Lifting security to new heights with technology
Palfinger AG, a leading crane manufacturer, uses 200+ Axis cameras, Milestone VMS, and 2N intercoms for industrial safety, perimeter security, access control, and production monitoring to improve business efficiency.
Palfinger: Driving excellence in every aspect
Palfinger turns customers’ needs into seamlessly integrated solutions. A broad product portfolio and regional footprint drive balanced profitable growth. With its promise of Lifetime Excellence, the leading technology and engineering company delivers top performance throughout the entire product lifecycle. The Austrian company employees around 12,000 people, operates at 30 manufacturing sites, spanning six continents.
Growing requirements for industrial security
As Palfinger grew internationally, so did the complexity of securing its facilities. Managing physical security across a global footprint of production, logistics, and office sites is no small task.
Production sites like the main plant in Lengau, Austria, presents two challenges at once: protecting the perimeter against intrusion as well as providing security within the site for restricted production zones.
Welding areas, precision manufacturing lines, and heavy crane assembly zones are not places where operators can stand and observe freely. Yet maintaining oversight of these areas is critical, both for operational efficiency and quality assurance. At the same time, outdoor perimeters across multiple sites need reliable, robust weather-independent intrusion detection that could comply with strict European data protection requirements.
Perimeter protection: When radar meets PTZ -cameras
Across sites in Austria (Bergheim, Köstendorf), and Serbia, Palfinger has deployed a radar-triggered PTZ concept combining Axis radars with AXIS Q63 PTZ Camera Series. When the radar detects movement, the PTZ camera is automatically directed to the relevant area. This enables fast, accurate response without requiring continuous manual monitoring.
At Palfinger, AXIS Object Analytics alerts security when employees enter restricted production zones. At other Austrian sites, detecting intrusion is tied to outside office hours. Any access outside those hours triggers an immediate alert.
In general, perimeter protection at Palfinger adds another layer against theft, intrusion and sabotage. All configurations are fully compliant with GDPR and Austrian data protection regulations.
Real-time monitoring for operational efficiency
At the Lengau production site, approximately 20 Axis cameras are dedicated to manufacturing operations. AXIS P47 Panoramic Camera Series and AXIS P14 Bullet Camera Series provide live feeds directly in front of machine operators, giving them real-time visibility of machine movements and product details during precision crane manufacturing, without having to enter high-risk areas.
In welding areas, where human presence is restricted due to safety regulations, cameras serve as the operator's eyes. They are confirming in real time that robotic operations are running correctly. In the finishing area, cameras are being integrated into a quality assurance workflow: screenshots are captured as documentation before products leave the facility, creating a verifiable record tied directly to Palfinger's own software platform via Axis camera APIs.
Cornerstone API integration
This API integration is a cornerstone of Palfinger's approach. By connecting Axis cameras directly into their internal platform, the Austrian company has facilitated workflows that previously required manual operator intervention. Screenshots of certain products are being sent on certain times via Vapix. These screenshots are then used for an automated quality control and, if necessary, for insurance purposes with Palfinger’s customers.
A result of this automated workflow is a reduction in workload while an increase of process reliability.
Maximize ROI with better total cost of ownership
Previous camera vendors had not delivered on longevity or integration flexibility. With a growing number of sites across Austria, Germany, Serbia, Slovenia, and the United States, Palfinger needed a solution that could scale, without locking the company into a closed ecosystem.
The purchase price of a camera is only one piece of the puzzle. When we evaluated the total cost of ownership, Axis came out clearly ahead. Having worked with Axis cameras before, we know how reliable and long-lasting they are — five to eight years of dependable performance is the norm. Previous vendors simply could not deliver that level of quality
Data privacy by design
In sensitive indoor areas, such as reception and operations spaces, Palfinger uses AXIS Live Privacy Shield to ensure compliance with worker’s council (Betriebsrat) requirements.
Indoor cameras operate under strict access controls: footage is only accessible with explicit permission and only in the event of a confirmed incident. This approach allowed Palfinger to deploy cameras in areas that would otherwise have been off-limits, while maintaining full employee trust and legal compliance.
License plate recognition for easy parking access
Also at Bergheim and Köstendorf, panoramic and multi-lens cameras provide full parking coverage with a single cable and a single license.
High resolution ensures that incident footage is forensically usable when employees or visitors are involved. These cameras have become one of the most requested tools by internal stakeholders for post-incident review.
For visitor management and access control, network intercoms are deployed at facility entrances.
In Serbia, cameras integrated with Milestone Optimizer automatically recognize trucks, employee vehicles, and registered visitors, with 2N intercoms handling exceptions for unregistered arrivals. The expansion of this license plate recognition solution to the Salzburg locations in Lengau and Köstendorf is planned as the next phase.
Reliable and robust long-term solutions
Cameras have operated reliably for three to five years across Palfinger sites. A lifespan that directly reduces replacement costs. The five-year warranty provides additional confidence for a security team managing assets across multiple countries and regulatory environments.
Open platform architecture has been equally important. By integrating cameras into Milestone Video Management Software via AXIS Optimizer, and connecting directly to Palfinger's internal software via API, the Corporate Security team has built a flexible, scalable stack that grows with the business, without vendor lock-in.
The open platform is the number one advantage for us. We are not locked into a closed ecosystem. We can integrate with our existing tools and with our own software. That flexibility is essential when you are operating across so many countries and sites
Scaling up for lifetime excellence
Looking ahead, Palfinger's roadmap reflects growing ambition. The Palfinger Vienna Hub has been equipped with both cameras and intercoms from Axis. For the production line in Lengau, further use of Axis cameras for seamless operational visibility is planned.
In Serbia, the next step is fire prevention using thermal cameras combined with Araani video analytics. This extends the use of the Axis platform beyond security into proactive fire risk management. New sites in Poing (Germany), Madrid (Spain), and Ormož (Slovenia) are also planned for 2026 and 2027, with the Chicago expansion already underway since November 2025.
For Palfinger, a company defined by the promise of 'Lifetime Excellence' - top performance across the entire product lifecycle, aligning with Axis is more than a technological choice - it is a shared philosophy.
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