HELIX
HELIX GmbH is a Frankfurt-based, vendor-independent industrial automation engineering firm founded in 1991 that develops, implements and validates process control, safety and PLC systems for enterprise customers in pharmaceutical, chemical, petrochemical and airport infrastructure sectors across Germany.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1991
- HeadquartersFrankfurt, Germany
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What HELIX does
HELIX GmbH – Gesellschaft für Software und Engineering mbH is a Frankfurt-based industrial automation engineering firm founded in 1991 that develops, implements and maintains vendor-independent process automation solutions for regulated process industries. Its core offering spans three product pillars: Process Control Systems (DCS) supporting ABB, Emerson, GE, Honeywell, InvenSys, Siemens and Yokogawa platforms; Safety Instrumented Systems built on HIMA with TÜV-certified Functional Safety Engineers; and PLC programming across Allen Bradley, Bosch, Mitsubishi, Pepperl & Fuchs, Prosafe and Triconex. Supporting Systems extend this core with Remote IO stations, multi-protocol bus integration (Fieldbus, Modbus, OPC, Profibus/Profinet, Safe Ethernet, V-Net) and database back-ends (DB2, MS-SQL, Oracle, MySQL).
The company operates from two German locations—its Frankfurt headquarters inside Industriepark Höchst (focused on pharmaceutical and food chemistry under GMP/FDA regimes) and an Oberhausen office opened in 2004 to serve Ruhr-area chemical customers (notably Ruhrchemie). HELIX also delivers GAMP/FDA validation and qualification cycles, IEC 61508/61511 functional safety consulting, system migration/modernization (including a SCADA migration to Zenon/Copa-Data for Fraport's Frankfurt Airport baggage handling system), and bespoke specialized solutions such as LIMS/MES coupling and PCS engineering database tools. Certifications include DIN ISO 9001, SCC*, ISO 14001 and ISO 50001.
Commercially, HELIX runs a B2B professional services model based on direct outreach and RFP-driven project engagements with enterprise customers in pharmaceutical, chemical, petrochemical and adjacent infrastructure sectors. Named customers include Air Liquide, Celanese, BATREC AG, Shin-Etsu, OQ and Fraport AG. The firm is privately held by management (Daniel Piekny and Waldemar Dobrjanski as Geschäftsführer), has no institutional investors or funding rounds, and has grown organically from four employees at founding to over 18 operationally active staff.
HELIX firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- HELIX
- Legal name
- Helix GmbH – Gesellschaft für Software und Engineering mbH
- Website
- https://helix-gmbh.net
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1991
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- HELIX GmbH is a Frankfurt-based, vendor-independent industrial automation engineering firm founded in 1991 that develops, implements and validates process control, safety and PLC systems for enterprise customers in pharmaceutical, chemical, petrochemical and airport infrastructure sectors across Germany.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
HELIX industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Industrial Automation Services
- NAICS
- Instruments and Related Products Manufacturing for Measuring, Displaying, and Controlling Industrial Process Variables (334513), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Other Measuring and Controlling Device Manufacturing (334519)
- SIC
- Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Process Automation Instrumentation & Control (DCS, Valves, Actuators, Analyzers) (IMAHAHAM)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Industrial Controllers & Control Systems (PLCs, PACs, CNC Controllers) (IMAHAHAH), Instrumentation, Controls & Automation (DCS/PLC/SCADA, SIS, Metering) (EUAEAFAC)
Keywords
Where HELIX is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Frankfurt
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
HELIX business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Automation Software Development & Implementation: Custom software development and implementation for process control systems, safety controls, and programmable logic controllers. Project-based engagements from concept phase through commissioning and ongoing support.
- Consulting Services: Advisory services for planning new automation systems, extension and modernization of existing systems, and functional safety consulting. Includes feasibility studies, FAT planning, and functional safety engineering per IEC 61508/IEC 61511 standards.
