. The Sinféa S10 sound module is also embedded as standard equipment by major French traffic light manufacturers, providing passive distribution at the OEM layer. Notable operational milestones include deployment of over 100,000 Sinféa S10 units across 10+ years, 2,500 CrossVoice modules installed in Paris for the 2024 Olympics, 58 ActiSono units delivered to RATP within three months for the same event, and 1,000 universal remote controls deployed by the City of Paris.
Go-to-market combines direct public procurement, owned e-commerce, and OEM embed; marketing relies on a company news blog (Phith'Actu), social media presence, and industry event participation such as VivaTech 2025. The company operates as part of the French Social and Solidarity Economy under President Philippe Lemaire, with no disclosed external investors, funding rounds, or M&A activity, and has no public financial disclosures. Two operating geographies are confirmed (Grand Est as headquarters and Île-de-France as deployment hub), with no evidence of international expansion despite multilingual product positioning.
Phitech firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Phitech
- Legal name
- PHITECH SAS
- Website
- https://phitech.fr
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2003
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Phitech is a French SAS founded in 2003 that designs sound, tactile, and digital accessibility solutions — primarily pedestrian crossing sound modules, building sound beacons, and metro station announcement systems — for visually and hearing impaired persons, serving French municipalities and public transport operators.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Phitech industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Assistive Technology / Accessibility Equipment
- NAICS
- Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (33451)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Vision Assistive Technology (Screen Readers, Braille, Magnification) (EDAKAIAF)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Accessibility & Special Needs Equipment (Assistive Devices, Adaptive Furniture, Sensory Rooms) (EDAEAIAM)
Keywords
Where Phitech is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Villers-lès-nancy
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Phitech business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Hardware Product Sales: Phitech generates revenue primarily through the sale of physical accessibility products including sound modules, sound beacons, magnetic loops, tactile paving, stair nosing, guidance bands, and related installation accessories. Products are sold via the company's e-commerce shop (B2C/B2B) and through direct public-sector procurement contracts.
- Direct E-commerce (B2C): Phitech operates its own online storefront (shop.phitech.fr) selling products directly to end customers including individuals, municipalities, and businesses. Payment is by bank card via secure Sogecommerce. Products include tactile paving, magnetic loops, stair nosing, and accessibility kits.
- Public Sector Contracts: Phitech secures contracts with public transport operators (RATP) and local authorities (municipalities, Île-de-France Mobilités) for large-scale deployments of accessibility infrastructure. These are project-based, competitively tendered engagements.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Tactile paving and vigilance products |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Magnetic loops for reception areas |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Stair nosing products |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Guidance bands and accessories |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Public sector project pricing |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Phitech product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Phitech designs, manufactures and sells accessibility solutions for visually impaired persons. Its product portfolio includes sound modules for pedestrian crossings (Sinféa S10, CrossVoice), a mobile application for activating those modules (ActiApp), building accessibility products (sound beacons, magnetic loops, tactile flooring), and public transport announcement systems (ActiSono, ActiThéa BIV, ARP). The company operates as a vertically integrated French manufacturer serving both public-sector clients and direct consumers via its own e-commerce shop.
Product overview
Phitech develops a comprehensive portfolio of accessibility solutions for visually impaired persons, organized around three domains: public roads (pedestrian crossings with sound modules like Sinféa S10 and CrossVoice), buildings (sound beacons, guidance strips, stair safety products, magnetic loops), and public transport (station announcements, vehicle door identification, passenger information terminals). The product ecosystem centers on the Sinféa S10/CrossVoice sound modules and ActiApp mobile application as primary activation mechanisms, supplemented by physical accessibility products including tactile warning tiles, stair nosing, and contrast markings. The company also offers the ActiSono metro announcement system and Actithéa BIV passenger information solutions. Products comply with French and European standards including NF S32-002, NF P98-351, and EN 60118-4.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Sinféa S10
Quantifiable outcome
- 100,000+ sound modules (Sinféa S10) installed across 10+ years of deployment, adopted as standard by major French traffic light manufacturers.
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Phitech
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Phitech technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability2 records
Feature6 records
Phitech partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.
- RATPcoreRATP (Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens) partnered with Phitech to equip 6 Paris metro lines with ActiSono station name sonification. Phitech developed and delivered 58 ActiSono units in under 3 months for the Paris 2024 Olympics. The project involved close collaboration on railway-compliant validation, hardware installation, and Bluetooth beacon integration. Phitech was selected through a competitive consultation process.
- Île-de-France MobilitéscoreÎle-de-France Mobilités signed a charter with CFPSAA (Confédération Française pour la Promotion Sociale des Aveugles et Amblyopes) in June 2024, committing to improve accessibility for visually impaired travelers across the Paris transport network. Phitech's ActiSono solution was deployed as part of this initiative on metro lines 3b, 7, 7b, 8, 10, and 12.
- CFPSAA (Confédération Française pour la Promotion Sociale des Aveugles et Amblyopes)flagshipCFPSAA is the umbrella organization of French associations for blind and partially sighted persons. It signed a charter with Île-de-France Mobilités and RATP in June 2024, and works with Phitech to validate the usability and effectiveness of accessibility solutions. CFPSAA conducted positive demonstrations of the ActiSono physical solution on Line 10 in July 2024.
