SMS acquired Ravensburg-based PWS Automatisierungs- und Elektrotechnik GmbH, or PWS for short, in December 2008 and incorporated the company into its SMS Meer business area. Since the merger of SMS Meer and SMS Siemag to form SMS group in 2015, PWS's portfolio has been represented by the Long Products business unit. 

PWS was founded by Adalbert Pfeiffer and Michael Stark as Pfeiffer With Stark. Initially, the company focused on the design and development of control and automation solutions, e.g. for driverless bodywork assembly lines. These systems enjoyed an outstanding reputation, and PWS's client base included reputable companies such as Bentley, BMW, Audi, MTU, and Jaguar.

From 2003 onwards, the founders expanded the company's product portfolio to include machinery for spiral pipes, pipe end finishing machines, hydrostatic pipe testers, and associated machine groups. When the company was taken over by SMS in 2008, its range of products and services comprised the design and manufacture of core machinery, the full line of electrical and automation equipment, and control technology.