Empas
Empas B.V. is a Dutch manufacturer, founded in 1974, of horticultural spraying equipment and hot water weed control machines sold to professional growers, municipal green space managers, and OEM machine builders worldwide through a global dealer network and e-commerce parts channel.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1974
- HeadquartersVeenendaal, Netherlands
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Empas does
Empas B.V. is a privately held Dutch manufacturer, founded in 1974 by Rien Doornenbal and headquartered in Veenendaal, Netherlands, specializing in horticultural spraying equipment and thermal (hot water) weed control machinery. The company designs and builds its products in-house, producing spray carts, spray booms, spray masts, cleaning machines, and a hot water weed control product line (MCE, MCB 3.0, MCB-Twin, MCP models). Its core technology centers on proprietary heat exchanger systems — notably the MCB-Twin's three-exchanger design — that deliver water at constant exit temperatures of 99.5-102°C at the lance, reducing fuel consumption by approximately 25% versus comparable machines and enabling chemical-free control of invasive species such as Japanese knotweed and hogweed. Equipment integrates SPS/PLC control modules and Dosatron proportional dosing pumps for accurate crop protection agent mixing.
Empas serves two primary customer segments: professional horticulture growers (ornamental, vegetable, fruit, tree nurseries, livestock farming) needing precise application of crop protection agents, and municipal/governmental green space managers (municipalities, provinces, water authorities, landscape contractors) combating invasive weeds. A secondary OEM/machine-builder segment purchases spare parts for integration into third-party spraying systems. The company sells machines exclusively through a global dealer network that provides local sales, service, and consultation, while spare parts are distributed directly via an in-house e-commerce webshop and email ordering with same-day shipping for orders placed before 3 PM. Machine pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed; parts are transactionally priced with tiered shipping costs (€9.50 for packages under 31 kg within the Netherlands, free shipping over €350 excl. VAT).
Empas has remained under family ownership since 2011 when Carel Doornenbal completed full acquisition from founder Rien Doornenbal. The company has made one acquisition (Deckers Spuittechniek, 2016) to expand its spray technology parts portfolio and operates a secondary site in Varik following that deal. Headcount has grown from approximately 35 employees in 2011 to roughly 60 by 2017 and is currently in the 51-100 range. No venture capital, private equity, or institutional investment is disclosed in the source materials.
Empas firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Empas
- Legal name
- Empas B.V.
- Website
- https://empas.nl
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1974
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Empas B.V. is a Dutch manufacturer, founded in 1974, of horticultural spraying equipment and hot water weed control machines sold to professional growers, municipal green space managers, and OEM machine builders worldwide through a global dealer network and e-commerce parts channel.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Empas industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Agricultural and horticultural spraying equipment
- NAICS
- Farm Machinery and Equipment Manufacturing (333111), Measuring, Dispensing, and Other Pumping Equipment Manufacturing (333914)
- SIC
- Farm Machinery & Equipment (3523)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Crop Protection & Application Equipment (Sprayers/Spreaders) (IMAHACAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Spray Control, Rate Controllers & Nozzle Systems (Pumps, Valves, Atomizers) (AFAAADAF), Tank Mixing, Transfer & Chemical Handling Systems (Induction Hoppers, Loaders) (AFAAADAG)
Keywords
Where Empas is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Veenendaal
- HQ country
- Netherlands
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Empas 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
Revenue model
- Spraying Equipment Sales: Sale of high-quality spraying equipment including spray carts, spray booms, spray masts, and cleaning machines. All products are manufactured in-house in Veenendaal, Netherlands.
- Hot Water Weed Control Machines: Sale of thermal weed control machines including MCE, MCB 3.0, MCB-Twin, and MCP models for professional green space management.
- Spare Parts: Comprehensive spare parts for spraying technology and machine building. Parts include spray guns, nozzles, pumps, filters, spray computers, water tanks, and more. Same-day shipping for orders before 3 PM.
- Parts for Machine Building and Trade: Parts for professional market including machine builders, OEM manufacturers, fluid tank producers, repair companies, and trading companies.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Parts ordering via email or webshop |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Machine pricing |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Empas product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Empas designs, manufactures, and sells professional horticultural spraying equipment (spray carts, spray booms, spray masts, cleaning machines), hot water thermal weed control machines (MCE, MCB 3.0, MCB-Twin, MCP), and salt brine spray systems. All machines are produced in-house at the Veenendaal, Netherlands facility, complemented by a broad spare parts catalogue for both end users and OEM machine builders. The company distributes exclusively through a global dealer network while running a direct e-commerce webshop for parts.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Horticultural spraying equipment High-quality spraying equipment for horticulture including spray carts, spray booms, spray masts, and cleaning machines. Designed for professional growers in ornamental horticulture, vegetable cultivation, bedding and pot plants, fruit cultivation, tree nurseries, and livestock farming who need reliable, precise application of crop protection agents.
