Automation technology builds a bright future for machine and system engineering
- 2025 global sales: €1.24 billion (+6%)
- employees worldwide: 5,450 (February 2026)
- investment in research and development: €80 million
Beckhoff Automation has closed the 2025 financial year successfully and has increased its global sales to €1.24 billion, with 6% growth compared to the 2024 financial year.
"2025 was a solid financial year for Beckhoff," summarizes Hans Beckhoff, Managing Director and Founder of the family-run high-tech company. He continues: "We have left the impact of 2023 and the resulting downturn in 2024 behind us." Global order intake increased over the course of 2025. Beckhoff currently assumes that the economy will experience a new growth phase two years after the start of the current cyclical crisis in many areas of the world.
PC-based control as a cross-industry automation concept
For 46 years, the family-owned company has won customers over with the continuous development of its hardware and software portfolio for PC-based automation technology. The holistic product range forms the basis for universal, industry-independent automation solutions that can be flexibly adapted to the requirements of individual industries. "We are delighted that our software-based automation philosophy continues to gain significance on the market and is being used in more and more applications around the world," says Hans Beckhoff. He continues: "It is clear that our newer product lines, such as the MX-System for control cabinet-free automation, are also meeting with high demand from customers and interested parties, thereby contributing to our company's growth."
80 million euros for research and development
As in previous years, Beckhoff invested around 80 million euros in research and development in 2025 and plans to continue investing at the same rate in 2026. As a financially independent company, Beckhoff thus lays the foundations for driving technological innovations forward in the long term. "By merging information technology and automation and implementing the latest hardware and software technology in our products, we continue to provide the industry with pioneering and powerful automation solutions," states Hans Beckhoff. He explains that current developments, particularly in AI, are leading to new features, tool chains, and business models, which Beckhoff will present at this year's Hannover Messe.
In-house expertise and cultivation of young talent
Beckhoff's stable and highly qualified work force is key to assuring that their products are a success in terms of their development, manufacturing, and sales. Currently, the family company employs 5,450 workers worldwide, of which 2,000 are engineers. Beckhoff is active in over 75 countries, with 23 branches in Germany and 41 international subsidiaries and representative offices.
Beckhoff places great importance on training and educating their talented employees in order to consistently meet the continuous need for qualified specialists. In the summer of 2025, 61 young people started their careers at Beckhoff. 32 of them started an apprenticeship. 29 students started a work-integrated study program in cooperation with the Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSBI), Gütersloh campus. The company currently employs a total of 116 apprentices and 110 students. With its diverse range of nine apprenticeships and four bachelor's degree courses, Beckhoff is focused on developing young people with a passion for technology and thus investing in the future of the region.
Outlook for the 2026 financial year
Beckhoff expects to see stable development over the 2026 financial year. "Since October 2025, we have noted that the trend has been positive again, with strong progression in the first quarter of 2026," reports Hans Beckhoff, continuing, "we seem to have gotten past the international economic crisis. However, the current global political situation still harbors uncertainties for the 2026 forecast." Overall, Beckhoff is nevertheless optimistic about the future and continues to focus on sustainable business development through its powerful PC-based automation technology for international machine and system engineering.