Pilz
The spirit of safety
Complete solutions for safe automation
Faster, more flexible, safer – the level of automation on plant and machinery continues to advance in all industries with these objectives in mind. This places new demands on production systems. As a complete safe automation supplier, Pilz is a company whose name is synonymous worldwide with safety for man, machine and the environment, providing automation solutions for all industries.
Right from the start, innovation was the key to success. Founded in Esslingen in 1948 as a glass-blowing business for technical medical equipment, in the 60s the company evolved into a supplier of electronic control and monitoring devices and programmable logic control systems. Since then this highly traditional family business has continued to set standards in the field of safe automation: in 1968 with the first two-hand control relay and in 1987 with the first emergency stop PNOZ (“Pilz E-Stop positive-guided” in German!) – an unusual name for an unusual product. The PNOZ quickly progressed to be the world’s most widely used safety relay. This was followed in 1997 by the safe, open bus system SafetyBUS p for decentralised networking of plant and machinery. 2002 saw the introduction of the multifunctional safety system PNOZmulti: for the first time users were able to configure their required safety functions on the PC rather than implement them through wiring, as before. Further innovations include the world’s first safe camera system SafetyEYE for three-dimensional zone monitoring. Pilz is also setting trends with its services: In 2013 Pilz worked with TÜV NORD to develop the international qualification CMSE® – Certified Machinery Safety Expert and so for the first time is setting standards for international, certified training in the field of machinery safety.
Complete supplier for safe automation
Starting from its core competency, safety, the company has evolved into a complete supplier for automation solutions – safety and automation are intelligently combined. Many years of experience and extensive knowledge from the field of safety technology are being transferred to the requirements of general plant and machinery control. The benefit for customers: customised, one-stop automation solutions.
The automation system PSS 4000 was launched for all automation tasks in 2009 and puts this strategic direction firmly into practice. PSS 4000 supports users throughout the engineering process, from start to finish. The product range also includes sensor technology, electronic monitoring relays, safety relays, configurable control systems, industrial communication systems, automation solutions with motion control and operator terminals.
Pilz system solutions are used in all areas of mechanical engineering, as well as the automotive, food and woodworking industry. Products from the technology leader also guarantee that baggage handling systems run safely at airports, theatre scenery moves smoothly and funiculars or roller coasters travel safely. Pilz system solutions not only guarantee increased safety for man and machine but are also more cost effective, as production cycles can be designed more efficiently and downtimes can be avoided.
For Pilz, safety is more than just a product. The company has years of expertise, which anyone can access in the form of a comprehensive services package. With safety consulting and engineering, Pilz offers a comprehensive and competent service – from plant assessment to risk assessment through to system implementation and verification at the customer’s premises. The company also runs product training courses and seminars on the subject of machinery safety.
Family business – the brand is recognised worldwide
Renate Pilz joined the company in 1975 after the death of her husband. “I wanted to continue my husband’s vision to create an international company, committed to its staff and customers, and one day to pass this on to our children as our joint life’s work”, says the Chair of the Pilz board. Renate Pilz handed over the management to daughter Susanne Kunschert and son Thomas Pilz, both managing partners, at the end of 2017. The Pilz brand is currently one of the world's leading brands.
In 2008 the company expanded its headquarters: The Peter Pilz Technology Centre, where all the development takes place, was inaugurated at the company’s headquarters in Ostfildern-Nellingen. The area covered by the existing company premises at the headquarters in Ostfildern near Stuttgart was tripled in 2011; 2015 the new Peter Pilz production and logistics center was inaugurated and Pilz was also expanding its headquarters into the Pilz Campus.
Expertise and innovative spirit
At Pilz, products are often developed in conjunction with or under contract from customers. “To develop products that meet customer and market requirements is the first task of our research and development department. Customer proximity and innovation belong together and are mutually dependent. That’s why we work closely with our customers as well as universities and approvals bodies. So we are always able to bring innovations to the market and set new standards”, Thomas Pilz explains.
Based on these innovations, back in 2006 the company was selected as one of the sites in the “Land of Ideas”, an initiative of the German government and Federation of German Industries (BDI); in 2009 Pilz was awarded the TOP 100 seal of quality. That puts the Swabian family business among the top one hundred most innovative companies among German small and medium-sized enterprises.
In 2010, the Federal Government personally appointed Susanne Kunschert to the Research Alliance. In this central, innovative policy body that advises the German Government, Pilz played a leading role in developing the Industry 4.0 Initiative.
Safety for the environment too
Safety for man, machine and the environment – this is a motto that Pilz, the complete supplier for safe automation, wants to embrace with its products and solutions; but that’s not all, it also wants to act accordingly So the issue of environmental protection is firmly anchored in its corporate objectives: from the development of energy-saving products to the ecological design of buildings through to environmentally-aware work practices. Converting from lead-based to lead-free solder, installing a photovoltaic plant or reducing lighting in production are all measures that help to relieve the environment.
“As ambassadors for safety our aim is to improve the safety of man and machine worldwide”, says Susanne Kunschert, summarising her company’s mission. “That includes the environment in which we live and work.”
Beyond its Ostfildern site Pilz also supports users worldwide with 42 subsidiaries, providing sales and engineering services directly on site. Globally over 2,500 staff apply their knowledge in the service of safe automation, to ensure it becomes established in new markets too.
