Pilz

Pilz GmbH & Co. KG is a German automation technology company headquartered in Ostfildern, near Stuttgart. The company is associated particularly with industrial safety, machine control, monitoring, and related engineering services. Its portfolio spans hardware, software, communication technologies, consulting, risk assessment, and training for the design and operation of safe industrial machinery. Pilz began in 1948 in Esslingen as a glass-blowing business founded by Hermann Pilz. Its early work included glass apparatus for medical technology and mercury relays for industrial uses. This original combination of specialist manufacturing and industrial applications provided a foundation for the company's later transition into electrical and electronic automation products. During the 1960s, management passed to Hermann Pilz's son, Peter Pilz. Under his direction, the business moved away from its original glass-focused activities and developed into a supplier of electronic control and monitoring equipment, including programmable logic controllers. This transition placed Pilz within the expanding industrial-automation sector and gradually made machine safety a central area of expertise. A major turning point came in 1987 with the introduction of PNOZ, a safety relay designed for functions such as emergency-stop monitoring. The product helped establish Pilz as a recognizable specialist in safety-related control technology. In the 1990s, the company expanded its control portfolio with PSS control systems. Subsequent activities broadened into sensor technology, industrial networking, bus systems, industrial wireless communication, and software-supported automation. Pilz's business model combines product development with application knowledge and services. In addition to control and safety components, the company supports customers with machinery-safety assessments, risk analysis, compliance-related guidance, engineering assistance, and training courses. This allows the brand to address the full lifecycle of industrial equipment, from machine design and validation through operation, modification, and modernization. The company operates internationally through subsidiaries and branches on all continents. Its customers and application areas are associated with industrial machinery and factory automation, where safe stopping, monitoring, access protection, motion control, and reliable communication are required. Pilz remains a privately held German industrial technology company and is best positioned as a specialist safety-automation brand rather than a mass-market electronics manufacturer.

Pilz was established in 1948 by Hermann Pilz in Esslingen, Germany. The original enterprise was a glass-blowing business serving technical and industrial needs. Its early products included glass apparatus used in medical technology and mercury relays used in industrial applications. At this stage, Pilz was not yet the dedicated automation-safety company associated with the brand today. A significant transformation occurred in the 1960s, when control of the company passed to Hermann Pilz's son, Peter Pilz. Under his leadership, the business developed electronic control and monitoring devices and entered the market for programmable logic controllers. This change reflected the wider industrial shift from mechanical and electromechanical systems toward electronic automation and centralized machine control. Pilz increasingly concentrated on applications in which dependable monitoring and controlled shutdown were essential. In 1987, it launched the PNOZ safety relay. The product was designed for safety functions including emergency-stop applications and became an important part of the company's identity. PNOZ helped make safety relays a core Pilz offering and reinforced the company's specialization in protecting people and equipment around industrial machinery. During the 1990s, Pilz developed PSS control systems, extending its role from individual safety components into broader control architectures. The company's technology scope later expanded to include sensors, industrial bus systems, industrial wireless systems, and other automation communications. This diversification allowed Pilz to address both safety functions and wider machine-control requirements. Alongside hardware, Pilz developed an extensive services business. Its activities include machinery-risk assessments, safety-related engineering support, and training courses concerning machinery safety. These services complement the company's products by helping manufacturers and machine operators evaluate hazards, implement protective functions, and maintain compliance-oriented safety processes. Pilz's international structure includes subsidiaries and branches on all continents. The company therefore serves industrial customers beyond its German base while retaining its identity as a German engineering and automation business. Its historical development can be understood as a progression from specialist glass manufacture, through industrial relays and electronic control, to a broad safety-automation offering that combines components, systems, software, consulting, and education.

• 1990

  PSS control systems developed

  [1]Pilz (company)en.wikipedia.org

  During the 1990s, Pilz developed PSS control systems, broadening its offering from individual safety components toward integrated control applications.

• 1987

  PNOZ safety relay introduced

  [1]Pilz (company)en.wikipedia.org

  Pilz launched the PNOZ safety relay, a safety-control product designed for functions such as emergency-stop monitoring.

• 1960

  Transition into electronic control technology

  [1]Pilz (company)en.wikipedia.org

  During the 1960s, Peter Pilz took control of the company and guided its development toward electronic control and monitoring equipment, including programmable logic controllers.

• 1948

  Company founded in Esslingen

  [1]Pilz (company)en.wikipedia.org

  Hermann Pilz founded the business as a glass-blowing company in Esslingen, Germany. Early products included technical glass apparatus for medical technology and mercury relays for industrial applications.

Pilz positions itself as a specialist in safe automation and machinery safety, combining safety-related control hardware with automation systems, industrial communication, engineering services, risk assessment, and training.

• Safety relays · 1987

  PNOZ

  PNOZ is Pilz's safety-relay family, introduced in 1987. It is associated with monitoring safety functions such as emergency stops and with interrupting or controlling machine operation when a hazardous condition is detected. The product line became a defining part of Pilz's safety-automation identity and represents the company's move from general industrial relay technology into dedicated machinery-safety control.

• Control systems · 1990

  PSS

  PSS refers to Pilz control systems developed during the 1990s. The systems extended the company's offering beyond standalone safety relays into programmable and integrated control applications. They supported Pilz's broader role in industrial automation, where safety functions and machine-control functions may need to operate together within an overall control architecture.

• Industrial sensors and safety devices

  Pilz sensor technology

  Pilz's sensor-related offerings support the detection and monitoring functions required in safe industrial machinery. They form part of a broader portfolio that complements safety relays and control systems by helping identify access, position, presence, or other operating conditions relevant to machine protection.

• Industrial networking and wireless systems

  Pilz industrial communication systems

  Pilz supplies industrial bus and wireless systems as part of its automation portfolio. These technologies support communication between control, monitoring, and field devices in industrial environments, extending the brand's offer beyond discrete safety components toward connected machine-control systems.

• Engineering, assessment, and training services

  Machinery-safety services

  Pilz provides machinery-safety services including risk assessments and training courses. These offerings address the practical and organizational aspects of safe machine design and operation, complementing the company's hardware and control technologies with specialist advice and professional education.

• 1990

  Development of PSS control systemsGeneration change

  Background

  The company sought to broaden its activities beyond individual safety relays and electronic monitoring devices.

  Action taken

  Pilz developed PSS control systems during the 1990s for broader industrial-control applications.

  Aftermath

  The move expanded Pilz's role in integrated automation while preserving its emphasis on safety-related control.

  Source

• 1987

  Launch of the PNOZ safety relayProduct launch

  Background

  Pilz was expanding from electronic control and monitoring technology into dedicated machinery-safety applications.

  Action taken

  The company introduced PNOZ, a safety relay associated with emergency-stop and related safety-monitoring functions.

  Aftermath

  PNOZ became a central product family in Pilz's safety-automation portfolio and strengthened the company's specialist positioning.

  Source

1. 1Pilz (company)en.wikipedia.org
2. 2Pilz official websitepilz.com