About Hilscher
Hilscher – The company
For 40 years the name Hilscher has stood for trendsetting automation solutions. Since its founding, our family-owned company has grown to one of the world's leading suppliers of industrial communications solutions, including 12 subsidiaries in different countries, comprised of approx. 430 employees.
We support our global customers with innovative products and services for integrating their devices, machines and plants into their networks. Our solutions stand for quality, efficiency and flexibility—from PC-based Real-Time Ethernet and fieldbus networks to edge solutions and the cloud. We develop and manufacture our own products throughout the entire value chain, ensuring the highest level of professionalism and expertise, the best support and maximum availability.
Our philosophy is to identify and implement new trends at the earliest stages while also continuously developing our industry-leading technology. This strategy has already led us to successfully support countless partners in all areas of industrial communication.
Hilscher in numbers
About Hilscher History
Hans-Jürgen Hilscher: Founder
Industrial Communication since 1986
Founding Hilscher Gesellschaft für Systemautomation mbH in 1986 as a small engineering office in his own garage, Hans-Jürgen Hilscher successfully transformed his idea of flexible industrial communication into a multinational automation company. After more than 33 years at the helm of the company, Hans-Jürgen Hilscher handed over the reins to his son Sebastian Hilscher in 2020.
1987
Our future CEO, in the office on his mother Renate Hilscher’s lap — Commercial Head during the company’s first two decades, and a driving force in its early growth.
1989
Technological beginnings and the first customer-specific developments: A configurable machine terminal with Bit-BUS or PROFIBUS interface.
1989
Hilscher has been on a continuous growth path since its founding.
1990
The SPS trade fair in Nuremberg in its first year—always a place to be for the automation industry, with Hilscher participating from the very beginning.
1991
The first network installation—celebrated with a bottle of sparkling wine.
1991
A glimpse into the early production processes in Hattersheim.
1995
The INTERBUS master sparked great interest among visitors at the SPS/IPC/Drives trade fair.
1995
Hilscher Innovation Award for developing the smallest INTERBUS master in 1995.
1997
Hilscher already had a distributor in Switzerland by 1997. On March 14, 2003, Hilscher Swiss GmbH, based in Solothurn, was officially entered in the commercial register.
1999
Hilscher and the SPS trade fair continue to grow together with the automation industry.
2000
Relocation to a newly constructed building at Rheinstrasse 15, Hattersheim—more space to grow!
2000
Always staying close to the market and customer needs with a pioneering spirit.
2000
Professionalization of trade fairs and Hilscher’s presence—with new signature red ties.
2005
Hilscher SoC Technology GmbH was founded as Hilscher’s SoC development office in July 2005.
2006
The sales unit in Shanghai, China, was established on October 1, 2006.
2006
Launch of the first netX: A multi-protocol controller for fieldbus and real-time Ethernet technology—a groundbreaking innovation in the market. Since then, it has become the core of Hilscher products in various generations, successfully deployed in over 20 million network nodes worldwide, forming the heart of multi-network industrial communication.
2007
Global strategic alignment at the CEO meeting at Hilscher’s headquarters in Hattersheim—by now with additional offices worldwide.
2009
Due to the economic crisis, the expansion of the new company building had to be put on hold.
2013
The building was completed and put into operation—providing more space for future growth!
2015
The beginnings of IIoT—Hilscher showcased a live demo of a bottling plant at the SPS trade fair.
2020
Hans-Jürgen Hilscher hands over leadership of the company to his son, Sebastian Hilscher.
2022
Hilscher shines in a new light with a rebranding—new corporate design, new corporate identity. Transformation and development become visible in fresh shapes, colors, values, mission, and vision, driving Hilscher into a new era.
2023
The new identity is fully embraced within the company and its technology. New challenges, such as cybersecurity, are tackled with cutting-edge netX generations—demonstrating Hilscher’s expertise, drive, and innovation. The company experiences a record-breaking year.
2024
Hilscher continuously grows internationally.
