INAC

What INAC does

INAC AG is a privately held Swiss industrial automation company founded in 1974 by Josef Cavigelli and headquartered in Berneck (canton of St. Gallen). The company designs, manufactures, and commissions custom special machines, plants, and devices that automate and rationalize production processes for industrial customers. INAC integrates electrical, electronic, pneumatic, and hydraulic systems with proprietary control hardware and software, delivering turnkey solutions from concept and engineering through procurement, assembly, on-site installation, and acceptance. Customers are industrial manufacturers facing quality, cost, and flexibility pressures that require automated or partially automated production, served primarily through direct engineering-led field sales across Switzerland and select international markets.

Beyond bespoke engineering work, INAC maintains a small portfolio of standardized products: the EMS P-Tester A02 and A03 permeation testing systems for fuel system components (using a proprietary dynamic measurement principle with dual receptacles), drilling tables for profile processing, electronic bonding and sorting/coating/bonding machines for diamond tool blanks used in dental drill production, and stationary and mobile weaving reed cleaning equipment for textile manufacturing. The EMS P-Tester family is CE-conformant.

The revenue model mixes one-time turnkey equipment sales (custom machines and plants), hardware sales of standard products, and recurring service/maintenance contracts (troubleshooting, optimization, operator training, and rapid specialist response for minimum downtime). Project pricing is bespoke by specification and is not publicly disclosed. The company operates with 11-50 employees, is privately financed with no external funding rounds, and currently lists an active CEO successor/partner role.

Name

INAC

Legal name

INAC AG

Website

https://inac.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

INAC AG is a Swiss industrial automation firm that designs, manufactures, and commissions custom special machines, plants, and devices for production automation, plus standardized products like the EMS P-Tester for fuel-system permeation testing. The firm serves industrial manufacturers in Switzerland and abroad through turnkey engineering-led delivery.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Automation Equipment

NAICS

Industrial Machinery Manufacturing (3332), Instruments and Related Products Manufacturing for Measuring, Displaying, and Controlling Industrial Process Variables (334513), Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (3345)

SIC

Electrical Industrial Apparatus (3620), General Industrial Machinery & Equipment, Nec (3569), Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial Controllers & Control Systems (PLCs, PACs, CNC Controllers) (IMAHAHAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) & Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) (IMAHABAB), Process & Batch Control Software (Recipe Management, ISA-88) (IMAGABAH)

Keywords

• Industrial automation systems
• Special machine manufacturing
• Custom automation solutions
• Permeation testing equipment
• Production line automation

Headquarters

HQ city

Berneck

HQ country

Switzerland

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, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Custom Machine and Plant Manufacturing: Design, manufacture, and turnkey delivery of complete special machines, plants, and devices for automation and rationalization of production processes. These are custom-made products precisely tailored to customer requirements, delivered from concept to finished plant.
2. Standard Product Sales (EMS P-Tester): Sale of standard automation products including the EMS P-Tester A02 and A03 permeation testers. These are proprietary testing systems for fuel system component permeability measurement.
3. Service, Maintenance and Support: Complete maintenance work on delivered plants, machines and devices; service interventions for troubleshooting; planning and execution of optimizations; operator training for customer personnel.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Core offering

INAC AG designs, manufactures, and commissions custom industrial automation systems, including complete special machines, plants, and devices for production and assembly processes. The company delivers turnkey solutions from concept through to installation and acceptance, integrating electrical, electronic, pneumatic, and hydraulic systems with proprietary control software. In addition to project-based custom work, INAC offers standard products such as the EMS P-Tester A02 and A03 permeation testing systems for fuel system components, plus drilling tables, diamond tool blank processing machines, and weaving reed cleaning equipment.

