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Company History
- Dieter Busch, Company founder and member of the supervisory board
As is the case with many of today’s famous specialist companies, PRÜFTECHNIK’s current activities could not be recognized from the beginnings of the company with Dieter Busch in 1972: it started with the sales of rolling bearing monitoring devices from the Swedish company SPM.
Against a backdrop of significant technical advances, the sales program was rapidly expanded and PRÜFTECHNIK evolved from a sales company into a business with its own development and production.
In 1978 the company entered the fields of non-destructive testing and quality assurance. Eddy current testing systems developed by PRÜFTECHNIK were used to test tubes, rods and wires for defects during production.
In 1981 the maintenance sector was founded with inductive warming devices for the convenient assembly of rolling bearings and vibration measurement instruments for observing the operational behavior of rotating machines.
With its great success, the OPTALIGN laser optical alignment system - introduced in 1983 - was of considerable significance in the further development of PRÜFTECHNIK. For years, with its laser alignment systems, the company has occupied an undisputed leading position in this market segment and, with its enormous experience advantage, has become the worldwide recognized specialist in the field of machine maintenance which is still growing in importance.
In 1995 the way ahead was set for the expansion of the Condition Monitoring department: With new products and convincing application solutions, PRÜFTECHNIK was able to penetrate an apparently sewn up market in a short period of time and to capture an important share of the international market.
All products comply directly with the PRÜFTECHNIK strategy, of being solely active in relatively small market segments with innovative technologies. In fact, today more than 80% of the turnover was achieved with products which are no more than 4 years old. A substantial role in this is played by the development department which still makes up a quarter (!!) of the workforce.
From the very beginning, it was the objective of PRÜFTECHNIK to offer ‘very high tech’ to the world market. The high export quota –always the distinguishing feature of technically qualified products– was increased by expanding the number of representatives and subsidiaries in all continents. Today, this sector makes up approx. 78% of total production. PRÜFTECHNIK products are in daily use in 70 countries around the world.
Whether it is a nuclear power plant or dairy business, chemical giant or banking institution - the measurement technology of PRÜFTECHNIK AG is used in the maintenance departments of nearly all industrial sectors around the globe. And wherever machine drives are found - from the smallest pump to the most enormous turbine, this measurement technology makes its contribution to longer machine running times, better production and more environmental protection.
PRÜFTECHNIK products continue to receive prestigious national and international awards for exceptional functionality and top design: the title “Product of the Year” was awarded by Plant Engineering, Japan Maintenance conferred the “Prize of Excellence”, and Plant Engineering & Management presented the company with the “Best New Product” prize. PRÜFTECHNIK products were awarded with the coveted “iF seal by Industry Forum Design in Hannover, and the “Award for High Design Quality” was presented by the “Design Centre” of Nordrhein Westphalia.
Today around 400 people work in the PRÜFTECHNIK group. They all work together under the same company logo incorporating the initials of the company founder. This is a sign of the company roots and traditions and, at the same time, as well as an indication of the commitment to a purposeful objective:
Innovation and customer advantages
The readiness to constantly seek new technical solutions for the benefit of the customer has been retained by the employees of PRÜFTECHNIK AG. The tried and tested capability of a competent team achieved through long years of experience and the readiness to accept responsibility are complemented by the knowledge from the latest ideas of special intensive and innovative development activities. The solidarity of organic growth in the past combined with a future-oriented organizational structure that is close to the market also ensures flexibility for the success of a company that has always remained independent.
January 2008