Althen
Althen Sensors & Controls is a European sensor and measurement technology provider offering off-the-shelf and custom OEM sensors, instrumentation, turn-key measurement systems, and IIoT solutions to technology-driven industries including automotive, rail, offshore, aerospace, robotics, and medical technology.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1978
- HeadquartersKelkheim, Germany
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Althen does
Althen Sensors & Controls B.V. is a privately held European sensor and measurement technology provider headquartered in Rijswijk, Netherlands, with additional direct offices in Sweden (Norrtälje) and France. The company designs, manufactures, and supplies a broad portfolio covering force, pressure, torque, strain, position, acceleration, vibration, tilt, temperature, and flow sensors, alongside complementary instrumentation (data loggers, amplifiers, indicators), turn-key measurement systems, and Industrial IoT hardware-and-dashboard solutions for infrastructure and machine condition monitoring. Underlying measurement technologies include bonded strain gauges, inductive, capacitive, MEMS, fiber optic, magnetostrictive, Hall effect, laser, and LVDT/RVDT principles, with proprietary innovations such as the GOBLET grid design and multi-axis force-torque sensors with minimal crosstalk.
The company operates a sales-led, expert-consultation GTM. Sales engineers engage customers directly across the Netherlands, Sweden, and France offices, supplemented by distributor partnerships (Jewell Instruments covering France and the UK) and online quote-request funnels. Revenue is generated primarily through hardware sales of off-the-shelf and custom OEM sensors, instrumentation, turn-key measurement systems, and IIoT solutions, with secondary revenue from calibration, engineering, rental, training, and repair services. Althen is DIN-EN-ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001 certified and serves technology-driven industries including automotive and e-mobility, civil and construction, offshore/maritime/renewable energy, mechanical engineering and robotics, medical technology and pharmaceuticals, railway and public transit, and aerospace and defense.
Althen firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Althen
- Legal name
- Althen Sensors & Controls B.V.
- Website
- https://althensensors.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1978
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Althen Sensors & Controls is a European sensor and measurement technology provider offering off-the-shelf and custom OEM sensors, instrumentation, turn-key measurement systems, and IIoT solutions to technology-driven industries including automotive, rail, offshore, aerospace, robotics, and medical technology.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Althen industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Industrial Sensors and Measurement Systems
- NAICS
- Instruments and Related Products Manufacturing for Measuring, Displaying, and Controlling Industrial Process Variables (334513), Other Measuring and Controlling Device Manufacturing (334519), Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (33451)
- SIC
- Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823), Measuring & Controlling Devices, Nec (3829)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Industrial-Grade Sensors & Transducer Components (Discrete sensing elements, transducers, MEMS sensors) (IMAGAJAO)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Sensors & Instrumentation Electronics Manufacturing Services (Transmitters, analyzers, industrial sensors) (IMAGAGAL), Automotive Sensors Manufacturing (Position/Pressure/Temp/IMU/Radar/LiDAR Cameras) (IMACAJAD)
Keywords
Where Althen is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Kelkheim
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
Althen business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Sensors (Off-the-shelf and Custom): Sale of a broad range of sensors including force, pressure, torque, strain, position, acceleration, vibration, gyroscope, and temperature sensors, available as standard products or custom-designed OEM solutions.
- Instrumentation Products: Sale of data loggers (Graphtec, DATAQ, TML), amplifiers, indicators, digital automation instrumentation, and fiber optic instrumentation.
- Turn-Key Measurement Systems: Sale of complete measurement systems including pressure/temperature measurement systems, Fujifilm measurement foils, laser measurement systems, railway measurement systems, and mobile weighing systems.
- IIoT Sensor Hardware and Solutions: Sale of IoT sensor hardware (vibration, temperature, inclination) and end-to-end IIoT solutions including infrastructure monitoring, condition monitoring, and dashboarding platforms.
- Services (Calibration, Engineering, Rental, Training): Professional services including calibration, engineering and development, equipment rental, strain gauge application support, training and consulting, and repair services.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels11 records
Althen product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Althen designs, manufactures, and distributes a broad portfolio of industrial sensors — including force, pressure, torque, strain, position, acceleration, vibration, tilt, flow, and temperature sensors — available as standard off-the-shelf products or as fully customized OEM designs. The company also supplies complementary instrumentation (data loggers, amplifiers, indicators), complete turn-key measurement systems, and IIoT sensor hardware with connectivity and dashboarding platforms, supported by calibration, engineering, rental, training, and repair services.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Force sensors
Quantifiable outcome
- HTM's tram fleet in The Hague now performs real-time wheel condition, weight distribution, and tram identification monitoring, supporting predictive maintenance and reducing unplanned downtime.
