SICK, a leading provider of sensor-based applications in the industrial sector, has formalised a strategic partnership with Endress+Hauser, a prominent measurement and automation technology specialist. This collaboration aims to enhance process automation capabilities by incorporating SICK’s advanced gas analysis and flow measurement technologies into Endress+Hauser’s extensive instrumentation portfolio. The partnership promises to bolster support for customers in the process industry, particularly in increasing plant efficiency, protecting the environment, and ultimately reducing carbon footprints.
The initiative, which was reported by Decarbonisation Technology, involves a significant organisational transition, with approximately 800 sales and service employees from SICK set to become part of Endress+Hauser across 42 countries. This integration is expected to offer customers access to a more comprehensive range of products from a single source while benefiting from a heightened focus on gas measurement technology.
A joint venture named Endress+Hauser SICK GmbH+Co. KG has been established for the development and production of gas analyzers and flowmeters, with both companies holding a 50 percent stake in the entity from 1 March 2025. The joint venture will employ around 730 people across various German locations, collaborating closely with Endress+Hauser’s established product centres to drive innovation and adapt to emerging market requirements.
The transition plan has been meticulously prepared over several months, ensuring a seamless integration of gas measurement sales and service teams into Endress+Hauser. As of 1 January 2025, Endress+Hauser will market SICK’s gas analysis and flow measurement technology exclusively on a global scale. However, due to technical factors, the transition in China will occur on 1 March 2025, while Turkey and Saudi Arabia are expected to see a transfer of sales and service in the first quarter of 2025.
Commenting on the strategic alliance, Dr Peter Selders, CEO of the Endress+Hauser Group, remarked, “This partnership is a perfect match. It creates new opportunities for growth and development, particularly in the sustainable transformation of the process industry. By joining forces, we offer added value to our customers. Our combined efforts will make us faster and ultimately more successful than if we acted alone. In this case, one and one equals more than two.”
Dr Mats Gökstorp, chairman of the executive board of SICK AG, expressed enthusiasm for the partnership, stating, “Together, we can better support customers worldwide and guide them into a sustainable future with leading technological solutions. We are convinced that the transformation of the process industry offers enormous opportunities for growth and development, which we will optimally leverage as strong partners.”
The two companies have a longstanding history of collaboration on various projects and customer interactions, particularly in sectors that require gas measurement technologies such as waste incineration, power generation, steelworks, cement works, and the oil and gas industry. These technologies play a crucial role in emissions monitoring and the measurement of gas flows, including natural gas and hydrogen, thus contributing significantly to ongoing efforts to monitor and reduce environmental impact.
Both SICK and Endress+Hauser, being family-owned companies, share similar corporate values and cultures. Their formal cooperation began with a signed memorandum of understanding in autumn 2023 followed by a cooperation agreement in the summer of 2024.
It is noteworthy that while this strategic partnership focuses on process automation and gas measurement technologies, SICK’s core business in factory and logistics automation, which constitutes over 80 percent of its sales, remains unaffected by this new collaboration.
Source: Noah Wire Services