Time travel 50 years of Unitechnik

On May 25, 1971, Bernd Cieplik and Heinz Poppek founded an engineering office for the planning and construction of electrical control systems in Gummersbach - the birth of Unitechnik. After a short time, "home office" is no longer practical and the two gentlemen rent a basement apartment in Ludwigstraße at Steinberg.

Four years after the foundation at the latest, the resolution that the company should have no more than eight employees is thrown overboard. The first company building is erected in Robert-Bosch-Straße in the industrial area of Wiehl Bomig (today REIKU). When Heinz Poppek stands in the huge empty factory hall, he feels a little queasy: "How are we ever going to fill it up?"

The control cabinets become larger and larger and the production hall gradually fills up. The first trainees are still called apprentices at that time. Peter Gross (left in the picture) and Georg Kreidt have now been employed at Unitechnik for 44 years.

Significant revolution in automation technology: Programmable logic controllers (PLCs) are gradually replacing contactor controllers. With the IPC 300 from Honeywell, Unitechnik is right at the forefront. Of course, good planning is half the battle here, too.

It is the dissatisfaction with the price-performance ratio of the systems available on the market that drives Unitechnik to develop something of its own. An own process computer with the speaking name UTRONIK 990 is created. A specialized further development was later used as a "tower control" for the control of carousels for data carrier cassettes. Our first points of contact with warehousing technology.

Despite an extension, the existing building cannot keep up with the rapid growth. So, once again, new construction is underway. Not a kilometer away on Fritz-Kotz-Strasse, Unitechnik's new home is being built. On the huge property, the buildings seem somehow abandoned. The successful move is celebrated with local Kölsch beer.

And once again, growth is taking its toll. More space is needed. But a four-story office building is now really intended to meet demand for the next few years. Among the well-wishers was Werner Becker-Blonigen (2nd from left), the city manager and later mayor of Wiehl. He is still associated with the company today and holds the office of chairman of the advisory board of Unitechnik.

The construction boom demands more and more prefabricated concrete elements. A new mainstay is emerging for Unitechnik. The automation of these production plants is an exciting task for the engineers at Unitechnik: to produce individual elements planned in CAD automatically with the help of robot technology. After the fall of the Berlin Wall, the topic picks up even more speed.

Shortly after German reunification, the sister company Unitechnik Automatisierungs GmbH is founded in Eisenhüttenstadt. The maintenance department of the EKO steel mill is to be outsourced. Initiated by personal contacts, the Eisenhüttenstadt automation experts find two courageous entrepreneurs in Wiehl.

BAUMA - the largest trade show in the world. Unitechnik is represented with its own booth and presents its master computer for the precast concrete industry. Since this year Unitechnik is represented at every BAUMA.

Unitechnik builds a new office building in Eisenhüttenstadt. Among the well-wishers are the then Federal Chancellor Gerhard Schröder and the Minister President of Brandenburg Manfred Stolpe. Managing Director Jürgen Unger (left) explains the development of the Brandenburg showcase company.

Softcarrier in Trierweiler: Completion of the first complete logistics center for which Unitechnik is responsible as general contractor. Unitechnik continues this path consistently until today. In doing so, the company's own warehouse management system UniWare optimally maps the customer's business processes. With regard to the warehouse and conveyor technology used, Unitechnik acts completely independent of manufacturers.

With the retirement of Bernd Cieplik, the baton is finally passed on to the next generation. In the course of this succession, the company will be renamed and will then be called Unitechnik AG. The two juniors Rainer Poppek and Wolfgang Cieplik are supported by the three long-standing executives Bernhard Hoffmann, Knut Kröckel and Torsten Ley. Together they form the executive board of the corporation. Bernd Cieplik and Heinz Poppek accompany the company on the supervisory board.

Foundation of a holding company in which the shareholders Wolfgang Cieplik and Rainer Poppek are active. The holding company controls the group of companies, which consists of the three operating companies in Wiehl, Eisenhüttenstadt and Dubai. It also performs cross-sectional tasks for the entire Group.

The digital twin is becoming increasingly important. During software development, the physical plant is digitally replicated in the form of an emulation. Stefan Blauel, our Head of Informatics, shows here how the UniWare warehouse management system (left screen) interacts with the Digital Twin. In this way, the functions and processes in the office can be tested. Times on site are reduced to a minimum. In retrofit projects, this is an unbeatable advantage.

Eisenhüttenstadt: Eckhardt Wilberg (4th from right) retires and hands over management to Karsten Boldt (3rd from left). The transition is accompanied by Torsten Ley. Mr. Boldt is supported by the executives Katrin Kratzsch, Dietmar Jost and Wolfgang Beitsch. The latter is now retired and is replaced by Thomas Hoffmann.

Unitechnik receives the order from Ethiopian Airlines for the planning and realization of a new cargo terminal at the airport in Addis Ababa. The facility is the largest cargo center in Africa and with € 32 million the largest order for Unitechnik to date. During the Corona pandemic, this facility is the central hub for supplying Africa with relief supplies and vaccines.

Digitalization and expansion in switchgear construction. Dirk Schütz, head of the switchgear construction department, explains the advantages of the digital twin in the manufacturing process. The excellent quality and UL certification are probably responsible for the fact that this area is growing steadily.

The management of Unitechnik Systems GmbH consists of the Managing Director Torsten Ley (in the middle), the Technical Manager Dirk Panske (left) and the Sales Manager Michael Huhn (right).

Um Unitechnik in der Region (noch) bekannter zu machen, wurde die Idee geboren, einen Kino-Trailer zu drehen und diesen im neuen Gummersbacher Kinocenter "Seven" vor jedem Film auszustrahlen. Start für die Aktion sollte der Kinostart des neuen James Bond Films "Keine Zeit zu sterben" sein. Dann kam Corona. Der Start ist jetzt nochmal auf den 08. Oktober 2021 verschoben worden. Damit Sie aber nicht so lange warten müssen, sehen Sie hier schon mal den Trailer. Aber nicht weitersagen!