ACS at 40: The Legacy in Precision Motion Enabling the Next Generation of Control
By Jason Goerges, Vice President of Marketing, ACS Motion Control
In 1985, Ze’ev Kirshenboim and two partners founded ACS with the belief that innovation in precision motion control could unlock new levels of performance for the world’s most demanding industries. Back then, performance wasn’t just something we built toward, it was the mission that guided everything we did. Drawing on his experience developing motion controllers for high-end semiconductor manufacturing systems, Ze’ev saw what others missed. To achieve new levels of motion accuracy and throughput, a new control system architecture paradigm was needed.
Just outside Haifa, in the hills of northern Israel, that idea became a company. ACS wasn’t chasing market share or tech hype. It was building motion controllers and servo drives that could deliver sub-micron positioning accuracy at high speeds. And it worked.
A Legacy Built on Precision, Carried by People
By the early 2000s, ACS had emerged as a trusted motion partner for semiconductor, electronics, and industrial printing OEMs. Boaz Kramer joined the company and took our control algorithms, tools, and technology to new levels of sophistication. Dror Marom joined the company and led it’s growth and expansion into new territories and markets as CEO. Many more key employees joined who remain at ACS to this day. When I joined in 2007 as an Application Engineer, I was immediately drawn to the company’s approach of working closely with customers to provide intelligent solutions to their challenging precision motion control applications. Nearly 20 years later, that mindset is stronger than ever. What we do matters, and how we do it matters even more.
ACS isn’t just a company I help lead. It’s a company that has helped shape what is possible in precision motion control. From semiconductor fabs to biomedical labs to high-speed electronics assembly lines, ACS control systems are embedded in machines that power the most advanced manufacturing operations on earth.
Staying True to the Core
While others pursued trends, we stayed committed to engineering fundamentals. Our platforms were always grounded in deep technical understanding and application-specific problem solving. We didn’t just respond to change. We anticipated it.
What began as a focused solution for a small group of machine builders evolved into a motion control platform adopted around the world. As demand increased through the 1990s and 2000s, we expanded into North America and then globally, partnering with OEMs who needed more than just components. They needed collaboration and consistency. We showed up early in the design process and stayed through the most critical phases of delivery.
Our proprietary multi-axis control algorithms, real-time programming language, and hardware architecture weren’t designed in isolation. They were built through decades of feedback, iteration, and trust. When precision couldn’t be compromised, ACS became the benchmark.
Scaling Without Compromise
In 2017, we joined the PI Group. That partnership expanded our global reach and manufacturing capabilities, while keeping our company’s organization and culture intact and focused. We maintained our identity and stayed grounded in our values. Between 2020 and 2025, we surpassed revenue targets and scaled alongside customers who continued to bring us their most complex challenges.
ACS is now a global force in precision motion control, with regional teams in the US, Germany, China, and Israel. But we still operate the same way we always have: hands-on, accountable, and driven by problem-solving. Our systems work in places where precision and throughput are mission-critical—from nanometer-scale inspection systems to laser processing platforms that demand stability and speed.
Looking Forward
Forty years is more than a milestone. It’s a launchpad. We’re investing in AI-enhanced control, next-generation servo architectures, and predictive diagnostics that help machines become smarter, faster, and more resilient. These aren’t experiments. They’re engineered into our roadmap and built for what’s next in global high-tech automation and manufacturing.
What excites me most is not what we’ve accomplished, but what’s still ahead. Our legacy is one of innovation, not inertia.
To Everyone Who Made This Possible
This moment belongs to our people, our customers, and our partners. To the engineers who sweat the details. To the OEMs who put their trust in us. To the integrators and teams who brought our systems into mission-critical environments. And to every ACS employee past and present—thank you.
For 40 years, ACS has powered the high-tech automation and manufacturing equipment that make life-changing innovations possible. Innovation in precision motion control is our foundation. We honor that legacy by investing in new innovations to take our company and our customers to the next level.
Continue with us on our journey via our community at https://go.acsmotioncontrol.com/40-years-anniversary and see where we’re headed next.