COPA-DATA GmbH
COPA-DATA is the only independent software manufacturer to combine in-depth experience in automation with the new possibilities of digital transformation – reliable, future-proof and operating worldwide. We develop software for industrial and energy automation that makes our customers` lives easier. COPA-DATA makes it easier for companies to implement their digitization strategies. We generate valuable information from data, then translate it into automated actions that have a major impact – from the production hall to the executive suite, from renewable energy generation to the smart grid.
Company details
Find locations served, office locations
- Business Type:
- Software vendor
- Industry Type:
- Energy Monitoring and Testing
- Market Focus:
- Globally (various continents)
- Year Founded:
- 1987
- Employees:
- 101-1000
- Turnover:
- 10,000,000 - 100,000,000 €
This company also provides solutions for other industrial applications.
Please, visit the following links for more info:
About Us
My founding principles
What led me to start COPA-DATA?
As a young development engineer, many doors were open to me at the beginning of the 1980s. I had always been attracted by the software industry, which was just taking off at that time. However, if someone had told me that I would later become the CEO of a medium-sized, internationally successful software company, I probably would have laughed at the idea.
When I was young, I never dreamed of being self-employed, much less running my own company. That was something for other people. To be part of something; to make a difference – yes, of course! But I didn’t plan to start my own company. Yet it all turned out differently. Why?
The catalyst was an experience I had in my early professional life. I was working on the automation of testing stations and, as was usual at that time, was developing software from scratch, even though the applications were very similar. It wasn't a problem for me, but as a pragmatic person I thought: there has to be an easier way!
It was exactly this idea which led me to found my own company, COPA-DATA, in 1987. My goal? To develop software that makes life easier for people in industrial and infrastructure environments. I aimed to develop a new type of software that did not yet exist but with a potential in which I firmly believed.
I wasn’t sure at the time whether the idea would work and, of course, I had doubts. Life can't always be planned; often you don't know until much later whether you've made the right decisions. But when you're convinced of something and passionate about it, it's like you have a fire burning inside you. When you pursue this vision continuously and consistently, success will come – especially if you're holding good cards in your hand. And, of course, a little bit of luck doesn't hurt either.
Today, when I look back at the beginnings of COPA-DATA, it is nice to know that my vision has inspired others. The spark has been ignited, and now we are blazing a trail to make life even easier for the many people who work in industrial and infrastructure environments. Our passion and ambition continues to burn brightly, and I can assure you that we still have a lot to accomplish!
Vision & Mission
Our vision
There is always an easier way!
Our mission
Enabling everyone who works with industrial plants or deals with infrastructure to complete their tasks easily. With great software, that eats complexity for breakfast.
Our dream of an ideal world
Our vision and mission are our compass. They guide us and form the foundation of our motivation and actions. These are the guiding principles we use to orient ourselves; they express what drives us at COPA-DATA.
Sustainability at COPA-DATA and through Zenon
On this site you find:
- COPA-DATAs contribution
- Carbon neutrality
- Smart Building in Salzburg
- More sustainable with zenon?
- Achieving UN SDGs with zenon
- Further Resources
Software and sustainability
As the only independent vendor of software solutions for the automation of industrial processes and for the energy industry, we have set ourselves the goal of advancing the topic of sustainability and working with our partners to identify new, forward-looking ways to achieve it.
We not only support our customers in using resources in as efficient and environmentally friendly ways as possible, but we also successively reduce our own environmental impact in our own company.
We face up to this responsibility and want to make a contribution to a more livable world of tomorrow with concrete measures and investments.
Our efforts are based on the 17 Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations, which form the basis of the guidelines on corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the European Union. The EU obliges companies to demonstrate their contribution to achieving the climate targets. COPA-DATA is presenting its first comprehensive sustainability report for the year 2022, which can be shared on request.
Calculate, cut, compensate. This is crucial for climate protection in line with the Paris Agreement. The goal: to successively reduce the emissions caused by our business activities in the coming years and to compensate for them in a complementary manner.
