What UBITO does

UBITO is a Netherlands-based brand of the privately held FRABA Group that designs, manufactures, and sells Wiegand-based magnetic sensors, energy-harvesting components, and modular rotation counting sensors. Its core technology exploits the Wiegand effect — a phenomenon in specially processed Vicalloy (vanadium-iron-cobalt) ferromagnetic wire that produces a sharp, consistent electrical pulse each time the surrounding magnetic polarity reverses, independent of the speed of the field change. This pulse is used both as a sensing signal and as a harvested energy source, enabling battery-free, contactless operation. The portfolio includes UBIPULS Wiegand sensors (available in SMD and wire formats), UBICYCL ultra-low-power controller ASICs that harvest Wiegand pulse energy to wake up electronics, the UBIREV modular multiturn revolution counter (16-bit / 65,536 rotations, SPI interface), and UBI4IOT / UBITO WINK development kits aimed at self-powered wireless IoT nodes.

The company sells primarily through direct B2B engagement and a wholly-owned subsidiary network covering Europe (Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Romania), North America (USA), and Asia (Singapore, China, India, Malaysia). Manufacturing is concentrated in Germany (Aachen), Poland (Słubice), and Malaysia, while R&D and holding functions sit in Romania (Cluj-Napoca) and the Netherlands (Roermond). Target applications span rotary encoders, IoT (asset tracking, condition monitoring, smart buildings), flow metering (gas and water), robotics (mobile robots, cobots, autonomous vehicles), industrial valves and actuators, and healthcare (implantables, capsule endoscopes, low-frequency electromagnetic charging through tissue). UBITO also offers engineering consulting for Wiegand integration. Revenue mechanics are hardware sales of sensors, ASICs, and development kits; no pricing is publicly disclosed and no customer logos are published.

The business is led by CEO Christian Leeser, with Dr. Gunther Kegel (long-standing CEO of Pepperl+Fuchs) joining the Advisory Council in 2024 to support scaling into the robotics market. The brand was carved out of FRABA's longer-standing POSITAL rotary-encoder business, which had accumulated roughly 15 years of Wiegand production know-how, and was repositioned under the UBITO name (derived from Latin "Ubi" and "Ito") around 2023–2024 to push Wiegand technology into broader industrial and IoT segments. FRABA also retains the original Wiegand lab notes and production machinery acquired from inventor John Wiegand, giving UBITO end-to-end control of its Wiegand wire supply chain.

Name

UBITO

Legal name

UBITO B.V.

Website

https://ubito.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1918

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

UBITO, a brand of FRABA Group, develops Wiegand-based self-powered magnetic sensors, energy-harvesting ASICs, and modular multiturn rotation counters for industrial IoT, robotics, flow metering, encoders, and medical device manufacturers worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Magnetic Sensors and Energy Harvesting Components

NAICS

Other Measuring and Controlling Device Manufacturing (334519)

SIC

Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823), Instruments For Meas & Testing Of Electricity & Elec Signals (3825)

akta.pro primary industry

Magnetic Sensors (Hall/Magnetoresistive/Compass) (HDAHALAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sensor Fusion, Interface ICs & Modules (AFE/Readout/Packaging/Calibration) (HDAHALAO)

Keywords

• Wiegand magnetic sensors
• Energy harvesting components
• Multiturn rotation encoders
• Industrial sensor manufacturing
• Wiegand wire production

Headquarters

HQ city

Cologne

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Wiegand Sensors and Components: Sale of Wiegand sensors in SMD packaging, including WS-CTS/CFS-1-U0 and WS-WFS-5-U0 models. These are magnetic sensors that generate self-powered pulses for counting, metering, and triggering applications.
2. Modular Sensor Products: Sale of UBIREV modular rotation sensors including UBIPULS Wiegand sensor and UBICYCL controller chip on printed circuit boards, plus multipole magnets for shaft mounting.
3. IoT Solutions: UBITO WINK (Wiegand IoT Node Kit) and UBI4IOT modular kits for IoT applications including self-powered wireless sensing modules.
4. Engineering Consulting: High-performance consulting services leveraging deep engineering know-how and proprietary production capabilities for Wiegand technology integration.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

UBITO designs and manufactures Wiegand-based magnetic sensors (UBIPULS), ultra-low-power controller ASICs (UBICYCL), modular multiturn rotation counting sensors (UBIREV), and IoT development kits (UBI4IOT and UBITO WINK) that operate without external power or batteries by harvesting energy from magnetic field reversals. Its products serve industrial automation, IoT, flow metering, robotics, and medical device OEMs requiring maintenance-free, contactless position and counting sensing.

