Penko has an interesting dual heritage of industry and art. It became part of the ETC family in 2004 as a competitive move to dominate the market for entertainment lighting dimmers in Europe and Asia, leveraging Penko’s noise-free lighting dimmers, which they had installed in arts centers such as the Royal National Theatre and the Amsterdam National Opera & Ballet. The strategy was wildly successful, causing each of our competitors to drop power technology from their portfolio, and the Penko facility quickly became ETC’s key distribution and logistics hub for Europe.
As the market transitioned to LEDs and dimming technology decreased in relevance, Penko’s industrial weighing innovations came to the forefront. Today, Penko’s technologies are vital to ETC’s rigging product lines, where precision weighing systems ensure safe and efficient lifting in entertainment venues worldwide.
Whether you view them as making industrial products for an artistic pursuit or an artistic industrial company, the ETC and Penko partnership has worked because ETC’s values of innovation, quality, and dedication to customer service mirror Penko’s own.
Founded in 1977 in the Netherlands by Willem van Huët and Vincent van der Wel, Penko Engineering began as a passionate response to the limitations of traditional mechanical weighing systems. Early pioneers of electronic weighing technology, they quickly evolved from a modest startup into a technological leader, developing high-speed, high-accuracy weighing and dosing systems for industries ranging from food production to chemicals. Their precision flavor-dosing for PepsiCo’s crisp production lines ensures consistent quality and minimal waste of expensive seasonings.
Their culture of craftsmanship, agility, and deep technical knowledge has allowed Penko to thrive within ETC’s global structure. in their core industrial markets, with cutting-edge products like the FLEX and Alpha series of weighing controllers, critical for high-speed, high-accuracy dosing in industries that demand both compliance and efficiency. Even more recently, they developed a never-before-seen motion-compensated weighing scale and crane hook. These allow for accurate weighing even in the most unstable environments, like a fishing ship on rough seas.