{"id":1372,"date":"2023-09-01T11:55:00","date_gmt":"2023-09-01T09:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pilz-magazine.com\/de\/?p=1372"},"modified":"2024-09-11T10:43:03","modified_gmt":"2024-09-11T08:43:03","slug":"anniversary-history-of-the-automation-company-pilz","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pilz-magazine.com\/en\/anniversary-history-of-the-automation-company-pilz\/","title":{"rendered":"Pilz through the ages"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n
\n
<\/span>
\n

<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>
\n

<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>
\n

<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>
\n

<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>
\n

<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>
\n

<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>
\n

<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>
\n

\u00a9 Westend61\/[Westend61] via Getty Images, \u00a9 Pilz GmbH & Co. KG, Ost\u00adfildern<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>
\n

\u00a9 mihailomilo\u00advanovic via Getty Images, \u00a9 Pilz GmbH & Co. KG, Ost\u00adfildern<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>
\n

<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>
\n

<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
Company\u2019s foundation:
Pilz, the glass-blowing business<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

In 1948, in the dif\u00adfi\u00adcult eco\u00adnomic period after the Second World War, Her\u00admann Pilz founded a glass-blowing busi\u00adness in Esslingen, in south\u00adwestern Ger\u00admany. This laid the foun\u00adda\u00adtion for our family-owned com\u00adpany, whose cur\u00adrent mis\u00adsion state\u00adment is \u201cSafety for human, machine and the envi\u00adron\u00adment\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
Postwar period at Pilz: From glass to electronics manufacturer<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

In the postwar period, Pilz first pro\u00adduced glass appa\u00adratus for med\u00adical tech\u00adnology as well as mer\u00adcury relays that formed the basis for future indus\u00adtrial relays. At this deci\u00adsive point in the com\u00adpany his\u00adtory, it was the pio\u00adneering spirit of Peter Pilz, the son of Her\u00admann Pilz, that drove the trans\u00adfor\u00adma\u00adtion from glass appa\u00adratus man\u00adu\u00adfac\u00adturing to elec\u00adtronics in the 1960s. At the end of the 60s, Peter Pilz took over his father\u2019s com\u00adpany and ini\u00adti\u00adated not only the tech\u00adno\u00adlog\u00adical trans\u00adfor\u00adma\u00adtion but also the inter\u00adna\u00adtion\u00adal\u00adi\u00adsa\u00adtion that char\u00adac\u00adterises Pilz to this day. He founded the first sub\u00adsidiaries in the 70s \u2013 in Aus\u00adtria, France and Switzer\u00adland.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
The first PLC control systems from Pilz<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Peter Pilz was a visionary: he recog\u00adnised the oppor\u00adtu\u00adni\u00adties that elec\u00adtronics and minia\u00adtur\u00adi\u00adsa\u00adtion could offer in this field \u2013 par\u00adtic\u00adu\u00adlarly for industry. In addi\u00adtion to elec\u00adtronic con\u00adtrol and mon\u00adi\u00adtoring devices, at the same time Pilz also devel\u00adoped pro\u00adgram\u00admable logic con\u00adtrollers (PLC) \u2013 a product range that con\u00adtributed sig\u00adnif\u00adi\u00adcantly to the company\u2019s suc\u00adcess. In the early 70s, Pilz was one of the first com\u00adpa\u00adnies in Europe to intro\u00adduce PLC sys\u00adtems to the market.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
Synonym for machinery safety: PNOZ<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

In 1987, Pilz intro\u00adduced the PNOZ: the first safety relay to ensure that machines stop reli\u00adably in the case of danger is now at home all over the world. Smaller than a con\u00adven\u00adtional cir\u00adcuit, easier to operate, and above all safer thanks to a cer\u00adti\u00adfied type exam\u00adi\u00adna\u00adtion \u2013 just the right thing in an era when machinery safety was becoming increas\u00adingly impor\u00adtant, also with regard to the legal sit\u00adu\u00ada\u00adtion, but at the same time, imple\u00admen\u00adta\u00adtion was to be as uncom\u00adpli\u00adcated as pos\u00adsible for the plant oper\u00ada\u00adtors. Ini\u00adtially, machinery safety was achieved with the PNOZ \u2013 which is why the name PNOZ is gen\u00ader\u00adally syn\u00adony\u00admous with safety relays to this day. As the first to offer this on the world market, Pilz has been able to defend its posi\u00adtion as world market leader to this day.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
Following a tragic accident: Renate Pilz takes over<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Peter Pilz did not live to see this break\u00adthrough. In 1975 he died in a plane crash. How\u00adever, his wife Renate com\u00admitted her\u00adself to con\u00adtin\u00aduing his life\u2019s work, even though at this point she had not had much to do with the com\u00adpany and its prod\u00aducts, as a house\u00adwife and mother of two small chil\u00addren. Renate Pilz never even con\u00adsid\u00adered selling. Instead she famil\u00adiarised her\u00adself with tech\u00adnology and eco\u00adnomics. Ini\u00adtially she took the role of Chair of the Advi\u00adsory Board, then became Man\u00adaging Director in 1995. Renate Pilz strength\u00adened the company\u2019s global pres\u00adence. Pilz is active all over the world, helping to create safer work con\u00addi\u00adtions. For example, in 2004 it became the first for\u00adeign com\u00adpany to become a member of China\u2019s most impor\u00adtant stan\u00addards com\u00admittee in the field of machinery safety.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
The world\u2019s first freely programmable safe control system PSS 3000<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

