PIL Sensors
PiL Sensoren GmbH is a German manufacturer of industrial ultrasonic sensors for distance measurement, level sensing, and object detection, serving food and beverage, pharmaceutical, packaging, and general industrial automation customers via direct sales and international representatives.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1990
- HeadquartersFrankfurt, Germany
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What PIL Sensors does
PiL Sensoren GmbH is a German specialty manufacturer of industrial ultrasonic sensors headquartered in Erlensee, near Frankfurt. The company designs, produces, and sells sensors for distance measurement, fill-level control, object detection, and position control across harsh industrial environments. Its product portfolio spans eight series (P41–P53), including standard sensors, sensor heads and control units (P42), synchronizable sensors (P47), two-part ultrasonic barriers (P48), an Economy line (P49), and EHEDG-certified hygienic sensors (P53) for food and pharmaceutical production. The firm emphasizes Made-in-Germany manufacturing, gap-free 1.4404 stainless steel housing, and a cross-reference compatibility list with Honeywell ultrasonic sensors, while delivering service differentiation through 48-hour express manufacturing and 24-hour quoting.
The company operates within a corporate group that includes sister company Inelta Sensorsysteme GmbH & Co. KG (displacement, force, pressure, and inclination sensing) and VYPRO s.r.o. in Trencin, Slovakia (electronic and mechanical assembly plus certified calibration). PiL sells direct via its website and through a worldwide network of international representatives, targeting industrial customers in food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, packaging, agricultural technology, and general industrial automation. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly listed, and there is no disclosed revenue, headcount, or funding data.
PIL Sensors firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- PIL Sensors
- Legal name
- PiL Sensoren GmbH
- Website
- https://pil.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1990
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- PiL Sensoren GmbH is a German manufacturer of industrial ultrasonic sensors for distance measurement, level sensing, and object detection, serving food and beverage, pharmaceutical, packaging, and general industrial automation customers via direct sales and international representatives.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
PIL Sensors industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Industrial Ultrasonic Sensors
- NAICS
- Instruments and Related Products Manufacturing for Measuring, Displaying, and Controlling Industrial Process Variables (334513), Other Measuring and Controlling Device Manufacturing (334519)
- SIC
- Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823), Measuring & Controlling Devices, Nec (3829)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Industrial Sensors (Pressure, Temperature, Flow, Level, Proximity, Vibration) (IMAGAFAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Industrial-Grade Sensors & Transducer Components (Discrete sensing elements, transducers, MEMS sensors) (IMAGAJAO)
Keywords
Where PIL Sensors is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Frankfurt
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
PIL Sensors business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Ultrasonic Sensors Sales: Direct sales of industrial ultrasonic sensors including standard sensors (P41-P49 series), EHEDG-certified sensors for food/pharma, ultrasonic barriers, sensor heads and control units, and accessories (reflectors, sound reducers, cables, mounting brackets).
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels3 records
PIL Sensors product offering
Product offeringCore offering
PiL Sensoren GmbH designs, manufactures, and sells industrial ultrasonic sensors used for distance measurement, fill level detection, object detection, and positioning in harsh industrial environments. Its product portfolio spans the P41–P44 standard series, synchronizable P47 sensors, two-part P48 ultrasonic barriers, the cost-efficient P49 economy series, and EHEDG-certified P53 sensors with fully encapsulated stainless steel housings for food and pharmaceutical production, complemented by accessories (reflectors, sound reducers, cables, mounting brackets) and express manufacturing services.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- P41 Series: Standard ultrasonic sensors
- P42 Series
- P43 Series
- P44 Series
- P47 Series
- P48 Series
- P49 Series
- P53 Series
Products and services
- Series P41 Standard Ultrasonic Sensors Standard ultrasonic sensors in the P41 series for general industrial distance measurement, level detection, and object detection applications.
- Series P42 Sensor Heads and Control Units Standalone or PLC-coupled, parameterizable control and evaluation units with sensor heads for ultrasonic distance measurement and process control applications.
- Series P43 Standard Ultrasonic Sensors Standard ultrasonic sensors in the P43 series for various industrial applications requiring distance measurement and object detection.
- Series P44 Standard Ultrasonic Sensors Standard ultrasonic sensors in the P44 series for industrial distance measurement, level detection, and object detection.
- Series P47 Standard Ultrasonic Sensors and Reflection Barriers Synchronizable ultrasonic sensors capable of synchronizing up to 10 units to suppress mutual interference in close arrangement, and reflection light barriers for industrial applications, including detection of soft, angular, or powdery objects.
- Series P48 Ultrasonic Barriers Two-part ultrasonic barriers consisting of separate transmitter and receiver for confined spaces in feeding and handling technology, with high switching frequency and small blind zone.
- Series P49 Economy Ultrasonic Sensors Flexible ultrasonic sensors for universal industrial applications with reach up to 6m, simple integration with 2-second teach-in configuration, available from stock with good price-performance ratio.
