A billion-dollar company powered by a pioneering spirit and technological innovation
Since he founded Beckhoff Automation in 1980, Hans Beckhoff (70), Managing Director, has consistently focused on innovation in the automation of machines, buildings, and energy supply, among other elements. On January 29, 2025, he was honored for his entrepreneurial achievements by Handelsblatt (a German business newspaper), KPMG, and the Stiftung Familienunternehmen (the Foundation for Family Business) and inducted into the Hall of Fame for Family Businesses.
At the ceremony in Munich, Hans Beckhoff was honored in front of more than 170 family entrepreneurs. He has kept the rate of innovations at his technology company high for 45 years, which is not easy to do. He is driving the digital transformation, rather than being driven by it. Nor has he lost sight of the global challenges of our time, such as climate change. Hans Beckhoff has seen that advanced automation technology is hugely significant here; it lays the foundations for improving sustainability, along with energy and resource efficiency, in line with Beckhoff’s motto: “Engineers must save the world!”.
The company’s claim to be a technology leader is consistently reflected in its technical innovations, which have even proved revolutionary – many have become global market standards in automation. A prime example of this is the fundamental Beckhoff philosophy of PC-based control technology, which harnesses the enormous developmental power of the IT world for industrial applications. Automation and IT converge in PC-based control, which Beckhoff launched on the market back in 1986 and is now indispensable in a wide range of industries, such as the packaging, semiconductor, and automotive industries, and is specifically implemented for high-performance applications. Another milestone is the bus terminal, fieldbus technology in terminal block format, which was introduced in 1995. This basic building block of automation made it possible to implement powerful compact, modular, and finely granular control solutions tailored to individual requirements.
In 2003, Beckhoff launched the ultra-fast EtherCAT communication system, which has developed into a pivotal world standard for high performance automation. Today, over 8,000 companies from around the globe belong to the EtherCAT Technology Group and support this fascinating technology. Though Beckhoff is renowned for its innovations and revolutions, its system concept remains ingrained. Control tasks are solved end-to-end with Beckhoff technology today: from the modular TwinCAT control software including artificial intelligence functions, powerful industrial PCs, and EtherCAT, to modular I/O components, flexible drive technology, and intelligent product transport, through to machine vision and control cabinet-free automation with a comprehensive hardware and software portfolio.
Hans Beckhoff has also passed on his enthusiasm for automation and innovation on to the next generation: his children, Frederike and Johannes Beckhoff, have held leading positions in the company for several years. 45 years after its foundation, Beckhoff Automation thus remains a family business and will continue to be so into the future.
