About PICOS
We are your partner for a fast and flexible quotation and order processing
PICOS GmbH develops and sells software solutions for the technical side in the production of windows, doors and facades.
As specialists for calculation, construction and production in this branch, we are looking back at decades of experience. Customer-oriented and simple solutions offer profound support for the processing of your offers and orders.
In the beginning - back in the 1960s - there was the idea! The idea, to simplify order processing, which was very time-consuming and labor-intensive at that time. It was already obvious in those days, what mattered: to relieve specialists from routine tasks and to process offers and orders quickly and flawlessly. The variability and diversity of the elements must be taken into account.
The focus is always on the product - the window, the door, the partition wall and later also the facade. All results have to be achieved with just one input: calculation and construction documents as well as production papers and the data to be passed on to CAD systems, commercial solutions and production machines
This ideology is carried on since the beginning - also after our PICOS GmbH was founded in 1977. In the further development of the industry-specific software solution as well as in the development of new modules and extensions.
Whether it is the software solution for cutting optimization, for determining the moments of inertia for steel and aluminum profiles, for your orders or for the progress of production - we always ensure that your application is simple and flexible.
History of the PICOS GmbH
| 1970 | we develop the first PICOS application programs in window and door manufacture for the technical processing of projects and production planning, scheduling and production using an IBM computer model 3/10. After the striking success within the own enterprise it is obvious that other companies should benefit from the innovative PICOS software. So in |
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| 1977 | Paul Schmalzhaf founds - together with his daughter Doris - the PICOS GmbH. Soon we reach the limits of the computer technology of that time and therefore from | |
| 1978 | on, the PICOS programs „PCG“ are developed with the flexible computer system IBM Series/1 in co-operation with IBM Germany. | |
| 1979 | the PICOS system is honored by the rating „Economically Precious“ delivered by the the state trade office with agreement of the federal department of trade and economy, proving to the PICOS GmbH to be heading in the right direction. | |
| 1981 | More and more domains are integrated in the software solution, e.g. the time management to plan and control production and mounting times. We improve and enhance our software further and further, e.g. by modules for a fast and flexible master data management. | |
| 1984 | A further milestone is the development of modules for curtain wall constructions and drawing generation. | |
| 1986 | After the death of Paul Schmalzhaf in october the company is continued by the two managers, Doris Overink, born Schmalzhaf, and Christian Reese, the co developer for many years and technical director. | |
| 1987 | We already develop programs for the control of machining centers, an enormous gain of time for our users. | |
| 1990 | We extend the PICOS software solution: Via an emulation the PICOS programs run on IBM PCs with the capabilities of IBM Series /1 (multitasking / multiuser). | |
| 1992 | Migration of the PICOS software to IBM RS 6000 under Unix to use a fast hardware. | |
| 1996 | With operating systems like Microsoft Windows, based on a graphic user interface, a new era begins for us too: We develop a completely new software, containing the PICOS philosophy with all the know-how as well as all the advantages of modern graphic oriented client/server environment -> PICOS-FTF, the user friendly software for the construction, calculation, production and mounting in the window, door and curtain wall production, adjusting itself to the enterprise and its processes. |
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| 1998 | First release of PICOS-FTF under Windows /9x and /NT in november. | |
| 1999 | Beginning of a long-term cooperation with the well-known profile producer heroal - Johann Henkenjohann GmbH & Co. KG in order to use PICOS-FTF by the heroal profile manufacturers. PICOS-FTF stays open for all profile systems in each edition. | |
| 2001 | Development and release of FTF-opti, the program for the fast and variable cutting optimization of bar material is integrated into PICOS-FTF. | |
| 2004 | PICOS-FTF is entirely restructured. Every program version - from the simplest to the complex application - can now be run at multiple work stations at the same time, the parallel use of different versions in the same company is possible. So the requests of different work stations can be met in a very flexible way. Our cooperation with the pvc profile producer REHAU AG + Co starts in March. PICOS-FTF is used in the processing of the curtain wall system REHAU Polytec 50. |
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| 2006 | Our newest development, the standalone software solution PICOS-opti, approaches not only windows-, doors and curtain wall manufactures, each profile processing enterprise takes advantage of PICOS-opti, one of the fastest and most variable programs for the free cutting optimization, which signifies an enormous savings potential. In this year we also extend our software solution by the calculation of profile static. PICOS-ProfileStatics is a very easy to use program with graphical support for the calculation of wind loads (several national norms) and of required moments of inertia Ix and Iy. |
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| 2007 | PICOS takes over the direct support of the heroal users as well as the maintenance of all heroal master data. In order to use Winkhaus fitting data without any expenditure of maintenance, the interface PICOS-ufdef is developed. Our own web server now offers faster downloads, better search functions and more comprehensive information. |
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| 2008 | We integrate a remote maintenance option in PICOS-FTF to provide better support to our users. So we can optimally assist "from the distance". | |
| 2009 | PICOS-FTF and PICOS-ProfileStatics are now available in further languages. Among the Netherlands and Belgium our software now is applied in Canada, U.S.A, U.K. and France too. | |
| 2010 | PICOS-FTF is extended to the processing of folding shutters (inclusive Z-shutter-bars). A new online actualization is realized by using our web server so that updates can be executed considerably easier. |
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| 2011 | Beginning of our cooperation with the company Uni_Link: interface data in the format PICOS-NC can be read and send to any arbitrary machine (double miter saw or machining center). | |
| 2012 | Data for the window and door system AT 740 SI of the well known profile owner AKOTHERM are entered. Further profile systems are in preparation too. | |
| 2013 | In the context of the new building product convention (EU) PICOS-FTF now generates declarations of performances and CE marks - CE labels included. | |
| 2014 | Numerous program enhancements for PICOS-FTF and provision of master data for the new products of the profile manufacturer heroal. | |
| 2015 | Development of a new optimization module for profile cuts with newest technologies - to be used as "black box" - and a new, very easy to use stand alone optimization program. Considering cut angles, multiple bar lengths, fix and mix lengths optimization, import and export funktions are some of the highlights of this application. | |
| 2016 | Cooperation with a fire protection specialist, entering the master data for all-glass fire protection doors in tubular steel frames, development of numerous additional functions in PICOS-FTF for construction, display of the element view, generation of production drawings (glass and frame) as well as for special calculations. | |
| 2017 | PICOS-Order, an order management program with inventory management as well as functions for evaluating order costs related to articles, article groups and / or suppliers in a freely selectable period, is growing out of its "infancy" and is expanded to PICOS-FTF through interfaces to offer our users a cost-effective way of managing material orders and inventory. | |
| 2018 | PICOS-ProductionControl is extended to the use of Access databases and can therefore be offered to all PICOS-FTF users as a convenient alternative to the module integrated in the calculation program. | |
| 2019 | Development of a new invoice management as an outsourced program, which is connected to PICOS-FTF via the master and project databases. Functions for importing and exporting in Datev format are integrated, and it will also be possible to manage and bill sales representatives. Flexible filters can be used to generate any evaluations of your sales, as the respective total amount is also displayed for each list of invoices displayed. | |
| 2021 | Online ordering module for customers of a cooperation partner developed for fast, direct material ordering through communication with the supplier's server. |
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