Pepperl+Fuchs

Pepperl+Fuchs was founded in 1945 Increasing demand for the proximity switch prompted Pepperl+Fuchs to expand its focus into areas such as sensing technology, intrinsic safety, and explosion protection technology, In 1987, the two founders retired from the management team and the legal form of the company was changed to a limited liability entity. Initially based in Mannheim-Sandhofen, the headquarters of Pepperl+Fuchs moved to Schönau in 1971. In Germany, the company also operates in Neuhausen ob Eck, where all of its rotary encoders are designed and manufactured. In Asia, production occurs in various locations, including Vietnam. Since 2000, Pepperl+Fuchs has expanded through several acquisitions, increasing its turnover to over 500 million DM. In 2019, Pepperl+Fuchs Comtrol partnered with Callisto Integration, in the manufacturing industry. In 2019, Pepperl+Fuchs changed its legal structure from Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung (GmbH) to Aktiengesellschaft (AG) and again in 2020 to Societas Europea (SE). In 2023, the company attained IEC 62443-4-1 cybersecurity certification. As of April 2024, the company had approximately 6,850 employees worldwide, with more than 40 foreign subsidiaries on six continents, and manufacturing facilities in Germany, USA, Singapore, Hungary, China, Indonesia, and Vietnam. == Products ==

Pepperl+Fuchs manufactures, among other things, contactless sensors, rotary encoders, counters, switching units, converters, fieldbus components and systems, data light barriers, identification systems, safety barriers, and image processing products. The company categorizes its portfolio into industrial sensors and process interfaces for factory and process automation. Additionally, Pepperl+Fuchs provides systems for process automation in potentially explosive atmospheres, developed in engineering centers located in Bühl and other locations. The acquisition of ECOM instruments GmbH expanded its portfolio to include explosion-protected products in mobile computing, communication, measurement and calibration technology, and hand lamps. Pepperl+Fuchs operates a European warehouse in Mannheim and logistics centers in America and Asia, with a Global Distribution Center established in Singapore. == Divisions ==

The Factory Automation division is a manufacturer of industrial sensors. It makes a range of inductive, capacitive, photoelectric, and ultrasonic sensors as well as identification systems, barcode and camera systems, rotary encoders, position measurement systems, cordsets, and other accessories. The Process Automation division is a manufacturer of explosion protection products. It makes a range of intrinsic safety barriers, signal conditioners, remote I/O systems, HART interface solutions, surge protection, HMI systems, electrical explosion protection equipment, purge and pressurization systems, power supplies, and level measurement. == Mergers & Acquisitions ==

In 2003, Pepperl+Fuchs acquired Bebco EPS, a manufacturer of purge and pressurization systems. In 2010, the company acquired the proximity sensor business of Siemens. In 2019, Pepperl+Fuchs acquired Comtrol Corporation, a US company specializing in Ethernet-based industrial communication and IO-Link master gateways. The Pepperl+Fuchs Comtrol Hospitality division offers a library of interfaces for property management systems and guest service systems. In 2021, Pepperl+Fuchs acquired the Finnish company, Aava Mobile Oy, expanding its reach in the industrial tablet computer and smartphone industry. == Cooperation & Sponsorships ==

Pepperl+Fuchs is actively involved in the Smart Factory initiative, collaborating with the Technical University of Kaiserslautern and other partners to advance automation and manufacturing technologies. In May 2024 Pepperl+Fuchs signed a contract agreeing to partner with the Mannheim TECHNOSEUM to set up a student laboratory, centred on STEM programs and sensor technology. == References ==