Becker-Antriebe is one of the leading manufacturers of drives and control units for the automation of roller shutters, sun protection systems and extended applications. Becker stands for high-quality products that are an important component in home and building automation – from smart homes to large commercial buildings. In addition, drives from Becker-Antriebe are successfully used in applications like e.g. smoke and fire protection or pool covers.
The family-owned company was founded in 1921 and employs more than 350 employees worldwide.
Interview with Maik Wiegelmann, Managing Director at Becker-Antriebe.
Easy Engineering: What are the main areas of activity of the company?
Maik Wiegelmann: The focus of our activities is on roller shutters, sun protection and extended applications – here we offer various solutions for different requirements.
Smart home solutions became a major role in the last years. In this area we offer drives that are compatible with various smart home solutions.
On the other hand, we have wired solutions, where Standard Motor Interface (SMI) is an important topic for us. This interface can be used to integrate drives for roller shutters and sun protection in buildings with KNX systems.
Through the use of SMI, products from different manufacturers are compatible with each other, which is a great advantage. As well as the robustness and economy of the system and the possibility of uniform design of the facade through precise positioning of the sunshade.
In the area of extended applications, drives for smoke and fire protection are an important topic as well as drives that are used successfully in numerous other industries such as medical technology, sports equipment or in applications such as sliding glass windows.
E.E: What’s the news about new products?
M.W: Concerning new products the development in the smart home sector is significant – in this context we develop drives that are compatible with various smart home systems, such as home and the AVM FRITZ!Box. In addition, Becker-Antriebe is a “Participant” in the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA), under whose umbrella well-known manufacturers are organized to shape the future standard in home and building automation.
With the new “Matter” radio system, planning and implementation of smart homes should become much easier in the future. In our view, this system is the right way towards a uniform smart home ecosystem.
E.E: What are the ranges of products?
M.W: In the area of roller shutters and sun protection, we distinguish between radio-based and wired drives. Depending on the requirements, the user can use the appropriate drive for himself and integrate it, for example, into his smart home. In addition to functionality, our customers appreciate the particularly high quality and durability of our drives.
In the area of extended applications, we serve applications such as smoke and fire protection, pool covers, sports equipment and medical technology with high-quality drives that are precisely tailored to the special requirements.
E.E: At what stage is the market where you are currently active?
M.W:: In the last few years, the market of home and building automation has shown a significant development and market growth respectively. In the private sector, having a smart home became a standard. Whether in the sector of new buildings or renovation – automated solutions ensure more comfort, security and energy efficiency. The topic of energy savings through home automation in particular has recently gained in importance. Depending on the type of building, up to 15% can be saved by automated shutters / sun protection. This is a strong argument at the present time.
E.E: What can you tell us about market trends?
M.W:: Currently, the smart home market offers numerous products with different wireless technologies. The wireless products operate in “open”, manufacturer-independent systems such as EnOcean, Zigbee and Z-Wave, and in some cases also in manufacturer-specific radio systems. This leads to the fact that it isn’t easy for the customers to make their choice concerning the right technology.
The development on the market is currently moving in the direction of a radio system that is intended to facilitate the planning and implementation of smart homes in the future: “Matter”. More than 300 members are now working together on the standard that is set to change the smart home industry.
In the field of wired solutions, the market trend is similar – the Standard Motor Interface (SMI) is also about standardization: Numerous European manufacturers are already relying on the uniform interface for electronic drives in the field of roller shutters and sun protection. The advantage here is that they are compatible with each other and can be easily integrated into building automation networks, such as KNX.
SMI is currently not only gaining ground in more and more large-scale projects, but is also increasingly finding its way into private homes.
E.E: What are the most innovative products marketed?
M.W: As I mentioned before a lot is happening in the smart home sector: The development towards the standard “Matter” and the innovations in the area of the individual smart home systems. In this respect a big topic for us is, among other things, are our BoxCTRL drives, with which you can control the roller shutters via the FRITZ!Box, e.g. with the FRITZ!App Smart Home. The FRITZ!Box is a router that is present in almost every household in Germany. Thus, no separate smart home gateway needs to be installed here, which is a great advantage for the user. We received the silver R+T Innovation Award 2021 for these drives.
E.E: What estimations do you have for 2023?
M.W: We are already in the last third of 2023, so we are preparing our main trade fairs, that will take place in the beginning of 2024: The R+T in Stuttgart and the Fensterbau in Nürnberg, where we will present our product portfolio and highlights respectively. For being up to date concerning news about our company and products don’t hesitate to have a look at becker-antriebe.com or follow us on social media.