Weller Tools

What Weller Tools does

Weller Tools is a German-headquartered manufacturer of professional hand soldering equipment, fume extraction systems, and precision hand tools, founded in 1945 and operating today as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Apex Brands, Inc. within the Apex Tool Group conglomerate. The company is organized into four product lines: Industrial Soldering (anchored by the WXsmart connected platform), Filtration (ZeroSmog Guard, ZeroSmog Shield Pro), Precision Tools (Weller Erem, Weller Xcelite sub-brands), and Consumer (corded/cordless irons, stations, and kits for hobbyists). Its core technology is the WXsmart platform — a 2-channel 300W power unit paired with smart soldering irons (WXMPS MS), smart tweezers (WXMTS, WXUTS), a hot-air rework module (WXair), active-heating tip technology enabling 3-second heat-up and sub-10-second auto-calibration, full IoT/ERP integration, and built-in cyber-security, controlled via a dedicated iOS/Android mobile app. The business model is 100% indirect: Weller does not sell directly to end customers, instead operating through a global distributor and dealer network across the Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Australia, and Middle East & Africa, with the website functioning as an enquiry platform that routes leads to local distributors. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is described as non-binding recommended pricing set at the distributor level. The primary customer segment is industrial and professional electronics manufacturing (contract manufacturers, aerospace, education, R&D), with a secondary hobbyist/maker segment targeted through the Future Originals community initiative and Solder Squad program.

Name

Weller Tools

Legal name

Weller Tools GmbH

Website

https://weller-tools.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1945

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Weller Tools is a German-founded, Apex Tool Group-owned manufacturer of professional hand soldering stations, fume extraction systems, and precision hand tools, serving industrial electronics manufacturers and hobbyists globally through a distributor network via its WXsmart IoT-enabled platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Soldering Equipment

NAICS

Welding and Soldering Equipment Manufacturing (333992), Saw Blade and Handtool Manufacturing (332216)

SIC

Cutlery, Handtools & General Hardware (3420), General Industrial Machinery & Equipment (3560)

akta.pro primary industry

Soldering, Rework & Electronics Hand Tools Retail (CRACAKAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Tools & Tool Accessories Retail (Hand, Power, Pneumatic) (CRAIADAB)

Keywords

• Industrial soldering equipment
• Smart soldering stations
• Fume extraction systems
• Precision hand tools
• Soldering tips and irons

Headquarters

HQ city

Besigheim

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Industrial Soldering Equipment: Sale of professional-grade soldering stations, soldering irons, soldering tips, solder wire, and accessories for industrial applications. Products include WXsmart platform, WT Performance Line, and various specialized stations.
2. Filtration Products: Sale of fume extraction and filtration equipment including ZeroSmog Guard, ZeroSmog Shield Pro, replacement filters, arms, hoods and accessories for maintaining clean air in work environments.
3. Precision Tools: Sale of precision hand tools under Weller Erem and Weller Xcelite brands including cutters, pliers, special tools, toolkits, tweezers, knives, screwdrivers, and strippers.
4. Consumer Soldering Products: Sale of consumer-grade soldering equipment including corded and cordless soldering irons, soldering stations, soldering guns, project kits, DIY tools, and accessories.
5. Spare Parts: Sale of spare parts and replacement components for Weller equipment.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Weller Tools manufactures and sells professional hand soldering equipment, including smart soldering stations, irons, tweezers, hot-air modules, tips, and solder wire, organized around the WXsmart connected platform. The portfolio also spans fume extraction and filtration systems (ZeroSmog line), precision hand tools under the Weller Erem and Weller Xcelite brands, and consumer-grade soldering products for hobbyists and education. Products are sold through a global distributor network rather than direct to end customers.

