Difficult environment mastered in the 2024 financial year

The family-owned company is looking to the future, even if the outlook for 2025 remains cautious. There are prospects in particular in markets such as China, India and South America, in the rail technology and hydrogen sectors and in the service business.

"Like many other companies, we have been noticeably affected by the persistently weak demand for capital goods. Nevertheless, we remain focused on the future. The world is changing, we remain true to ourselves and are also changing," explains Susanne Kunschert, Managing Partner of Pilz GmbH & Co KG.

The turnover of 341.1 million euros achieved in the 2024 financial year means a decline in turnover for the first time after three years of significant growth. Compared to 2023, Pilz recorded a drop of 21 percent. Turnover fell significantly in Europe in particular, especially in Germany. The export share rose to 79% (up 4.6 percentage points compared to 2023).

"Putting the customer back at the center"

"In all discussions about structural change, digitalization strategies and excessive bureaucracy, our industry must ensure that it does not lose sight of the customer and their needs. They must be the focus.
For Pilz, customer orientation not only means having good technical solutions, but also being on site to provide advice and training. We are at the service of the customer," explains Susanne Kunschert.

In line with market requirements, the number of employees at Pilz increased slightly, particularly in the areas of sales and services: as at December 31, 2024, the company employed 2,504 people worldwide (+ 1.1% compared to 2023). The number of employees in Germany also rose slightly to 1,032 (+ 1.6 percent compared to 2023).

Addressing future industries

In addition to traditional mechanical engineering, the company also addresses future sectors such as rail technology and the hydrogen industry: the digital rail control system PSSrail, which was introduced last year, has been successfully established in many European countries as well as in India.
With its automation solutions, Pilz makes the safe and economical use of hydrogen possible - from production, storage and transportation through to delivery to filling stations.

In the sensor technology product group, Pilz is launching new products on the market in 2025 that will not only make machine processes safer, but also more efficient. At the same time, the company is also testing the use of artificial intelligence, which poses a particular challenge for machinery safety applications.

Pilz is also expanding its range of services and training. One focus here is on the topic of industrial security. For example, Pilz is training its customers in the implementation of the new legal requirements for industrial security that are being imposed on industry at EU level by the Machinery Regulation, Cyber Resilience Act and NIS 2.

The automation company will also use new digital cloud services to support its customers in operating their machines safely, securely, efficiently and in compliance with standards.

"Good future prospects for safety and security"

Kunschert: "The year 2025 has so far shown a slight increase in turnover - albeit starting from a low level. Forecasts on how demand will develop are difficult due to the overall economic situation. However, we see good future prospects for our innovative solutions that ensure the safety of people, machines and the environment, particularly in Asia and the Americas."