Wazau

What Wazau does

Wazau (Dr. Ing. Georg Wazau Mess- + Prüfsysteme GmbH) is a Berlin-based, privately held German manufacturer of measurement and testing systems founded in 1934. The company designs, develops, and produces specialized instrumentation for material testing across three core domains: tribology (friction and wear testing via the Tribometer TRM/UTM/SVT/PTRM series), thermometry and fire testing (glow wire, needle flame, cone calorimeter, SBI, UL 94, UL 1581, UL 2596, DO-160 aviation testing), and surface and metrology testing (3D Profilometer with Deep Focus Stacking, optical scales, adhesion, scratch, and abrasion testers). Device construction uses 3D CAD SolidWorks and proprietary LabVIEW-based control software with Lua scripting for process customization.

The company serves industrial manufacturers, research institutes, and aerospace/automotive customers with a focus on standards-compliant testing (DIN, EN, ISO, ASTM, UL, IEC, IMO, BMW EK 341). Its revenue model combines one-time capital equipment sales, in-house testing services for customers who do not purchase their own systems, and complete laboratory design and realization projects. Wazau also produces systems under license from renowned research institutes, enabling access to cutting-edge methodologies. The go-to-market is direct enterprise sales with technical consultation, supported by a multilingual website (German, English, Arabic).

Thomas Reinheimer serves as Managing Director. The company is independently owned with no disclosed institutional investors, parent company, or acquisition activity. With 90+ years of operating history, Wazau positions itself as a flexible, custom-oriented alternative to larger testing instrument manufacturers, with deep expertise in integrating mechanics, electronics, and software for bespoke testing solutions.

Name

Wazau

Legal name

Dr. Ing. Georg Wazau Mess- + Prüfsysteme GmbH

Website

https://wazau.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1934

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Wazau is a Berlin-based, privately held German manufacturer founded in 1934 that designs and produces specialized measurement and testing systems for tribology, fire safety, surface testing, and metrology, serving industrial manufacturers, research institutes, and aerospace/automotive customers with standards-compliant equipment and custom laboratory solutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Material Testing Equipment

NAICS

Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516), Other Measuring and Controlling Device Manufacturing (334519), Testing Laboratories and Services (54138)

SIC

Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826), Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823), Laboratory Apparatus & Furniture (3821), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYIMAGAFAC

Test & Measurement Equipment (Oscilloscopes, DAQ, signal analyzers, calibration benches)

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Electrical Equipment & Industrial Electronics/Sensors, Instrumentation & Measurement (Industrial sensing, metrology, test)

SECONDARYHLAGAIAL

Metrology, Calibration & Testing Equipment (Balances, pH/DO, Standards)

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Life Science Tools & Services (CRO/CDMO/Lab Services)/Laboratory Equipment, Instruments & Consumables

SECONDARYHSAHAFAG

Testing, Inspection, Maintenance & Compliance Services (NFPA/Local Code)

Home & Personal Services/Home Security, Alarm & Smart Home Services/Fire, Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Detection Systems

SECONDARYIMAIAJAI

Smoke Control & Fire/Smoke Damper Inspection & Testing

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Industrial Services & Facility Operations/Fire Protection & Life Safety Services (Inspection/Testing/Sprinklers)

Keywords

• Material testing equipment
• Tribology testing systems
• Fire testing instruments
• Metrology measurement devices
• Surface testing equipment

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Testing Equipment Sales: Sale of proprietary measurement and testing systems including tribometers, thermal testing devices, fire testing equipment, and metrology instruments. Systems are produced both as own products and under license from research institutes.
2. Testing Services: Wazau offers testing services using their own developed measurement and testing procedures for customers who do not want to purchase their own system. Services include executing efficient testing procedures.
3. Laboratory Design Services: Creating projects and realizing complete testing laboratories for customers, providing cost-efficient and quick solutions as a service provider.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Wazau develops and manufactures measurement and testing systems for materials and products, with a portfolio spanning tribology (friction and wear), thermometry and fire testing, and metrology. The company produces proprietary devices such as tribometers, fire testing instruments, optical profilometers, and surface testing equipment compliant with DIN, EN, ISO, and ASTM standards, and also offers custom testing system development, complete testing laboratory realization, and testing-as-a-service using its own developed procedures.

