At an official ceremony at the company headquarters in Waldkirch on September 24, invited guests and companions from politics, business and science, together with the founding Sick family and the Management Board, paid tribute to the past 75 years and took a look into the future of Sick. A week earlier, Sick employees celebrated a multi-day outdoor music and culture festival.

75 years of sensor intelligence - a reason to celebrate

The ceremony began with a concert by the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra and a welcome address to the guests by Gisela Sick, widow of the company founder and Honorary Chairwoman of the Supervisory Board of Sick AG. In her speech, Gisela Sick provided insights into the beginnings of the sensor company founded by Dr. Erwin Sick in 1946, which were not always easy in post-war Germany. In personal greetings, Marion Gentges, Baden-Württemberg's Minister of Justice and Migration, Hanno Hurth, District Administrator of Emmendingen, and Roman Götzmann, Mayor of Waldkirch, emphasized the importance of Sick AG for the region.

Minister Marion Gentges paid tribute to the outstanding entrepreneurial success story of Sick AG on behalf of the state government. She said: "Sick AG is a driver of innovation in and for Baden-Württemberg, and a remarkable success story has developed on the foundations of Erwin and Gisela Sick's ingenuity and inventiveness, as well as their entrepreneurial vision and social responsibility. My heartfelt congratulations to the global corporation, which impressively demonstrates its roots in the region through its exemplary willingness to provide training and its social commitment, among other things."

District Administrator Hanno Hurth emphasized the importance of the company for the district of Emmendingen: "Since I took office in 2003, I have been able to accompany Sick's successful company history in the district of Emmendingen. The sustained innovative strength over decades, high job quality and far-sighted management make the family business a constant and important driving force for the region."

Mayor Roman Götzmann emphasized the long-standing trusting relationship between the company and the town of Waldkirch: "The town of Waldkirch has always had a reliable partner in Sick AG, and we also want to continue to be a reliable partner for you. I would like to thank you for the decades of good cooperation at many different levels. The Sick Group is highly motivated for the future. We wish all employees every success with the next milestones."

Dr. Robert Bauer, who had been CEO of Sick AG since 2006, was bid farewell at the ceremony. Both the founding Sick family and the Management Board thanked him for his extremely successful commitment to the company. For decades, Dr. Robert Bauer played a key role in shaping the Sick Group's innovation leadership and continuous, sustainable growth. On October 1, 2021, Dr. Mats Gökstorp, a long-standing member of the Management Board of Sick AG, will take over as Chairman of the Management Board. At the request of the owner family, Dr. Robert Bauer will serve as Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Sick AG from May 2022.

"Dr. Bauer has balanced the long-term focus of innovative technologies and short-term operational measures very well and successfully kept Sick on course for growth. On behalf of the entire Executive Board team, the management and all our employees worldwide: thank you very much for your vision, your passion and your people orientation," said Dr. Mats Gökstorp.

Gisela Sick also paid tribute to the commitment of the outgoing CEO of Sick AG: "The fact that a company with excellent technology is best managed by an engineer has proven to be true with the rapid development of the company under the leadership of Dr. Bauer. A big thank you to Dr. Bauer for his achievements. We are delighted that you will remain associated with our company as Chairman of the Supervisory Board. I wish his successor, Dr. Gökstorp, a good start and continued prosperity for Sick AG."

From "start-up" to global corporation

The horrors of the Second World War were still reverberating when Erwin Sick, born in Heilbronn in 1909, set up his own engineering office in Vaterstetten on September 26, 1946. The trained optician had the vision of combining precise optics and intelligent electronics for industrial applications. What began as a "start-up" in a shack near Munich quickly developed into one of the leading companies for automation technology thanks to Erwin Sick's pioneering work and passion.

Protecting people has been a top priority since the company was founded: whether in the development of the world's first accident prevention light curtain to improve the working conditions of factory workers - or the principle that Sick sensor technology should not be used for military purposes, which still applies today. Erwin Sick's inventive spirit inspired the young company, which moved to its current headquarters in Waldkirch near Freiburg in 1956: the world's first flue gas density meter was developed at Sick in the 1950s and was a milestone in environmental measurement technology. Numerous innovations followed and have been continued by the sensor experts at Sick to this day, even after Erwin Sick's death in 1988. Gisela Sick, widow of the company founder and Honorary Chairwoman of the Supervisory Board of Sick AG, has always accompanied this success story. The second and third generations of the founding Sick family are also closely associated with the company and ensure the stability and long-term orientation of the Sick family business through their personal commitment on the Supervisory Board.

Digital solutions for the 21st century

More than 10,000 Sick employees worldwide develop, produce and sell sensor solutions that form the basis for more sustainable business: energy-efficient production and process control, punctual logistics services, better accident protection and advanced solutions for alternative energy generation, among other things. Everyone encounters Sick sensors almost every day, which work in the background to ensure safe, efficient and clean processes. The resulting data is becoming increasingly important and offers new growth opportunities for Sick, in addition to its core business of sensor production. Sick's digital solutions for industrial automation with series products, systems and services are paving the way for digitalization and Industry 4.0.