Development and construction of custom assembly, testing, welding and packaging systems as well as digital services for industrial production
PIA Automation Holding GmbH
Bad Neustadt a. d. Saale · Amberg · Erfurt · Esslingen am Neckar · Raaba-Grambach · Sesvete-Kraljevec (Zagreb) · Evansville, IN · Toronto · León, Guanajuato · Ningbo · Suzhou · Shanghai · WuxiNew on Amplifa
Automation from product idea to service
PIA Automation is an internationally active provider of automation and special-purpose machine solutions headquartered in Bad Neustadt a. d. Saale. The company designs and manufactures fully automatic and partially automated assembly systems, robot cells, welding systems (resistance, arc and laser welding), measuring and testing systems, end-of-line testers and packaging systems, complemented by Industry 4.0 software (PIA Industrial App Suite), simulation and virtual commissioning as well as comprehensive customer service. Materials processed include nonwovens, PE and OPP films, pouch cells and sealants in battery and mask production. Target industries include Automotive/Mobility, Energy Storage, Medical Technology, Consumer and Industrial Goods, the Food Industry as well as Embodied AI and Humanoid Robotics. With around 1,800 employees and 13 interconnected locations in Europe, North America and Asia — including production in Bad Neustadt, Amberg, Raaba-Grambach and Sesvete-Kraljevec (Zagreb) — PIA accompanies projects from Design for Automation through system construction to maintenance and modernization.
- Site
- Bad Neustadt a. d. Saale
- Processes
- Automated welding (resistance, arc and laser welding, deposition welding) of, Laser welding (including hold-down fixtures for pouch cells) in series production of, Fully automatic and partially automated assembly systems (assembly lines, robot cells, lean, Wire processing (cutting to length, trimming, stripping, soldering) and cable assembly, Measuring and testing systems for all physical variables (torque, force-displacement, haptic,, End-of-line testers (EOL): electrical tests, counter-measurement/calibration, function tests,, Robotic dispensing station for sealants / dispensing, Assembly of battery packs from pouch cells (module formation, stacking, laser welding, electrical
- Materials
- Polyethylene (PE) Film, OPP Film (30–200 μm), Nonwoven (mask material, 1-3 ply), Pouch Cells (Battery Cells), Sealants, Nonwoven
- Certificates
- ISO 9001:2015, ISO 9001
- Founded
- 1963
- Employees
- 1800
- Industries
- Automotive / Mobility (ADAS, eDrive, Powertrain, Safety, Components), Energy Storage / Battery Systems, Medical Technology, Consumer and Industrial Goods (Commercial), Embodied AI & Humanoid Robotics, Food Industry
- 01
Design for Automation (DfA)
- 02
Conceptual design and engineering
- 03
Simulation and virtual commissioning
- 04
System construction (assembly, welding, testing, packaging)
- 05
Qualification (DQ, IQ, OQ, PQ)
- 06
Commissioning
- 07
Customer service and digital services
Processes and processed materials
Nonwoven
1- to 3-ply mask material for the production of disposable face masks at up to 80 parts per minute.
Polyethylene (PE) Film
Packaging material for semi- and fully automatic film packaging systems.
OPP Film (30–200 μm)
Film for folding carton packaging machines with vertical cartoner.
Pouch Cells (Battery Cells)
Basis of battery pack assembly including module formation, stacking and laser welding.
Sealants
Dispensing via highly flexible robotic dispensing stations in battery pack manufacturing.