Product overview

UBITO is a Wiegand technology company offering a portfolio of magnetic sensing and energy harvesting products. The core offering consists of UBIPULS Wiegand Sensors and UBICYCL ASICs that work together to enable self-powered sensing without batteries or external power. UBIREV is a modular multiturn rotation counting sensor combining these components for rotary encoders and flow meters. UBI4IOT and UBITO WINK are development kits enabling IoT innovation through self-powered wireless connectivity. All products are built on proprietary Wiegand wire technology manufactured in-house, where the unique magnetic properties of specially processed Vicalloy alloy enable consistent pulse generation regardless of magnetic field change speed.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• UBIPULS: Wiegand Sensors product line.
• UBICYCL
• UBIREV
• UBI4IOT
• UBITO-WINK

Products and services

• UBIPULS Wiegand Sensors Self-powered magnetic sensors that generate consistent electrical pulses when exposed to alternating magnetic fields. They require no external power and are used for counting, metering, proximity detection, and triggering applications across industrial, IoT, flow metering, and robotics customers.
• UBICYCL Controller ASICs Ultra-low-power controller chips designed to work with Wiegand sensors. UBICYCL chips enable energy-autonomous operation by harvesting pulse energy for counting circuits and can wake-up intermittently powered electronic circuits.
• UBIREV Modular Revolution Counting Sensor

Quantifiable outcome

• 16-bit (65,536 rotations) measurement range for UBIREV multiturn counting
• +2 more outcomes

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Dr. Gunther Kegel (Pepperl+Fuchs)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Gunther Kegel, long-standing CEO of Pepperl+Fuchs, has joined UBITO's Advisory Council. As a key figure in industrial automation for decades, his experience and industry insight will help UBITO navigate its next growth phase as the company scales its technology for the rapidly expanding robotics market.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• SICK AG: Germany-based manufacturer of industrial sensors including encoders and magnetic position sensors. Directly comparable product portfolio in factory automation and process industries, with overlapping customer base in encoders and motion feedback.
• Pepperl+Fuchs: Global leader in industrial sensors and explosion-proof automation equipment. Directly comparable in industrial magnetic sensors, encoders, and rotary position feedback. Notable connection: UBITO advisory board includes former Pepperl+Fuchs CEO Dr. Gunther Kegel — competitive intelligence flows both directions.
• Turck: Family-owned German industrial sensor manufacturer with global footprint. Comparable in encoders, position sensors, and industrial-automation direct-sales infrastructure across Europe, North America, and Asia.
• IFM Electronic: Manufacturer of position sensors, encoders, and industrial automation products with global direct-sales operations. Comparable in magnetic and rotary encoders for industrial OEMs, with similar enterprise B2B sales motion.
• Wenglor Sensoric: German manufacturer of photoelectric, inductive, and magnetic sensors plus encoders. Comparable in industrial magnetic-sensing applications and direct enterprise field-sales go-to-market.
• Balluff: Family-owned German sensor specialist with broad portfolio including rotary encoders and position sensors. Comparable in industrial-automation channels and overlapping encoder product family with UBITO/POSITAL.
• Baumer Group: Swiss manufacturer of sensors, encoders, measuring instruments and automation components. Directly competes in multiturn rotary encoders and position-sensing — the segment where UBITO's POSITAL heritage also operates.
• POSITAL (FRABA): Sister brand under the same FRABA Group parent, focused on rotary encoders using Wiegand technology. Identical Wiegand-based technology stack in the multiturn encoder segment — closest possible peer given shared R&D and manufacturing.

Broad incumbents

• AMS Osram (Magnetic Sensors): Large semiconductor and sensor IC vendor producing Hall-effect, AMR, and angle-sensor ICs. A direct alternative technology supplier for magnetic position sensing — competes at the silicon/component level that UBITO interfaces with via its UBICYCL ASIC.
• Allegro MicroSystems: US-listed specialist in magnetic sensor ICs (Hall-effect, TMR) for automotive and industrial applications. Competes indirectly with Wiegand-based solutions in the same end-applications, especially where customers accept battery or wired power.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCOyBMY298u5TdQnbLSq-7wg/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/ubito.wiegandsensor
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ubito

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries10 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 UBITO