In 1945, Walter Pepperl and Ludwig Fuchs founded a small radio workshop in Mannheim, Germany, based on the principles of inventiveness, entrepreneurial foresight, and self-reliance. The experience they acquired was transformed into new ideas, and they continued to enjoy developing products for customers. The eventual result was the invention of the proximity switch. This innovation represented the starting point of the company's success story. Pepperl+Fuchs is a pioneer and innovator of industrial sensors for factory automation and an expert for explosion protection in process automation.