The PI Group

PI stands for technical excellence and continuous advance in precision positioning – driven by the passion for technology and its use in customer applications.

Innovative drive concepts, products, and system solutions have led to continuous growth of market shares of the PI Group and constant development of the company in the past years. The target of the PI Group is to develop this market and technological leadership even further and therefore secure a decisive competitive advantage for its customers.

The high vertical range of manufacturing enables PI to have complete control over its processes and this allows flexible reaction to market developments and new requirements. Modern organizational forms, such as the fractal production model, guarantee efficient production from batch sizes of just one to small series, as well as the manufacture of OEM products in large quantities.

PI has its own sales and service offices in all important markets. Moreover, the company maintains test equipment for nanometrology on three continents. PI China and PI USA have in-house development and manufacturing resources that allow them to respond rapidly to customer inquiries in a self-sufficient manner.

PI in Brief

A total of nine production sites, four in Germany, five abroad
1,540 employees worldwide
16 sales subsidiaries in key markets
Privately owned company
About 500 patents and patent applications
Over 50 years of experience in precision positioning and 30 years of experience in piezo technology

Sales and Staff Development

The PI Group achieved an annual turnover of EUR 282.2 million in the fiscal year 2022.

The Management Board

Markus Spanner is Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and responsible for the strategic development of the company and the brand.

As Chief Technology Officer (CTO), Dr. Markus Czanta is responsible for innovation, scouting, and the technology and platform development.

As Chief Operating Officer (COO), Florian Geistdörfer is responsible for production, finances, digitalization, and human resources.

As Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), Andreas Schneider is responsible for brand, strategic marketing, communication and sustainability.

Awards

Inspect Award 2021

This year’s winner in the Automation & Control category was Physik Instrumente GmbH & Co. KG for its H-860 Hexapod. The H-860 was developed by PI specifically for the purpose of testing image stabilization functions in camera systems, smartphones, and camera modules. The parallel-kinematic is based on the displacement of the positions of the joints. Its special design, which is based on solid-state joints and a non-contact magnetic-drive principle, contains no friction or rolling parts for its guides and joints – and is therefore designed to ensure the longest possible service life and operating period. A non-contact linear encoder provides reliable position control and a high degree of repeatability.

Lightwave Innovation Review 2017

“With fast, closed-loop nanopositioners with 100 µm travel in both directions, combined with a positioner for long travel ranges and an optional hexapod for automatic angle optimization, this high-speed fiber positioning system delivers impressive overall performance in wafer probing, such as a 2-nm positioning resolution and fine-alignment times of less than two seconds.”

R&D 100 Awards Winner

In conjunction with silicon photonics, the demand for precision in the nanometer range as well as high throughput during testing and production of chips is increasing. PI (Physik Instrumente) offers an innovative solution for those applications and was nominated in the category Analytical/Test as one of the 100 most innovative technological developments of 2016.

The fast, multichannel fiber alignment system is based on a hybrid drive, that combines the classical servo motors with the high-dynamic and nanometer precision piezoelectric drives. This is controlled by a digital motion controller with integrated scanning and alignment routines designed for fast adjustment processes. The prize is awarded each year by the editors of the R&D magazine.

Manufacturer of the Year

The “Motion and Control Industry Awards” ceremony took place during the “Drives and Controls” exhibition held at the international conference center near Birmingham

>> read more (PI UK & Ireland)

Innovative through Research

In 2014, the Donors' Association for the Promotion of Sciences and Humanities in Germany (“Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft”) awarded PI miCos and PI Ceramic its “Innovative through Research” seal. With this award, the association recognized the efforts made by PI miCos and PI Ceramic in the further development of products and services.

Jobmotor 2014

PI miCos GmbH recieves the Jobmotor Award 2014. The company increased its number of employees by a third last year and thus achieved first place in the “20 to 199 Employees” category. Klaus Endress, President of the Association of Industrial Companies in Baden (WVIB), honored PI miCos GmbH as the award winner.

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