SMELA GmbH
SMELA GmbH develops, manufactures, and distributes compact, energy-efficient electromechanical linear actuators for industrial automation.
About
SMELA GmbH is a German tech company specializing in the development, production, and distribution of innovative, compact electromechanical actuators for linear movements in automated industrial systems. Their main product lines—liteECO® BASE and INTEGRATED series—are the most compact electromechanical alternatives to pneumatic short-stroke cylinders. The patented design saves up to 90% energy compared to pneumatic systems and up to 80% installation space compared to existing electrical solutions. SMELA's actuators find application in production lines, machine tools, packaging, logistics, medical technology, and more. The company focuses on enabling more sustainable, flexible, and resource-efficient industrial automation by closely supporting clients from project conception to integration, including refurbishment for long product life cycles. SMELA has rapidly grown from a university spin-off into an award-winning start-up with a Europe-wide distribution network and significant international partnerships.
Products & Services
- liteECO® BASE Series (electric short-stroke actuators without integrated controller)
- liteECO® INTEGRATED Series (electric short-stroke actuators with integrated drive controller)
- Custom adaptations for client-specific applications
- Plug & play replacement solutions for pneumatic cylinders
- Consulting on integrating electromechanical actuators into automation systems
- Refurbishment/replacement service for worn actuator mechanics
- Distribution and support via international sales partners
- Technical consulting and project support
Use Cases & Case Studies
- Replacement of pneumatic cylinders in production and packaging machinery
- Integration in automated pharmacy dispensing systems (with Gollmann)
- Deployment in Industry 4.0 research platforms for adaptive welding and blockchain experiments
- Plant retrofits for energy and resource savings (with PassPlus GmbH)
- Flexible linear motion for logistics, machine tools, and medical engineering applications
Partnerships & Collaborations
- Sales partnership with EVG Martens GmbH & Co. KG (Germany)
- Distribution partners: Groneman B.V. (Netherlands), Aratron AB (Sweden), Smart Automation S.r.l. (Italy), OEM Automatic Ltd. (UK), Girmatic AG (Switzerland), T.S.A Technologies et Systèmes Automatisation (France), Servo Dynamics Pte. Ltd. (Singapore)
- Research collaborations with the Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg (Industry 4.0, blockchain algorithms)
- Technical integration projects with iweld Systems, FSH Automation, and Mansfeld Anlagenbau
Awards & Recognition
- IQ Innovation Award Magdeburg 2020
- 2nd place, Germany's Top 50 Start-ups 2020
- 2nd place, Science4Life Businessplan Competition Energy Cup 2020
- 2nd place, start2grow Start-up Competition 2020
- 3rd place, Hugo-Junkers Prize for Most Innovative Projects in Mobility and Logistics 2019
- Winner, Science4Life Concept Phase (Energy) 2020
- Winner, Science4Life Ideas Phase (Energy) 2019
- Investor Award at Investforum Pitchday 2019
Contact Information
Certifications & Compliance
- Protection class IP65 (sealing of actuators)
- WEEE and RoHS compliance for cables and components