What GfT does

GfT mbH (Gesellschaft für Telekommunikationsanwendungen mbH) is a privately held German hardware and software manufacturer founded in 1994 and headquartered in Cloppenburg, Lower Saxony. The company designs and builds telecontrol technology (Fernwirktechnik) components and OEM parts, with the FWM1 family of compact remote monitoring terminals — available in analog and GSM/GPRS (Quad-Band 850/900/1800/1900 MHz) variants — as its core product. These devices monitor and control distributed water and wastewater infrastructure, including sewage pumping stations, elevated tanks, retention basins, and overflow basins, and feature an integrated data logger, operating-hours recording, pulse counters, and analog value acquisition in an IP65-rated housing.

The product ecosystem comprises the GfT Leitsystem (a network-capable, multi-user SCADA control system with SQL database for centralized data acquisition, fault logging, reporting, and WinCC/Acron integration via OPC), the FWM1 Pro configuration software, and an OPC Server providing real-time (OPC DA) and historical (OPC HDA) data access to third-party systems. A modular accessory range — including a temperature module, switching module, multi-voltage module, pneumatic pressure transducers for level measurement, and a Yagi/sector/omnidirectional antenna family — extends the platform into pump-station control and challenging reception environments. Beyond its core remote-monitoring line, GfT distributes third-party biometric access control products (ENBioAccess-T3/T5, NAC-5000, Fingkey Hamster III) as a secondary adjacent business.

GfT sells primarily via direct sales to German municipal water and wastewater utilities (Stadtwerke, Zweckverbände) and through OEM embedding relationships with larger industrial partners that distribute FWM1-based systems into France, England, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Russia, and the Czech Republic. Revenue is generated through hardware sales (FWM1 terminals, replacement parts, modules, antennas), one-time software licenses (Leitsystem, FWM1 Pro, OPC Server), and professional services for project consulting and remote maintenance, with quote-based pricing and multi-year contracts. The company reports more than 20,000 remote control systems deployed cumulatively, is a member of DWA e.V. (Deutsche Vereinigung für Wasserwirtschaft, Abwasser und Abfall), and operates with 11-50 employees under the leadership of authorized representative Hermann Droste.

Name

GfT

Legal name

Gesellschaft für Telekommunikationsanwendungen mbH

Website

https://gft-mbh.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

GfT mbH is a privately held German manufacturer of telecontrol (Fernwirktechnik) hardware and SCADA software, primarily serving municipal water and wastewater utilities and OEM industrial partners with its FWM1 remote monitoring terminals and GfT Leitsystem control platform across Germany and Europe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Cloppenburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Hardware Sales: Sale of FWM1 remote control devices (analog and GSM/GPRS models), replacement parts (circuit boards, displays, batteries, housings), and accessories (antennas, modules, cables). Products are sold as complete units ready for installation.
2. Software Licensing: Sale of GfT Leitsystem (control center software), FWM1 Pro configuration software, and OPC Server. Software is provided as perpetual licenses with free configuration software included with device purchases.
3. Professional Services: Project consulting, problem-solving support, and remote maintenance services. The company emphasizes customer service and straightforward support for consultation and problem resolution.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

GfT mbH (Gesellschaft für Telekommunikationsanwendungen mbH) manufactures and sells the FWM1 family of compact telecontrol terminals — available in GSM/GPRS and analog-modem variants — used to remotely monitor and control wastewater pump stations, elevated tanks and retention basins. The company complements the hardware with its GfT Leitsystem SCADA software, FWM1 Pro configuration software and an OPC Server, and additionally distributes third-party biometric access-control terminals and a range of antennas, sensors, switching modules and spare parts. Over 20,000 GfT remote monitoring systems are deployed at municipal utilities and OEM partners across Germany and Europe.

Product overview

GfT mbH is a hardware and software manufacturer specializing in remote control technology (Fernwirktechnik) for water and wastewater management. The core product is the FWM1 family of compact remote monitoring devices, available in two variants: FWM1/analog (for analog telephone lines) and FWM1 GSM/GPRS (with integrated Quad-Band GSM/GPRS modem). The FWM1 devices monitor and control wastewater pump stations, elevated tanks, and retention basins. The product ecosystem includes the GfT Leitsystem (control system software) for centralized data acquisition and evaluation, FWM1 Pro configuration software, and OPC Server for third-party integration. Accessory modules expand functionality: TM temperature module, SM switching module, MVM multi-voltage module, and pneumatic pressure sensors for pump control. GSM antennas (Yagi, sector, omnidirectional, magnetic base) enable optimal reception. GfT also offers third-party biometric access control products (ENBioAccess-T3/T5, NAC-5000, Fingkey Hamster III) for security applications. The company provides complete solutions from end devices to data visualization, with over 20,000 remote control systems deployed across Germany and Europe.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GfT Leitsystem: A powerful control system for data acquisition and evaluation as well as logging of technical disturbances of FWM1 type remote control devices.
• FWM1
• Fingkey Hamster III
• GfT OPC Server

Products and services

• FWM1 GSM/GPRS

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 20,000 FWM1 remote monitoring systems deployed across Germany and Europe

Named customers13 records

Segments3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability1 record

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• DWA e.V. (Deutsche Vereinigung für Wasserwirtschaft, Abwasser und Abfall)minorOthersGfT is listed as a partner/link on the DWA website. DWA is a politically and economically independent association dedicated to sustainable water management and promotion of research and development. This membership provides industry visibility and credibility.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Itron: US-based smart-water and metering supplier whose AMI, analytics, and leak-detection modules address adjacent use cases in European water utilities — overlapping with but not directly identical to GfT's remote-monitoring value proposition.
• Phoenix Contact: Major industrial automation and telemetry vendor with cellular/remote-I/O products (e.g. Radioline, TC Mobile) that overlap functionally with GfT's FWM1 GSM/GPRS family, while serving a much wider industrial automation customer base.
• Endress+Hauser Digital Solutions: Global process-automation leader (measurement instrumentation, SCADA, plant asset management) that addresses the same water/wastewater telemetry use cases as FWM1 with broader instrumentation portfolios and enterprise-scale SCADA (e.g. FieldCare, Netilion).
• Schneider Electric (EcoStruxure / Geo SCADA): Schneider's Geo SCADA (formerly ClearSCADA) and Wonderware are large incumbents in water/wastewater supervisory control, and its Telvent/utility software portfolio targets exactly the German/European municipal segment where GfT competes.
• Siemens SIMATIC / WinCC: Siemens is the dominant European SCADA supplier (WinCC, SIMATIC RTUs) and its named integration with WinCC is explicitly listed by GfT as an OPC-Client partner. It defines the competitive ceiling for GfT's municipal tenders.
• ABB Ability Industrial Software: ABB's SCADA/800xA and RTU/relay portfolio serves the same municipal and industrial telemetry needs (RTUs for substations, water and wastewater sites) and competes indirectly via larger system-integrator channels.

Direct peers

• ifak system GmbH: German software + integration house delivering SCADA/ICS for water/wastewater and energy utilities. Competes head-to-head with GfT for the same municipal Zweckverband and Stadtwerke RFPs in the DACH region, with similar vendor profile (mid-sized, privately held).
• KISTERS AG: Aachen-based software vendor specialising in IT/SCADA solutions for water, energy and environmental monitoring. Comparable vertical focus (municipal water/wastewater) and a comparable dual software/telemetry value proposition to GfT's Leitsystem + FWM1 stack.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 GfT