Foundation of Elan Schaltelemente Kurt Maecker oHG in Düsseldorf.
1969
The company’s founder retires; Rheinmetall Group takes over Elan.
1970
The company moves to a larger building on the other side of the Rhine in Neuss.
80er
First switchgear with human protection function.
1987
The Schunk Group takes over Elan.
1988
Move from Neuss to Wettenberg/ Mittelhessen.
1989
First safety relay module.
1997
Elan becomes a sister company of the Schmersal Group.
1997
The ESALAN Safety Controller permits the integration of safety functions of robots at the control level.
1998
First presentation of ESALAN. This safety-oriented decentralised control system with human protection functions is one of the world’s first micro-computer systems certified for safety category 4 to EN 954-1. ESALAN has successfully established itself on a global basis in the market for safety-oriented bus systems.
2001
Move to a new spacious building in Wettenberg´s Industriepark Ost.
2002
Realignment of the Schmersal Group; concentration on the three business areas of safety technology, automation technology and elevator technology. Distribution of core competences. Elan becomes a competence centre for
switchgear for the operation and monitoring of special interlocking devices
safety relay modules
programmable electronic systems with safety function
safety-oriented radio technology
explosion-protected devices.
2005
Presentation of the safety-oriented radio link (ESALAN Wireless)
The chronicle of the Schmersal Group can be found here.