- Major French Traffic Light ManufacturerscorePhitech's Sinféa S10 sound module has been adopted as standard equipment by major French traffic light manufacturers. These manufacturers integrate the module into their pedestrian traffic lights as built-in accessibility features, significantly scaling Phitech's distribution reach.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Phitech competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Okeenea: Okeenea (formerly CEA) is a French accessibility solutions company that designs and distributes products for blind, deaf, and mobility-impaired persons, including sound beacons, magnetic loops, and signaling equipment. It is Phitech's closest domestic competitor, addressing the same French public-sector and ERP customer base with overlapping regulatory-compliant product categories.
- Campbell Company: Campbell Company (4-x Audio) produces audible pedestrian signal devices for the visually impaired, integrated into traffic signal poles and pushbuttons. Direct product overlap with Phitech's pedestrian crossing sound modules, addressing the same end-customer need with comparable hardware form factors.
- Geveko Markings: Geveko (formerly Vibro Acoustic) is a Swedish marking materials company that produces tactile paving, studs, and accessibility surfacing for public spaces and transport infrastructure. Comparable to Phitech's tactile warning tiles, guidance bands, and stair nosing lines on the building and public space accessibility side.
- Talking Signs Inc: Talking Signs develops remote infrared audible signage systems that transmit location and direction information to handheld receivers used by blind and visually impaired travelers. Highly comparable to Phitech's sound beacon (Balise Sonore) products in function and end-user benefit, though using infrared rather than BLE/RF activation.
- Polara Enterprises: Polara is a US manufacturer of Accessible Pedestrian Signal (APS) push-button stations and control units for visually impaired pedestrians at intersections. It is the leading North American analog to Phitech's Sinféa S10/CrossVoice modules, competing on similar audible pedestrian crossing technology under different national standards (MUTCD).
- Novax Industries Corporation: Novax is a Canadian manufacturer of audible and tactile pedestrian signal devices (iDS, iNS) designed to assist visually impaired pedestrians at crosswalks. Comparable in technology and use case to Phitech's sound module and CrossVoice product lines, though serving North American infrastructure standards.
Broad incumbents
- Eberle Design Inc. EDI is a US traffic control devices manufacturer producing pedestrian signal detectors, conflict monitors, and accessibility-related intersection electronics. Broader scope than Phitech (full traffic control suite), but overlaps on the pedestrian crossing electronics that integrate with or replace Phitech's sound modules.
- Swarco Traffic Austria: Swarco Traffic is a large European traffic and signaling systems provider offering pedestrian signals, controllers, and integrated urban mobility solutions. Its pedestrian crossing signal portfolio overlaps with Phitech's road accessibility modules, and the company competes for the same public-sector road infrastructure contracts that Phitech's OEM partners serve.
Emerging players
- Unimark Senso Tech: Unimark is an Indian manufacturer of tactile indicators, studs, and accessibility tiles for visually impaired navigation in public infrastructure. Comparable to Phitech's NF P98-351-compliant tactile products, serving emerging-market accessibility deployments with similar regulatory-driven use cases.
Regional players
- Indicator Controls: Indicator Controls is a UK manufacturer of audible and tactile pedestrian signal equipment under the "Toffee" and "Wayfarer" brands, serving British and Irish crossings and infrastructure markets. Direct functional overlap with Phitech's sound modules but in UK-specific regulatory and procurement contexts.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Phitech social profiles
Digital presencePhitech compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
Phitech financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Phitech leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Phitech funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Phitech 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 Phitech
What does Phitech do?
Phitech designs, manufactures and sells accessibility solutions for visually impaired persons. Its product portfolio includes sound modules for pedestrian crossings (Sinféa S10, CrossVoice), a mobile application for activating those modules (ActiApp), building accessibility products (sound beacons, magnetic loops, tactile flooring), and public transport announcement systems (ActiSono, ActiThéa BIV, ARP). The company operates as a vertically integrated French manufacturer serving both public-sector clients and direct consumers via its own e-commerce shop.
Is Phitech a public or private company?
Phitech is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Phitech founded?
Phitech was founded in 2003. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Phitech based?
Phitech is headquartered in Villers-lès-nancy, France, in the Europe region.
How does Phitech make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Hardware Product Sales are the primary driver. The others are direct E-commerce (B2C) and public Sector Contracts.
Who are Phitech's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Okeenea, Campbell Company, Geveko Markings, Talking Signs Inc, Polara Enterprises and Novax Industries Corporation. Broad incumbents are Eberle Design Inc. and Swarco Traffic Austria. Unimark Senso Tech is listed as an emerging player. Indicator Controls is listed as a regional player.
Does Phitech have an API?
No public API is recorded for Phitech.
What industry is Phitech in?
Phitech's product category is Assistive Technology / Accessibility Equipment. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAKAIAF, Vision Assistive Technology (Screen Readers, Braille, Magnification), with a secondary code of EDAEAIAM, Accessibility & Special Needs Equipment (Assistive Devices, Adaptive Furniture, Sensory Rooms). Its NAICS code is 33451.