MTS Systems Corporation

MTS Systems Corporation (MTS) is a global supplier of test systems and industrial position sensors. The company provides test and measurement solutions to determine the performance and reliability of vehicles, aircraft, civil structures, biomedical materials and devices and raw materials. Examples of MTS products include: aerodynamics simulators, seismic simulators, load frames, hydraulic actuators and sensors. The company operates in two divisions: Test and Sensors.

Test Division

MTS designs and produces test systems to simulate the forces and motions that materials, products and structures are expected to encounter. The Test division has customers in the Americas, Europe and Asia, which respectively represent approximately 30%, 30% and 40% of total orders. Products and customers are grouped into three global segments: Ground Vehicles, Materials and Structures.

The Ground Vehicles segment consists of automobile, truck, motorcycle, motorsports vehicle, construction equipment, agricultural equipment, rail, and off-road vehicle manufacturers and their suppliers. MTS test system and service products are used for the testing of vehicles, subsystems and components.

The Materials segment covers diverse industries, including raw material manufacturing, power generation, aerospace, vehicles, geomaterials, biomaterials and biomedical devices, consumer products and construction materials. The company's products and services support customers in research and development and QA/QC testing of products through the physical characterization of materials, such as ceramics, composites and steel. Biomedical applications include systems to test durability and performance of implants, prostheses, and other medical materials and devices.

The Structures segment serves the structural testing needs in the fields of aerospace, wind energy, structural engineering, and petroleum, among others. The aerospace structural testing market consists of manufacturers of commercial, military, and private aircraft and their suppliers. The energy market consists of wind turbine manufacturers and their component suppliers and the oil and gas industry. Structural engineering customers include government agencies, universities and the manufacturers of building materials.

Sensors Division

The industries that use MTS Sensors include manufacturers of plastic injection molding machines, steel mills, fluid power, oil and gas, medical, wood product processing equipment, mobile equipment and alternative energy. Sensors division products are also used to measure fluid displacement, such as liquid levels for customers in the process industries. The Sensors division manufactures products utilizing magnetostriction technology. MTS has developed an implementation of the technology, known as Temposonics. The Sensors division has a range of customers in the Americas, Europe and Asia that represent approximately 25%, 50% and 25% of orders, respectively. With the acquisition of PCB Group Inc. in 2016, MTS has increased Sensor products and presence.

PCB Piezotronics, Inc. is a designer and manufacturer of microphones, vibration, pressure, force, torque, load, and strain sensors, as well as the pioneer of ICP technology used by design engineers and predictive maintenance professionals worldwide for test, measurement, monitoring, and control requirements in automotive, aerospace, industrial, R&D, military, educational, commercial, OEM applications, and more.  With a worldwide customer support team, 24-hour SensorLineSM, and a global distribution network, PCB® is committed to Total Customer Satisfaction.

MTS Systems Corp. was fined $400,000 after pleading guilty on March 12, 2008 for submitting false US export license applications on proposed shipments to India.  The company admitted to two misdemeanor counts of "false certification or writing" by omitting information linked to nuclear power plant test equipment.  In March 2011, MTS disclosed that it was again under investigation and barred from bidding on new government contracts.  On September 2011 the ban imposed by the Air Force was lifted, allowing MTS Systems to bid on new government contracts and to continue existing government contracts. MTS Systems settled all investigations with the U.S. Government and took measures to ensure government contracting standards were met. "We are happy to put the government investigation behind us. We have made great progress to ensure we meet the U.S. government's contractor standards and we are committed to meeting these requirements every day," MTS Systems CEO Jeffrey Graves said in a statement.

Notable Projects
MTS Installs Latest Seismic Simulation System at Earthquake Engineering Facility in Taiwan to Help Save Lives 
Vehicle Dynamics Simulation 
High-temperature materials testing for aerospace 
MTS and University of Minnesota Deliver Driver Assistance Technology for "Bus on Shoulder" Transportation 
Custom built Flat Trac LTRe for the National Tire Research Center in Alton, VA, which displays "...some of the most advanced technology in tire testing and research." 
State-of-the-art 360-degree driving simulator. Commonly referred to as "The World's Most Advanced Driving Simulator"
First of its kind tuned mass damper for Citigroup Center in New York City and John Hancock Tower in Boston.
Manufacturing and design for Universal Parks & Resorts, including the launch system for the Incredible Hulk Coaster; the ride systems for The Cat in the Hat and Men in Black: Alien Attack at Universal Orlando, and Jaws at Universal Studios Japan; as well as the dinosaurs at Islands of Adventure's Jurassic Park River Adventure.

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Category:Electronics companies of the United States
Category:Manufacturing companies based in Minnesota
Category:Companies based in Eden Prairie, Minnesota
Category:Electronics companies established in 1967
Category:1967 establishments in Minnesota
Category:Companies listed on NASDAQ
Category:Sensor manufacturers