80 Years of Technology That Opens Worlds

Eighty years ago, our success story began. With the founding of Magnetic Elektromotoren AG in Liestal, near Basel in Switzerland, a specialist in custom-developed electric and servo motors was born. The name “Magnetic” was chosen because magnets were among the most important components in electric drives. Initially, these drives powered washing machines and sewing machines. Over time, however, Magnetic engineers developed drive systems for a wide range of applications.

At the time, few could have known that a vehicle barrier would become a defining milestone for the company. The MTS, introduced in 1976, was already a typical Magnetic barrier: equipped with a powerful motor developed in-house and housed in the characteristic orange casing by which Magnetic models are still recognised today. From that moment on, development progressed in major steps. Microcontrollers replaced hard-wired hardware, making barrier control far more flexible, while the first alphanumeric displays enabled configuration directly on site from the late 1980s onwards.

The success of the barriers eventually led to the creation of two Magnetic companies. In 1998, Magnetic Autocontrol GmbH began operations at Grienmatt in Schopfheim. “Autocontrol” refers to the automatic control made possible by the barriers. In the early 2000s, Magnetic demonstrated that this control was not limited to vehicles alone. With the introduction of pedestrian barriers and full-height turnstiles, the company expanded its expertise to include the control and separation of pedestrian flows.

Today, Magnetic can look back on more than half a million barriers installed worldwide. Over 315,000 of these belong to the current MHTM™ MicroDrive product generation alone. Magnetic has also set new standards in pedestrian access control. The FlowMotion^® range, with its flowing, slimline design, integrates seamlessly into sophisticated architectural environments, while the modular Momentum^® series is helping to accelerate passenger journeys through automated border control and onwards to the aircraft at numerous airports around the world.

“80 years of Magnetic is an important milestone for us,” says Managing Director Heiko Lais. “Our roots in drive and control technology continue to guarantee the precise movements, versatile functions and high reliability that define our products today. They make Magnetic a quality and innovation leader that opens worlds.”

Magnetic will celebrate its anniversary on 2 July 2026 with international guests at the Innovation Centre in Lörrach.