Strengthening Market Position

Pepperl+Fuchs and Siemens Division Industry Automation, Nuremberg, signed an agreement on the acquisition of the Siemens binary proximity switches business for Pepperl+Fuchs factory automation. Thus, Pepperl+Fuchs is strengthening its good market position in ultrasonic sensor technology for factory automation, and expanding its product portfolio in the field of inductive proximity switches and photoelectric sensors. “More than 50 years after the discovery of inductive proximity sensors by Pepperl+Fuchs, we have used the opportunity to integrate a world-renowned and respected portfolio into our range of products. We will use the consolidation of both world-leading ultrasonic sensor product lines to strengthen our innovation in this area. As a customer, you will profit from the impact of this new consolidation,“ said Wolfgang Helm, manager of Business Unit Sensors.

Pepperl+Fuchs is a medium-sized family-owned enterprise and a leading manufacturer in industrial sensor technology for factory automation. Today the products range from inductive technologies to capacitive, magnetic, photoelectric and ultrasonic sensors, as well as rotary encoders, vision sensors and complex industrial vision systems. The company also offers a wide product range in the fields of RFID and AS-Interface.

“We wish to use the technological range, the highly qualified personnel, and the strong market position of Siemens, to expand our competitiveness and earning power,” said Dr. Gunther Kegel, CEO of Pepperl+Fuchs GmbH.

The parties have initially agreed upon an integration period during which the seamless transfer of the business to Pepperl+Fuchs has been arranged.

During this integration period, Siemens will continue to accept and execute all orders for proximity switches. At the end of the integration period, this responsibility devolves to Pepperl+Fuchs. All products from the Siemens PX portfolio will be taken over by the Pepperl+Fuchs product range and will continue to be produced and distributed unchanged. This approach shall take into account the efforts of both parties to guarantee delivery capacity and customer care without interruption during the integration. The transfer of the business to Pepperl+Fuchs is scheduled for mid 2010.