A small team of experts is looking for new application areas for the recently developed transistors.
The SIMATIC trademark is registered at the German Patent Office on April 2, 1958.
At the Machine Tool Exhibition in Paris one year later, the "Building-Block System for Solid-State Controls" SIMATIC G causes a sensation.
The new technology is significantly faster than previous relay controls, wear-free and requires less space all at the same time. The foundation for one of the world’s most successful automation systems is laid.

Starting with the SIMATIC N series, silicon is used instead of germanium as a significantly more robust conductor material. The second SIMATIC generation is mainly used in transformer substations and power plants and provides reliable arc control with its short switching times.

Microprocessor technology and integrated circuits find their way into control engineering and enable programmable logic controllers (PLCs). The SIMATIC S3 controller is no longer programmed via fixed wiring but software. With computing power exponentially increased, new industrial applications are made possible.

Siemens presents the fifth generation, the SIMATIC S5 series, with which the breakthrough of programmable logic controllers is achieved. Switching times are reduced and enable more complex and faster production processes. The first failsafe controller is now available. The engineering software STEP 5 makes it easier to quickly create and modify programs. SIMATIC S5 controllers are used all over the world and in almost every industry.

With the universally applicable SIMATIC S5 U series, sales figures are improving rapidly. This success is owed to a significant increase in computing power: While a 1965 SIMATIC N module contains 20 transistor functions, there are around four million such functions in 1988’s SIMATIC S5 system. Now, in addition to control functions, higher-level tasks can be performed as well. Users appreciate the extremely robust and simple technical layout.

A new generation of PLCs is introduced to the market and sets standards. SIMATIC S7 automation devices are available in the three performance classes S7-200, S7-300 and S7-400. The new fieldbus standard PROFIBUS and industrial ethernet enable seamless communication all the way through from the facility to the office. The network era has begun.

With Totally Integrated Automation (TIA), Siemens presents an automation concept that covers the entire production chain from receipt to shipping. It is the next milestone in the history of automation.

SIMATIC IT offers significant efficiency increases by coordinating the seamless exchange of information between production and management.

A new generation of controllers is introduced. The SIMATIC S7-1200 Basic Controller sets new flexibility standards with extensive expansion options and can be perfectly adapted to a wide variety of automation tasks. In combination with SIMATIC HMI Basic Panels, there is almost no limit to the range of applications.

The vision of Totally Integrated Automation becomes reality: With TIA Portal, Siemens introduces a user-friendly platform for project planning, programming, and commissioning of controls, operator units, and drives. It supports the user in realizing automation tasks quickly and intuitively. TIA Portal is the most important milestone on the road to the digital factory.

The SIMATIC S7-1500 Advanced Controller series is a milestone in terms of performance and efficiency. The high-performance control system enhances the productivity of machines. New visualization and motion control solutions are enabled by SIMATIC. With the controllers’ integrated system diagnosis functions, faults can be quickly detected and rectified. This improves the availability of machines and facilities. In combination with the engineering framework TIA Portal, automation tasks can be realized more efficiently than ever.

New options such as PLCSIM Advanced blur the line between the real and digital worlds: They enable the virtual simulation, testing and commissioning of SIMATIC controllers. This way, errors or weak points can be eliminated even before a problem arises in reality. The digital factory is already possible today!

Happy Birthday, SIMATIC!