Lenze

Lenze is a German family-owned company whose origins date to 1947, when Hans Lenze took over Stahlkontor GmbH in Hameln from the Mannesmann Group. The company describes its development from a local trading business into a global provider of drive and automation technologies. Its roots are in the Weser Uplands region of Germany, and its corporate history connects the business’s origins with the later Hans Lenze KG machine company. Lenze serves industrial customers and machine builders with technologies used to design, control, and operate machines and production systems. Its offering spans drives, geared motors, gearboxes, motors, controllers, accessories, and industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) solutions. It also provides engineering tools and FAST application software. The company presents its work as extending across motion engineering, from a machine concept through control and drive components and into after-sales support. The company’s history describes a progression from its early motor and winding-technology products into frequency inverters, drive-based automation, servo technology, software, and integrated automation platforms. Its international development includes establishing a production and logistics site outside Germany through the acquisition of US drive-technology manufacturer AC Tech, founding Lenze Drive Systems in Shanghai, and opening a manufacturing site in India. The company says it operates globally and identifies itself as a family business with approximately 3,600 people worldwide. Lenze is family-owned and operates internationally as Lenze SE. Its positioning emphasizes combining drive technology with automation, supporting customers as a competent partner, and making motion engineering and machine-control development easier. Its portfolio and stated customer focus place it in industrial automation and motion control.

Lenze traces its origins to November 5, 1947, when Hans Lenze took over Stahlkontor GmbH in Hameln from the Mannesmann Group. The company identifies this transaction as the origin of today’s Lenze SE. Its early development included the Alquist winder, an innovative three-phase AC motor that became its first own product and marked its entry into winding technology. The Hans Lenze KG machine company was subsequently founded in Extertal, and production expanded with a new plant in Groß Berkel. Over time, Lenze broadened its work from motors and drive products into drive control and automation. Its history records the launch of a frequency inverter for controlling three-phase AC motors and later the development of drive-based automation. The 9300 servo inverter represented a further step: its integrated technology and control functionality enabled it to carry out complete processes or parts of processes. Under the slogan “Drive meets Automation,” Lenze presented intelligent drive technology as part of integrated automation solutions. The company’s international expansion included the acquisition of US drive-technology manufacturer AC Tech, which established its first production and logistics site outside Germany. Lenze also founded the software company encoway in Bremen to develop configuration software, introduced the integrated L-force platform for drive and automation technology, and founded Lenze Drive Systems in Shanghai. As its international focus strengthened, Lenze AG was converted into a European Company (SE). The company later described its offering in terms of simplifying motion engineering from the machine engineer’s initial idea through after-sales, and from the control system to the drive shaft, using the claim “As easy as that.” Its FAST software components were presented as a way to simplify the development of modular machine controls. The history page also records the opening of the company’s first manufacturing site in India. Lenze describes itself today as a family-owned global provider of drive and automation technologies. Its stated corporate culture emphasizes customer value, international and digital thinking, teamwork, fairness, integrity, and mutual respect. The company says its principles were created in 1992 by former Managing Director Dr. Rolf Herbert. Its present portfolio includes drives, geared motors, gearboxes, motors, controllers, accessories, IIoT solutions, engineering tools, and FAST application software. The company reports a worldwide workforce of approximately 3,600 people.

• 1992

  Company principles created

• 1947

  Hans Lenze takes over Stahlkontor GmbH

• First own product and entry into winding technology

• Hans Lenze KG and production expansion

• Frequency inverter and drive-based automation

• Acquisition of AC Tech

• Encoway founded

• L-force introduced

• Lenze Drive Systems founded in Shanghai

• Conversion to a European Company

• FAST software components and Indian manufacturing site

A global, family-owned provider of drive and automation technologies, positioning intelligent drive technology as part of integrated automation solutions and emphasizing practical support for machine builders and industrial customers.

• Drives

  Drive products for industrial and machine-automation applications.

• Geared motors, gearboxes, and motors

  Mechanical and electrical drive components listed in Lenze’s product offering.

• 9300 servo inverter

  A servo inverter with integrated technology and control functionality for executing complete processes or parts of processes.

• L-force

  An integrated platform for drive and automation technology.

• FAST application software and software components

  Software offerings that include components intended to make development of modular machine controls easier.

• Controllers, accessories, IIoT solutions, and engineering tools

  Additional products and tools identified on Lenze’s Americas homepage.

• Frequency inverters

  Frequency inverters for controlling three-phase AC motors, part of Lenze’s drive technology portfolio.

• Servo motors

  Servo motors within Lenze’s drive and automation product range.

• Automation control systems

  Automation control systems for industrial automation solutions.

• Positioning around integrated drive and automation technologyOther

• International expansionOther

1. 1Lenze in the Americaslenze.com
2. 2Historylenze.com
3. 3Our corporate culturelenze.com
4. 4Company-related documentationlenze.com