COPA-DATA closes the year 2021 with a revenue increase of 18.5 per cent. The business accredits its growth to the transformation towards sustainable production and ever advancing digitalization in industry. In 2021, the company surpassed its record result from 54 million euros in 2020 to global group sales worth 64 million euros.
Pioneer in modular production
The continuous growth is based on constant development of the zenon software platform. “Our customers appreciate the flexibility in the use of zenon and that we, as a family-owned company, can act independently of large providers,” explained CEO and founder, Thomas Punzenberger. “Our customers see us as pioneers of their digitization offensives,” added Phillip Werr, COO and member of the management board. COPA-DATA is a pioneer in the area of modular production, Currently, many industrial companies are grappling with the question of how they can adapt their plants even faster to the rapidly changing market requirements and shortened delivery times.
With Module Type Package (MTP), they also have leverage on the software to react flexibly, to shorten product launch times and to efficiently produce small batches, or even customized batches. “We have not only been dealing with the topic of modular production for years, but have also successfully implemented MTP in several projects. The result is a faster return on investment (ROI) for our customers,” said CSO Stefan Reuther.
Sustainability success
Another driver of success is greening. “Companies have realized that in the course of the energy turnaround, they cannot put the issue of sustainability on the back burner and instead must act immediately,” continues Phillip Werr. “More and more industrial companies are becoming energy producers themselves. The combination of energy production and efficient energy use has a key role to play in the energy transition.
With our zenon software platform, we provide our customers with the digital foundation, from solar cells to machinery.”
Five-year target exceeded
“In 2017, as the new management team, we set ourselves the ambitious goal of doubling sales from 30 to 60 million euros over the next five years,” said Stefan Reuther, CSO of COPA-DATA. “The fact we are now at 64 million is a joint success for all employees. This encourages us to continue setting ourselves ambitious goals in the future and to achieve them with a great deal of commitment.” With its zenon software platform, COPA-DATA supports innovative companies in industry and the energy sector with digitalization. The software helps users make complexity manageable and ensures transparency in decision making, from energy generation to production.
Great minds
The continuous growth is also reflected in the number of employees. Worldwide, the company now employs more than 300 people. The completion of a second office building at the headquarters in Salzburg this year should provide sufficient space for the coming years. For several years, COPA-DATA has been working closely with partners in teaching and research, such as the universities of applied sciences in Salzburg and Vorarlberg, to inspire even more women to pursue a career as software developers.
About COPA-DATA
COPA-DATA is the manufacturer of the zenon® software platform, used in the manufacturing and energy industries for the automated control, monitoring, and optimization of machines, equipment, and power supplies. Founded by Thomas Punzenberger in 1987 and headquartered in Salzburg, Austria, the independent, family-owned company employs approximately 285 workers around the globe. The distribution of software on an international scale is made possible through the company’s eleven subsidiaries and numerous distributors. In addition, more than 270 certified partner companies ensure efficient software implementation for end users in the food & beverage, energy & infrastructure, automotive, and pharmaceutical industries. In 2019, COPA-DATA generated turnover of EUR 51 million.
About zenon
zenon is a software platform from COPA-DATA for manufacturing and the energy industry. Machines and equipment are controlled, monitored and optimized. zenon’s particular strength is open and reliable communication in heterogeneous production facilities. Open interfaces and over 300 native drivers and communication protocols support the horizontal and vertical integration. This allows for continuous implementation of the Industrial IoT and the Smart Factory.
Projects with zenon are highly scalable. zenon is ergonomic, both for the engineer and for the end user. The engineering environment is flexible and can be used for a wide range of applications. The principle of “setting parameters instead of programming” helps engineers to configure projects quickly and without errors. Complex functions for comprehensive projects are supplied out-of-the-box to create intuitive and robust applications.
Users can thereby contribute to increased flexibility and efficiency with zenon.
