The year is 1992, the beginning of the 90s. An exciting decade marked by reunification and the advancing digital revolution. And in Gera, Thuringia, the foundation stone for PI Ceramic is laid.
Within 30 years, a small start-up develops into an international high-tech company with more than 430 employees.
Travel with us into PI Ceramic's past!
Our Milestones at a Glance
With the intention of establishing a manufacturer of piezoceramic components for the PI Group, PI Managing Director Dr. Karl Spanner founds the company together with Albrecht Otto. PI Ceramic has its first headquarters in rented facilities in the former production building of the Electronicon company in Gera, Thuringia.
PI Ceramic is proud of its first ten employees, including Managing Director Otto Albrecht (1st from right) and Frank Möller (3rd from left), who still works for PI Ceramic today.
Dr. Karl Spanner breaks ground for the first construction phase of the new company building in the small town called Lederhose in Thuringia. The picture shows the five founding employees of PI Ceramic.
Finally, the time has come: The first construction phase with over 2,000 square meters of production and office space was completed and the employees can move in.
After five years, the company counts 30 employees, all working together to achieve the vision: to become the manufacturer of piezoceramic components for the entire PI Group.
The 2,000 square meter company headquarters is being expanded with an additional 5,000 square meters of production and office space. This means lots of space for new employees and more capacity for manufacturing new products.
With the series production of NEXLINE® modules, PI Ceramic receives an immense growth boost in the early 2000s and the building becomes too small. A further extension creates an additional 3,600 square meters of production and office space. At this point, the company headquarters covers more than 10,000 square meters.
The company's 25th anniversary is celebrated by the 280 employees at the headquarter in Lederhose.
Albrecht Otto (on the left) retires and hands over the management to Dr. Patrick Pertsch (on the right). Mr. Pertsch has been an employee of the PI Group for 20 years at this point, most recently as plant manager at PI Ceramic.
Also pictured: Dr. Peter Schittenhelm, former Managing Director of PI Ceramic and Chief Operating Officer of PI.
The company's headquarters are being expanded for a fourth time to include more than 7,500 square meters of office and production space and a parking garage. The new extension will provide space for multilayer production, offices and a showroom on three floors.