The company SICK and its founder, Erwin Sick, are so tightly connected that a short description of his personal life and career will lead directly into the company’s history.

Erwin Sick was born in 1909 in Heilbronn, Germany into an average family with simple means. His father was a train conductor. His love for technical things– conveyed rather early by his father’s occupation– and a strong family life formed by his Swabian farmer ancestry shaped his path of life into a decisive direction.

After his apprenticeship as an optical technician, he attended the Vocational School for Fine Mechanics and Optics in Göttingen. The director of this school, as well as the Master, was from Zeiss. His three years at this vocational school and additional private lessons given by the director, who was known as an excellent and experienced draftsman as well as a skilled mentor, provided strict mechanical training. This man taught Erwin logical thinking and precise work methods when constructing/designing precision instruments and calculating optical systems.

In the 1930s, Erwin Sick worked as a draftsman and later as an engineer and participated in the development of color film, cinematographic, astrological and physical instruments with companies like Siemens/Berlin, Bosch and Askania. During those years, fascinated by the optics field, he experienced success with very difficult experiments working with a group of partly international physicists and engineers. As a guest at the optical institute of the Technical University of Berlin, he rounded off his theoretical knowledge and educated himself in fields outside his technical focal point.

He received his first optic-electronic challenge when presented with rocket controls in 1937/38. This development was used in the course of military armament. Also, during the war, Erwin Sick worked on optic electronic projects for control and regulating purposes. The first patents bear his name as the inventor. He built his first optical laboratory close to Steinheil in Munich and ran it (war duty) until 1945. After the war ended, Erwin Sick had gathered considerable knowledge and experience in his field, but he also proved to have extensive far-reaching thoughts and plans. He had a strong wish to pursue a new goal: to keep developing and combining his optical and electronic knowledge to benefit humanity in a peaceful manner.

The management of the Steinheil Corporation could not be convinced to try his new, constructive plans. In spite of their intact staff and full warehouse, they had no rigid concept of their company’s future. Erwin Sick accepted the consequences and started on his own business with very little means and a lot of improvising.

In a barracks in Vatterstetten near Munich, in a 20 square meter living and working quarters, he began using existing Wehrmacht materials to build radios, which he traded for staples for his family’s existence. The difficult post-war situation forced him into these actions.

1946
On the 26th of September, the US occupational forces granted Erwin Sick the license to start his own engineering office. Now, with this important license, Erwin wanted to pursue his own development projects, turn them into patents and sell them. He did not plan on doing any manufacturing yet. But his goal wasn't to be reached without obstacles. First, they expanded the barracks using their own resources. Mechanics employed by Steinheil, who also lived in the barracks, assisted with the construction and the manufacturing of homemade radios and became the first employees. One of them, Mr. Fritschi, reported: “It was pretty weird leaving a big company like Steinheil after the war and then make radios. It was tough keeping above the water and having enough to eat. But I knew Mr. Sick’s plans and that helped me a lot. First, we got our shelters in order, “organized” wood and tar – both weren’t legally available in those days. When the first addition was finished, we had more room to work but still no machinery. Mr. Sick had his own spindle and I had a machine support. We mounted both onto an oak board and had our own lathe. It wasn’t really accurate but it worked.”

1948
With a few employees, they manufactured radios in small quantities. Materials and measuring devices were traded for other merchandise. The currency reform brought new difficulties. Wages couldn’t be paid and there were no reserves. Again, Mr. Fritschi commented: “After 1948 things got worse. The radios weren’t selling very well anymore. Sometimes we only had a total of 5 Marks between the two families, Sicks and ourselves, and we shared them evenly.”

1949
Industrially manufactured radios made the sale of homemade radios more and more difficult. This threatened the existence of their small outfit. Once again, Erwin Sick tried harder to receive development orders for optical-electronic devices for industrial automation.

1950
Erwin Sick visits the first “Achema” show in Frankfurt. The money for his train ticket was borrowed, he slept on a park bench instead of in a hotel. At this show he met the director of the Rütgerswerke. This acquaintance led to an order and different recommendations. But even this did not provide enough for their families to exist on.

On May 5, 1950, the self-formulated “light electric gate” was registered for a patent. It contained new ideas, which are still being used today and make up most of the company’s production. But there was no money to manufacture this light gate. Even Erwin’s attempt to sell the patent registration along with the construction/design documents to get a bank loan failed. A Swiss acquaintance gave Erwin the first financial contribution and became the savior in this emergency.

1951
Erwin Sick introduced his light gate for the first time at the inventor’s show and received an honorable, but financially worthless diploma for the “creative special achievement.” More important to him are the new contacts he was able to make with industrial and professional organizations, among others, master engineer Mr. Zeller. For the electronic development he gained a valuable, qualified employee, certified engineer Mr. Schaarschmidt.

