FLOW & LEVEL CONTROL
The second Endress+Hauser Global Forum recently took place in Basel. The theme was ‘Driving sustainable transformation together’, focusing on how companies in the process industries can turn ongoing transformation into competitive, sustainable value. Michelle Lea reports on the highlights...
DRIVING SUSTAINABILITY
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ransformation is no longer the exception but the norm in today’s process industry. Digitalisation and artificial intelligence are changing the way we work, and the circular economy is gaining importance. At the same time, geopolitical influences, regulatory requirements and demographic change are presenting companies with challenges. “But all these developments also open up new opportunities – for greater productivity, lower emissions and innovative business models,” said Dr Peter Selders, CEO of Endress+Hauser, as he opened the company’s Global Forum. At the event, themed ‘Driving sustainable transformation together,’ renowned thought leaders demonstrated how companies can identify trends and risks and turn disruption into opportunity.
Goutam Challagalla, Professor of Strategy and Marketing at the IMD Business School in Lausanne, explained how sustainability can become a competitive advantage. He discussed how sustainability and
profitability are not opposing goals. He argued that companies achieve the strongest results when sustainable product also deliver traditional customer value, such as better performance, lower costs or improved efficiency. In these cases, sustainability becomes commercially attractive rather than simply ethically desirable. Another speaker at the Forum, Human
Resources expert Dr Katharina Herrmann, described the current era as ‘the most profound transformation of the global workforce in modern history’.
Demographic shifts, technological leaps
and pressure to increase productivity are fundamentally changing corporate workforces, which are likely to become more diverse in terms
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of origin, age and personal backgrounds. “The companies that will lead the way in the coming decade are those that invest in reskilling, inclusion and leadership”, said Herrmann, who served on the executive board of Hubert Burda Media until 2025.
Building on these ‘Inspiring Sessions’ in the main plenary, participants where also given the opportunity to delve deeper into specific topics in numerous ‘Insight Sessions’. In these compact, practice-oriented group sessions, customer and partner companies collaborated with Endress+Hauser to present actual use cases, report on their experiences and share success factors. Topics covered included, for example, the opportunities and pitfalls of using artificial intelligence and partnerships and technologies for industrial sustainability. “We want to identify what really works and delivers the greatest benefit,” said Selders. “No company can overcome today’s challenges alone. Only through open dialogue and trusting partnerships can we master the existing complexity and accelerate positive change. The Global Forum is the platform for sharing ideas, sparking innovation and moving from vision to implementation.” The programme was rounded out with factory tours in the Basel region as well as an exhibition where Endress+Hauser, together with subsidiaries and partner companies, presented new products, systems and solutions for operational efficiency and sustainability. The exhibition also included exclusive insights into work on product innovations.
The company also took the opportunity
to report on it’s positive financial results in 2025, when Endress+Hauser generated over four billion euros in sales for the first time. Its successful integration of sensor manufacturer
PROCESS & CONTROL ENGINEERING | MAY 2026
SICK’s gas analysis and gas measurement technology enabled good growth. “In 2025 we did everything we could to
overcome short-term challenges and enable long-term success,” said Selders. The family- owned company performed well overall. “While we fell short of our goals, we achieved the best possible result for Endress+Hauser in the circumstances.” The Group’s net sales were up 7.2 percent to 4.01 billion euros – an all-time high. This was due largely to the expansion of Endress+Hauser’s product offering through the incorporation of SICK’s gas analysis and gas measurement technology range. The strategic partnership with the German sensor manufacturer took effect at the start of 2025, with sales and service for these instruments in 46 countries transferring to Endress+Hauser, and development and production handled by a joint venture. The shareholder family is once again playing a closer role in the company. The new President of the Supervisory Board is Steven Endress, a grandchild of the company founder. Steven Endress has been representing the family on the Supervisory Board since 2024. Prior to that, he served as Managing Director of Endress+Hauser UK. “The family is a key factor in the company’s success,” he said. With a clear focus on Sustainability 2.0, the Global Forum presented us with lots of valuable information, which we don’t have the space for here. The June issue of Process & Control Engineering will include a feature section on ‘Sustainability’ where we will dig deeper into Endress+Hauser’s sustainability strategy, covering both products and real-life applications.
Endress+Hauser
www.uk.endress.com
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