But back to the "FPS 76". It became a great success and, in the years that followed, became used for injection molding machines in testing, transport and logistics facilities in Japan, the USA, Sweden, Italy and France. No wonder that the groundbreaking success of the new technology inspired many companies and people: Today, the European market for programmable logic controllers, or PLCs as they are often referred to, and the industry's leading annual trade fair, the "Smart Production Solutions (SPS)" in Nuremberg, are home to more than 300 PLC suppliers - a clear indication of how diverse the fields of application are and how great the advantages of SPS are.

And there are constantly more. In the early days, the main focus was on the advantages of installation, such as significantly less assembly and wiring work, and also significantly lower material costs compared to control concepts with relays. Modern SPS also have the advantage of featuring constantly new technological functionalities which are now far beyond their basic functions of monitoring, controlling and regulating sensors and actuators. Over the years, programmable logic controllers have developed from basically being nothing more than a computer designed for the specific task of ‘controlling’ to real engineering tools.

In addition, modern PLCs have the possibility of being easily and quickly accessed from any place in the system through the use of remote service and diagnosis - which significantly eases upgrades or troubleshooting and saves immense time and expense, naturally. Due to these serious advantages, digitally based programmable logic controllers (PLCs) have almost completely superseded hardwired relay-based wired programmable logic controllers, sometimes referred to as connection-programmed controllers.

But back to the beginnings and Berghof: The know-how in the field of programmable logic control systems will soon bear more fruit. At the beginning of the 1980s, the company also established itself as a developer of software solutions for logistics facilities. Later, its electric suspension tracks added a further pillar, especially for global auto manufacturing. Here, Berghof has an important unique selling point with its own powertrack concept - a unique conductor system for the safe transfer of communication data with special custom software package.

Speaking of software: Berghof is also a real pioneer in the area of automation software - specifically, in the area of CODESYS. As early as 1995, the company decided to use a completely new software concept for the development of “CANtrol” - a decentralized, CAN bus-based, modular industrial control system. The PLC pioneer was also among the first and most experienced partners of 3S and its CODESYS, which meanwhile has been established as an internationally tested engineering tool and the world standard for many manufacturers. Berghof also had the right ‘feeler’ for software, in addition to hardware.

A look at the Berghof Automation company today shows: The pioneering achievement of the FPS 76, by Friedrich Arnold, Richard Häußermann and their former development team, created a solid foundation for a company which, in more than 40 years, has earned itself an outstanding reputation in almost all application areas and in the most diverse industries, above all through its flexibility and comprehensive range of services: Consulting, design, development of new system solutions, technology, software and support - Berghof offers its customers everything from a single source. Furthermore, these are offered worldwide thanks to its network of qualified and certified experts in control technology - the "Berghof Certified Partners".

As one of the first companies in automation, Berghof has a unique pool of knowledge and a pronounced service mentality. In order to guarantee optimum quality at all times, the company maintains the entire process chain - from brainstorming and development to careful product testing and certification - at its headquarters in Eningen near Stuttgart rather than outsourcing it. The customers of Berghof Automation and Control Solutions, many of whom have been with us for a long time, appreciate the advantages of this corporate structure which is geared towards direct exchange: Highly qualified and excellently coordinated teams, sophisticated process sequences, close coordination of all process results with short decision-making paths and implementation times are all combined with in-house production.

Added to this, Berghof intentionally avoids proprietary solutions and instead consistently use the open standard of CODESYS which offers our customers many advantages - such as, the easy upgrading and downgrading between the individual CODESYS versions. In addition, our programmable logic controllers use Linux as the operating system with real-time expansion, so that various software modules can be easily combined and processed deterministically.

Thus, what the founding fathers Richard Häußermann and Friedrich Arnold had as a maxim is still valid today: "There are many who offer off-the-shelf products - with Berghof, you get individuality." And that can be understood literally: Numerous leading players in the industry rely on Berghof's extensive experience and wide range of customizing services. It is no problem at all for Berghof to produce a control system for customers according to a given design or functionality. In addition, we have developed a guided process specifically for this purpose so that we are in a position to realize custom products in the shortest possible time.

And this special feature remains important: Although PLC suppliers are constantly bringing new standard controllers onto the market, an individually tailored programmable logic controller is still better for many projects. This is why Berghof will continue to offer class instead of mass in the future and will not swim with the flow, but will continue to consistently pursue its own path.

Just as it should be for real pioneers.