Pyramid Computer

Pyramid Computer GmbH has been developing and producing IT solutions for network technology, network security, industrial PCs and industrial image processing since 1985. They develops and produces a wide range of self-service kiosk solution systems geared towards QSR and gastronomy. Pyramid Computer is the largest suppliers in this sector worldwide.
In cooperation with 3M, Pyramid brought the world's first, large format, multi-touch system to market in 2011. Pyramid conducted research with the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering in Stuttgart on the topics of automation and Graphical User Interface (GUI). Pyramid has extended the application range of self-service solutions based on projective capacitive touch screens.
Pyramid Computer emerged in 1998 with BenHur, the world's first LINUX-operated multifunctional communication server. In 2004, Pyramid was the hardware supplier of genugate, the only firewall that was classified as Highly Restistant by the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) at that time according to the international CC standard at that time. In 2008 Pyramid Computer played an important role in the construction of ATLAS, a mainframe computer (Gigabit Ethernet cluster) for the Albert Einstein Institute (Hannover), which conducted research on the theory of gravitational waves with it. At the time of its commissioning, ATLAS ranked 68th among the top 500 fastest computers in the world with a performance of 32.8 FLOPS|teraflops.
Niko Hensler and Friedrich (Frieder) Hansen are the co-founders of the current Pyramid Computer GmbH and managed the company together for 34 years. Hansen handed over the operational management to Josef Schneider in 2019, while Hensler remained a managing partner in the company. Pyramid's revenue was 31 million Euros in 2017 and 61 million Euros in 2018. It is classified as a medium-sized company with its headquarters operating as a production and logistics center in Ichtershausen near Erfurt, ist :de:Freiburg_im_Breisgau|Freiburg i. Breisgau. Pyramid Computer employs about 130 people in Germany.
 
Friedrich Hansen founded Pyramid Computer in 1985 in his parents' apartment in Freiburg, Germany. In 1986, the current Pyramid Computer GmbH was founded with the other partners Nikolaus Hensler, Markus Müller and Christian Pogoda. In the beginning, components were imported, Apple II and IBM-XT compatible computers were assembled and sold to end users and companies in Germany.
By 1987 they had more than 30 employees and in 1989, the newly built company headquarters accomodated more than 50 employees with approximately 2,500 sqm of office, warehouse and production space. The magazine Wirtschaftswoche, honored the strong growth of the company with their Entrepreneur of the Year award, which was presented to Pyramid Computer by Helmut Haussmann, Federal Minister of Economics in 1991. 
Pyramid shared the renowned iF Design Award with NeXT Computer Europe, from Steve Jobs' group of companies for the design of its desktop computer line WaveLine in 1991. After acquiring CD Computer & Datentechnik GmbH in 1994, Pyramid produced more than 10,000 computer systems during the first year. 1992-1997, an expansive Economic diversity|diversification strategy took place with the founding of several subsidiaries for other technology areas such as Enterprise resource planning|ERP development, Business telephone system|PABX production, Wholesaling|wholesale division, memory module production and trade as well as branded goods merchandising.
In 1997, the Mannheim Public Prosecutor's Office investigated economic offences against the company. The charge was "illegal import of memory modules from the Far East in circumvention of the statutory duties". The investigations revealed that the subsidiary P3 had acted without the knowledge of the parent company. While the managing director of P3 was sentenced to a prison term, Pyramid Computer, as a parent company, was liable for the resulting tax liability.
Because of the growing competitive pressure generated by the supply of electrical and Department store|discount retail chains at the turn of the millennium in the desktop computer market, Pyramid realigned its equipment and customer portfolio. It transformed into a provider of both standardized and customized solutions in the areas of networking and network technology, industrial PCs and industrial image processing. After the turn of the millenium, the company received several awards: the Innovation Award of the State of Baden-Württemberg (Dr.-Rudolf Eberle Prize) for "unconventional ideas for innovative products, processes or services" in 2000, the Freiburg Innovation Prize for "[t]he novel network and firewall technology as well as the high scalability of the Ben Hur II system", third place in the CyberOne Hightech Award in 2003, the state of Baden-Württemberg awards to "the most forward-looking business concepts of technology-oriented start-ups and companies".