Mr. Schaarschmidt explained: “On June 19, 1951 I received a call from Mr. Sick to come to a meeting to Vatterstetten. As I was unemployed at the time, I was quite interested to enter the workforce once again in my profession. Mr. Sick convinced me of his ideas and plans. I was also full of energy and idealism and took my bike on June 22 from my housing barracks in Munich-Milbertshofen to Vatterstetten for my first day of work. First, we had to create the measuring and electrical prerequisites. So, among other things, I put together the existing Multizet, made measuring strings, etc. After several relay measurements I calculated a test transformer which I spooled by hand. Later, in my simple laboratory workshop in Milbertshofen, I built myself a provisionary transformer spooling machine and spooled the second transformer. After a successful test run I was able to put together the first power transformer series. Besides that, I began to manufacture, mount and wire the electrical center for the first electro-optical print mark control device for the Erwin Sick company.”

“For this print mark control device, an improved version of which is still being marketed today, I received the requirements from Alpma, a manufacturer of cheese packaging machines. One of their representatives, Mr. Heinzl, came and visited Sick and later switched over to take a job with them.” He described his visit as follows: “After we attempted in vain to control the packing film for the cheese mechanically and pneumatically, our production manager, Mr. Delling, remembered “someone” who again knew “someone” who experimented with photo cells. Without the knowledge of our present boss, who had a very skeptical outlook on such modern "silly ideas," Mr. Delling and I took my motorcycle on a cold November night in 1950 and went from Lehen/Inn to Vatterstetten. We finally found the company in its “fancy” barracks and located Mr. Sick between a workbench, shelves and a drawing board. On the workbench there was a giant mirror in front of which there was a tiny vibrating mirror. This was a first test sample of today’s SICK light curtain.”

“After we presented our problem, the following weeks at Sick there was the creation of lenses and glue wax which “did” something. On his bicycle armed with a backpack, Erwin Sick rode the 30 kilometers to Alpma and brought us this first device to try on our packaging machinery. Our initiators’ joy was great when finally the first pieces of cheese came out of the packaging machine bearing the correct labels and properly packaged thanks to the new print mark optic technology. The fact that Mr. Sick was given a humongous amount of cheese that day will always remain a fond memory in the Sick family.”

1952
Erwin Sick improved his light gate into a full protective field called a light curtain. This protected workers from accidents with the machinery. During the tooling machinery show in Hannover, this device was demonstrated on a chassis press of the Weingarten Corporation and led to the first orders from well-known companies. This allowed the company to start manufacturing their first small series of products.

1953
Economically, this was the beginning. At a show in Brussels, one of the light curtains was shown on a Krupp step press and this led to further orders. The idea of using the light curtain not only as a protection device but also as a means for smoother processing and to therefore increase production rates considerably became a new, very important sales factor.

The barracks was now home to 10 employees. The first Volkswagen was considered a big stepping stone. A telephone and typewriter were located in the kitchen, which also served as Mrs. Sick’s office besides being a place to cook and tend to the children.

1954
New rooms and the expansion of the company became more and more important. After futile attempts to license the manufacturing of the devices, the decision is finally made to start their own production. As the county of Bavaria could not be convinced to grant any kind of financial aid, the seed is planted to move operations to Baden. The county of southern Baden issued a financial aid credit for beginning businesses in the amount of DM 25,000 with the help of mayor Braun of Oberkirch. They provided facilities as well, so the move to Oberkirch in Baden took place in December.

One of the people who moved was Mr. Heinzl: “After the print mark control devices became more and more popular, I applied for a position in Mr. Sick’s electrical laboratory in 1954. I was trusting to receive my paycheck at the end of the month. At the end of 1954, the company – consisting of the Sick family, the Schaarschmidt family and myself – moved to Oberkirch. From then on things were looking up. The work was done partially in a room at the “Schwanen” restaurant, partially in Sick’s apartment and basement and partially in Schaarschmidt’s apartment, where the living room was sometimes used as a test field. Of course, at this time we had to find customers for the devices we were developing. I did a lot of traveling with our new sales manager, who was very talented and had a knack for presenting our modern devices and already turned our small operation into a worldwide company in those early days. We found many buyers with whom I still have a great relationship today through customer service.”

1955
First as a freelancer, later as a manager, the company recruited Mr. Wellmann. He had been one of the initiators for the move to Oberkirch. In the summer of 1955, Ms. Horn became the head of sales administration and she helped establish the accounting department.

Print mark control devices as well as light curtains, which were now technically perfected, were produced in small series and were well received by the market. The customers included companies in Germany, France, Italy and Switzerland.

1956
The company had 20 employees, even its first apprentice. At Fasching (German Mardis Gras), they held their first company party.

Unfortunately, Oberkirch didn’t offer sufficient space for production. There was a message from the economic ministry that there were vacant factory halls in Waldkirch by Freiburg which led to another move in November of 1956. The building located at “An der Allee 7 bis 9” is still the company’s headquarters today and it offered large production and sales facilities as well as apartments which could be rented out.

1957
The number of employees increased from the 15 who originally moved with the company to about 175 within the next three years. Simultaneously, the production and sales floors expanded to the entire building. There was a need for renovations and remodeling.

