The German safety specialist Pilz has taken over Mayr Systems, the motion control division of Mayr Antriebstechnik, with the aim of integrating its products with its own safety technology. The division`s 24 staff will stay at their present location in Allgäu in Germany and will be managed as a competency centre for motion control under the Pilz name.

Renate Pilz, the company`s managing partner, says the deal has benefits for both parties. "On the one hand, it guarantees the continuity and ongoing development of proven product ranges such as Primo," she says, "and on the other, we can provide users with automation solutions that include motion control". The photograph (above) shows the Mayr controllers in their new Pilz livery.

Mayr`s Primo motion controllers were developed to handle complex sequences, principally in the packaging industry. The division`s other products include digital servo controllers and servomotors. In the medium term, Pilz plans to merge these products with its safe control technology.