Product overview

INAC AG is an industrial automation company offering a portfolio of standard products and custom automation solutions. The standard product line includes drilling tables, diamond tool blank processing equipment (electronic bonding and sorting/coating/bonding machines), and weaving reed cleaning equipment (both stationary and mobile variants). The core standardized product is the EMS P-Tester series (A02 and A03 models) for hydrocarbon permeation testing of fuel system components. Beyond standard offerings, INAC provides custom project-based automation solutions including membrane assembly systems, laser welding machines, frame clamping devices, and assembly automation for various industrial applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bohrtisch (Drilling Table) Drilling table for profile processing with drilling and tapping capabilities, featuring digital displays for X, Y, and Z axes. Targeted at industrial manufacturers requiring precision drilling operations.
• Electronic Bonding Machine for Diamond Tool Blanks Equipment for preparation of diamond coating for dental drills, enabling the bonding of diamond tool blanks. Used by dental tool manufacturers.
• Sorting, Coating and Bonding Machine for Diamond Tool Blanks Machine for sorting, coating, and bonding diamond tool blanks used in dental drill preparation. Used in dental tool manufacturing workflows.
• Stationary Weaving Reed Cleaning Equipment (Webblattreinigungsvorrichtung stationär) Stationary cleaning equipment for weaving reeds used in textile manufacturing processes.
• Mobile Weaving Reed Cleaning Equipment (Webblattreinigungsvorrichtung mobil) Mobile cleaning equipment designed for direct use on weaving machines, enabling on-machine weaving reed cleaning in textile manufacturing.
• EMS P-Tester A02 Automatic permeation testing system for measuring hydrocarbon permeability in fuel system components using a dynamic measurement principle. Features dual receptacles (Ø 100 x 1050 mm), fuel circuit with gear pump, and activated carbon filter weighing system. Used by automotive fuel system manufacturers and testing labs.
• EMS P-Tester A03 Larger capacity permeation testing system for fuel system components. Features dual receptacles (Ø 250 x 1050 mm), supports tube diameters from 6-22 mm, with modular 4-cabinet construction and 10L fuel tank. Used by automotive fuel system manufacturers and testing labs.
• Custom Industrial Automation Solutions Custom-made special machines, plants, and devices for automation and rationalization of production processes, precisely tailored to individual customer requirements and delivered on a turnkey basis from concept through to commissioning. Includes membrane assembly systems, laser welding machines, frame clamping devices, and assembly automation. Targeted at industrial manufacturers.
• Service, Maintenance and Support Complete maintenance work on delivered plants, machines and devices; service interventions for troubleshooting; planning and execution of optimizations; operator training for customer personnel. Targeted at existing INAC customers.
• Automation Consulting and Engineering Engineering consulting for automation projects including overall planning, detail engineering, software development, procurement, assembly, installation, commissioning, and documentation. Targeted at industrial manufacturers seeking automation expertise.

Quantifiable outcome

• Minimal service requirements through use of quality components and systems
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Feintool AG: Swiss precision component manufacturer with in-house automation and special machine engineering capabilities. Comparable to INAC as a mid-cap Swiss industrial firm combining proprietary manufacturing processes with custom automation system know-how.
• Tornos SA: Swiss manufacturer of precision turning machines and production systems with custom engineering and turnkey delivery model. Highly comparable to INAC in Swiss industrial automation heritage, customer base (precision industrial manufacturers), and project-based delivery.
• Mikron Holding AG: Swiss-headquartered manufacturer of high-precision automation and machining systems for components and assemblies. Directly comparable to INAC as a mid-sized Swiss custom automation/machinery specialist serving industrial customers with turnkey engineering solutions.
• Bystronic AG: Swiss-based provider of machines and systems for sheet metal processing with full automation and service offering. Comparable to INAC for Swiss engineering heritage, custom turnkey delivery to industrial customers, and combined product + service revenue model.

Regional players

• Pilz GmbH & Co. KG: German family-owned automation specialist focused on safe automation, control technology, and system integration services. Comparable to INAC as a mid-sized European family-owned automation engineering firm delivering custom safety and control solutions to industrial clients.

Broad incumbents

• Rockwell Automation: US-based industrial automation and information giant specializing in PLCs, drives, and integrated control systems. Comparable to INAC's PLC/computer-controlled machine building focus, though serves a much broader customer base and end markets.
• Beckhoff Automation: German industrial automation specialist offering PC-based control, PLC, and drive technology with system integration services. Comparable to INAC's industrial controllers and custom automation engineering, though Beckhoff also supplies the underlying control hardware INAC integrates.
• Siemens AG: Global industrial automation leader offering PLCs, motion control, and full system integration services through its Digital Industries division. Overlaps with INAC's PLC-based custom automation value proposition at vastly larger scale and broader portfolio.
• Georg Fischer AG: Large Swiss industrial conglomerate with a dedicated automation solutions division serving industrial customers globally. Overlaps with INAC in industrial automation engineering and turnkey project delivery, though much broader portfolio and scale.
• ABB Ltd. Global automation, robotics, and industrial controls powerhouse with broad machine-building and system integration offerings. Comparable as an incumbent industrial automation competitor at much larger scale; competes with INAC on larger turnkey contracts.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

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 INAC