KERN & SOHN GmbH
KERN & SOHN Company Profile
KERN & SOHN GmbH is a manufacturer of precision balances and scales, microscopes, test weights and measuring instruments based in Balingen-Frommern, Germany.
The family-owned company KERN & SOHN stands for professional weighing and measuring technology. The history of KERN as a company began in 1844 with Gottlieb Kern and builds on the Sauter family's tradition of scale manufacturing, which dates back to 1769. Today, the company is managed by the eighth generation.
Under the KERN and SAUTER brands, KERN & SOHN offers professional balances and scales, test weights, optical instruments as well as force measurement, testing and measuring technology. The portfolio is complemented by software solutions, verification and calibration services, and further services for professional applications in laboratories, industry, medicine and quality assurance.
The KERN & SOHN GmbH brands
KERN & SOHN GmbH operates the KERN and SAUTER brands. The KERN brand primarily comprises professional balances and scales, test weights and optical instruments. Under the SAUTER brand, KERN & SOHN offers professional force measurement, testing and measuring technology. Both brands complement each other within the KERN & SOHN product portfolio.
The KERN brand
Under the KERN brand, KERN & SOHN offers professional weighing technology for laboratories, industry and medicine as well as test weights and optical instruments. The main product areas include laboratory balances, industrial scales, medical scales, test weights and optical instruments such as microscopes, refractometers and polarimeters. The range is complemented by measuring technology components, accessories and software for weighing, measuring and data evaluation processes.
The SAUTER brand
SAUTER is the KERN & SOHN brand for professional force measurement, testing and measuring technology. The portfolio includes solutions for force measurement, torque measurement, hardness testing, coating and material thickness measurement as well as other testing and measuring tasks in industry, quality assurance and occupational safety. The range is complemented by test stands, other specialised measuring instruments and SAUTER software for recording, evaluating and documenting measurement data.
The KERN & SOHN GmbH product portfolio
The KERN & SOHN product portfolio covers a wide range of requirements for professional weighing, testing and measuring. The main product areas are laboratory balances, industrial scales, medical scales, test weights, optical instruments and measuring instruments from the SAUTER brand.
Laboratory balances
Under the KERN brand, KERN & SOHN offers professional laboratory balances for laboratories, research, education and quality assurance. The range includes analytical balances, precision balances and moisture analysers for different requirements regarding accuracy, weighing range and documentation.
Industrial scales
KERN industrial scales are designed for professional weighing tasks in production, logistics, trade and quality control. The range includes bench scales, counting scales and counting systems, platform scales, floor scales, pallet scales, pallet truck scales, hanging scales and crane scales as well as specialised weighing solutions for industrial applications.
Medical scales
KERN offers professional medical scales for hospitals, medical practices, care facilities and rehabilitation centres. The range includes personal scales, baby scales, wheelchair scales, chair scales and stand aid scales as well as further solutions for medical and care applications. Approvals and regulatory characteristics depend on the respective model.
Test weights
KERN offers test weights and weight sets for checking, adjusting and calibrating balances and scales. The range includes test weights in OIML classes E1, E2, F1, F2, M1, M2 and M3 as well as Newton weights, weight baskets and supplementary accessories.
Optical instruments
The optical instruments product area belongs to the KERN brand and includes microscopes for various applications as well as refractometers, polarimeters, microscope cameras and supplementary accessories. The portfolio is aimed at applications in laboratories, research, education, medicine and industrial quality control.
Measuring instruments from the SAUTER brand
Under the SAUTER brand, KERN & SOHN offers professional force measurement, testing and measuring technology. The portfolio includes force gauges, torque measuring instruments, hardness testers for plastics and metals, coating thickness gauges, material thickness gauges and force test stands. It also includes measuring instruments for environmental and occupational safety, colour measuring instruments, length measuring instruments, spring balances and gravestone testers.
The portfolio is complemented by SAUTER software for force measurement, material testing and other applications. The software supports the recording, evaluation and documentation of measurement data and is designed for compatible SAUTER measuring instruments.
Other product areas
In addition to its core portfolio, KERN & SOHN offers measuring technology components for the design and integration of customised weighing systems as well as accessories for balances and scales, measuring instruments and optical instruments.
Digital solutions and connected weighing technology from KERN & SOHN GmbH
In addition to conventional weighing and measuring instruments, KERN & SOHN develops solutions for the digital acquisition, transmission and processing of measurement data. Connectable balances and scales, standardised interfaces and specialised software support the integration of weighing processes into existing digital workflows and IT systems.
KERN IoT-Line – connected balances, scales and weighing technology
The KERN IoT-Line combines connectable and IoT-enabled balances and scales for industry, laboratories and medicine. The devices enable the digital transmission of weighing data and support the integration of weighing processes into higher-level systems and digital workflows. In this way, the KERN IoT-Line combines conventional weighing technology with connectivity, data exchange and process integration.
KERN EasyTouch – software for digital weighing and measuring processes
KERN EasyTouch is a modular software solution for digital weighing and measuring processes. Depending on the application, EasyTouch supports weighing, piece counting, formulation and dosing processes as well as the structured acquisition, processing and storage of measurement data. The software can integrate weighing and measuring instruments into digital process workflows and support data exchange with higher-level systems.
