Development and manufacture of optical and magnetic rotary encoders, encoders and measuring encoders for industrial applications
W+S Meßsysteme GmbH (Global Encoder Systems)
Spaichingen (DE) · St. Catharines, ON (CA) · Wallington, Surrey (GB) · Sales office FranceNew on Amplifa
Family-owned encoder manufacturer with in-house development and production
W+S Meßsysteme GmbH was founded in 1992 by Karl-Heinz Weber in Spaichingen and, as Global Encoder Systems (GES), develops and manufactures optical incremental and absolute rotary encoders, magnetic rotary encoders, measuring encoders as well as matching accessories. Production is carried out in-house, including the in-house production of Photo-Plast code discs and grating discs made of plastic using a special process; since 2020, invested machines and systems for manufacturing the mechanical assemblies from aluminium and stainless steel have been in use. The assembly of the fine-mechanical and electronic assemblies, hand soldering work, cable assembly and 100 % quality control take place at the Spaichingen site on 700 sqm. The family-owned company offers one-off items, zero, small and large series as well as customer-specific special rotary encoders made to specification, including ATEX/IECEx-certified versions for explosion protection. With subsidiaries in Canada (Industrial Encoder Corp.) and England (W+S Measuring Systems Ltd.) as well as a sales office in France, Global Encoder Systems supplies industries ranging from automation and drive technology to lift and crane systems, offshore/oil/gas, robotics and medical technology.
- Site
- Spaichingen
- Processes
- Development and manufacture of optical encoders (incremental and absolute), Development and production of magnetic rotary encoders, In-house production of code discs and grating discs (special process, plastic), Manufacture of mechanical assemblies (machines and systems invested since 2020), Final assembly of fine-mechanical assemblies, Final assembly and adjustment of electronic components and fine-mechanical assemblies, Manual hand soldering work, Cable assembly
- Materials
- Aluminium, Stainless steel (INOX/V4A), Plastic (Photo-Plast, code discs/grating discs), Plastic (Photo-Plast)
- Certificates
- ISO 9001:2015, ATEX Product Quality Assurance Notification (Directive 2014/34/EU), ATEX Product Certificate (Directive 2014/34/EU), IECEx Quality Assessment Report, IECEx Certificate of Conformity, ATEX (Directive 2014/34/EU), IECEx, ISO 14001, IATF 16949
- Founded
- 1992
- Industries
- Automation technology, Mechanical engineering, Drive technology, Renewable energies, Lift technology, Crane systems
- 01
Application-specific consulting and project planning
- 02
In-house development (own development department)
- 03
Manufacture of code discs and grating discs
- 04
Production of mechanical assemblies
- 05
Final assembly and adjustment of electronic and fine-mechanical assemblies
- 06
100 % final inspection
- 07
Shipping and after-sales service
Materials and processes
Aluminium
Housings and mechanical assemblies of the rotary encoders, e.g. hollow-shaft and synchro-flange versions.
Stainless steel (INOX/V4A)
Optionally available stainless steel variants of rotary encoder series as well as the highly flexible stainless steel measuring cable of the draw-wire encoder DWS 60.
Plastic (Photo-Plast)
In-house manufactured code discs and grating discs, produced in a special process that is shock- and vibration-resistant.
GES Group locations
Spaichingen
DECompany headquarters, production and development
- Lot size
- One-off items, small and large series
- Materials
- Aluminium, stainless steel, plastic (Photo-Plast)
- Systems for manufacturing grating discs (since 1992)
- Machines and systems for manufacturing mechanical assemblies (since 2020)
St. Catharines, ON
CASubsidiary Industrial Encoder Corp. for the North American market
Wallington, Surrey
GBSubsidiary W+S Measuring Systems Ltd. for the British and Scandinavian markets
Sales office France (W+S Meßsysteme)
DESales and customer service France
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Development and manufacture of optical encoders (incremental and absolute)Engineering | – | – | – | One-off items/zero series – Large series | Aluminium, Stainless steel, Plastic (Photo-Plast code discs) |
| Development and production of magnetic rotary encodersEngineering | – | – | – | – | Aluminium, Stainless steel |
| In-house production of code discs and grating discs (special process, plastic)Plastics | – | – | – | – | Plastic |
| Manufacture of mechanical assemblies (machines and systems invested since 2020)Machining | – | – | – | – | Aluminium, Stainless steel |
| Final assembly of fine-mechanical assembliesAssembly | – | – | – | – | Aluminium, Stainless steel |
| Final assembly and adjustment of electronic components and fine-mechanical assembliesAssembly | – | – | – | – | Aluminium, Stainless steel |
| Manual hand soldering workJoining | – | – | – | – | – |
| Cable assemblyJoining | – | – | – | – | – |
| 100 % quality control/inspectionTesting | – | – | – | – | – |
| ATEX/IECEx certification processes for explosion-protected productsTesting | – | – | – | – | – |
2 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Machines and systems for manufacturing mechanical assemblies | – | – | – | 2020 | Spaichingen, Germany |
| Systems for manufacturing grating discs | – | – | – | 1992 | Spaichingen, Germany |
Additional services
Quality and certifications
All products undergo 100 % final inspection; the quality management system is certified to ISO 9001:2015. Explosion-proof encoders have ATEX product certifications (DEMKO, Directive 2014/34/EU) as well as IECEx certificates.
| Evidence | Spaichingen |
|---|---|
| ISO 9001:2015 | |
| ATEX (Directive 2014/34/EU) | |
| IECEx | |
| ISO 14001 | |
| IATF 16949 |
Company history
- 1992
Karl-Heinz Weber founds W+S Meßsysteme in November; start of the development of optical incremental and absolute rotary encoders as well as systems for grating disc production.
- 1993
Start with six employees; production of own Photo-Plast code discs and grating discs.
- 1995
Development of a customer-specific rotary encoder with a low level of vertical integration, produced in high volumes.
- 1996
Establishment of sales partners in Europe and Australia.
- 1997
Founding of Industrial Encoder Corporation (Canada) and W+S Measuring Systems Ltd. (UK) by Karl-Heinz Weber.
- 2000
Move into the company's own production and operating facility with 700 sqm; merger of the companies under the GES-Group (Global Encoder Systems).
- 2003
Expansion of the portfolio to include ATEX/IECEx-certified encoders; realignment of QM to ISO 9001:2008 incl. approval for the production of explosion-protected products.
- 2008
Development of an OPTO-ASIC with integrated line driver with the Canadian partner; expansion of the GES-Group by ISS (France).
- 2013
Separation from the co-shareholder and realignment; new partners in Central and South America; entry into encoders for medical technology.
- 2014
Christine Weber joins the family business after completing her engineering studies; start of the development and production of magnetic rotary encoders.
- 2017
25th company anniversary.
- 2020
Expansion of the production site and investment in machines and systems for manufacturing mechanical assemblies; new low-profile BIG-BORE encoders for oil and gas and heavy industry.
- 2023
30 years of W+S Meßsysteme GmbH and 25 years of Global Encoder Systems.
- 2024
Expansion of the IS900/IH950/IH103/IH965 series with the IO-Link interface.
- 2025
Industrial Encoder Corporation becomes an official sales partner of Middex-Electronic GmbH for North America.