Product overview

Wazau is a leading manufacturer of measurement and testing systems with over 90 years of experience. The company produces a comprehensive portfolio of material testing, metrology, and special testing products. The core offerings include Tribology equipment (Tribometer series including UTM, SVT, PTRM, and TRM models for friction and wear testing under various motion modes), Surface Testing devices (friction, abrasion, adhesion, and scratch testing per DIN, ASTM, and BMW standards), and Thermometry equipment encompassing both thermal behavior testing (glow wire, needle flame, contact heat, protective clothing testing) and Fire Testing devices (Cone Calorimeter, Smoke Box, SBI, UL 94, Spread of Flame, and aviation fire testing per DO 160). The Metrology product line includes soil testing devices and force measuring systems. Products are designed to comply with DIN, EN, ISO, and ASTM standards, with device construction using 3D-CAD SolidWorks and software development in LabVIEW. The company also develops custom measurement and testing procedures and offers testing services for customers without their own systems.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tribometer TRM 2000 Tribological testing device for investigation and simulation of friction and wear processes under sliding conditions; supports dry sliding and boundary or mixed friction with liquid lubricants using pin-on-disc, ball-on-disc, disc-on-disc, or ring-on-disc configurations with rotary motion mode. Intended for industrial R&D and quality control labs.
• Tribometer UTM 100 Tribometer for testing friction and wear under combined rolling and sliding conditions with bearing shell on rotating shaft configuration; supports speeds up to 6000 min-1 and normal forces of 5-100 N. Used for material and bearing development.
• Tribometer UTM 2000 Tribometer for disc-on-disc testing under rolling and sliding conditions with adjustable slip rates from 0-100%; features dual servomotor drives with speeds up to 3000 min-1 and normal forces up to 2000 N.
• Tribometer UTM 5000 High-capacity tribometer for rolling and sliding friction testing with specimen diameters of 40-80 mm and widths of 5-30 mm.
• Tribometer SVT 500-2000 Tribological testing device using translatoric motion mode for investigation of friction and wear under linear oscillating conditions; supports pin-on-disc and ball-on-disc configurations with frequencies up to 40 Hz.
• Tribometer PTRM 500 Tribometer for disc-on-disc testing of polishing materials; features dual rotating discs with adjustable axis offset up to 30 mm and normal forces of 5-500 N.
• 3D Profilometer (DFS-Profilometer) Optical measurement system for surface roughness and height measurements using camera-based Deep Focus Stacking (DFS); achieves measurement repeatability of approximately 1 micrometer and supports Lua-based software control.
• Optical Scale (Optische Waage) Optical 3D mass determination system for measuring solder wetting of wires after immersion in solder bath; resolution below 50 micrograms, measurement range of 75 mm.
• Wischabriebprüfgerät W-APG (DIN 30643) Testing device for wipe and abrasion resistance of markings and coatings on signs per DIN 30643; features 3D approximation in real-time, SEMI standard software interface, and Lua script-based test planning.
• Abrasion Testing Device APG (SN 27650) Device for evaluating abrasion resistance of paints, prints, and coatings; draws paper strip at constant 100 cm/min speed with defined load over coated surface to determine abrasion resistance in centimeters.
• Adhesion Testing Device HFP (DIN 50978 / ASTM 123-84) Device for testing adhesion strength of zinc coatings per ASTM 123-84 and DIN 50978; uses hammer impact method to evaluate coating adhesion on flat surfaces and steel pipes.
• Scratch Testing Device KKO/KFN/LHP (BMW EK 341) Multi-purpose scratch testing device for evaluating scratch resistance of plastic surfaces and coatings; includes KKO for general scratch testing, KFN for simulated fingernail scratches, and LHP for adhesion testing between base coat and filler.
• SBI - EN 13823 (Single Burning Item) Single Burning Item test equipment for evaluating fire behavior of construction products per EN 13823; tests building materials under external fire exposure conditions.
• UL 1581 Testing Equipment Testing equipment for flame propagation on electrical cables and wires per UL 1581; supports both horizontal and vertical test configurations with 225W and 500W test flames.
• Radiant Panel / Surface Flammability (ASTM E 162 / ASTM D 3675) Fire testing equipment for measuring surface flammability of materials and products; features 30-degree inclined sample positioning with vertical radiant panel heater and electronic measurement data recording.