- Supporting Systems Services: Technical systems including remote IO stations, bus systems, and database solutions. Involves planning, programming, and integration services.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
HELIX product offering
Product offeringCore offering
HELIX develops and implements custom automation software, and provides engineering services for industrial process control systems (DCS), safety controls, and programmable logic controllers (PLCs) across multiple hardware platforms including Siemens, ABB, Honeywell, Emerson, GE, Yokogawa (DCS), HIMA (safety), and Allen Bradley, Bosch, Mitsubishi, Triconex (PLCs). The firm also delivers supporting systems including remote IO stations, industrial bus systems, and database solutions for process data, together with consulting, GAMP/FDA validation, and system migration services for pharmaceutical, chemical, petrochemical, and food chemistry production plants.
Product overview
HELIX GmbH is an automation technology company offering a comprehensive portfolio of products and services for the pharmaceutical, chemical, and petrochemical industries. The core offerings center on three main product categories: Process Control Systems (Prozessleitsysteme) supporting multiple manufacturers (ABB, Emerson, GE, Honeywell, InvenSys, Siemens, Yokogawa), Safety Control Systems using HIMA platform, and Programmable Logic Controllers (Allen Bradley, Bosch, Mitsubishi, Triconex, etc.). These are complemented by Supporting Systems including Remote IO stations, bus systems (Fieldbus, Modbus, OPC, Profibus/Profinet), and database solutions (DB2, MS-SQL, Oracle, MySql). Services include consulting for automation planning, GAMP/FDA validation and qualification, system migration, and specialized solutions. The company operates independently from established system manufacturers, enabling cross-platform development. Founded in 1991, with offices in Frankfurt (Industriepark Höchst) and Oberhausen.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Process Control Systems (Prozessleitsysteme) Development & Implementation Custom automation software development and implementation for process control systems (DCS) supporting multiple manufacturers, serving pharmaceutical, chemical, and petrochemical production plants.
- Safety Control Systems Safety control software development using the HIMA platform, delivered by trained Functional Safety (FS) Engineers for Safety Instrumented Systems in compliance with IEC 61508 and IEC 61511 standards for pharmaceutical and chemical industries.
- Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC) Development Custom PLC software development across Allen Bradley, Bosch, Mitsubishi, Pepperl & Fuchs, Prosafe, and Triconex platforms, providing alternatives to process control systems where PLCs are more optimal.
- Supporting Systems (Begleitende Systeme) — Remote IO, Bus Systems, and Database Solutions Technical systems including Remote IO stations, industrial bus systems (Fieldbus, Modbus RTU/TCP, OPC, Profibus, Profinet, Safe Ethernet, V-Net), and database solutions (DB2, Interbase, MS-SQL-Server, MySql, Oracle) for linking field-level devices with process-level systems.
- Automation Consulting Services Technical consulting for planning new automation systems, extension and modernization of existing systems, and functional safety advisory, with developer-independent advice across platforms and TÜV-trained Functional Safety Engineers.
- GAMP/FDA Validation and Qualification Services Validation and qualification services per GAMP and FDA guidelines for pharmaceutical industry customers, covering all three cycles of process validation: Process Design, Process Qualification (IQ/OQ), and Continued Process Verification.
- SCADA System Migration Services Migration of legacy SCADA systems to modern platforms such as Copa-Data Zenon, including modernization of baggage handling systems at Frankfurt Airport and integration with process control systems.
- Plant System Migration and Modernization Services Migration of existing production plant automation systems covering process changes, capacity expansions (debottlenecking), product changes, and replacement of existing DCS as revups and revamps, delivered from the Oberhausen office.
Quantifiable outcome
- 30 years of experience in automation technology with independence from major manufacturers
Companies that use HELIX
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
HELIX technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration32 records
Feature3 records
HELIX partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and key account.
- ABBcoreTechnology partner for process control systems. Helix develops and implements automation solutions using ABB process control systems as part of their platform-spanning approach.
- Emerson Process ManagementcoreTechnology partner for process control systems. Helix develops automation solutions using Emerson systems.
- General ElectriccoreTechnology partner for process control systems. Helix develops automation solutions using GE systems.
- HoneywellcoreTechnology partner for process control systems. Helix develops automation solutions using Honeywell systems.
- SiemenscoreTechnology partner for process control systems. Helix develops automation solutions using Siemens systems.
- YokogawacoreTechnology partner for process control systems. Helix develops automation solutions using Yokogawa systems.
- HIMAcoreTechnology partner for safety controls. Helix develops safety automation solutions using HIMA safety control systems with trained FS engineers.
