It must be easier and quicker to use machines without having to spend a lot of time manually and without having to set all the parameters again and again. This challenge has been driving the specialists at Siko GmbH for 58 years in the development of position indicators and actuators. Their aim is to set up machines reliably, reproducibly and fully automatically and to control them remotely.

The beginnings of many of today's highly successful medium-sized companies often followed the same pattern: courageous individuals, mostly exclusively men in the 1950s or 1960s, demonstrate business acumen and seize an opportunity that arises in their professional environment. You set up a company and start developing and building new technology in the garage, in the cellar, even in their private homes. They pursued their goals with great motivation and perseverance for decades.

It was the same with Günther Wandres. When the drive technology company he managed was to be sold in 1963, he no longer saw any real prospects for himself there. Instead of a financial settlement, he decided to take over a small product group that was not part of the company's core business. Although the step into self-employment was not easy for him, he saw great potential in hand wheels with analogue position indicators, which at that time were mainly used for speed control on continuously variable transmissions.

Small but mighty

If a new dimension has to be set for a new product on a machine, the format is changed. The axes of packaging machines also need to be changed as soon as the dimensions of the product in question change. Günther Wandres had this in mind, and in the autumn of 1963, the first position indicators were installed in his brother-in-law's basement, which were immediately in great demand - initially in the timber industry, then later in general mechanical engineering and packaging machines.

Initially, however, the proceeds were not enough to feed the family. The mechanical engineer also took on design contracts of all kinds and also ran an industrial agency for geared motors. Incidentally, the name Siko goes back to this „Ssouth german Iindustry Contor Dr.-Ing. G. Wandres“.

The demand for position indicators quickly increased because they were Introduction of machine production were increasingly used in all areas of production. This had consequences: The company reached the limits of its capacity and, after a number of changes to the premises, a new company headquarters was finally found in Buchenbach in 1972. A new chapter in the success story was opened:

The beginnings of digitalisation

The company showed that there is another way to do things than with a handwheel with the introduction of its digital position indicators, which were first introduced to the market in 1976. The position value on the machine spindle could now be read digitally and with an accuracy of a tenth of a millimetre. A unique innovation at the time, which quickly proved itself on the market and was in high demand.

Mechanical engineering quickly found favour with the practical „orange siko counters“ and equipped the axles and spindles of carton erectors, labellers, filling and sealing machines. From then on, Siko was an indispensable part of any setting, packing and filling operation.

Siko increasingly devoted itself to the Development of electronic measuring systems for displacement and angle measurement. From 1982 onwards, the company's portfolio included a whole range of different electronic transducers and measurement displays.

International expansion and generational change

Measuring systems „made by Siko“ are now used in more than 50 countries. A subsidiary was founded in the USA back in 1980, followed by others in Italy (2001), Switzerland (2003), China (2005) and a sales office in Singapore (2012).

The keen awareness of the needs of the market and the special expertise continued in the second generation of entrepreneurs. In 1990, Horst Wandres, the youngest son of the founder, took over the management of the company, while his father gradually withdrew from the business.

The focus was now on measurement technology for path and angle detection in mechanical and plant engineering. Linear measuring systems as a supplement to the products based on the rotary measuring principle were the focus from then on. The New magnetic measuring expertise was integrated at Siko and was the basis for electronic position indicators, which the company launched on the market at the time, as well as Position indicators for linear slide adjustments, which have been in demand ever since, particularly in the packaging sector.

Automated axis adjustments

In 2001, the introduction of the new DriveLine product line, spindle drives for automated positioning, also heralded the age of automation at Siko. Solutions for automated axis adjustment were introduced to the market for use in packaging machines.

Position indicators, control knobs or spindle drives are practically omnipresent in the packaging sector: also on filling machines, film wrapping machines, end-of-line packaging and transport systems, weighing technology or inspection systems. In particular, they fulfil tasks in efficient machine set-up, even in the sensitive pharmaceutical sector.

Industry 4.0 and predictive maintenance

In order to meet the requirements for more intelligent and flexible solutions, the further development of peripheral components such as displays and actuators was actively promoted. In addition to the actual process data, the focus of these components was on the task of providing further information about the process. Operating status of a system to collect data. The aim was to automatically trigger measures such as warning messages or an automatic reduction in power as soon as limits were exceeded. The Topic self-diagnosis will become even more important for these peripheral components in the future. This may even extend to service life monitoring.

„Thanks to our innovative products and international focus, we believe we are ideally positioned in the market.“ Sven Wischnewski, Managing Director of Siko GmbH

In future, peripheral components such as position indicators and actuators will be able to collect even more data that will provide information about the overall application. This also requires increased connectivity. The existing Ethernet communication will be further expanded so that the devices can also communicate directly with the cloud. This means that Devices with IO-Link available. Thanks to comprehensive connectivity and the data collected, the foundations for Industry 4.0 applications are in place.

With technology centres for optimised sensor solutions

Did the current managing director Sven Wischnewski While Horst Wandres was responsible for the company's fortunes from August 2014, he has held this position alone since 2016. In 2017, it became clear that an extension was absolutely essential for the company's continued proven growth. For Wischnewski, this was the time to further expand the successful concept of technology-focused competence centres. The decision resulted in the construction of a new plant in Bad Krozingen.

Since commissioning at the beginning of 2020, the Company now with three technology centres for the areas of expertise of mechanical position indicators, electronic measurement and drive technology and magnetic measurement technology. Each of the technology areas independently implements compact and application-specific optimised sensor solutions quickly and efficiently for Siko customers in stationary and mobile mechanical engineering.

Smart format adjustment in the packaging and pharmaceutical industry