• UL 2596 - Torch and Grit Test Equipment Torch and Grit Test equipment per UL 2596 for testing battery enclosure material resistance to mechanical and thermal stress; evaluates EV battery enclosure materials under extreme temperature, pressure, and ejected particle conditions.
• Thermal Behavior Testing Devices Comprehensive line of thermal behavior testing devices including glow wire testing (GPD DIN EN IEC 60695-2-10), needle flame testing (NPG DIN EN 60695-11-5), contact heat testing (CHD DIN EN ISO 12127-1), and protective clothing testing (HBP DIN EN ISO 6942, MMS DIN EN ISO 9185).
• Fire Testing Devices (Cone Calorimeter, Smoke Box, DO 160, UL 94) Full range of fire testing equipment including Cone Calorimeter (ISO 5660-1), Smoke Box (DIN EN ISO 5659-2), Spread of Flame testers (ISO 5658-2), UL 94 testing, fire shaft (DIN 4102-15), and aviation testing (DO 160 G/V).
• Metrology Products (Soil Testing and Force Measuring) Metrology equipment including soil testing devices (multi-step device, shearing device, percolation device, soil pressure sensors type DAK) and force measuring systems (DMS compression force sensors, DMS compression and tension force sensors, mechanic force measurement bracket MBM).
• Testing Services (Proprietary Procedures) Wazau offers testing services using its own developed measurement and testing procedures for customers who do not want to purchase their own system. Services include executing efficient testing procedures.
• Laboratory Design Services Wazau creates projects and realizes complete testing laboratories for customers, providing cost-efficient and quick turnkey solutions as a service provider.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Renowned Research InstitutescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWazau expands their know-how by developing and optimizing systems which they produce under license on behalf of renowned research institutes. This relationship allows them to access cutting-edge testing methodologies and expand their product portfolio.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Anton Paar: Austrian-headquartered manufacturer of high-precision laboratory and process measurement instruments including tribometers, rheometers, and surface testing devices. Directly comparable as a specialized material/mechanical testing equipment maker serving industrial QA and R&D customers with standards-compliant instruments.
• ZwickRoell: German manufacturer of materials testing machines for plastics, metals, and composites with tribology, hardness, and fatigue testing systems. Comparable as a Germany-based specialist in standardized mechanical/material testing equipment with overlapping customer base in industrial QA.
• Instron (Illinois Tool Works): US/UK-based manufacturer of mechanical testing systems for tensile, fatigue, impact, and tribology applications. Comparable as a direct competitor in standardized material testing equipment with overlapping standards-compliance focus (ISO, ASTM).
• NETZSCH-Gerätebau: German manufacturer of thermal analysis and fire testing instruments (Cone Calorimeter ISO 5660, SBI, smoke density). Comparable as a fellow German specialist in thermometry and fire testing equipment with overlapping standards-based product lines.
• MTS Systems: US-based manufacturer of mechanical test and simulation systems including servohydraulic and electromechanical test frames for material and structural testing. Comparable in tribology and dynamic materials testing for industrial and research customers.
• FTT (Fire Testing Technology): UK-based specialist manufacturer of fire reaction test equipment including Cone Calorimeter (ISO 5660), SBI (EN 13823), and smoke density chambers. Directly comparable as a niche player in fire testing instruments with overlapping ISO/EN standards coverage.

Broad incumbents

• Bruker: Global analytical instruments manufacturer with a portfolio spanning tribology (UMT), mechanical testing, and materials characterization. Comparable as a larger, broader incumbent in lab/instrument measurement with overlap in tribology and surface analysis.
• Mettler-Toledo: Global manufacturer of precision laboratory instruments including balances, force measurement, and lab automation systems. Comparable in metrology/force measurement instruments and standards-compliant lab equipment for industrial QA.
• TA Instruments (Waters): US-based manufacturer of thermal analysis, rheology, and mechanical characterization instruments. Comparable in thermometry, fire testing, and materials characterization for research and industrial customers.
• TÜV Rheinland: Global testing, inspection, and certification (TIC) services provider running material and fire testing laboratories. Comparable through the services side of Wazau's business (testing-as-a-service) and as a buyer/user of similar standards-based test equipment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/wazau

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Wazau