Over six eventful decades, Endress+Hauser has grown from a small business to one of the largest suppliers of services, solutions and instrumentation worldwide. Now the company is championing the digitalisation of industry with new technology to help customers take control of their processes. That expertise is also being put to good use to keep plants up and running despite coronavirus restrictions.

In 1953, two men joined forces to set up a new company from an apartment in Lörrach, Germany: one was the Swiss engineer Georg H Endress; the other was German bank manager Ludwig Hauser. Just 29 years old, Endress clearly saw the opportunities that the new electronic level measurement technology had to offer. Until then, measured values had to be taken by hand. The experienced banker Hauser took a careful approach to business and steered the company safely through the turbulent early years.

The company grew steadily: by 1960 Endress+Hauser had founded its first foreign company, in the Netherlands, and in 1968 the UK sales centre opened. Today, Endress+Hauser is a global player, with net sales in 2019 of 2.6 billion euros and a workforce of over 14,300 worldwide. The company is a leading supplier of products, solutions and services for industrial process measurement and automation. It offers comprehensive solutions for flow, level, pressure, analysis, temperature, recording and digital communications across a wide range of industries, optimising processes in terms of economic efficiency, safety and environmental protection.

The UK arm of Endress+Hauser recently celebrated its 50th anniversary. As well as being a sales and service centre, the Manchester site is a manufacturing base for temperature sensors, primary flow elements and other bespoke engineered solutions. A state-of-the-art training centre for customers and staff was opened in 2013.

Success during hard times

Endress+Hauser has experienced both turbulent times and rampant growth over the years. However, sustainable success has been at its core throughout. As a family-owned company, the focus has always been on long-term stability and changing things for the better, and the approach to the latest crisis is no different. The company took immediate and comprehensive measures in response to the coronavirus pandemic, with the health of employees, customers, partners and the public its priority. The global production network is up and running, albeit with slightly longer delivery times for some products. Many employees continue to work from home, but this does not affect availability or performance.

Digital tools bridge the physical distance

For customers, keeping their industrial plants up and running during the pandemic is one of the biggest challenges they have ever faced. Endress+Hauser is committed to supporting them through the difficulties caused by social distancing requirements and travel restrictions. Through its innovative SightCall Visual Support app, the company can support customers remotely with no infection risk or need for extra risk assessments.

In the event of a breakdown or urgent problem on site, Endress+Hauser’s live video troubleshooting service can help. The app allows Endress+Hauser engineers to see the instrument, talk customers through the issue and help them to resolve it. It also enables commissioning and routine maintenance to be carried out remotely. If the problem can’t be resolved on the call, other levels of support are available, including returning the instrument to the workshop for diagnosis and repair or sending an engineer to site.

Harnessing new technology to improve processes has long been Endress+Hauser’s mission. For several years now, the company has championed the digitalisation of industry, developing new tools to make processes more efficient and reliable. At the heart of this is Netilion: a group of apps that make all field instruments and their data accessible from anywhere. The apps help users to carry out tasks such as capturing and managing all the instruments in their plant, organising device documentation or monitoring the instrument’s status and responding to faults. The aim is to bring the simplicity and convenience that digitalisation provides us in our private lives – whether that’s shopping online, booking train tickets, controlling the lights at home or numerous other uses for internet-based technology – to the process industry as well.

Long-term partnership

Having weathered many storms since those early days in a backroom in Germany, Endress+Hauser is confident that it will emerge from the coronavirus crisis stronger than before. The company’s sustainable business model means that it will be around to support customers for many years to come. Far from being just an instrumentation supplier, Endress+Hauser is committed to helping its customers to improve quality, increase productivity and use fewer resources: in essence, to make smarter decisions. Find out how you can begin to unlock the potential of your assets here: www.smarter-decisions.co.uk