Engineering selection and product sourcing
Beckhoff Automation
Beckhoff Automation GmbH & Co. KG is a privately owned German maker of PC-based control, EtherCAT I/O and servo drive technology, founded in 1980 and based at Hülshorstweg 20, 33415 Verl, telephone +49 5246 963-0. Its UK subsidiary, Beckhoff Automation Ltd., is in Henley-on-Thames.
UK engineering team · Product sourcing · Supply support
Source Beckhoff Automation parts or compare a suitable alternative
Need Beckhoff Automation parts, a replacement or another suitable option? Send your part number or describe what the machine needs to do. We connect your requirement with experienced UK engineering and procurement support to help you get the right products, pricing and supply options. Your matched provider can take the enquiry through quotation and ordering to delivery and after-sales support.
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Specify Beckhoff Automation parts or an equivalent
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| Legal name | Beckhoff Automation GmbH & Co. KG |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1980 |
| Owner / parent | Beckhoff Automation GmbH & Co. KG |
| Headquarters | 33415 Verl, Germany |
| Employees | more than 5,300 (worldwide, February 2026) |
| Website | beckhoff.com |
Manufacturer information and published contact details
Beckhoff Automation contact details
Head office
Hülshorstweg 2033415 Verl
Germany
Telephone +49 5246 963-0
Email info@beckhoff.com
Website beckhoff.com
Beckhoff Automation Ltd. (UK headquarters)
Videcom House, Newtown RoadHenley-on-Thames RG9 1HG
United Kingdom
Telephone +44 1491 410539
Email info@beckhoff.co.uk
Web beckhoff.com/en-gb/company/global-presence/united-kingdom.html
Beckhoff Automation Ltd. sales office Glasgow
Technology Centre, Scottish Enterprise Technology ParkJames Watt Avenue, Glasgow G75 0QD
United Kingdom
Telephone +44 141 847 1411
Email scotland@beckhoff.co.uk
Web beckhoff.com/en-gb/company/global-presence/united-kingdom.html
Beckhoff Automation Ltd. sales office Manchester
Suite 1G2, Glasshouse, Alderley Park, Congleton RoadNether Alderley, Cheshire SK10 4TG
United Kingdom
Telephone +44 1491 410539
Email info@beckhoff.co.uk
Web beckhoff.com/en-gb/company/global-presence/united-kingdom.html
Beckhoff Automation Ltd. sales office Huntingdon
Ermine Business Park, 1 Lakeview CourtHuntingdon PE29 6UA
United Kingdom
Telephone +44 1491 410539
Email info@beckhoff.co.uk
Web beckhoff.com/en-gb/company/global-presence/united-kingdom.html
Contact details as published by Beckhoff Automation GmbH & Co. KG, checked 2026-10-30. Specify Motion is not affiliated with Beckhoff Automation GmbH & Co. KG.
Beckhoff Automation product lines
| TwinCAT | Automation software that turns an industrial PC into a PLC and motion controller |
|---|---|
| CX Embedded PCs | DIN-rail industrial PCs running TwinCAT as PLC and motion controller |
| EtherCAT I/O | EtherCAT terminals and fieldbus I/O, including EL72xx servo terminals |
| AX5000 and AX8000 | EtherCAT servo drives, single/dual-channel and modular multi-axis |
| AM8000 and AM8100 | Synchronous servo motors with One Cable Technology, including a low-voltage range |
| AMP8000 | Distributed servo drives with the drive built into the motor |
Who Beckhoff is
Beckhoff Automation is a German manufacturer of PC-based control technology, based in Verl in North Rhine-Westphalia. Rather than building around a dedicated PLC, Beckhoff runs machine control on industrial PCs with its TwinCAT software, connected to I/O and drives over EtherCAT. For motion engineers that means a complete set of components on one network: embedded PCs as the motion controller, servo drives, servo terminals and servo motors. Beckhoff, TwinCAT and EtherCAT are trademarks of their owner.
The company’s own profile reports more than 5,300 employees worldwide in February 2026, about 2,000 of them engineers, with 41 subsidiaries or representative offices and representation in more than 75 countries through cooperation partners.
History and ownership
Beckhoff was founded in 1980 and says that PC-based control has been the foundation of its business since then. Along the way it developed the Lightbus system and the TwinCAT automation software, and introduced EtherCAT, a real-time Ethernet system. The EtherCAT Technology Group (ETG) describes EtherCAT as an open network originally developed by Beckhoff, and it describes itself as the world’s largest industrial Ethernet organisation, with 8,914 member companies, and both EtherCAT and Safety over EtherCAT are IEC standards (IEC 61158 and IEC 61784). The ETG notes that Safety over EtherCAT has been open and independent of the underlying bus since its start in 2005.