Product overview

Weller Tools is a professional hand soldering and precision tools company, operating as part of Apex Tool Group. The company offers a diversified portfolio organized into four main categories: (1) Industrial Soldering - featuring the WXsmart smart soldering platform as the flagship connected solution, including stations, irons, tweezers, and hot air modules with full traceability and IoT connectivity; (2) Precision Tools - comprising two sub-brands, Weller Erem and Weller Xcelite, offering cutters, pliers, tweezers, screwdrivers, and specialized hand tools; (3) Filtration - including ZeroSmog Guard and ZeroSmog Shield Pro fume extraction and air filtration products; and (4) Consumer - corded/cordless soldering irons, stations, guns, and project kits for hobbyists. The WXsmart platform serves as the core smart soldering ecosystem with modular hardware additions and mobile app control.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Weller EREM: Precision tools brand offering cutters, pliers, special tools, toolkits, and tweezers for professional use
• Weller Xcelite
• WXsmart

Quantifiable outcome

• Auto-calibration in less than 10 seconds
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered parent, supporting and minor.

• Apex Tool GroupparentOthersWeller Tools is owned by Apex Tool Group and operates as part of the APEX Tool Group family of brands. Apex Tool Group is a major hand tool manufacturer with multiple subsidiary brands including Weller, Cleco, Crescent, Gearwrench, and SATA. Weller Tools GmbH is listed among the affiliated companies in APEX Group's EMEA purchase order terms.
• HubSpotsupportingTechnology or IntegrationWeller uses HubSpot for customer data administration and newsletter distribution. HubSpot, Inc. provides the CRM platform for managing customer relationships and marketing automation. HubSpot is certified under EU-US Data Privacy Framework.
• Microsoft (Teams)supportingTechnology or IntegrationWeller uses Microsoft Teams for webinars, meetings, and video conferencing with customers and partners. AI applications from Microsoft provide automatic transcription and summarization of meetings.
• nexMartsupportingTechnology or IntegrationWeller uses nexMart service to visualize product details in their online shop. nexMart GmbH & Co. KG provides the product visualization platform.
• Apex Tool Group (Companion Brands)minorOthersCompanion brands under Apex Tool Group include Cleco, Crescent, Gearwrench, and SATA. These are separate tool brands within the same corporate family.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• PACE Worldwide: PACE Worldwide is a US manufacturer of soldering, desoldering and rework stations used in defense, aerospace and industrial electronics, directly overlapping with Weller's professional soldering product portfolio.
• JBC Tools: JBC is a Spanish specialist in professional soldering and rework equipment, directly competing with Weller's WXsmart and WT lines in industrial electronics assembly with comparable temperature-control and modular platform technologies.
• Ersa GmbH (Kurtz Ersa): Ersa is a German manufacturer of soldering, rework and selective soldering systems that competes head-to-head with Weller in the European industrial soldering market, also offering IoT-enabled i-Con stations.
• Hakko Corporation: Hakko is the leading Japanese manufacturer of professional soldering stations, irons, and rework equipment, serving the same industrial/professional electronics manufacturing customers as Weller with a comparable product breadth and direct global distribution.
• Metcal (OK International): Metcal (owned by OK International) is a US-based competitor in professional soldering, rework and fume extraction, with smart soldering systems targeted at the same aerospace, medical and industrial EMS customers as Weller.

Broad incumbents

• Stanley Black & Decker: Stanley Black & Decker is a broad tool incumbent whose hand-tool, fastening and industrial lines overlap with Weller's precision tools (Erem/Xcelite), though it does not specialize in professional soldering equipment.
• Fluke Corporation: Fluke is a broad incumbent in electronic test, measurement and diagnostics for electronics manufacturing and bench work; it overlaps with Weller's industrial/manufacturing customer base but does not compete in soldering equipment.

Others

• Apex Tool Group (parent & sibling brands): Apex Tool Group is Weller's parent, with sibling hand-tool brands (Crescent, GearWrench, SATA, Cleco); included as adjacent ecosystem context rather than direct competition, given the limited overlap with Weller's soldering line.

Emerging players

• Quick (奥科): Quick is a Chinese manufacturer of soldering and rework stations that has been gaining share in cost-competitive professional segments, representing a low-price alternative to Weller's industrial stations, particularly in Asia.
• BOFA International: BOFA is a UK-based specialist in fume extraction for laser and electronics manufacturing, directly competing with Weller's ZeroSmog Guard and ZeroSmog Shield Pro lines in industrial solder-fume extraction.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@WellerSoldering
• Facebookfacebook.com/WellerSoldering
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/weller-soldering-tools
• Instagraminstagram.com/wellertools

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

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 Weller Tools