- Copa-Data (Zenon)coreTechnology partner for SCADA systems. Helix performs modernization and migration projects using Zenon SCADA from Copa-Data, including Frankfurt Airport baggage handling system.
- Fraport AGkey accountLong-term customer partnership for automation services at Frankfurt Airport including SCADA system development, migration, and ongoing support for baggage handling systems.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
HELIX competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- ANDRITZ: Austrian process engineering and automation firm serving pulp, paper, hydrometallurgy, and chemical industries. Comparable as a European process automation and engineering services firm, though significantly larger and more diversified than Helix.
- ABB Process Automation: Major DCS vendor (ABB Ability 800xA) with global automation services footprint. Partner of Helix for ABB-platform integrations and broader competitor through ABB's own services and system house network.
- Bilfinger: German-headquartered industrial services provider offering consulting, engineering, and digital automation solutions to process industry clients including chemicals and pharma. Overlaps with Helix's automation services portfolio but at significantly larger scale and broader scope.
- Emerson Automation Solutions: Major DCS vendor (DeltaV) and global automation services provider. Listed as a Helix partner while also operating a large direct services organization serving similar chemical and petrochemical customers.
- Siemens Digital Industries: Major DCS and PLC vendor (SIMATIC PCS 7, SIMATIC PLCs) serving global process industries. While a technology partner of Helix, Siemens also competes directly through its own automation services arm, making it both an enabler and a competitive incumbent.
- Honeywell Process Solutions: Major DCS vendor (Experion) serving chemicals and pharma. Technology partner of Helix for Honeywell-platform projects but also offers its own lifecycle and migration services that compete with Helix.
Direct peers
- Copa-Data: Austrian-headquartered SCADA software vendor (Zenon) whose platform Helix implements and migrates for industrial clients. Partner and adjacent competitor in industrial SCADA modernization projects.
- HEITEC: German automation systems integrator offering PLC, DCS, SCADA, and robotics solutions to process and discrete manufacturers. Closely comparable as a vendor-agnostic engineering services firm serving German industrial customers with comparable headcount and customer profile.
- HIMA: German-headquartered Safety Instrumented System vendor (HIMax, HIQuad) whose products Helix integrates. Comparable as a specialized safety controls firm serving process industries with IEC 61508/61511 expertise.
Regional players
- ATS Automation Tooling Systems: Canadian-headquartered automation systems integrator with a similar model of designing, building, and commissioning automation solutions for process and manufacturing clients. Comparable business model but operating primarily in North America, Europe, and Asia rather than Germany-centric.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
HELIX social profiles
Digital presenceHELIX compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance8 records
HELIX financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
HELIX leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
HELIX funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
HELIX M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about HELIX
What does HELIX do?
HELIX develops and implements custom automation software, and provides engineering services for industrial process control systems (DCS), safety controls, and programmable logic controllers (PLCs) across multiple hardware platforms including Siemens, ABB, Honeywell, Emerson, GE, Yokogawa (DCS), HIMA (safety), and Allen Bradley, Bosch, Mitsubishi, Triconex (PLCs). The firm also delivers supporting systems including remote IO stations, industrial bus systems, and database solutions for process data, together with consulting, GAMP/FDA validation, and system migration services for pharmaceutical, chemical, petrochemical, and food chemistry production plants.
Is HELIX a public or private company?
HELIX is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was HELIX founded?
HELIX was founded in 1991. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is HELIX based?
HELIX is headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does HELIX make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Automation Software Development & Implementation is the primary driver. The others are consulting Services and supporting Systems Services.
Who are HELIX's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are ANDRITZ, ABB Process Automation, Bilfinger, Emerson Automation Solutions, Siemens Digital Industries and Honeywell Process Solutions. Direct peers are Copa-Data, HEITEC and HIMA. ATS Automation Tooling Systems is listed as a regional player.
Does HELIX have an API?
No public API is recorded for HELIX.
What industry is HELIX in?
HELIX's product category is Industrial Automation Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAHAHAM, Process Automation Instrumentation & Control (DCS, Valves, Actuators, Analyzers), with a secondary code of IMAHAHAH, Industrial Controllers & Control Systems (PLCs, PACs, CNC Controllers). Its NAICS code is 334513 and its SIC code is 3823.