Beckhoff Automation GmbH & Co. KG is a private company. Its legal notice lists BA Komplementär GmbH as the general partner, and the company profile names Hans Beckhoff as managing owner. There is no parent group or share listing.
Motion portfolio
Controllers and software
Motion control runs on CX Embedded PCs, DIN-rail industrial PCs that act as PLC and motion controller under TwinCAT. They range from small Arm-based units to multi-core Intel Xeon and AMD Ryzen models, so the same software scales from a few axes to large machines. Our motion controller hub explains where a PC-based controller fits against a conventional PLC.
Servo drives
The AX5000 is an EtherCAT servo drive family in single- and dual-channel units with optional drive-integrated safety cards. The AX8000 is a modular multi-axis system of power supply and single- or dual-axis modules on a common DC link, with TwinSAFE safety built in. For low-voltage axes, the EL72xx and ELM72xx servo terminals put a servo amplifier into the EtherCAT I/O terminal format, so small motors run straight from the I/O rail.
Servo motors
The AM8000 is the main synchronous servo motor range in seven flange sizes, with One Cable Technology (OCT) carrying power and digital feedback on one cable. The AM8100 range runs below 50 V DC from the servo terminals. The AMP8000 builds the drive into the motor housing and connects over a single EtherCAT P hybrid cable, so axes can sit on the machine without a control cabinet. Our servo drive hub covers how these architectures compare.
Technologies and standards
EtherCAT is the defining technology. It processes frames on the fly as they pass through each device, which gives short cycle times and accurate synchronisation over standard Ethernet cabling. It is widely supported by other makers’ drives and I/O, which makes it practical to mix Beckhoff controllers with third-party servo drives. One Cable Technology and EtherCAT P reduce cabling by combining power and data. TwinSAFE adds functional safety on the same network.
Industries served
Beckhoff presents its technology as general-purpose industrial automation rather than as a sector-specific product. The engineering case for PC-based control is strongest on machines where motion, logic, measurement and data handling can share one controller, and where many axes need tight synchronisation over a single network. The distributed AMP8000 and the One Cable Technology motors also suit modular machines, where cutting cabinet space and cable runs matters as much as axis performance.
Global and UK presence
Beckhoff Automation Ltd. is the UK subsidiary. Its headquarters is at Videcom House, Newtown Road, Henley-on-Thames RG9 1HG (+44 1491 410539, info@beckhoff.co.uk), and it lists sales offices in Glasgow, at the Scottish Enterprise Technology Park, in Huntingdon and at Alderley Park near Manchester. UK customers can buy directly from the subsidiary, which also provides online sales, support and service forms.
What to have ready for a Beckhoff enquiry
Give the full order code from the drive or motor label (for example the AX5000 or AM8000 type key, which encodes current rating, flange, winding, feedback and brake), the TwinCAT version and whether the axis uses OCT, EtherCAT P or a separate feedback cable. For a replacement on a running machine, note any TwinSAFE configuration and the drive firmware, as these affect commissioning time.
Sourcing Beckhoff parts through Specify Motion
Specify Motion is independent of Beckhoff and is not affiliated with it. We can help you source Beckhoff parts for an existing machine, or propose EtherCAT servo drives and motors from our supply network that meet the same published figures. See our Beckhoff alternatives page for what to check, or use find a replacement to send a part number.
Beckhoff Automation history: key dates
- 1980Beckhoff founded; PC-based control has been the company's foundation since then
- 2005Safety over EtherCAT open and independent of the underlying bus system from its start
- 2026More than 5,300 employees worldwide and 41 subsidiaries or representative offices (February)
Beckhoff Automation servo motors
AM8000
Beckhoff's main synchronous servo motor range in seven flange sizes, offered with One Cable Technology so power and digital feedback share a single cable to the drive.
AM8100
Low-voltage servo motors under 50 V DC designed to run directly from Beckhoff's EtherCAT servo terminals, with OCT absolute encoder or resolver feedback.
AMP8000
Servo motor with the drive built into the motor housing, fed over a single EtherCAT P hybrid cable so axes can be placed on the machine without a control cabinet.
Beckhoff Automation servo drives
AX5000
EtherCAT servo drive family covering a wide current range in single- and dual-channel units, with optional drive-integrated safety cards.
AX8000
Modular multi-axis servo system of power supply and single/dual-axis modules joined by a common DC link, with TwinSAFE safety built in and OCT motor connection.
EL72xx / ELM72xx servo terminals
Servo amplifiers in EtherCAT I/O terminal format that drive low-voltage servo motors such as AM8100 directly from the I/O rail.
Beckhoff Automation controllers, plcs and hmis
Engineer support
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