Schmersal

The Schmersal Group’s Beginnings

Founded shortly after the end of World War II in 1945, brothers Kurt Andreas and Ernst Schmersal partnered together to found a company initially manufacturing components used in the production of lifts. The next couple years saw their production shift from mechanically-operated electrical control devices.

As their product spectrum expanded they saw many of their devices were used in safety-relevant applications (e.g. explosion hazard zones).

Innovating their industry in 1969 they developed the first contactless magnetic switch.  As the budding automation landscape was forming, Schmersal’s focus on development and production of switchgear for machine and plant engineering, establishing themselves as one of the first companies to begin developing and manufacturing electronic proximity switches.

As a shift in generations, cousins Stefan and Heinz Schmersal took over and established the enterprise as it is mostly known today, “Safety in System: Protection for man and machine.”

Quality, Flexibility and Speed

Schmersal prides themselves on three core elements which are made up of the highest quality requirements, a wide product offering, and short delivery times. Their ability in offering a high vertical manufacturing range keeps them ahead of competition by employing some of the most advanced systems to produce their products 24/7.  Electronics are manufactured in the Wuppertal and Wettenberg production plants on several production lines that are equipped with state-of-the-art technology.

Schmersal manufactures a wide range of variants for almost all of their products. As such, their attention to detail for ensuring each product meets quality standards, a majority of their devices are assembled by hand. While some products employ automated assembly lines to produce.  All product is tested under extremely stringent conditions by equipment designed, developed and built by their own departments.

Schmersal has seven production plants on three continents, 1,800 employees worldwide. Their core business competencies are machine safety, automation, explosion protection, and hygienic design. The industries they serve are many and varied, but specialize elevators and escalators, packaging, food processing, machine tools, heavy industry, automobile and automotive.