Elco Industrie Automation

What Elco Industrie Automation does

Elco Industrie Automation GmbH is a German industrial automation components manufacturer headquartered in Großbottwar, Baden-Württemberg, operating as a private company since 2003. The company develops, produces, and sells a broad portfolio of automation components organized around six core product families: sensors (inductive, capacitive, optical, ultrasonic, distance, color, RFID, vision), LogicX-series PLC/controllers with CODESYS/IEC 61131-3 programming support, modular IO systems in IP20/IP67 ratings, connectors and cables (M8, M12, 7/8 inch, RJ45 up to IP69K), encoders (incremental and absolute single/multi-turn), and a recently expanded safety portfolio (SE4P light curtains, safety relays) certified to EN ISO 13849-1 / SIL3. The technology stack supports the major industrial protocols — Profinet, EtherCAT, Modbus TCP, OPC UA, IO-Link, CANopen, SSI, Ethernet/IP, and CC-Link IE Field Basic — positioning the products as interoperable with virtually any incumbent automation architecture used by European machine builders and plant operators.

The business model is direct manufacturer-to-customer, with no trading-goods intermediary, supported by a 60,000+ article inventory that enables immediate delivery and quote-based pricing. Commercial reach is delivered through three channels: personal advisory sales from the Großbottwar headquarters positioned as a 'Lösungspartner' (solution partner), a self-service online shop, and a network of European representatives and partners. The go-to-market emphasizes technical consultation over transactional catalog sales, alongside content marketing via a technical blog, an active Instagram channel, and presence at industry exhibitions including SPS 2026.

Primary customer segments are machine builders (OEMs) requiring robust sensors and control components for harsh industrial environments, and plant engineering firms deploying scalable automation from single-machine control to networked production lines. Secondary use cases include packaging-line automation, material handling, robotics, conveyor technology, and process automation. The company has launched multiple new product lines in 2026 — including compact photo sensors (OS10S), safety light curtains (SE4P), a modular connector system, field-configurable IDC connectors, and four environment-specific inductive sensor series — signaling an active product expansion phase within an otherwise mature, private, European-focused industrial component business.

Name

Elco Industrie Automation

Legal name

ELCO Industrie Automation GmbH

Website

https://elco-holding.eu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Elco Industrie Automation GmbH is a German manufacturer of industrial automation components — sensors, PLCs, IO systems, connectors, encoders, and safety products — serving machine builders, plant engineers, and packaging OEMs across Europe through direct advisory sales, an online shop, and a representative network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Automation Components

NAICS

Instruments and Related Products Manufacturing for Measuring, Displaying, and Controlling Industrial Process Variables (334513), Other Measuring and Controlling Device Manufacturing (334519)

SIC

Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823), Electronic Components & Accessories (3670), Electronic & Other Electrical Equipment (No Computer Equip) (3600)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial Networking & Connectivity (Industrial Ethernet, Fieldbus, IO-Link) (IMAHAHAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Industrial Automation Software (SCADA, HMI, MES, Historian) (IMAHAHAJ)

Keywords

• Industrial automation components
• PLC controllers
• Industrial sensors
• IO-Link modules
• Safety light curtains

Headquarters

HQ city

Großbottwar

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Hardware Component Sales: Direct manufacturer sales of industrial automation components including sensors, controllers, IO systems, encoders, connectors, and safety products. Products sold from stock (over 60,000 articles available immediately). Business model emphasizes direct-from-manufacturer pricing with no trading goods intermediary.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

ELCO Industrie Automation develops, produces, and sells industrial automation components directly from its German manufacturing base. Its portfolio includes sensors (inductive, capacitive, optical, ultrasonic, distance, color, RFID and vision), LogicX PLC controllers, modular IO systems, encoders, M8/M12 connectors and cables, industrial LED lights, safety light curtains and relays, 3D laser profile sensors, and valve islands. Over 60,000 articles are available from stock for immediate delivery, supported by personal advisory and integration across common fieldbus and IO-Link protocols.

