History of Pepperl+Fuchs

Our heritage of consistent achievement, innovation, and close customer relations

In 1945 it all started with this small radio repair shop

Pepperl+Fuchs was founded in 1945 by Walter Pepperl and Ludwig Fuchs as a radio repair shop. By 1948, Pepperl+Fuchs was expanding into other electronic production, leading to the development of the first proximity switch in 1958 and the first transistor amplifier with an intrinsically safe control circuit.

From our humble beginnings, we have progressed to become a leading manufacturer in sensor technology, intrinsic safety, and explosion protection equipment. We are proud of our company, our heritage, and our legacy of consistent achievement, innovation, and the close relations we have built with our customers. Accompany us on a trip down memory lane and revisit some of the most important events in our company's rich history with us.

1945	The radio technician Walter Pepperl and the banker Ludwig Fuchs found a radio repair shop in Mannheim Sandhofen in November. Very early the founders start the production of transformers. In subsequent years, Pepperl+Fuchs becomes a major supplier for industries based in Mannheim.
1955	The radio shop is given up and the company with 40 employees moves into a new building.
1959	The first proximity switch is developed. This is the start in electronics.
1964	First participation in an important industrial fair (Achema in Frankfurt) with a Pepperl+Fuchs stand.
1968	The first exhibition at the HMI Hannover Messe.
1971	The building in Sandhofen bursts at all seams - time to move again for Pepperl+Fuchs. A new company building is erected in Mannheim-Schönau, a modern factory with 10,000 sqm. The manufacturing of transformers is shut down.
1973	In England the first foreign sales organization is founded. From 1980 on, special units for the English market are produced there.
1976	The legal form of the company changes from OHG (general partnership) to GmbH (private limited company) + Co. KG (limited partnership).
1977	The floor space is doubled by an extension taking into account the special requirements for physically handicapped people.
1979	In Singapore the first non-European affiliated company with production facilities is founded in order to gain access to the Asian market and also to remain competitive in Europe. The first step in globalization is taken.
1988	The company is taken over by Michael Fuchs, the son of Ludwig Fuchs, and Claus Michael, the son-in-law of Walter Pepperl. The legal form changes to a GmbH (private limited company).
1990	The company building in Mannheim-Schönau is extended again.
1991	The divisions FACTORY AUTOMATION and PROCESS AUTOMATION are set up.
1991	Pepperl+Fuchs acquires the company RUF in Mannheim and thus adds level control to the product range.
1993	Certification in accordance with DIN EN ISO 9001 for the first time.
1994	The Pepperl+Fuchs Systems GmbH is sold to Honeywell and the field of fail-safe controls is thus given up in order to concentrate on the core business.
1996	Pepperl+Fuchs acquires the company Hohner in Tuttlingen and rounds off the product range with rotary encoders.
1997	PLAMET Kft. is founded in Hungary to supply plastic and metal parts.
2000	The product range is extended and the market position is strengthened by the acquisition of Visolux GmbH in Berlin (optoelectronic components for automation), the Honeywell/USA divisions of Microswitch proximity sensors and photoswitches to better serve the American market. Finally, the addition of Elcon Instruments in Italy shows a new strategic orientation of the Process Automation Division.
2000	Start of manufacture in Bintan/Indonesia.
2003	Purchase of the purge and pressurization systems from Bebco industries EPS in the USA.
2004	New Data Matrix Code product range obtained through the acquisition of Omnitron AG and Position Encoding System, also due to an acquisition.
2005	Expansion of the Systems and Solutions business area within the Process Automation division with display and operating systems of Extec Oesterle GmbH.
2006	Enlargement of the process automation range by purchase of the intrinsic safety business from Cooper Crouse-Hinds GmbH and of the SAS (separator alarm systems) business from OJ Electronics.Takeover of VMT Vision Machine Technic Bildverarbeitungssysteme GmbH and integration into the Factory Automation Division.
2007	In April the construction of the new administration building is started.
2008	Pepperl+Fuchs celebrates "50 years proximity switch". In May 2008, 175 employees are moving in the new and modern building which offers space for approx. 240 employees on 4 floors with a surface of more than 7.000 sqm.
2010	Pepperl+Fuchs acquires proximity sensor business of Siemens. Herewith, Pepperl+Fuchs increases its product portfolio in the field of inductive proximity sensors and photoelectric sensors, and at the same time strengthens its position in the market for ultrasonic sensor technology for factory automation.
2012	Our European Distribution Center is inaugurated in Mannheim.
2012	Pepperl+Fuchs takes over GOVAN Industries in Melbourne/Australia.
2013	Pepperl+Fuchs acquires distribution partner Sensonor Oy in Finland.
2014	Our Solution Engineering Centers are launched worldwide. Tailor made solutions for explosion control are being developed and supplied ready for installation.
2015	The company is taken over by the next generation, Monika Müller-Michael and Michael Fuchs Jr.
2015	Acquisition of Petroleum Safety Products Ind. in Chennai/India and MACtek Corporation in Twinsburg/Ohio
2015	A new distribution site opened in South Africa.
2016	Our Global Distribution Center is officially inaugurated in Singapore. All goods produced at sites in Asia are stored here and distributed to destinations around the world.
2017	With the takeover of ecom instruments, Pepperl+Fuchs complements the portfolio and the know-how in explosion protection with mobile solutions.
2019	Pepperl+Fuchs changes its legal form into a stock corporation (AG). This is the first step to undertake an incremental conversion into a European Company (Societas Europaea) by 2020.
2020	Pepperl+Fuchs changes its legal form into a European Company (Societas Europaea).
2024	Today Pepperl+Fuchs employs approximately 6,850 people in various locations in Germany, USA, Singapore, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Czech Republic. With more than 80 subsidiaries, the company is a market leader in the development and manufacturing of electronic sensors and components for the global automation market.