- Hot water weed control machines (MCE, MCB 3.0, MCB-Twin, MCP) Thermal weed control machines using hot water technology for professional green space management and the control of invasive plant species such as Japanese knotweed and hogweed. Models include MCE, MCB 3.0, MCB-Twin, and MCP, all featuring constant water exit temperatures above 99.5°C. The MCB-Twin adds three heat exchangers that pre-heat water to ~34°C, delivering 25% lower fuel consumption and ~3,500 liters of annual fuel savings.
- Spare parts for spraying equipment Comprehensive spare parts catalogue for spraying technology and machine building, including spray guns, nozzles, pumps, filters, spray computers, and water tanks. Available to end users, machine builders, OEM manufacturers, fluid tank producers, repair companies, and trading companies via the e-commerce webshop and email ordering, with same-day shipping for orders placed before 3 PM (Netherlands).
- Salt brine spray systems Salt brine spray systems used for winter road maintenance and de-icing applications, part of Empas's broader spraying equipment portfolio.
Quantifiable outcome
- MCB-Twin saves 3500 liters of fuel annually compared to other machines with same capacity
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Empas
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Empas technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Empas partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Deckers SpuittechniekcoreAcquisition of Deckers Spuittechniek from Varik in early 2016. Empas had been familiar with these brands for years, making them a perfect fit for the product range. The parts supplied are focused on spraying technology.
- CleanfixxcoreClose collaboration with Cleanfixx from Ederveen resulted in the development of various injection lances for combating invasive plant species like Japanese knotweed and hogweed. The partnership leverages hot water technology for effective weed control.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Empas competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- RootWave: UK-based developer of electric weed control technology, offering a non-chemical alternative that competes with Empas's hot-water approach for the same municipal and agricultural use cases.
- Spearhead Machinery: UK-based manufacturer of vegetation management and thermal weed control equipment, competing with Empas in the European contractor and municipal green-space segment.
Broad incumbents
- Lemken: German agricultural machinery manufacturer offering field crop sprayers as part of a broader tillage and seeding portfolio, partially overlapping with Empas's crop protection equipment offering.
- Kverneland Group: Major European agricultural machinery group with a broad sprayer portfolio (mounted, trailed, self-propelled), competing with Empas in crop protection spraying across horticulture and arable farming.
- Hardi International: Danish global manufacturer of crop protection sprayers, a broad-line incumbent competing with Empas in horticulture spraying and adjacent agricultural application markets.
- Amazone: German family-owned manufacturer of crop protection sprayers and agricultural machinery, overlapping with Empas in professional spraying equipment for horticulture and field crops.
Direct peers
- Wiedenmann: German manufacturer of turf maintenance and thermal weed control equipment, competing head-to-head with Empas in the European professional green-space management segment.
- Aqua-Therm: UK-based specialist in hot water and steam weed control systems, offering a directly overlapping thermal weed control technology to municipalities and contractors.
- HOAF Infrared Technology: Dutch manufacturer of infrared and hot-air weed control equipment, directly competing with Empas's MCB hot-water weed control line for municipal and contractor customers in green space management.
Regional players
- Van Wamel B.V. Dutch manufacturer of agricultural mowing, top-cutting, and crop sprayer equipment, a regional peer in Benelux serving similar horticulture and green-space management customers.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Empas social profiles
Digital presenceEmpas financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Empas leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Empas subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Empas funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Empas 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 Empas
What does Empas do?
Empas designs, manufactures, and sells professional horticultural spraying equipment (spray carts, spray booms, spray masts, cleaning machines), hot water thermal weed control machines (MCE, MCB 3.0, MCB-Twin, MCP), and salt brine spray systems. All machines are produced in-house at the Veenendaal, Netherlands facility, complemented by a broad spare parts catalogue for both end users and OEM machine builders. The company distributes exclusively through a global dealer network while running a direct e-commerce webshop for parts.
Is Empas a public or private company?
Empas is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Empas founded?
Empas was founded in 1974. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Empas based?
Empas is headquartered in Veenendaal, Netherlands, in the Europe region.
How does Empas make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Spraying Equipment Sales are the primary driver. The others are hot Water Weed Control Machines, spare Parts and parts for Machine Building and Trade.
Who are Empas's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are RootWave and Spearhead Machinery. Broad incumbents are Lemken, Kverneland Group, Hardi International and Amazone. Direct peers are Wiedenmann, Aqua-Therm and HOAF Infrared Technology. Van Wamel B.V. is listed as a regional player.
Does Empas have an API?
No public API is recorded for Empas.
What industry is Empas in?
Empas's product category is Agricultural and horticultural spraying equipment. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAHACAC, Crop Protection & Application Equipment (Sprayers/Spreaders), with a secondary code of AFAAADAF, Spray Control, Rate Controllers & Nozzle Systems (Pumps, Valves, Atomizers). Its NAICS code is 333111 and its SIC code is 3523.