B&R Industrial Automation overview

B&R is a major machine automation company owned by ABB, supplying controllers, I/O, servo drives, software and machine vision for industrial equipment. Its technology supports robot integration, adaptive machines, packaging lines and high-performance motion. B&R is relevant because many automation systems are built as machines with robots embedded inside, and B&R provides the control architecture for those machines.

Company fact	Detail
Founded	1979
Country	Austria
Address	B&R Strasse 1, 5142 Eggelsberg
Employees	Approx. 4,000+; part of ABB
Specializes in	Machine automation, PLCs, motion control, robotics integration, machine vision and adaptive machines
Products	Automation Studio, X20 I/O, ACOPOS servo drives, ACOPOStrak, SuperTrak, machine vision, PLCs
Typical projects	Packaging machines, robotics control, factory automation, track systems, food and beverage lines, machine vision and smart manufacturing
Management and ownership	B&R Industrial Automation is part of ABB. Management is organized within ABB's Machine Automation activities under ABB group governance.

Website: www.br-automation.com

B&R Industrial Automation review summary

B&R Industrial Automation is an Austrian maker of machine control systems and is ABB's global center for machine and factory automation. Erwin Bernecker and Josef Rainer founded it in 1979 in Eggelsberg, Upper Austria, and ABB announced its purchase in April 2017. This profile sets out its history, the acquisition and its products.

Verified key facts from the review

Fact	Detail
Company	B&R Industrial Automation
Founded	1979
Founders	Erwin Bernecker and Josef Rainer
Headquarters	Eggelsberg, Upper Austria
Parent	ABB
Acquisition announced	April 4, 2017
Size at the time of the deal	More than 3,000 employees and sales above USD 600 million
Role	ABB's global center for machine and factory automation

Strengths

A complete machine automation range from one platform.
A long record of growth as an independent company.
The backing of ABB and a link to its robots.

Challenges

Strong competitors in machine control.
Dependence on machine-building cycles.
The task of combining its products with ABB's existing controller and drive lines.

Read the full review: B&R Industrial Automation Company Profile: History, ABB Acquisition and Products