History of Althen
From electronics distributor to sensor solution provider
Althen Sensors & Controls is part of Broadporte Holding, a family business with several European technical companies. Althen is a specialist in high-tech industrial sensors, turnkey measurement systems and instrumentation for Test & Measurement, OEM and IIoT applications. An all-round sensor solution provider.
Components & first sensors
Althen Sensors & Controls originated from the Dutch Altheris BV and the German Althen GmbH Mess- und Sensortechnik. In 2018, Altheris has changed its name to Althen Sensors & Controls. Altheris BV started in 1947 in The Hague as an industrial components distributor and is one of the oldest electrical engineering companies in the Netherlands.
In 1965, Altheris became the official distributor for TML, a Japanese strain gauge manufacturer. This started the journey into the world of sensors. In 1969, Altheris partners with Sakae Tsushin, a Japanese manufacturer of precision potentiometers and industrial joysticks. Over the years, Altheris has become a relevant distributor for more and more sensor manufacturers. The sensor portfolio is expanding with several physical quantities. In recent decades, Althen has added new sensor technologies to its portfolio, such as hall effect, magnetostrictive, MEMS, silicon-on-sapphire, laser-optical and fiber-optic.
A new era full of sensors & data
Due to the market demand for complex tailor-made solutions, Altheris continues to develop into a sensor engineering expert who provides custom measurement solutions to its customers. Due to the continuous technical evolution of sensors, but also due to the increased need for data, the demand for sensor expertise is increasing. The collaboration with the sister company Althen Mess & Sensortechnik GmbH therefore leads to in-house production and an expansion of the engineering department.
One of the latest developments is the emergence of smart sensors: these types of sensors can make internal calculations themselves and can be used much smarter. Wireless connectivity is also becoming increasingly important, as the development of industrial IoT sensors shows.
Towards a secure & smarter future
In the coming years, Althen will continue to build on the technology of tomorrow, on developing innovative sensor solutions. Examples of this are the sensors that are made for Hyperloop and the Smartbrick: a low-cost IoT sensor solution for monitoring quay walls and bridges.
With our sensor solutions we continue to offer certainty to engineers, to innovations. Our mission is therefore: "confidence for visionary engineers".