Schmersal
| KA Schmersal GmbH & Co. KG
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| legal form | GmbH & Co. KG |
| founding | 1945 |
| Seat |
Wuppertal Germany
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| management |
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| Number of employees | 1,800 |
| sales | 210 million euros (2014) |
| Branch | Automation technology / safety technology |
| Website | www.schmersal.com |
The KA Schmersal GmbH & Co. KG , headquartered in Wuppertal is a global manufacturer of safety switchgear and systems. In addition, the company, which is managed by the second and third generation of the founding family, develops and manufactures switchgear for industrial automation and elevator technology.
history
In September 1945 the brothers Kurt Andreas and Aurel Schmersal founded a company in Wuppertal that initially produced electrical household appliances, and from the early 1950s onwards switching devices for industrial applications such as heavy limit switches for construction machinery.
With the increasing automation of industry, the focus of development and production in the 1960s was concentrated on switching devices for machine and plant construction , expanded to include magnetic switches and inductive sensors .
A milestone in the company's history is the AZ 15 / AZ 16 safety switch with separate actuator, first presented in 1980/81 , of which more than ten million copies have been manufactured and is known in many companies as the safety switch.
In the 1990s Schmersal was one of the first providers of safety-related control technology and systems for safe human-robot interaction . With the CSS technology , a new mode of action for secure contactless communication between safety sensors and their actuators was developed from of 2002.
Product areas and target industries
The product range expanded step by step to a portfolio of now more than 25,000 switching devices, which covers all common technologies ( electromechanics , optoelectronics , sensors , safety-related control technology). This includes safety switching devices and systems that meet the requirements of the Machinery Directive and its subordinate standards, as well as elevator switching devices and switching devices for industrial automation. A traditionally strong market position has the Schmersal Group for safety switches , solenoid interlocks and safety sensors .
The company is increasingly offering complete system solutions in all technology fields and product areas. Another trend is the development of safety switching devices that are tailored to the requirements of individual industries such as B. packaging machine construction , food technology , machine tool construction and heavy industry . So was u. a. developed a comprehensive range of safety switching devices that meet the high hygiene requirements of the food industry .
Current product innovations include electro-magnetic safety interlocks and new generations of safety controls and systems.
Products
The product groups in detail:
| Security division | Automation division | Elevator technology division |
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Services
In the complex field of machine safety, numerous guidelines and standards must be observed from the point of view of manufacturers and users. The Schmersal Group is committed to the development of these standards at EU level and regularly offers seminars and training courses on individual machine safety issues in its tec.nicum academy event center.
In addition, the “Safety Services” business area is growing. H. of services continuously. The Schmersal Group therefore founded the independent services division - tec.nicum - in 2016. The tec.nicum is a worldwide network of certified functional safety engineers who advise machine manufacturers and operators on all questions of machine and occupational safety on a manufacturer-neutral basis. In addition, the tec.nicum experts plan and implement complex security solutions in close cooperation with the client.
Consulting engineers from tec.nicum support companies, among other things, with risk analyzes , which, according to EU regulations, are part of the requirements for affixing the CE mark . They also advise on conformity assessment and carry out safety analyzes and other qualified machine safety services. This also includes customer-specific programming of safety controls and the safety-related evaluation of existing machines and systems
Locations
In addition to the central location in Wuppertal, the Schmersal Group produces in Wettenberg (takeover of Elan Schaltelemente GmbH & Co.KG in 1997), Mühldorf am Inn (takeover of Safety Control GmbH 2008), Bergisch Gladbach (takeover of Böhnke + Partner GmbH Steuerungssysteme 2013) , Boituva ( Brazil , since 1974) and Shanghai ( China , since 1999; new building in 2013). A production facility in Ranjangaon ( India ) since 2014. Schmersal is present in more than 60 nations through subsidiaries and sales partners.