Reference systems and system categories
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Automated welding (resistance, arc and laser welding, deposition welding) ofJoining | – | – | – | – | – |
| Laser welding (including hold-down fixtures for pouch cells) in series production ofJoining | – | – | – | – | Pouch cells (battery cells) |
| Fully automatic and partially automated assembly systems (assembly lines, robot cells, leanAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Wire processing (cutting to length, trimming, stripping, soldering) and cable assemblyAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Measuring and testing systems for all physical variables (torque, force-displacement, haptic,Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
| End-of-line testers (EOL): electrical tests, counter-measurement/calibration, function tests,Testing | – | – | – | – | – |
| Robotic dispensing station for sealants / dispensingJoining | – | – | – | – | Sealants |
| Assembly of battery packs from pouch cells (module formation, stacking, laser welding, electricalAssembly | – | – | – | – | Pouch cells |
| Production of disposable face masks (folding, welding, forming, cutting, ear loop welding; 1-3Plastics | – | – | – | – | Nonwoven |
| Packaging (film packaging semi-/fully automatic, folding carton packaging)Assembly | – | – | – | – | PE, OPP |
| Laser marking (e.g. injection pens, up to 80 parts/min)Surface | – | – | – | – | – |
| Testing systems and production systems in the cleanroom (cleanroom class 4 and 7), machine andTesting | – | – | – | – | – |
| Design for Automation (DfA) - product design consulting for automation capabilityEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Simulation and virtual commissioning (VIBN, digital twin), OLP programming,Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Machine and plant engineering: custom automation and special-purpose systems (AMR handling up toEngineering | – | – | – | – | – |
10 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fully automatic welding systems with welding robots and rotary tables | – | – | – | – | – |
| Autonomous mobile robot (AMR) for component handling | PIA PIA AMR | – | Handling of heavy components up to 1000 kg | – | – |
| EOL tester for masks with Keyence vision system | Keyence (vision system) | – | – | – | – |
| Automatic folding carton packaging machine (vertical cartoner, 6 stations, rotary indexing table | – | – | Carton format 200 x 100 x 100 mm (min. height 55 mm) | – | – |
| Control: Siemens S7 1500 with touch panel TP700 | Siemens S7 1500 / TP700 | – | – | – | – |
| Printing system for folding cartons | Videojet M610 | – | – | – | – |
| Battery pack production line (9 manual workstations, 7 (semi-)automatic stations) | PIA | 1 | approx. 21 x 22 m | – | Customer (Italian sports car manufacturer) |
| eDrive assembly line (110 stations, 15 robots, 30 control circuits/modules, 42 operators) | PIA | 1 | – | – | Germany (customer site) |
| Disposable mask production line (80 parts/min) | PIA | – | Mask size 17.5 x 9.5 cm | – | – |
| High-speed measurement technology (NI, HBM, Beckhoff; <1 μs synchronous, up to 1M samples/s); | National Instruments, HBM, Beckhoff, Vector VN8900 | – | – | – | – |
Additional services
Reference customers
Quality and certification
PIA manufactures measuring and testing systems for all physical variables, including torque, force-displacement, haptics, acoustics, machine vision, structure-borne sound and leak testing. For medical and pharmaceutical applications, machine and system qualifications according to DQ, IQ, OQ and PQ as well as cleanroom solutions (Class 4 and 7) are offered.
| Evidence | Bad Neustadt a. d. Saale | Amberg | Raaba-Grambach | Erfurt | Esslingen am Neckar | Sesvete-Kraljevec (Zagreb) | Toronto / North York, Ontario |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ISO 9001 |
History
- 1963
Founding of Evana
- 1975
Founding of IMA
- 1982
Preh founds Industrie Ausrüstung
- 1989
Founding of M&R Automation
- 2004
Founding of Joyson CN's Special Machinery Department
- 2014
Acquisition of IMA Automation Amberg GmbH and renaming to Preh IMA Automation; founding of Ningbo Joyson Preh Industrial Automation & Robot Co. Ltd.; acquisition of Evana Automation
- 2017
Founding of PIA Automation GmbH; acquisition of Preh IMA Automation and M&R Automation
- 2019
Founding of PIA Automation Co. Ltd. (Suzhou); renaming to Ningbo PIA Automation Holding Corp.
- 2021
Founding of PIAMEX Automation, S. de R.L. de C.V. (Mexico)
- 2022
IPO of NPIA on the STAR MARKET of the Shanghai Stock Exchange (stock number 688306)
- 2023
Founding of Shanghai PIA Medical Technology Co., Ltd. and Ningbo PIA AI & HR Research Institute Co., Ltd.
- 2024
Founding of Ningbo PIA Software Technology Co., Ltd.