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Althen
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments7 records
Ideal customer profiles7 records
Althen technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature7 records
Althen partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Jewell InstrumentscoreAlthen expanded its partnership with Jewell Instruments to include France and the UK markets, announced on 12 May 2026. Jewell Instruments serves as a distributor for Althen's sensor products in these regions.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Althen competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- HBK (Hottinger Brüel & Kjær): Global leader in test, measurement, and sensing technology with a deep force, torque, pressure, strain, and accelerometer portfolio. Highly comparable in technology breadth, industrial customer base, and integrated measurement solutions.
- Kistler Group: Swiss manufacturer of dynamic force, torque, pressure, and acceleration sensors. Kistler is the closest direct peer — overlapping product categories (force/torque/pressure sensors) and similarly high-precision industrial and automotive test applications.
- MEGATRON Elektronik: German sensor and component manufacturer specializing in force, position, tilt, and temperature sensors for industrial applications. Comparable in mid-market European positioning and custom OEM sensor design.
- Burster Praezisionsmesstechnik: German manufacturer of precision sensors and measurement systems for force, torque, pressure, and displacement, with strong custom/OEM capability. Closely comparable mid-sized European specialty sensor manufacturer.
- Angst+Pfister Group: European industrial component and sensor distributor/solutions provider serving OEMs with custom-engineered sensor packages. Comparable business model combining catalog distribution with custom sensor solutions.
- Baumer Group: Swiss sensor manufacturer with broad portfolio covering position, force, strain, vibration, and process sensors, plus custom solutions. Comparable in technology breadth and European industrial customer focus.
- FUTEK Advanced Sensor Technology: US-based manufacturer specializing in high-precision force, torque, pressure, and load sensors with strong custom OEM design capability. Comparable in custom-engineered OEM sensor business model.
Broad incumbents
- SICK AG: Large German manufacturer of industrial sensors (factory, logistics, process automation). Overlaps in vibration, position, and force measurement but operates at a much larger scale and broader scope.
- Balluff: Global sensor and connectivity specialist with a wide industrial portfolio. Adjacent overlap in position, pressure, and condition monitoring sensors for factory automation.
- ifm electronic: Larger German sensor and automation specialist with broad industrial portfolio (position, pressure, flow, vibration, temperature). Overlaps in core sensing categories but operates at substantially greater scale.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Althen social profiles
Digital presenceAlthen financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Althen leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Althen subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Althen funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Althen 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 Althen
What does Althen do?
Althen designs, manufactures, and distributes a broad portfolio of industrial sensors — including force, pressure, torque, strain, position, acceleration, vibration, tilt, flow, and temperature sensors — available as standard off-the-shelf products or as fully customized OEM designs. The company also supplies complementary instrumentation (data loggers, amplifiers, indicators), complete turn-key measurement systems, and IIoT sensor hardware with connectivity and dashboarding platforms, supported by calibration, engineering, rental, training, and repair services.
Is Althen a public or private company?
Althen is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Althen founded?
Althen was founded in 1978. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Althen based?
Althen is headquartered in Kelkheim, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Althen make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Sensors (Off-the-shelf and Custom) is the primary driver. The others are instrumentation Products, turn-Key Measurement Systems, IIoT Sensor Hardware and Solutions and services (Calibration, Engineering, Rental, Training).
Who are Althen's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are HBK (Hottinger Brüel & Kjær), Kistler Group, MEGATRON Elektronik, Burster Praezisionsmesstechnik, Angst+Pfister Group, Baumer Group and FUTEK Advanced Sensor Technology. Broad incumbents are SICK AG, Balluff and ifm electronic.
Does Althen have an API?
No public API is recorded for Althen.
What industry is Althen in?
Althen's product category is Industrial Sensors and Measurement Systems. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAGAJAO, Industrial-Grade Sensors & Transducer Components (Discrete sensing elements, transducers, MEMS sensors), with a secondary code of IMAGAGAL, Sensors & Instrumentation Electronics Manufacturing Services (Transmitters, analyzers, industrial sensors). Its NAICS code is 334513 and its SIC code is 3823.