Hans Beckhoff, managing director, owner and founder of Beckhoff Automation, was recently honoured with the widely acclaimed Rudolf Diesel Medal 2025. Beckhoff received this prestigious award at the award ceremony held at the MAN Museum in Augsburg. This medal honours him as a visionary pioneer in automation technology.
The Rudolf Diesel Medal is one of the most renowned and long-standing awards for pioneering achievement in Europe. It honours inventiveness and entrepreneurial courage, and is awarded by the German Institute for Inventions. It honours people and companies that have made a significant contribution to society by improving quality of life and prosperity, and preserving a culture of innovation, thus inspiring the next generation of engineers and entrepreneurs.
The Rudolf Diesel board of trustees, which consists of around 60 leading technology directors and managing directors of medium-sized global market leaders, has recognised Hans Beckhoff as a visionary pioneer who embodies the values of the Rudolf Diesel Medal through his corporate principles and social engagement. The jury honoured Beckhoff in the Most Successful Innovation Achievement category, which focuses on innovative prowess and the company’s overall impact on the economy.
Since Beckhoff Automation was founded in 1980, its ethos has consistently been reflected in the company’s technological innovations and revolutions, many of which have developed into global market standards in automation and have had a lasting impact on the industry.
Beckhoff initiated a paradigm shift in automation with the PC-based control technology concept in 1985 and launched it on the market in 1986. This technology revolutionised previous principles and made the family-owned company a major player in the SME sector. With his tireless commitment to innovation and ability to turn visionary ideas into a commercial success, Beckhoff’s company has become a leading technology manufacturer in the automation technology field. He consistently shapes the industry with innovative solutions and sets new standards that further the integration of IT technologies into automation. Beckhoff currently employs around 5300 people across 41 subsidiaries and representative offices worldwide, achieving sales of €1,17 billion in 2024.
Gunther Herr, Professor of Comprehensive Business Innovation Strategies at Steinbeis University in Berlin and scientific advisor to the Diesel Medal board of trustees, attributes these 45 years of success to Beckhoff’s technological and entrepreneurial foresight, his innovative, pioneering thinking, and his unstinting creativeness. He has built up an owner-managed company that is supported by people-centered values, and is above all characterised by trust and the courage to innovate. With PC-based control, Beckhoff has established automation as the foundation technology for products across many sectors of society, and constantly pushes performance limits throughout the industry.
Beckhoff technology is characterised by software-based rather than hardware-based control technology, integration of IT and automation technology, ultra-fast and reliable communication technology, highly optimised drive technology and the deep embedding of AI functionality. It is successfully used by many customers worldwide to control the latest manufacturing machinery, buildings, technical processes, scientific experiments and big stage shows, to name a few.
“I want to thank the board of trustees for this honour,” says Beckhoff. “We’ve aimed to present evolutionary technologies every year and launch a real revolution on the market every five to seven years since the company was founded in 1980. I’ve held fast to this guiding principle for 45 years now.”
He then gave his take on being an innovator: “The world is a big, diverse space that offers a lot of opportunities. As an entrepreneur, all you have to do – and this is easier said than done – is seize your chance, recognise pioneering technologies and trends, and generate progress with your own inventions. I’m proud of our innovative spirit and the technologies that have come from it.” In his acceptance speech at the award ceremony, Beckhoff said: “The Rudolf Diesel Medal that has been given to me today is not for me alone, it has been awarded to our entire company. Over 600 developers and product managers work in development every day, looking to create new advanced automation products. Over 2000 employees worldwide work closely with customers, support our users, and listen to their wishes and requirements. Our customers have therefore also contributed to our success as an inventing company through their feedback on our products and through their own ideas. This collaborative partnership sets us apart and brings us great joy.”
Beckhoff and his company are currently working on the Automation Brain, which is intended to give machinery its own intelligence and personality, similar to the human brain. “There’s still a lot of potential for innovation in automation,” he emphasises. He also has a message for the next generation of engineers: “Inventing is fun. That “Eureka!” moment when an idea takes shape and becomes clear or when something works for the first time, is a wonderful experience. Don’t give up and keep working on your inventions – it’s worth it, just for that moment alone.”
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| www: | www.beckhoff.com |
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