KERN BalanceConnection – software for acquiring and transmitting measurement and weighing data
KERN BalanceConnection is a KERN software solution for acquiring, processing and transmitting measurement and weighing data. It enables compatible measuring instruments to be connected to PC-based applications and supports the structured processing and documentation of recorded measurement values.
Services from KERN & SOHN GmbH
In addition to its product portfolio, KERN & SOHN offers a range of services relating to weighing and measuring technology. These include calibration and verification services, customised weighing solutions, repair and spare parts services as well as training courses and seminars for the professional use and servicing of KERN and SAUTER products.
KERN Calibration – DAkkS-accredited calibration laboratory
KERN & SOHN has operated a DAkkS-accredited calibration laboratory since 1994. Manufacturer-independent calibrations are offered for balances and scales, test weights and force measuring instruments as well as temperature and humidity measuring instruments. In addition, KERN offers factory calibrations, verification of weighing instruments and re-verification of weights.
The calibration services support the inspection and documentation of measuring equipment and help ensure the traceability and reliability of measurement results.
CUSOS – Customized Solution Service for customised weighing solutions
CUSOS is the Customized Solution Service from KERN & SOHN for customised weighing solutions. If standard products do not fully meet the requirements of an application, KERN develops individually tailored solutions – for example based on specific platform sizes, load cells, display devices, interfaces, software or other components.
Repair service and spare parts
KERN & SOHN offers repair services and a spare parts service for products from its own portfolio. The repair service supports the repair and technical inspection of devices. In addition, the spare parts search enables users to find suitable spare parts for KERN and SAUTER products.
Training courses and seminars from KERN & SOHN
KERN & SOHN offers training courses and seminars for specialist dealers and service technicians. The courses provide product-related and technical knowledge about KERN and SAUTER products and support professional use, customer consultation and servicing – both on site and in digital formats.
Quality, calibration and approvals at KERN & SOHN GmbH
Quality assurance, traceable calibrations and compliance with regulatory requirements are key elements of KERN & SOHN weighing and measuring technology. The company’s quality management system, the accreditation of the KERN calibration laboratory and product-specific regulatory requirements must be clearly distinguished from one another.
Quality management at KERN & SOHN GmbH
KERN & SOHN GmbH is certified according to ISO 9001:2015 and EN ISO 13485:2016/A11:2021. The ISO 9001 certification covers the development, manufacture and distribution of measuring instruments and components. The ISO 13485 certification applies to the development, manufacture and distribution of medical scales and height measuring instruments.
DAkkS-accredited KERN calibration laboratory
KERN & SOHN GmbH operates a calibration laboratory accredited according to DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025:2018. The DAkkS accreditation D-K-19408-01-00 covers, within the defined scope of accreditation, calibrations of balances and scales, test weights and force measuring instruments as well as instruments for measuring temperature and relative humidity. The KERN calibration laboratory was first accredited in 1994.
Regulatory requirements for KERN medical scales
Depending on the respective model and intended application, KERN medical scales are subject to different regulatory requirements. Models approved for medical use comply with Regulation (EU) 2017/745 on medical devices (MDR). Depending on the model and application, the scales may also undergo conformity assessment in accordance with NAWI Directive 2014/31/EU in accuracy class III.
Models in the KERN Premium Line additionally have SFDA approval for use in the healthcare sector in Saudi Arabia. The applicable approvals and conformity characteristics are specified for each product.
The history of KERN & SOHN GmbH
The scale manufacturing tradition on which KERN & SOHN is built dates back to 1769. In that year, Johann Jakob Sauter I in Onstmettingen manufactured a scale developed by the pastor, engineer and inventor Philipp Matthäus Hahn. Johann Jakob Sauter I thus became the first scale manufacturer in the Sauter family.
In 1844, Gottlieb Kern joined the Sauter workshop and married Auguste Sauter, the widow of Matthäus Sauter. The KERN brand originated with Gottlieb Kern. Under his management, the workshop continued to develop and the serial production of precision balances began.
In 1870, Albert Sauter, the stepson of Gottlieb Kern, joined the company. The company name was changed to GOTTL. KERN & SOHN. Albert Sauter mechanised production and developed the business from traditional scale manufacturing into an important manufacturer of precision balances.
Today’s family-owned company KERN & SOHN developed from this shared family and engineering history and is now managed by the eighth generation. KERN & SOHN thus combines more than 180 years of KERN company history with a scale manufacturing tradition dating back to 1769.
International sales and application areas of KERN & SOHN GmbH
KERN & SOHN sells and delivers its products to more than 90 countries worldwide. An international network of specialist dealers and distribution partners is an essential part of the company’s global sales activities.
Industries and application areas
KERN & SOHN products and solutions are used in numerous professional application areas across more than 6,400 industries. These include laboratories and research, industrial production and logistics, quality management and quality assurance, medicine and healthcare, the food industry as well as education and training.
The broad portfolio of weighing, testing and measuring technology supports applications ranging from precise laboratory analysis and industrial weighing and testing processes to medical weight measurement and quality assurance.