"It is shortly after World War 2 when a young man somewhat bashfully scans the shelves of a small, restored corner store. The selection of goods is small, [...]. Cautiously, they open one of the packets, well aware of the scarcity of this material. They pull it apart, stretch it and put it over a neatly milled narrow metal tube. The idea of making a microphone capsule was born. [...]." For 75 years, the Peiker family has been all about communication and how to improve it. Inventions and developments of communication devices such as microphones, loudspeakers, radios, automotive handsets & hands-free devices for radio and mobile telephony and some important patents, are part of the success story as well as well-known customers from the automotive and cell phone industry, as well as authorities and public institutions.
From inventor of the crystal microphone to automotive supplier
As early as 1957, the first person to ascend to over 30,000 meters in a helium balloon was wearing a Peiker microphone in his helmet. A short time later, it is a Peiker handheld microphone that records what is experienced when climbing the Himalayas, to be used for later evaluations of the expedition. In addition to supplying musical instrument manufacturers, the industrial business was added in the 1960s. To this day, railroad companies are customers for products that consist in part of the dynamic microphone that was once developed. Despite the magnetic core, this prevents iron from being attracted and thus remains functional. The production of small loudspeakers was the first step into the automotive business as well as into professional radio applications. In the following 20 years, the company PEIKER acustic establishes itself among others in the BOS radio, a non-public mobile VHF land radio service, which is used by authorities and organizations with security tasks, such as the fire department. Later, Peiker enters the automotive industry. From here on, things progress rapidly, with one invention following the next. The first crash-proof HA10/A10 operating handset for mobile communications in the automotive industry, e.g. for police vehicles, is presented and a hands-free car kit is developed. The multi-award-winning Bluetooth® hands-free car kit UConnect is still in use today. Peiker enters the innovative business field of traffic telematics with the product PoleStar, a mobile phone-based telematics system with GPS vehicle location. The vision: the first car emergency call system should not only go into series production, but also soon be mandatory for all car manufacturers. The development of the 3G UMTS module serves as the basis for future eCall and communication applications and is conquering the OEM series business with its high-speed connectivity modules. Many well-known manufacturers worldwide will install peiker technology. A SIM card is installed in the car from which the accident driver can make an emergency call or which automatically triggers the call if he is no longer able to do so himself. Close cooperation with the San Diego-based chip company Qualcom was a trend-setter in the industry at the time. The iPod® interface kit developed by Peiker enables full integration of the AppleTM iPod® in the vehicle for the first time. Together with car manufacturers, the German car sharing programs car2go and DriveNow reach market maturity and are now an alternative to public transport in major cities.
Modern communication in a versatile position
In the early 1980s, Andreas Peiker took over the family business founded in 1946 and became the driving force behind the automotive business segment. In 2015, he finally sells PEIKER acustic and moves the new company, peiker Holding, from Friedrichsdorf/Taunus to Bad Homburg, 100 meters away from where the first own company building was located. A piece of masonry with the inscription PEIKER reminds of this time. With many years of expertise in the field of modern communication technology in vehicles, Andreas Peiker ventures a new entrepreneurial start at the age of 65. His goal - to transfer decades of business experience to other areas of application. Recognizing trends and reacting flexibly to them - that is the philosophy. Today, peiker Holding sees itself as the lead company for the companies of the Peiker family. In other words, in addition to administrative and consulting activities, Steering Committees analyze trends, from which visions emerge, in order to jointly implement them as new projects in the partner companies. Finally, the group of companies also develops and distributes the future-oriented communication systems for industry, public authorities, transport & logistics as well as the outdoor sports sector. The latest projects relate to marketing in new markets such as retail, aviation and rescue. At 70, Andreas Peiker is now a bit older than his father was back when he handed over the reins of the family business. "At some point, you also have to have the strength to say, I have to take a step back. I am at that point now and overjoyed that the fourth generation of the family, my children, are involved in the business group," says Andreas Peiker. Although the companies of the Peiker family with their six partner companies still represent a young business network, they can look back on a 75-year history. It is important to preserve and pass on this knowledge in order to develop into a stable group of companies in the spirit of sustainability.