Congratulations on 70 years of Endress+Hauser! Looking back: What was the most significant technological development of your company?

It's not so easy to say, because Endress+Hauser has seen many pioneering developments in 70 years - starting with the capacitive level sensors that our founder Georg H. Endress launched on the market: from the first Coriolis flowmeter with a straight measuring tube to the contactless, digital 'Memosens' technology for liquid analysis and the self-calibrating 'TrustSens' thermometer. But if you look at market success and benefits, then the 'Liquiphant' probably deserves this label. Our level limit switch has probably prevented hundreds of thousands of tanks from overfilling and just as many pumps from running dry!

The 'iTherm' temperature transmitter 'TMT82' is Endress+Hauser's best-selling product today. It enables the optimum evaluation of sensor signals.

© Endress+Hauser

What is the roadmap for the next ten to 15 years?

We want to continue to grow organically above average. Our strategy helps us to make the right decisions - for example, to focus our sales and services even better on our customers around the world, to use the opportunities offered by digitalization in our products and processes, to drive forward our strategy for analysis in the laboratory and process - and to continue to inspire young talent and experienced specialists to work at Endress+Hauser in the future. As a family business, we are currently experiencing how the third generation is taking on responsibility. No member of the family will be working operationally in the company for the foreseeable future, but our shareholder family will remain closely connected to Endress+Hauser and will have a formative influence through the Board of Directors, for example.

What technological trends do you see that are or will be important for Endress+Hauser?

Digitalization remains a driver on many levels. We are only just beginning to tap into the potential in most areas of the process industries. Ethernet APL will certainly be a booster here. Bluetooth technology and apps are already making it easier to operate and configure our devices. Our 'Heartbeat Technology' enables entry into predictive maintenance through device diagnostics and verification. Cloud solutions and smart algorithms open the door to new applications such as our 'QWX43' fermentation monitor. We also see great potential in optical analysis methods. Inline measurements with Raman spectroscopy, for example, are becoming increasingly useful in more and more applications.

What do you think will be the biggest challenge in the coming years, in terms of business and/or technology?

Geopolitical tensions, with their impact on supply chains and open access to markets, present us with challenges, as do demographic developments - the keyword here is the shortage of skilled workers. But the biggest challenge for our society, the process industries and our company is sustainability, especially climate protection. It is about producing the energy we need - many times more than we consume worldwide today - in a climate-neutral, safe and reliable way. At the same time, however, this is also the biggest opportunity we have. We want to support our customers in decarbonizing their plants and processes, implementing new concepts for the circular economy and achieving maximum energy and resource efficiency. At the same time, we have set out to reduce our own_{carbon footprint} step by step. All of this must be achieved without neglecting economic success - only then can we assume ecological responsibility and provide social security. We can and want to help ensure that our world remains worth living in!