The story of omlox

June 2018

On the initiative of TRUMPF, 13 companies are meeting to jointly facilitate access to location data for medium-sized companies. The desired goal is to create a standardisation of UWB positioning technology. At that time, the omlox standard was launched under the name "Initiative Lotus".

February 2020

The omlox team is preparing a virtual Go Live event. Together with around 60 partners, the founding members introduce a standard for industrial positioning technologies. The first open locating standard enables all existing technologies such as UWB, BLE, RFID, 5G or GPS to be integrated and provides the location data via a uniform interface. Sadly Nico one of the co-founders, died unexpectedly at the age of 27. We will be forever grateful for his dedication and passion.

June 2020

As part of the Hannover Messe "Digital Days", omlox receives the Hermes Award for the omlox localisation standard.
The Hermes Award is the most important international industry prize, with which Deutsche Messe AG annually honours a company that offers products or solutions with a particularly high degree of technological innovation. 

July 2020

The first compliant omlox products are now available on the market. In order to shape further growth and to transfer it into a legal framework, the founders handed over the omlox specification to the PROFIBUS user organisation. The decisive factor for choosing this organisation was PI's 30 years of experience in user-oriented development and successful worldwide marketing of technologies.

March 2021

The first open localisation standard is quickly accepted by the market. The first pilot projects will be implemented for customers as early as spring 2021.

April 2021

omlox members present the localisation standard at ProMat in Chicago. ProMat is the most important industry trade fair in North America and offers solutions and tips for the flow of goods in the areas of material handling and logistics services.

May 2022

omlox exhibits for the first time at HANNOVER MESSE and presents an energy-optimised material flow based on positioning data.

June 2022

PI presents the new location standard at LogiMAT 2022. At the omlox trade fair stand, PI will provide extensive insights into the omlox locating technology with a first live demo. In addition, member companies will present the first omlox products.

August 2022

Together with Mann+Hummel, omlox was able to shoot a first reference installation video. If you want to know more about the reference installation at Mann+Hummel, check out our YouTube channel.

September 2022

omlox makes its first independent appearance at the IMTS trade fair in the USA.  

November 2022

At this year's SPS in Nuremberg, omlox was represented together with PROFIBUS. omlox again exhibited a live system and Dr. Matthias Jöst gave a short lecture on the first open localisation standard.

May 2023

A group of 13 RTLS-enthusiasts (RTLS = Real Time Locating System) met at the Smart Factory OWL, Germany, to celebrate the first omlox plugfest.

The goal: All participants checked the performance and interoperability of each individual product which were developed according to the latest omlox standards.

Our conclusion: An inspiring mix of intensive testing, technical discussions, and networking. Impressive: All components from different manufacturers work together easily in the omlox core zone and hub eco-system.

Today

• omlox is a key enabler to increase productivity and save resources 
• omlox reached a maturity and has grown very strong last year 
• There is a growing interest and adoption in China. Regarding members (e.g., Huawei, Tencent, Haier, Inspur, Hikvision, etc) and customers (Chinese OEMs, battery companies and suppliers in omlox)
• Almost all industries benefit from a cost-efficient way to locate things in production and supply chain