Leuze India’s Decade-Long Odyssey

The Sensor People from Leuze have been pioneers for breakthroughs and technological milestones in industrial automation for more than 50 years with their curiosity and tenacity. Their motivation comes from their clients' success. The high-tech product line of the technology pioneer offers a variety of sensors for the automation technology sector.  

Leuze is also focused on elements, services, and solutions for workplace safety as a safety experts. They focus on their core businesses, where the Sensor People have years of experience and a wealth of application knowledge. These include laboratory technology, packaging, machine tools, the automobile sector, and intralogistics. Leuze has hit a new milestone in India as they have successfully run a full house show for the past decade in the country. Here is a conversation with the Sensor People’s CEO Mr. Ulrich Balbach on their ten-year-long journey in the subcontinent.  

How has your journey been so far in the country? 

UB: With our first location just 45km shy of Stuttgart, Germany, our first experiment was in the textile industry where we also started the census for it back in 1963. Our team consisted of about 4 to 6 people initially and with a strong history in the textile industry, we also started our business in electronics around the same time in the same location.   

At this point in our journey, we collaborate with our customers to identify the most creative, accurate, and effective solution for their sensor applications in an industrial environment that is undergoing rapid change. Our niche is our strength. 

Why choose Malaysia as a location for a manufacturing unit setup? 

UB: In our grand scheme of things, our next very important step is to build a strong bond with our Asian local customers. It is extremely crucial for us to be in close physical proximity to our consumers in Asia. The new unit we have set up in Malaysia is almost the same scale as our output units in Germany and Europe, mostly. Given the scale and the location, we hope to build personal connections with our audiences here in Asia.  

Leuze is a true authority on cutting-edge and effective sensor systems for industrial automation because of our 60 years of experience. Additionally, we always look for new methods to enhance our customers' processes and provide superior solutions since we have such a deep understanding of the application difficulties they face. And with the new location set up, these are some of the results we are trying to provide.   

How are you picturing India with regard to growth in business? 

UB: Considering India’s growth over the past couple of years and the rapidly changing pace of the global economy with regard to China’s position, India’s role becomes more and more crucial. Crucial not only for Leuze but for the entirety of the machinery-building industry. Over recent years, the machinery industry is going more into the software-oriented approach of building cutting-edge technology, and with a booming IT industry like India, bringing together machinery building and software application here is a checkmate move for us as a brand. For the next three to five years, I am dead set on building a strong base in India as long as machine building is concerned.  

What is your Five Year Plan with regard to the global market as well as the Indian market? 

UB: We, as a company, are very clear with what we want to achieve and are crystal clear with our objectives as a brand. For example, in the year 2026, we want to be able to double our volume in revenue. That is, it should be built by €500 - €600 million. We have come this far by doubling our company and we have seen constant growth over the past few decades. We anticipate seeing the same results in the Indian markets in the foreseeable future as well. 

Along with altering value-generating processes, new technologies and the digitization of industry are also introducing fresh business models and viewpoints. Keeping this as our core value, we wish to expand and flourish in the industry with a bigger consumer base.  

What would you like to convey to your Indian customers? 

UB: We want to be reliable machinery-building partners for our customers in the subcontinent. At the same time, we also want to rely on them to help us achieve our milestones and we would also like to celebrate every win along the way with our audience. We hope it will continue to be a strong partnership from both ends so that going ahead, the bond only becomes stronger. 

Automation solutions for manufacturing and packing operations must be more adaptable, effective, and intelligent. With our cutting-edge sensor solutions, we assist you; from the initial to the final stages of packaging.