Hans Beckhoff receives Rudolf Diesel Medal

Hans Beckhoff received this prestigious award in the "Most Successful Innovation Achievement" category at the award ceremony and medal presentation on July 10 at the MAN Museum in Augsburg, which recognizes him as a visionary and pioneer in automation technology.

The Rudolf Diesel Medal is one of the highest and most traditional awards for innovative achievement in Europe, recognizing the importance of innovation culture in Germany and highlighting the significance of inventiveness and entrepreneurial courage. It is awarded by the German Institute for Inventions and honors personalities and companies that have made a significant contribution to increasing the quality of life, prosperity and maintaining the culture of innovation in Germany and are therefore also an inspiring force for the next generation of engineers and entrepreneurs.

Hans Beckhoff shapes the industry with his inventive spirit

The Rudolf Diesel Board of Trustees, consisting of around 60 leading technology directors and managing directors of medium-sized global market leaders, sees Hans Beckhoff as a visionary and pioneer who embodies the values of the Rudolf Diesel Medal in a special way through his entrepreneurial convictions and strong social commitment. The jury honored Hans Beckhoff in the "Most Successful Innovation Achievement" category. This category is not only about innovative strength, but also about the overall economic impact of the company.

Since the company was founded in 1980, Hans Beckhoff's aspirations have been regularly reflected in technical innovations and revolutions, many of which have developed into global market standards in automation and have had a lasting impact on the industry.

With the idea of PC-based control technology in 1985 and its market launch in 1986, Hans Beckhoff initiated a paradigm shift in automation that revolutionized previous principles and made the family-owned company an industry leader among medium-sized companies. With his tireless commitment to innovation and ability to turn visionary ideas into commercial success, his company has developed into a leading technology manufacturer in the field of automation technology. He continues to shape the industry with innovative solutions and sets new standards that drive the integration of IT technologies into automation. Beckhoff currently employs around 5,300 people in 41 subsidiaries and representative offices worldwide and achieved a turnover of 1.17 billion euros in 2024.

Laudator Prof. Dr. Gunther Herr, Professor of Comprehensive Business Innovation Strategies at Steinbeis University Berlin and Scientific Advisor to the Diesel Medal Board of Trustees, sees the basis of this 45-year success in Hans Beckhoff's technical and entrepreneurial foresight, his innovative and pioneering thinking and his continuous creative power. He has built up an owner-managed company that is supported by family values and is characterized above all by trust and the courage to innovate. With PC-based control, Beckhoff has established automation as the basic technology for products in many areas of society and continues to push the boundaries of performance throughout the industry.

Beckhoff technology - with software-based instead of hardware-based control technology, the integration of IT and automation technology, ultra-fast and reliable communication technology, highly optimized drive technology and deep embedding of AI functionality - is successfully used by many customers worldwide to control state-of-the-art production machines, buildings, technical processes, scientific experiments and even large stage shows.

Message to the younger generation: "Inventing is fun"

"I feel very honored and thank the Board of Trustees for this recognition," says Hans Beckhoff and continues. "Since the company was founded in 1980, we have set ourselves the goal of presenting evolutionary technologies every year and launching a genuine revolution on the market every five to seven years. I have stuck to this guiding principle for 45 years now." He goes on to describe his inventive spirit: "The world is big and colorful and offers many opportunities. As an entrepreneur, you 'only' have to seize the opportunities on offer, recognize forward-looking technologies and trends and create progress with your own inventions. I am proud of our innovative spirit and the resulting technologies." In his acceptance speech on the evening of the award ceremony, Hans Beckhoff said: "The Rudolf Diesel Medal awarded to me today is of course not for me alone, but also for our entire company. Over 600 developers and product managers work in product development every day on new, advanced automation products and over 2,000 employees worldwide work close to our customers, supporting our users and listening to their wishes and requirements. Our customers have therefore also contributed to our inventive success - through their feedback on our products, but also through their own ideas. This partnership-based cooperation is what sets us apart and gives us great pleasure." Hans Beckhoff and his company are currently working on the Automation Brain, which is intended to give the machine its own intelligence and personality, similar to the human brain. Hans Beckhoff emphasizes: "So there is still a lot of potential for innovation in automation."

Hans Beckhoff also has a message for the next generation of engineers: "Inventing is fun. That eureka moment when an idea takes shape and becomes clear or something works for the first time is a wonderful experience. Don't give up and keep working on your inventions - it's worth it for that moment alone!"