Endress+Hauser acquires particle analysis specialist  

Endress+Hauser has further expanded its portfolio of measurement instruments, solutions and services for process analysis. It has acquired SOPAT, a Germany-based specialist in inline process measurement technology, retaining the company’s staff in Berlin and Chemnitz.  

SOPAT and its subsidiary Parsum now come under Endress+Hauser’s liquid analysis product center, based in Gerlingen, Germany. “The particle characterization systems developed by SOPAT complement our existing portfolio by adding a range that is strategically important in terms of our core target industries,” said Endress+Hauser Liquid Analysis Managing Director Dr Thomas Buer.  

SOPAT GmbH was founded in Berlin in 2012 by Jörn Emmerich and Dr Sebastian Maaß. In 2022, it acquired Parsum in Chemnitz, Germany, a maker of inline particle size analysis systems founded in 1997. SOPAT and its subsidiary Parsum now have a combined workforce of 30. 

SOPAT’s smart systems use a photo-optical image-based inline technology to analyze particles, droplets and bubbles in running processes in real time. The technology measures particle sizes and shapes without sampling or dilution, thereby enabling precision process monitoring, faster response times and enhanced product quality.

Parsum probes, on the other hand, use a laser beam in combination with fiber-optic spatial filtering to analyze particle size and particle speed distributions, particularly for solids, powders and granulates. 

Customers in multiple industries, including life sciences, food & beverage and mining, minerals & metals, use particle counting and analysis to ensure product quality. “This step is a continuation of our strategy and strengthens our analysis portfolio. We can now provide even better support for our customers across the board, from laboratory to production process,” Dr Thomas Buer said.  

“Our strength lies in our combination of scientific precision and industrial practicability. As part of the Endress+Hauser Group, we can progress innovations through to broad-based industrial use more rapidly and hence contribute to more stable and resource-efficient processes worldwide,” commented SOPAT’s Jörn Emmerich.

Co-founder Dr Sebastian Maaß added: “Accurate, reliable data taken directly from production processes gives our customers the improved process insights they need to effectively drive sustainable process optimization in response to rising energy and raw material costs.” 

Endress+Hauser acquired SOPAT effective 1 January 2026. Both parties have agreed to keep the details of the sale confidential. Jörn Emmerich and Dr Sebastian Maaß, SOPAT’s co-founders, will stay on as members of the innovative company’s management team.  

Endress+Hauser Liquid Analysis is one of the world’s leading providers of measuring instruments and complete systems for liquid analysis. The company’s smart solutions help customers in the environmental technology and process industries operate their plants safely, reliably, cost-effectively and in an eco-friendly manner. Highly advanced production processes ensure premium quality from end to end.

Endress+Hauser Liquid Analysis is a strong innovator, as recognized by numerous international awards and prizes. Its innovative strength is drawn from the expertise of more than 1,300 employees worldwide, who are based at its headquarters in Gerlingen and its other German sites in Waldheim and Groß-Umstadt, as well as at its sites in Anaheim (California, USA), Suzhou (China) and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (India).