2021 was a historically successful year for the Tettnang-based family-owned company. The manufacturer of industrial sensor technology, image processing and safety technologies has achieved an annual turnover of over 100 million euros for the first time in the company’s history. Despite the ongoing difficult situation on the global procurement markets and the challenging coronavirus situation, the group, which employs around 1,000 people, was able to achieve its set target as early as mid-December last year. The international growth strategy as well as the sustainable promotion and recognition of innovation, markets and trends, are key factors in the success of the company.
“We are very proud to have significantly exceeded the sales mark of 100 million euros,” says wenglor Managing Director Fabian Baur. “This milestone was only possible through the dedication, passion and commitment of our employees all over the world – so our thanks goes to them.” More than two million products delivered in 2021 highlight one thing above all: wenglor products and technologies are in demand like never before. “In addition to the demand for high-performance sensor products, the demand for smart 2D/3D image processing technologies was unbelievably high last year. This meant that we were able to grow by more than 25 percent in total in the two divisions “CamTec” and “SensorTec”. Thanks to intelligent and forward-looking warehouse planning, we were able to meet this extensive demand seamlessly and even build up valuable stocks.” And the upward trend continues: In the first weeks of 2022, wenglor was already able to achieve an increase in sales of over 40 percent compared to the same period last year.
Asia and Europe Are Growing the Strongest
wenglor’s sales companies in Asia and Europe were the strongest growth drivers for the wenglor Group last year. wenglor recorded at least double-digit growth rates on all continents. The wenglor group now includes sales subsidiaries in 28 countries in Europe, Asia and America. Development and production sites in Munich, Sibiu (Romania), Samara (Russia), the Scottish town of Perth and the French town of La Chevrolière support the company headquarters in Tettnang. In summer 2021, wenglor announced the takeover of the Scottish-French lighting expert TPL Vision. New buildings in Tettnang and Munich (near the airport) will also be completed later this year in response to the increased number of employees and the production space required. For the first time, a separate canteen for employees is planned for the company headquarters in Tettnang.
Independence Pays Off
While coronavirus has been paralyzing numerous industries and sectors for over two years, others are blooming. Many years before Corona, wenglor had already set itself the goal of being as independent as possible from individual sectors. The company therefore not only supplies customers from the automotive and electronics industries, but also from the wood, metal, food, pharmaceutical, logistics, aviation and textile industries.
This strategy has now paid off. “While demand in the automotive industry dropped somewhat at times, sales exploded in the field of e-commerce, for example, and the associated intralogistics, as well as in the food and packaging industry. In addition, new markets such as alternative energies or recycling became increasingly important and recorded above-average growth rates,” explains Fabian Baur. “This meant that we were able to grow steadily and sustainably, independently of individual industries. For us, this independence means entrepreneurial freedom and long-term future security as an employer.”
Growth Drivers for Digitization, Sustainability and Industry 4.0
In addition to its international corporate structure, wenglor currently also benefits from its pioneering role in the fields of digitization, Industry 4.0 and sustainability. wenglor launched its new website with integrated e-commerce just last year, but the products themselves are also becoming increasingly networked and digital. “Intelligent interfaces, robotics, autonomous driving, AI and the Internet of Things (IoT) have long been a diverse part of our industry. We help to make these technologies accessible to our customers, to further develop them and thus to play a key role in shaping the future of the automation industry.”
For example, the combination of several functions in one sensor or low power consumption ensures active resource conservation and the latest production standards with environmentally-friendly technologies also contribute to a sustainable economy. Thanks to geothermal energy and photovoltaic systems, all wenglor buildings are now CO2-neutral. In-house employee events such as “Bike to work” and collaborations with cleantech companies such as Climeworks also ensure a significant reduction in greenhouse gases. The company’s own environmental label “weGreen” uses this comprehensive package of measures to establish a strong environmental awareness among employees and customers.