- Series P53 Standard and EHEDG-Certified Ultrasonic Sensors Standard and EHEDG-certified ultrasonic sensors with fully encapsulated stainless steel (1.4404) gap-free housing for hygienic-critical areas in food and pharmaceutical production, certified by EHEDG and Ecolab.
- Ultrasonic Sensor Accessories Accessories for ultrasonic sensors including reflectors, sound reducers, teach-in adapters, cables, and mounting brackets.
- 48h Express Manufacturing Service Express manufacturing service for urgent customer needs, delivering custom ultrasonic sensor configurations within 48 hours for service or replacement requirements.
Companies that use PIL Sensors
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
PIL Sensors technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
PIL Sensors partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Inelta Sensorsysteme GmbH & Co. KGcoreSister company within the corporate group offering complementary sensor products for displacement, force, pressure, and inclination measurement. Together they provide a broad product spectrum for industrial sensing applications with tailored sensor solutions as a key focus area.
- VYPRO, s. r. o.coreSister company located in Trencin, Slovak Republic. System partner for manufacturing electronic and mechanical components, assemblies, cable confectioning, and certified calibration services. Services primarily target automation technology and plant and device construction.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
PIL Sensors competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Keyence Corporation: Japanese high-margin industrial sensor and measurement specialist; while strongest in vision and laser sensors, it competes with PiL on proximity and detection applications in packaging and general automation.
- Omron Industrial Automation: Global industrial automation vendor with ultrasonic sensors as part of a wider sensing and control portfolio; competes for factory automation accounts where PiL also bids.
- Honeywell Sensing & Productivity Solutions: Global conglomerate whose industrial sensing portfolio explicitly overlaps PiL (evidenced by PiL publishing a Honeywell cross-reference). Competes broadly across ultrasonic and adjacent sensing technologies with far larger R&D and global sales scale.
- Siemens (Smart Infrastructure / Digital Industries): Diversified industrial automation incumbent whose SIMATIC sensor range competes with PiL in factory automation; broader portfolio and software stack make it a frequent incumbent competitor on large OEM contracts.
Direct peers
- SICK AG: German-headquartered global leader in industrial sensors including ultrasonic distance and proximity sensors for factory, logistics, and process automation. Most directly comparable to PiL in product category, customer base, and German Mittelstand DNA.
- Baumer Group: Swiss-headquartered manufacturer of sensors including ultrasonic distance sensors, with strong presence in food, packaging, and process industries — directly overlapping PiL's hygienic and industrial automation segments.
- ifm electronic: German industrial sensor specialist offering ultrasonic, inductive, and photoelectric sensors with a focus on factory automation and IIoT connectivity — closely comparable to PiL's industrial automation customer base.
- Banner Engineering: US-based industrial sensor manufacturer with a substantial ultrasonic sensor line for distance, level, and object detection in packaging, material handling, and general automation — comparable product mix and applications.
- Microsonic GmbH: German specialist manufacturer focused almost exclusively on ultrasonic sensors for industrial applications, making it the closest pure-play competitor to PiL in both technology focus and geographic origin.
- Pepperl+Fuchs: Major industrial sensor manufacturer with a broad ultrasonic sensor portfolio targeting factory automation, packaging, and process industries — directly overlapping PiL's use cases and target customers.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
PIL Sensors social profiles
Digital presencePIL Sensors financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
PIL Sensors leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
PIL Sensors funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
PIL Sensors 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 PIL Sensors
What does PIL Sensors do?
PiL Sensoren GmbH designs, manufactures, and sells industrial ultrasonic sensors used for distance measurement, fill level detection, object detection, and positioning in harsh industrial environments. Its product portfolio spans the P41–P44 standard series, synchronizable P47 sensors, two-part P48 ultrasonic barriers, the cost-efficient P49 economy series, and EHEDG-certified P53 sensors with fully encapsulated stainless steel housings for food and pharmaceutical production, complemented by accessories (reflectors, sound reducers, cables, mounting brackets) and express manufacturing services.
Is PIL Sensors a public or private company?
PIL Sensors is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was PIL Sensors founded?
PIL Sensors was founded in 1990. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is PIL Sensors based?
PIL Sensors is headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does PIL Sensors make money?
One revenue line is on record: ultrasonic Sensors Sales.
Who are PIL Sensors's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Keyence Corporation, Omron Industrial Automation, Honeywell Sensing & Productivity Solutions and Siemens (Smart Infrastructure / Digital Industries). Direct peers are SICK AG, Baumer Group, ifm electronic, Banner Engineering, Microsonic GmbH and Pepperl+Fuchs.
Does PIL Sensors have an API?
No public API is recorded for PIL Sensors.
What industry is PIL Sensors in?
PIL Sensors's product category is Industrial Ultrasonic Sensors. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAGAFAA, Industrial Sensors (Pressure, Temperature, Flow, Level, Proximity, Vibration), with a secondary code of IMAGAJAO, Industrial-Grade Sensors & Transducer Components (Discrete sensing elements, transducers, MEMS sensors). Its NAICS code is 334513 and its SIC code is 3823.