In 1995 the world\u2019s first freely pro\u00adgram\u00admable safe con\u00adtrol system PSS 3000 came onto the market. Once again, Pilz was making indus\u00adtrial his\u00adtory. At this point it was finally pos\u00adsible to use elec\u00adtronic con\u00adtrollers in safety tech\u00adnology. Up until then this was strictly pro\u00adhib\u00adited. The legal require\u00adments only changed fol\u00adlowing tough nego\u00adti\u00ada\u00adtions with fed\u00aderal min\u00adistries in Ger\u00admany and Euro\u00adpean com\u00admit\u00adtees.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
Automation system PSS 4000 \u2013 Digital safety and automation<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Pilz had already antic\u00adi\u00adpated digi\u00adti\u00adsa\u00adtion and the trend toward soft\u00adware before the fourth indus\u00adtrial rev\u00ado\u00adlu\u00adtion dom\u00adi\u00adnated the head\u00adlines under the name \u201cIndus\u00adtrie 4.0\u201d. In 1998 Pilz founded its own soft\u00adware devel\u00adop\u00adment depart\u00adment in Cork in Ire\u00adland and in 2009 intro\u00adduced PSS 4000 to the market, an automa\u00adtion system with which even dis\u00adtrib\u00aduted plants can be con\u00adtrolled cen\u00adtrally \u2013 Safety and Automa\u00adtion included.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
No Safety without Industrial Security<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

With digi\u00adti\u00adsa\u00adtion and net\u00adworking, Secu\u00adrity is taking on an increas\u00adingly impor\u00adtant role in automa\u00adtion. Pilz offers not only Safety, meaning the pro\u00adtec\u00adtion of people, but since 2018 also prod\u00aducts and ser\u00advices for Indus\u00adtrial Secu\u00adrity at the machine. The focus is on the avail\u00adability of plant and machinery and the integrity and con\u00adfi\u00adden\u00adtiality of machine data and processes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
myPNOZ: World\u2019s first modular safety relay in batch size 1<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

The intro\u00adduc\u00adtion of pio\u00adneering prod\u00aducts for safe automa\u00adtion was the focus during the early years \u2013 and remains so to this day. For example when Pilz intro\u00adduced myPNOZ in 2021, the world\u2019s first mod\u00adular safety relay in batch size 1. With the intu\u00aditive online tool myPNOZ Cre\u00adator, users can assemble \u201ctheir\u201d myPNOZ: it\u2019s deliv\u00adered pre-assem\u00adbled, set up and tested and so is a com\u00adpletely indi\u00advid\u00adu\u00adalised system, ready to install.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
Pilz \u2013 Third generation family business<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Since the end of 2017, the chil\u00addren of Peter and Renate Pilz, Susanne Kun\u00adschert and Thomas Pilz, have jointly man\u00adaged the com\u00adpany as the third gen\u00ader\u00ada\u00adtion of man\u00adaging part\u00adners. They and their pre\u00adde\u00adces\u00adsors have at least one thing in common: the joy in inno\u00adva\u00adtion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Susanne Kun\u00adschert and Thomas Pilz con\u00adtinue to follow the phi\u00adlos\u00adophy of their par\u00adents, based on Pilz\u2019s com\u00adpany values. \u201cValues. Create. Future.\u201d A slogan that is both a state\u00adment and a com\u00admit\u00adment: Pilz will remain as it is, and always has been \u2013 an inde\u00adpen\u00addent and inno\u00adv\u00ada\u00adtive com\u00adpany under family own\u00ader\u00adship.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n

Pilz is cur\u00adrently rep\u00adre\u00adsented glob\u00adally with 42 sub\u00adsidiaries and four pro\u00adduc\u00adtion facil\u00adi\u00adties<\/strong> around the world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2022 the automa\u00adtion expert gen\u00ader\u00adated turnover of \u20ac 403 mil\u00adlion <\/strong>with around 2,500 \u201cAmbas\u00adsadors for Safety\u201d<\/strong> world\u00adwide.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

On Pilz\u2019s 75th anniversary, we asked our staff, customers and key partners: What does Pilz mean to you? Here are their responses.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t