Indramat GmbH, now part of

Bosch Rexroth Bosch Rexroth AG is an engineering firm based in Lohr am Main in Germany. It is the result of a merger on 1 May 2001 between Mannesmann Rexroth AG and the Automation Technology Business Unit of Robert Bosch GmbH, and is a wholly owned subsidiar ...

, was an industrial control firm founded in 1958, based in Neuwied (am Rhein),

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. Its name is a German abbreviation meaning “ Gesellschaft zur INDustrialisierung-RAtionalisierung und AutoMATisierung“ (Association for Industrialization, Rationalization, and Automation). The

core business The core business of an organization is an idealized construct intended to express that organization's "main" or "essential" activity. Core business process means that a business's success depends not only on how well each department performs its ...

was the production of industrial

servo drive A servo drive is an electronic amplifier used to power electric servomechanisms. A servo drive monitors the feedback signal from the servomechanism and continually adjusts for deviation from expected behavior. Function A servo drive receives a c ...

s and motion controls for use on

machine tools A machine tool is a machine for handling or machining metal or other rigid materials, usually by cutting, boring, grinding, shearing, or other forms of deformations. Machine tools employ some sort of tool that does the cutting or shaping. All m ...

machine press A forming press, commonly shortened to press, is a machine tool that changes the shape of a work-piece by the application of pressure. The operator of a forming press is known as a press-tool setter, often shortened to tool-setter. Presses ...

es, printing presses, food packaging machinery, as well as assembly lines and

material handling Material handling involves short-distance movement within the confines of a building or between a building and a transportation vehicle. It uses a wide range of manual, semi-automated, and automated equipment and includes consideration of the pro ...

equipment. Indramat was acquired by the hydraulic company Rexroth in 1965, for Rexroth to gain competence in machine control. At that time, Indramat was moved to the German town of Lohr am Main, Rexroth’s headquarters. In 1968 Rexroth, including Indramat GmbH, was taken over by

Mannesmann AG Mannesmann was a German industrial conglomerate. It was originally established as a manufacturer of steel pipes in 1890 under the name "Deutsch-Österreichische Mannesmannröhren-Werke AG". (Loosely translated: "German-Austrian Mannesmann pi ...

. In 2001, after the hostile takeover of Mannesmann by

Vodafone Vodafone Group Public limited company, plc () is a British Multinational corporation, multinational Telephone company, telecommunications company. Its registered office and Headquarters, global headquarters are in Newbury, Berkshire, England. It ...

, the industrial portion of Mannesmann was acquired by

Robert Bosch GmbH Robert Bosch GmbH (; ), commonly known as Bosch and stylized as BOSCH, is a German multinational engineering and technology company headquartered in Gerlingen, Germany. The company was founded by Robert Bosch in Stuttgart in 1886. Bosch is 9 ...

, including Rexroth and Indramat. The new entity was named

, and Indramat GmbH became the Electric Drives and Controls Technology Group under Bosch Rexroth. The name Indramat was no longer used, however Bosch Rexroth Electric Drives and Controls continues to produce and support products originally marketed under the Indramat brand, and newer product families such as the IndraDrive, IndraDyn, and IndraControl are named in recognition of their heritage. In 2001 Indramat employed 1,500, with a turnover of 261 million Euro. Exports constituted 52% of the business. Indramat gained recognition in Germany and Central Europe starting in the 1970s as a supplier of DC servo drives and control systems, especially in the areas of sheet steel processing, and 3-dimensional tracing controls. A key feature of the Indramat servo is the programming module (called a “Personality Module” in the North American market), which contained all variable settings required to match the servo amplifier with a given motor. This feature greatly simplified the commissioning process. In 1979 Indramat released a brushless drive servo system, which it branded as an “AC Servo”. This product gained acceptance in

automotive industry The automotive industry comprises a wide range of company, companies and organizations involved in the design, Business development, development, manufacturing, marketing, and selling of motor vehicles. It is one of the world's largest industry ...

Powertrain manufacturing, bringing Indramat global recognition. Indramat is also recognized for distributed

CNC Numerical control (also computer numerical control, and commonly called CNC) is the automated control of machining tools (such as drills, lathes, mills, grinders, routers and 3D printers) by means of a computer. A CNC machine processes a ...

s for automotive Powertrain manufacturing, and electronic line shaft technology for commercial printing presses.

External links

Bosch Rexroth Electric Drives and Controls

References

{{Bosch Engineering companies of Germany Electronics companies of Germany German brands Manufacturing companies of Germany Electronics companies established in 1958 Robert Bosch GmbH 1958 establishments in West Germany