Our management team
Sebastian Hilscher –
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Chief Executive Officer Sebastian Hilscher is responsible for the strategic direction and development of Hilscher. With a background in industrial communication technology and sound experience as a software engineer, he has made a significant contribution to the development of the company in various management roles - most recently as Chief Technology Officer with a focus on innovation and technology.
Thomas Rauch –
Chief Technology Officer (CTO)
Chief Technology Officer Thomas Rauch is in charge of Hilscher's technological strategy. He has extensive experience in the development of industrial software solutions and system architectures. Before joining Hilscher, he headed the software products division at FNT GmbH and was responsible for the development of scalable IT and network management solutions.
Dr. Fabian Debus –
Chief Operations Officer (COO)
Chief Operations Officer Dr. Fabian Debus is responsible for quality, infrastructure and purchasing in addition to production. He contributes his extensive experience and expertise from over 15 years in these areas, which he has gained primarily in various functions and business areas of the Heraeus Group.
Christian Tepper –
Chief Marketing and Sales Officer (CMO & CSO)
Chief Marketing and Sales Officer Christian Tepper is responsible for sales, marketing and product management. He has extensive experience in business and strategy development as well as in corporate management. He has built up his expertise in the automation industry over many years in leading positions within the Endress+Hauser Group, where he played a key role in market development and strategic orientation.
Milestones
1986: Foundation
- Foundation of Hilscher Gesellschaft für Systemautomation mbH in Hattersheim near Frankfurt
- The headquarters of Hilscher
- Combined development, production, sales, and support
2002: USA
- First international office in Chicago, USA
- Expansion into the important North American market
- Development, sales, support
2001 – 2003: Europe
- Offices in Italy, France and Switzerland
- Expansion of the sales and support network in Europe
- Further expansion of development operations
2005 & 2007: Development and Research
- New location in Berlin
- Dedicated business unit for SoC design
- New location in Varna, Bulgaria
- Testing and software development
2005 – 2009: Asia
- Expansion to China, Japan, India and South Korea
- Emerging Asian markets are becoming increasingly important
- Development of new sales and support channels
2021: Austria and CIIT
- Strategic research partnership with Hilscher's own location at CENTER FOR INDUSTRIAL IT in Lemgo, Germany
- New sales location in Linz
- Hilscher's own site in each country of the D-A-CH region (Germany-Austria-Switzerland)
Hilscher facts
Everything for your communication
5 network controllers, 5 different embedded modules, PC cards in 10 form factors, 6 gateway categories as well as numerous other solutions and services related to industrial communication—Our netX technology for fieldbuses and Real-Time Ethernet is an absolute unique selling point in the automation market.
Deployed around the world
12 locations in 10 countries on 3 continents—Hilscher is well-represented in all major markets with its own subsidiaries. This allows us to provide our customers with on-site service to meet their specific needs.
Certified according to recognized international standards
ISO 9001 and ISO 14001—Our business practices are compliant with recognized quality and sustainability standards. This is demonstrated by our integrated management system.
Decades of experience
1986 – Our extensive expertise is based on more than three decades of setting industry standards and trends.
Ready for the future
Industry 4.0 – Our comprehensive netFIELD ecosystem sets the course for smart edge and cloud solutions, laying the foundation for the smart factory of tomorrow.
Family – our core values
2. Generation – Hilscher is a second-generation family business. After more than 33 years, company founder Hans-Jürgen Hilscher handed over the overall responsibility to his son Sebastian, in 2020.
Mission and vision
Related Links
Industrial communication is in constant flux. New trends emerge, old technologies become obsolete. If you want to be successful, you have to stay on the ball. From fieldbus to industry 4.0, we've been driving innovation for 35 years.
Taking responsibility for our environment and for future generations is one of our core principles. That's why we're doing our part to tackle the greatest challenges of our time by implementing climate protection and sustainability measures.
As a family business, social values are deeply rooted in Hilscher's structure and mindset. In addition to our economic success, our corporate mission is to be a responsible corporate citizen and to do our part to contribute to society. It defines what we do everyday.