The Sick company placed its first sales representatives in North Rhine Westphalia and in Switzerland. With the growing number of employees, there was a lack of skilled personnel. Therefore, employees were schooled and trained and skilled personnel were also hired from the outside.

Mr. Langenbach, engineer and manager of the optical laboratory, recalls his time as a mechanic at SICK: “A big factor for me was definitely the close cooperation with Mr. Sick during the first years. I was able to learn firsthand about optics and how we can apply them. Perhaps I was specifically talented to learn and absorb this not so easy technique. However, I was always ready and willing to stay a little longer after hours to learn and contemplate new challenges.”

1958
There were some problems trying to find management staff. The company was still relatively unknown. For sales, Mr. Wellmann found a talented coworker in Mr. Guidotti.

1959
Many attempts to hire qualified engineers in Waldkirch by placing ads in newspapers and verbal contacts failed. Old Munich acquaintances did not want to wander off into the “Black Forest Countryside," “but if you were in Munich we would gladly join you.”

1960
After giving it much thought, Erwin Sick decided to start a second business in Munich, the “Institute for Automation." Difficult new development tasks were tackled in Munich, but the production part of the business remained completely in Waldkirch. At the beginning of the year, they found a usable property on Plinganserstrasse in the southern part of Munich. The hiring of employees did not pose a problem here. A small group of engineers from Siemens and old Steinheil and Vaterstetten employees made up the core of the working team. One of them was Mr. Weinzierl: “At the end of 1959, Mr. Sick visited me in Vaterstetten and told me that he would open a test work lab in Munich. I had been part of the team in the very beginning in the original barracks. So I quit my job with BMW and helped organize the new business as a “jack of all trades." And soon we all were joined again, the ones that were working for Steinheil. We kept saying “Hey, you’re still alive?” and now, in 1971, we’re still together.”

The plan to split development in Munich and production in Waldkirch did not prove itself very feasible. Fully developed series devices required close contact between the developing engineer, the designer and the manufacturing specialist. Since then, the two locations, Munich and Waldkirch, each have their own development and manufacturing departments. Extensive development projects were worked on in Munich by Erwin Sick, especially complex optical problem solving projects. In Waldkirch, the basic program continued and was complemented by new developments. The coordination between the two locations was close. Trade shows were attended together. The representatives represent both programs. Waldkirch remained the headquarters.

1966
In the spring, Dr. Eng. A. Walter was hired to take over the management of the Waldkirch facility. His rich industrial background allowed him to introduce a phase of rationalization in Waldkirch. The device program was reworked and pulled together, the success could soon be felt throughout the company.

1967
The building “An der Allee” soon became too small. The company leased a factory hall on Merklinstrasse to make room for the rapidly growing production line.

1969
After his relentless efforts during the first difficult beginning years, Mr. Wellmann retired. Mr. Guidotti, who had been successful within the company for 10 years, took over the sales management in Waldkirch. The sparsely occupied sales office – strained by the division into Waldkirch/Munich and the steady growth of the company – needed a skilled specialist. This is when Mr. Arend began to manage the sales department of the company.

The expansion of the device series required new facilities in Munich, as the institute received more and more orders for development and manufacturing projects. After a temporary solution in Munich-Neuried, they moved to a large, new building in the southern part of Munich on Machtlfinger Strasse.

1970
Certified Engineer Mr. Pöschl, a long-time acquaintance of Mr. Sick, was hired as the manager of the institute. In the summer, a large French delegation consisting of employees of the ministry of labor as well as leading engineers visited Waldkirch to get acquainted with SICK’s light curtains for a variety of applications.

The increased production required another expansion of the Waldkirch facility. Before they moved to a two-story building added to the facility on Merklinstrasse, the company invited everyone to an open house in their hall, which they converted into a trade show display. The employees, their families and the public had the opportunity to gather information about the company. More than 3000 visitors were counted.

1971
At the 25 year mark, the actions of the inventor and founder have turned SICK into a company employing more than 500 people. Continuing development work, technical “know-how” and last but not least, the encouraged cooperation/teamwork of all employees led to a well-rounded, partially unsurpassed device range for the areas of industrial applications and protection of man and environment. The quality of their products and the constant drive to remain modern and technically on the latest level – is proven by 129 patents, user samples and registrations – have made this company known beyond its national borders.

1972
Fist subsidiary founded in France.

1976
The first US subsidiary was founded in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

1990
Range of products was expanded once more with the introduction of non-contact devices for distance measurement.

1994
New markets opened up as a result of the introduction of the laser scanner with time-of-flight light measurement.

1996
The 50 year anniversary of SICK.

1999
For the first time SICK offered safety software and a complete range of mechanical safety interlocks to supplement the line of opto electronic systems. Company shares were offered to employees for the first time.

2001
SICK Auto Ident, Inc. was founded as a subsidiary in Stoughton, Massachusetts. It was established as a result of the acquisitions of LazerData (PSC Automation) and CiMatrix (RVSI-Material Handling Division). These acquisitions significantly enhanced Sick Auto Ident's mix of bar code line scanners, omni scanners, vision-based reading systems, integration software, and dimensioning products.