‘Protection for man and machine’

‘PROTECTION FOR MAN AND MACHINE’

The K.A. Schmersal Group is a world leader in industrial safety. The PR & communication manager, Steffen Hönlinger, told Julia Snow about investments, innovations and growth strategies.

The Schmersal Group develops and produces the largest range of safety switching appliances and systems worldwide – totaling about 25,000 different switchgear and control devices. The family enterprise, which is now led by the second and third generation, actively contributes to the enhancement of industrial safety, by minimising risks and dangers wherever contact is established between man and machine – in industrial plants, in elevators and on mobile machinery. With about 1250 global employees the company achieves a turnover of ca. €180 million.

Dynamic growth

The company’s roots go back to 1945, when brothers Kurt Andreas and Ernst Schmersal started to build components used in the production of lifts in Wuppertal, and shortly afterwards added mechanically operated electrical control devices to their production.

A number of international subsidiaries and the takeover of Elan Schaltelemente GmbH & Co. KG in 1997 marked the dynamic growth of the group, and in 1999 a manufacturing location in Shanghai, China, began to produce control devices for East Asian markets.

In 2008, the Group took over Safety Control GmbH and its subsidiary Safety Protec GmbH located in Mühldorf/Inn, thus extending its safety-related optoelectronics product spectrum with high-quality and practical series. Both companies, which make up the Centre of Competence for Optoelectronics of the Schmersal Group, are now operational under the name of Schmersal Safety Control GmbH.

Innovative product range

The product portfolio of the Schmersal Group ranges from micro-switches and sensor technology based solutions to safety-related electronic components and heavy-duty switching devices: There is the field of safety switchgear and safety control systems, then the area of industrial switchgear (electro-mechanical and non-contact), and finally the switchgear and positioning systems specifically for the lift industry.

“Our range of roughly 25,000 products is constantly increasing,” says Mr Hönlinger. “At the moment, there are several important developments and product launches – for instance we have a new program of compact safety control systems which can be adapted to individual needs just by “drag and drop”, without the need of programming (PROTECT SELECT).

“We are also introducing a new line of safety interlocks which will offer significant advantages for the machine manufacturers as well as the operators of the machine; details will be revealed at the SPS/ IPC/ DRIVES show in November 2012. In addition we have new product lines of safety switchgear with integrated ASi safety interfaces.”

Investing in production sites

“Schmersal is continually investing,” says Mr Hönlinger. The headquarters in Wuppertal is currently seeing the construction of a brand new logistics centre which will centralise the logistics for all European markets in early 2013.

The site in Wettenberg today acts as a competence centre for control and monitoring swtichgear, saferty relay modules, programmable electronic systems, wireless safety technologies and explosion-proof

switchgear, while Mühldorf is the location of the optoelectronic safety systems.

Schmersal has around 250 employees in the Boituva plant in Brazil, which was established in 1972, and which is currently receiving new buildings for administration and offices. As for the fast-growing site in Shanghai, China – established in 1999 – Schmersal is erecting a completely new plant to replace old facilities and expand the capacity significantly.

In April 2012 building works started on a sixth production site, this time in Ranjangaon, near Poona in India, featuring 4000m2 production and storage space on 20,000m2 of land, where safety switchgear and elevator switchgear will be manufactured for the Indian market.

Specialists in safety solutions

“Although we are in a position to serve all industrial markets, we have implemented a targeted strategy,” explains Mr Hönlinger. “We defined several industries for which we have developed specific products, systems and services, and made these the focus areas for growth. They are packaging, food production, and the lift industry.”

Schmersal is also deeply involved in the European legislation process for machine safety (machine directives and EN norms). “Machine safety is a rather complicated field,” Mr Hönlinger explains. “Machine builders need more than just products, they need comprehensive support and advice, and this is exactly what we can offer.”

Expanding the service offer on a global scale

“With subsidiaries in around 20 countries and representations in 30 more countries our reach is already global,” says Mr Hönlinger. “We are therefore strategically expanding our already comprehensive range of products and systems step by step, by creating an application centre for customerspecific software development.”

Further growth will be achieved by “pushing our in-depth systems approach further, through new products that are currently under development, and by intensifying the relationships and product range for the target industries mentioned.”

Schmersal is set for further organic growth, based on a solid financial position, but keeps an open mind about interesting acquisitions. The company will maintain its position as a “one-stop-shop” supplier for machine safety with an extremely wide offering of products, technologies and services: “Our Strategy 2015” is based on a healthy annual growth. As the importance of machine safety is increasing world wide, our market is growing. With the current investments in China, India and Germany, we are well prepared to fulfill the increasing demand for best-in-industry safety solutions.” n