Product overview

ELCO Industrie Automation is a manufacturer of industrial automation components offering a comprehensive portfolio of over 60,000 products. The product line is organized around several core product families that work together: Sensors (inductive, capacitive, optical, ultrasonic, distance, color, and vision/RFID systems), Controllers/PLCs (LogicX series with CODESYS compatibility), IO Systems (IP20 and IP67 with IO-Link and fieldbus support), Connectors (M8/M12 modular system with IP67/IP69K ratings), Encoders (incremental and absolute), Industrial LED lights and signal lights, Safety products (light curtains and relays per EN ISO 13849-1/SIL3), 3D Profile Sensors (LVM21 series with integrated CPU), and Valve islands. All products are designed for immediate availability, economic pricing, and seamless integration using common fieldbus and IO-Link protocols.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• LogicX Series PLC Controllers Compact and scalable control systems (PLCs) with FX20 extensions, CODESYS-compatible programming per IEC 61131-3, integrated Web-HMI, motion functions, multitasking, and support for Profinet, EtherCAT, Modbus TCP, and OPC UA. Used by machine builders and plant engineers for machine control through networked production line automation.
• IO Systems Modular I/O solutions available in IP20 (cabinet) and IP67 (in-plant / decentralized) ratings, supporting IO-Link, Profinet, EtherCAT, Ethernet/IP, and CC-Link IE Field Basic protocols for connecting sensors, actuators, and controllers. Designed for machine building, conveyor technology, packaging, logistics, and robotics applications.
• Sensors (Inductive, Capacitive, Optical, Ultrasonic, Distance, Color, RFID, Vision) Precision industrial sensors covering inductive, capacitive, optical, ultrasonic, distance, color, RFID, and vision technologies. Used for position detection, distance measurement, presence detection, and material state detection under harsh industrial conditions, including high temperatures (T120 series).
• Connectors and Cables (ELCO Connector Modular System) Self-connecting modular connector system covering sensor/actuator, power, data, and distributor technology. M8, M12, 7/8 inch, and RJ45 connectors with IP67/IP69K ratings, PUR cables, vibration-safe locking technology, LED status indication, and field-configurable IDC variants (no crimping/soldering). Used in machine building, conveyor technology, packaging, logistics, and drag-chain applications.
• Encoders / Drehgeber Incremental and absolute (singleturn and multiturn) industrial encoders for precise position and angular measurement, with CANopen, SSI, Profinet, and EtherCAT protocol support for machine control in harsh environments and high-speed applications.
• Industrial LED Lights and Signal Lights Robust, oil-resistant industrial LED lights for workstations and machine rooms, plus signal lights for clearly displaying states, warnings, or faults in industrial processes.
• Safety Products (SE4P Series Safety Light Curtains and Safety Relays) Safety light curtains and compact safety relays for touchless access protection. SE4P series certified to Type 4, PL e per EN ISO 13849-1 / SIL3, with up to 16 m protection height, slim design, quick mounting, cascading, and easy integration into existing controls. Safety relays enable safe shutdown, emergency-stop, and two-hand control functions.
• LVM21 Series 3D Laser Profile Sensors High-precision 3D laser profile measurement sensors with integrated CPU, up to 1456 data points, scan rates up to 5000 Hz, and measuring ranges from 52 mm to 1192 mm. IP67 rated with Profinet, Modbus TCP, SSI, RS485, and analog interfaces for industrial inspection and quality control.
• Vision and Camera Systems Industrial vision and camera systems for inspection and quality control in automated production environments, offered as part of ELCO's sensor and vision product portfolio.
• Valve Islands Valve island solutions for fluid control in industrial automation applications, completing ELCO's component portfolio from sensors and controllers to actuators.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• CODESYScoreTechnology or IntegrationCODESYS is an integrated development environment for industrial control systems. ELCO's LogicX series controllers are CODESYS-compatible per IEC 61131-3 standard, enabling programming of PLCs using standard industrial programming languages.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Wago: German manufacturer of IP20/IP67 I/O systems, controllers, and industrial connectors — directly comparable product overlap with ELCO's modular IO portfolio and connector families, particularly for cabinet and fieldbus applications.
• Sick AG: German-headquartered manufacturer of factory, logistics, and process automation sensors (photoelectric, 3D, distance) — directly comparable on the inductive, optical, ultrasonic, and 3D profile sensor categories in ELCO's catalog.
• Balluff: German specialist in sensors (inductive, photoelectric, RFID) and industrial connectivity with deep IO-Link portfolio and a comparable strategy of catalog-based distribution to machine builders in Europe and beyond.
• IFM Electronic: German-headquartered manufacturer of industrial sensors, controllers, and IO systems with strong IO-Link and fieldbus support — the closest head-to-head analogue to ELCO's product breadth across sensors, IO, and connectivity for mid-market machine builders.
• Turck: German industrial sensor and connectivity manufacturer with overlapping offerings in IO-Link masters, fieldbus IO, M8/M12 connectivity, encoders, and safety — overlapping with ELCO across nearly all major product families.
• Beckhoff Automation: German PC-based controls and IO specialist; ELCO's LogicX CODESYS controllers and EtherCAT-compatible IO compete directly with Beckhoff's PLC and EtherCAT I/O terminal systems for machine-builder design wins.
• Baumer Group: Swiss-headquartered sensor and encoder manufacturer with strong overlap with ELCO's inductive, ultrasonic, photoelectric, distance, and encoder product lines for factory and process automation customers.
• Pilz: German safety automation specialist; Pilz's safety light curtains, safety relays, and EN ISO 13849-1 / SIL3-compliant portfolio directly overlaps with ELCO's newly launched SE4P safety products.

Broad incumbents

• Phoenix Contact: Large German industrial connectivity, IO, and controls incumbent whose product lines (PLCnext controllers, IO-Link masters, M12 connectivity, safety) overlap broadly with ELCO but at substantially greater scale and global reach.
• Siemens (SIMATIC / Industrial Sensors): Largest German industrial automation incumbent; SIMATIC PLCs, ET200 IO, and SITRANS/SIMATIC sensors span categories where ELCO competes — but at a vastly larger scale, with embedded ecosystem lock-in through TIA Portal.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/elco_industrie_automation
• Xx.com/ElcoAutomation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/elco-industrie-automation

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Elco Industrie Automation