April 13, 2011 - R. STAHL acquired the camera product line, inlcuidng explosion-proof products from Dutch manufacturer Orlaco Products. Supplying products characterised by high robustness and a light-weight design, Orlaco has been successful for many years in the camera business. Numerous innovations like the smallest explosion-proof camera in the world come from the Dutch company. Recent models like a thermal imaging camera or the line-up of pan/tilt/zoom (PTZ) cameras demonstrate Orlaco’s capacity for innovation.
Moreover, many of Orlaco’s camera models are designed for use at extreme temperatures and in harsh environments, providing additional market potential in typical customer industries like the oil and gas, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, or food and beverage sector, as well as in shipbuilding. “Given R. STAHL’s international sales network, Orlaco products will find a significantly larger market”, Henrie van Beusekom, Managing Shareholder Orlaco, comments on the acquisition. R. STAHL has successfully offered camera and video systems for several years.
With Orlaco’s products now supplementing the existing portfolio, a unique range of camera hardware and camera management software ensures that complex, fully integrated monitoring system solutions can be offered. The newly established R. STAHL Experience GmbH will incorporate the combined business activities. Based in Cologne, R. STAHL Experience will act as the competence centre for this field within the R.
STAHL Group, and will be able to supply a wide variety of products for use in safe as well as hazardous areas, ranging from single camera components to complex, customised CCTV systems solutions including IT services. “R. STAHL Experience will pursue the strategic objective to become market leader in the field of explosion-proof video surveillance systems (CCVT)”, says Alain Schellings, Vice President Sales Automation at R. STAHL and future Managing Director of R. STAHL Experience.
Orlaco Products B.V. will hold 25% of the shares in R. STAHL Experience.
The demand for camera surveillance systems can be expected to keep growing due to more demanding requirements for safety and security, e.g. for protection against terrorism, or with regard to higher process reliability. Furthermore, there is an ongoing trend toward reducing dependence on staff and implementing remote control and remote maintenance capabilities for plants in the target industries. “Considering our combined experience and growing demand from our customers in the high-volume camera market, we expect to reach a turnover of 10 to 15 mn EUR per year in this segment within a few years,” says Martin Schomaker, CEO of R.
STAHL AG, setting the target. “The acquisition of Orlaco is a further step within our growth strategy, which will enable us to consistently strengthen our position at the top of the market”, says Schomaker.
Company background
Founded in 1998 under the name of SAE-STAHL GmbH as a joint venture of SAE Elektronik GmbH and R.STAHL AG, R. STAHL HMI Systems GmbH today is a wholly owned subsidiary of explosion protection specialist R. STAHL. R.
STAHL HMI Systems specialises in the development and production of operating and monitoring systems both for hazardous and industrial areas. Since its foundation, the company has been the only provider worldwide of the full range of both types of applications. Product lines with clearly defined areas of application, performance-related device classes and individual service and support for customers worldwide are evidence of the company’s commitment to customer care.
