The operation is a wholly owned subsidiary of German manufacturing group Dr Johannes Heidenhain GmbH, which traces its roots to 1889 when it was set up in Berlin by Wilhelm Heidenhain (father of Johannes) as a metal etching factory. Today the headquarters is in Traunreut, in south-eastern Bavaria.
The UK arm employs 24 people and is the sales, service, and distribution centre for the UK and Ireland for the complete range of Heidenhain products. Application engineering, as well as customer service and support, are provided for the firm's CNC systems, digital readouts, linear and rotary encoders, length gauges, measuring probes and machine calibration equipment.
Lead by managing director Neil Prescott, Heidenhain (GB) is a member of the Manufacturing Technologies Association (MTA), the Gauge & Toolmakers Association (GTMA) and plays an active role on the committee of the LAMDAMAP (Laser Metrology, Coordinate Measuring Machine and Machine Tool Performance) international conference and exhibition, supporting the event with the provision of student scholarships.
A network of highly trained, regionally-based distributors specialises in offering local sales and service of Heidenhain’s encoder products. All distributors are authorised, have exclusive access to the manufacturer's technical databases, are assisted as required by specialists in Burgess Hill and use test equipment that is calibrated every two years.