Since 2007, the company has been conducting research with 3M and the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering and Organization in the field of projective capacitive touchscreens or graphical user interfaces and automation. As a result, the surface area of projective capacitive touchscreens, which processes a large number of simultaneous user Gesture recognition|gestures (touches), has increased. Pyramid‘s first in-house, polytouch device, which was presented to experts in 2011, featured a display size expanded from the previously 20 inches to a maximum of 42 inches. This has given impetus to self-service technologies, for example, the realization of novel self-service and information kiosks (terminals) for the retail trade. The company first turned its technological lead in this product segment into economic success on the more innovation-open Anglo-Saxon market by winning the Marks & Spencer department store chain in England and the AMC Theatres|AMC cinema chain in the USA as major kiosk customers. Today, the kiosk division accounts for approx. 60% of the company's revenue.
The ISO-certified (ISO 9001:2015) company is a partner of Intel and Microsoft. Its customers include large corporations like Siemens AG, Daimler AG, Thales Group|THALES Group, McDonald's, Edeka|EDEKA Group, as well as federal companies (genua GmbH) and highly specialized niche providers (including Apogee France).
=== Hardware ===
==== Platforms for self-service kiosks ====
Pyramid's kiosk systems contain peripherals (e.g. Display device|display, PC boxes, Thermal printing|thermal printers, scanners, audio input and output) in a design-enhanced chassis while still being easy to set up and maintain. Here, a Low-voltage differential signaling|LVDS connector developed by the company plays a central role, which connects the display unit and PC and manages all energy and data flows. The kiosks are easy to use for users with impaired vision, hearing or movement.
The kiosk portfolio ranges from solutions for the retail, Hospitality industry|hospitality and hotel sectors to e-ticketing, e-banking and access control systems, including for Public space|public spaces. One of the company's key partners is McDonald's.
In context of the COVID-19 pandemic, Pyramid produces service terminals that are able to determine the body temperature via a scan of the retina and regulate room access according to the results.
==== Platforms for industrial PCs and servers and for industrial image processing ====
The product column includes PC solutions for industrial and non-industrial environments. In addition to standard solutions for conventional applications, the company develops specialized solutions for controlling high-performance systems and subsequently processing and storing the amounts of data they generate in cooperation with customers from the Biomedicine|biomedical, experimental research, Food industry|food and aerospace industries, among others.
Solutions for tasks in industrial image processing occupy an increasingly important place, e.g. quality inspection during the recycling of reusable goods or the examination of Tissue sample|tissue samples by fully automated screening microscope
==== Platforms for rack server systems ====
Pyramid's hardware platforms are used as core components for IT solutions in the fields of network security, among other things, to implement security concepts, including the protection of highly critical infrastructures of public authorities and industrial companies through firewalls, VPN, encrypted data communication via the Internet, remote maintenance and remote access systems. A partner in this field is genua GmbH, a company of Bundesdruckerei. 
=== Services ===
Pyramid‘s services include project management, which serves as a central point of contact for the client and coordinates the performance shares of the project participants from product development and production to delivery or installation in such a way that a product can be handed over "turn key ready". Further services provided by the company include lifecycle management, stocking of goods via Consignment stock|consignment warehouses, long-term stocking of components for replacement or expansion of existing systems and a Global Service Program.
* 1991: Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
* 1991: iF Design Award.
* 1999: Innovation Prize (Dr.-Rudolf-Eberle-Prize) of the State of Baden-Württemberg.
* 2002: Freiburg Innovation Prize.
* 2004: Award Innovation of the Month by the state of Baden-Württemberg in the context of the initiative ebigo.de.
* 2005: CyberOne-Award (3rd place) of the state of Baden-Württemberg.
* 2010: Intel Channel Innovation Award (1st place).
* 2011: Siemens Top Supplier Award in der Kategory Electronical Components.
* 2020: Best Retail Cases Award (3rd place in the Retail Omnichannel category).
* Brand Award 2018 in Düsseldorf
* Friedrich Hansen und die Pyramid-Company (Friedrich Hansen and the Pyramid-Company), Production: SDR, Series: Menschen und Märkte (People and markets), First broadcast: March 19, 1991.
Category:Companies
Category:Software companies
Category:Technology companies