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Anniversary celebrations

25 years in business for simax electronics GmbH

“We founded simax electronics GmbH in Kerpen (Germany) almost 25 years ago to this day,” recalls Eric Plum, looking back to that monumental day in 1999.

Back then, the company was just two entrepreneurs with an ambition to develop their own products and expand their manufacturing operations.

Central to this vision was a desire to create products that were compatible with existing voice alarm systems.

This fresh approach was inspired to a large extent by the founders’ previous industry experience and genuine passion for developing electronic devices. Their business strategy did not put profit or growth first, but rather was motivated by their love of their products and desire to “get everything just right”.

The company name ‘simax’ – a portmanteau of the words ‘Sicherheit maximal’ (maximum safety) – came about spontaneously and was something of a secondary consideration. Much more important was the need to perfect the products’ design and ensure they were manufactured to the very highest standards. A 100 V power amplifier and the MV45 soundboard were among the first products developed by the simax team. These were followed shortly after by a digital call station control panel, released in 2001.

The business went from strength to strength and in 2003 simax electronics GmbH relocated to new premises in Aachen. “Looking back, that was a real highlight for me,” explains Eric Plum. “It was great to establish our business in the old technology centre in my home town.”

With its excellent infrastructure and close proximity to a business specialising in circuit board assembly, the new location proved the ideal setting for designing, developing and manufacturing simax’s system components.

These included the SAZ01 voice alarm control panel, which was the first simax product to be approved under DIN EN 54-16-2008, the leading standard for emergency sound systems/voice alarm and public address systems.

In 2015/16, simax launched its new SAZ02 voice alarm control panel – the culmination of all the market-driven improvements to its products and system functions over the years.

The SAZ02 was a state-of-the-art and high-performance system. “The name itself is not really important to us as tech experts; all we care about is functionality and the end result,” explains Eric Plum. “That said, a lot of expertise went into these products and we were very proud of the progress we made.” A new name for the system was therefore needed:

‘Modulares Sprach- und Evakuierungs-System’ (or ‘modular voice alarm and evacuation system’ in English) provided a pragmatic solution with a fortuitous acronym è MOSES.

In the following years, the company pursued a dynamic business strategy as it continued to grow its market share, expand its range of components and increase its sales. The MOSES voice alarm and public address system was employed in many different projects and firmly established itself on the market.

“Growth requires more space,” and so the company expanded its operations into the upper floors of the same building in the old technology centre, while also increasing its in-house production operations and cabinet construction activities on the ground floor.

By this time, simax electronics GmbH had firmly established its position both as a recognised manufacturer of voice alarm and public address systems and as a systems supplier in the safety technology sector.

The safety requirements for the installation of a voice alarm and public address system are very similar to those for a fire alarm system. A system partnership to take advantage of these similarities and create greater interconnectivity between voice alarm systems and fire alarm technology was therefore a logical next step.

In 2021, simax electronics GmbH was taken over by Detectomat Systems GmbH, a subsidiary of the French DEF Group. Together, the two companies – with the support of various divisions of the DEF Group – have achieved the collective goal of delivering a “one-stop shop” for safety technologies.

Synergies have allowed for a new and improved sales structure, better access to additional highly experienced developers and designers, and an extensive product range covering the full spectrum of safety technology requirements. Today, simax electronics GmbH is the DEF Group’s systems supplier for modern voice alarm and evacuation systems for planning offices and alarm specialists across the DACH market.

The company is delighted to be celebrating its 25th anniversary and looking forward to working together with its staff, partners and business associates in future.

Editorial note
Many thanks to Eric Plum, Technical & Operations Director at simax electronics GmbH, Aachen.