The headquarters in Salzburg has already been operating on a carbon-neutral basis since 2022.
By mid-2023, all COPA-DATA subsidiaries worldwide will operate in a CO2-neutral manner. It is not only since its certification as a carbon-neutral company by ClimatePartner that COPA-DATA has attached great importance to sustainability.
For example, since 2003, 100 percent of our electricity purchased has been green electricity from renewable sources. Several large PV systems ensure an inhouse, sustainable power supply.
CO2-neutral in terms of certification means that a company's carbon footprint is calculated as part of the certification process. The primary aim is to avoid carbon emissions by the company. It is important that improvement measures are continuously developed and implemented. However, where the avoidance of CO2 emissions is not (yet) possible, it can be offset by supporting certified climate protection projects.
Making consumption data visible as part of the certification process is a key step for us in the direction of sustainability – only then can we determine where we can pick up on potential for improvement. That’s important because we are aware: there is always room for improvement!
When planning the new company building, energy efficiency was placed at the forefront and we also continually work on optimizing energy efficiency in the existing building.
Most of our CO2 emissions come from travel and the journeys our team members make to and from work. COPA-DATA continues to work to reduce emissions in this area:
- The company fleet is being converted step by step to e-mobility. The changeover is supported by our own PV systems and charging stations in the underground garages.
- For employees, sufficient covered bicycle parking spaces and e-bike charging stations are offered to make the switch to cycling to work more attractive. COPA-DATA provides financial support for those interested in purchasing a bike or e-bike for their daily commute.
- State-of-the-art equipment for video conferencing and working-from-home enables meetings with international team members or customer appointments to be held virtually.
For emissions that we are currently unable to avoid, we provide compensation and support for two projects in India: the solar power plant in the Indian village of Guttigoli and a reforestation project in Bagepalli. This enabled us to offset 561,000 kg of CO2 in 2022.
COPA-DATA's carbon footprint data collected as part of the certification can also be used for Scope 3 surveys by our customers to ensure the sustainability of their supply chains.
COPA-DATA building in Salzburg: Sustainability and energy efficiency by designWithin 20 years, a small, family-run software company with a handful of employees has become a globally active company with branches from South Korea to the USA. At the Salzburg site, where the headquarters is located, more than 200 people are currently employed.
In 2022, we opened a new company building not far from the existing headquarters. The new building offers space for up to 120 employees. Ecological sustainability was the focus from the very beginning.
Of course, the burden is not only on the shoulders of the new building. Improvements are also being made to the existing building on an ongoing basis so that energy can be saved and used more efficiently.
Being more sustainable through zenon, is that possible?Can the United Nations' sustainability goals be achieved while remaining economically competitive?
zenon can support you in your digital transformation and make you fit for a more sustainable future.
We are convinced that in the intersection between sustainability and digitalization, a scalable software solution like zenon will help you become more competitive and, at the same time, more sustainable.
In an ecosystem, everything is interrelated and influences each other. The same is true in the globalized economy, where many processes are intertwined and influence each other.
Transnational supply chains have become indispensable, but they falter or breakdown as soon as one link in this chain gets out of sync. Sustainable business is, therefore, also always about robustness and flexibility.
It is about actively addressing and implementing measures and solutions. Digital technologies and industrial automation are crucial for the expansion of tomorrow's industry. In this future world, cost pressure, transparency and the tracking of one's own process data will become new resources.
In the context of climate protection goals, there is also talk of 'net zero manufacturing' or “industrial decarbonization”. This mainly involves reducing harmful greenhouse gases, primarily CO2, in the manufacturing environment and the entire supply chain (Scope 3). Companies that have both Scope 1 and Scope 2 transparently under control can also more easily ensure the necessary Scope 3 classification as a supplier for their customers. Due to the open interfaces in zenon as well as the extensive possibility to pass on data across companies and production locations by means of the software platform, our solutions support the sustainability initiatives of our customers.