🧭 Janz — Portugal

Fábrica de Contadores de Água • Lisbon • Founded 1915

⭐ 1. Identity & Role

Janz (often branded as JANZ – Contadores de Água) is a Portuguese water‑meter manufacturer founded in 1915 in Lisbon by João Augusto Janz.

Their meters were widely exported to Spain, Brazil, Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde and Latin America.

This is why many meters in Spanish‑speaking countries are marked “Contadores de Água – Janz”.

They produce domestic single‑jet meters, multi‑jet meters, volumetric piston meters, Woltmann industrial meters and smart meters and modules.

⭐ 2. Historical Development

Period Development

1915–1930 Founded in Rua de Xabregas industrial district Lisbon (near Tagus river); early brass single‑jet meters.

1930–1960 Expansion into multi‑jet and volumetric meters; colonial exports.

1960–1990 Industrial Woltmann meters; municipal supply contracts across Portugal.

1990–2010 Modernization; CNC machining; polymer bodies; pulse outputs.

2020 Acquired by SIT Group (Italy) to expand smart‑metering capabilities and partnered with GWF. Present > Still operating at Av. Infante D. Henrique, 288 1950-421 Lisbon Portugal.

🧪 3. Technical Significance

JANZ meters are known for:

- High machining precision (especially 1950s–1980s models)

- JANZ was one of Lisbon’s most recognizable industrial landmarks.

- Durable registers with multi‑dial mechanical counters

- Distinctive markings: “JANZ – Contadores de Água – Lisboa”

- Export adaptability: metric calibration for Iberia and Latin America

Their meters often appear in municipal archives and colonial waterworks records, making them essential to Iberian metering history. 🧭 4. Smart‑Metering & SIT Group Integration (2015–2024)

Key milestones:

2015: Launch of JV600 composite meters.

2016: Launch of MyWater Radio telemetry system.

2021: JANZ becomes part of SIT Group (Italy) — a multinational specialising in intelligent metering.

2022: Launch of eREGISTER hybrid mechanical/electronic meters.

2024: Launch of SmartIO, a cavity‑less ultrasonic smart meter. SIT-Group headquarters are located in Padua (Italy), where SIT La Precisa was founded in 1953 by brothers Pierluigi and Giancarlo de' Stefani. The Group, which includes two Business Units, “Heating & Ventilation“ and “Smart Metering“, directly employs more than 1,900 people. Representative offices and sales subsidiaries are located across Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa, and Australia. Manufacturing, research and development facilities are located in Italy (Rovigo and Macerata), Romania (Brașov), Mexico (Monterrey), Portugal (Lisbon), Tunisia (Tunis), and China (Suzhou). SIT has always invested in quality and innovation to build unique know-how, expand its product range, and enter new markets. Its quality management system has been ISO 9001 certified since 1988.