SICK Company Profile: History, Ownership, Financials, Products and Leadership
Updated: 7 days ago
SICK AG is a German maker of sensors for factory, logistics and process automation, with sales of EUR 1,850 million in 2025 and 10,158 employees. Founded in 1946, it describes itself as an independent family business and is known for safety light curtains, laser scanners and vision sensors that let machines and robots perceive their surroundings. This profile sets out its history, ownership, financial performance, product range and leadership.
SICK at a Glance
Fact | Detail |
Company | SICK AG |
Founded | 1946, by Dr. Erwin Sick |
Headquarters | Waldkirch im Breisgau, near Freiburg, Germany |
Sales | EUR 1,850 million in 2025, up 6.5% |
EBIT | EUR 54.7 million, a margin of 3.0% |
Research and development | EUR 239.2 million in 2025 |
Employees | 10,158 |
Network | 63 subsidiaries and affiliates, plus sales agencies worldwide |
Ownership | Independent family business; not listed |
Chairman of the Executive Board | Dr. Mats Gokstorp |
Chief Financial Officer | Jan-H. Eberhardt |
Company History
Erwin Sick founded the company in 1946. Its breakthrough product was the accident-prevention light curtain, which went into volume production in 1952 and established optical safety technology as an industry. In 1956 the company moved from Vaterstetten to Waldkirch, where it is still based.
Laser measurement became the second pillar. SICK lidar sensors became widely known outside industry in 2005, when they were used on Stanley, the autonomous vehicle that won the DARPA Grand Challenge. In 2024 the company entered a partnership with Endress+Hauser covering its process automation activities; since then its accounts exclude the Cleaner Industries business unit.
Key milestones
1946: Company founded by Erwin Sick.
1952: Volume production of the safety light curtain.
1956: Move to Waldkirch.
2005: SICK lidar sensors used on the winning vehicle of the DARPA Grand Challenge.
2024: Partnership with Endress+Hauser in process automation.
Ownership and Structure
SICK is organized as a German stock corporation but its shares are not traded on an exchange; the company calls itself an independent family business and says it intends to keep financing its strategic innovation from its own resources. It operates through 63 subsidiaries and affiliates and numerous agencies.
Financial Performance
Figure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
Net sales, EUR million | 1,850.0 | 1,736.8 | 1,962.8 | 2,189.8 | 1,964.0 |
EBIT, EUR million | 54.7 | 55.0 | 150.7 | 164.6 | 202.3 |
Research and development, EUR million | 239.2 | 231.6 | 234.6 | 240.8 | 210.3 |
Employees | 10,158 | 11,804 | 12,185 | 11,909 | 11,022 |
The table tells the story of the past five years. Sales peaked at nearly EUR 2.2 billion in 2022, fell for two years and recovered by 6.5% in 2025; at constant exchange rates the growth would have been 9.3%. Profit has not recovered: EBIT of EUR 54.7 million is about a quarter of the 2021 level, a margin of 3.0%. Research and development spending has been held at around EUR 235 million a year throughout, about 13% of sales, while the workforce has been reduced.
2025 by region
Asia Pacific: double-digit percentage growth, led by China.
Europe, Middle East and Africa: growth of about 4%.
Americas: growth of less than 3%.
Germany: strong growth, driven by one-off effects.
Orders received in 2025 were below the previous year. The company named weak markets, unfavorable exchange rates, changes in trade policy and rising competition and price pressure, especially from China, as headwinds. Management said it was not fully satisfied with the result and plans to adapt internal structures, pointing to a cost level in Germany that it considers too high.
Product Range
Category | Products |
Safety | Opto-electronic protective devices, safety light curtains and safety laser scanners |
Detection | Photoelectric, inductive, capacitive and magnetic sensors and light grids |
Measurement | Laser scanners and lidar sensors |
Vision | Vision sensors and 2D and 3D vision systems |
Identification | Barcode scanners and RFID readers |
Process | Gas and liquid analyzers and gas flow measuring devices |
For robotics, SICK supplies the sensors that guide robot arms to parts, protect people working near machines, and let mobile robots navigate.
SICK product reviews on All Things Cobots
Leadership
Name | Role |
Dr. Mats Gokstorp | Chairman of the Executive Board |
Jan-H. Eberhardt | Chief Financial Officer |
Can You Invest in SICK?
SICK has no stock exchange listing. It is a family business and its shares are not publicly traded.
Strengths and Challenges
Strengths
A leading position in industrial safety and laser sensing.
Sustained research spending of about 13% of sales.
Growth in Asia, led by China.
Independence and a solid balance sheet, according to its chief financial officer.
Challenges
An EBIT margin of 3.0%, far below earlier levels.
Falling order intake in 2025.
Price pressure from Chinese competitors.
A high cost base in Germany.
Outlook
SICK describes its outlook for 2026 as cautiously optimistic and expects profitable growth. Its priorities are automation, logistics and industrial AI, along with measures to improve profitability. It names geopolitical tensions, tariffs, energy prices and supply chain interruptions as the main risks.
Current Catalogue Coverage
Catalogue checked on 15 October 2026: 10 associated product records. The links below are representative entries, rather than a claim that every historical model is currently available.
SICK FAQ
Who owns SICK?
SICK AG is an independent family business. Its shares are not listed on a stock exchange.
When was SICK founded?
In 1946, by Erwin Sick.
Where is SICK based?
In Waldkirch im Breisgau, near Freiburg, Germany.
How big is SICK?
Sales were EUR 1,850 million in 2025, with 10,158 employees.
What does SICK make?
Sensors for industrial automation: safety light curtains and laser scanners, photoelectric and proximity sensors, lidar, vision systems, barcode scanners and RFID readers, and analyzers for process industries.
Who leads SICK?
Dr. Mats Gokstorp is Chairman of the Executive Board.
Sources
SICK: fiscal year 2025 press release
SICK: key figures
Wikipedia: Sick AG
