Germany: logistics and access
Domestic hard coal production ended in 2018, so all hard coal is imported, adding port coal-handling and rail-transfer sites to Germany's dust-hazard areas.
The IS-04Z1 is an eigensicheres Smartphone designed to ATEX 2014/34/EU for Zone 1 and Zone 21, built for the chemical parks, refineries and pharmaceutical plants where most German Ex-Schutz work happens. Lignite is mined in the extreme west and east, mainly in North Rhine-Westphalia, Saxony and Brandenburg, and burned in plants near the mines, so dust and fuel-handling hazards cluster in those regions. An intrinsically safe cell phone distributor in Germany would carry the IS-04Z1 to these buyers once certification completes.
Pre-launch · certification in progress · Launching Q4 2026
Short answer. Germany has no appointed SAMS distributor yet: the IS-04Z1 is pre-launch (certification in progress, no certificate issued, launch planned for Q4 2026), and distributor applications are open.
Where things stand: the IS-04Z1 has not launched, and none of its four certification routes has produced a certificate yet. Operator approval runs on its own timeline. Certification status. Place facts reviewed October 2026.
| Check | What to look for | IS-04Z1 today |
|---|---|---|
| Level of protection | ia, ib or ic matched to the zone | ib, for Zone 1 |
| Entity parameters | Uo, Io and Po within the device limits | Published with the certificate |
| Accessories | Chargers and cases certified with the device | Defined at certification |
| Where it applies | Germany: Marl, Frankfurt Höchst, Burghausen | Classified by the site operator |

An intrinsically safe Android smartphone designed for Zone 1 and Zone 21 hazardous areas in Germany. It is pre-launch: IECEx, ATEX and NEC 500 certification is in progress ahead of the Q4 2026 launch.
The main operators, industrial areas and sites that the SAMS Germany market guide covers.
Domestic hard coal production ended in 2018, so all hard coal is imported, adding port coal-handling and rail-transfer sites to Germany's dust-hazard areas.
In 2025 transport accounted for about 31% of energy consumption, households 28% and industry 26%, so fuel distribution and storage form a large part of the infrastructure.
BASF says its Ludwigshafen Verbund site covers about ten square kilometres, makes it the world's largest integrated chemical complex, and has 125 production plants, with roughly a third of BASF employees worldwide based there.
Manufacturers may self-certify ATEX Category 3 equipment with a technical dossier including a user manual in the local language, while Category 1 and 2 generally need a notified body.
Intrinsic safety limits the electrical and thermal energy in a circuit so that neither a spark nor a hot surface can ignite a gas or dust atmosphere, even when a fault occurs. The ib level, used for Zone 1, tolerates one fault. It is the usual way to make a handheld device that a worker carries continuously through a hazardous area.
The IS-04Z1 is designed on this principle for Zone 1 and Zone 21 (marking target II 2 G Ex ib IIC T4). Intrinsic safety is a design basis, not a certificate: certification is in progress and none has been issued yet.
In Germany. At sites such as Ludwigshafen or Leverkusen, contractor teams turn over every few weeks and cross Zone 1 and Zone 21 boundaries often. An intrinsically safe handheld allows photographs, forms and checks at the plant without leaving the area. That is the design intent, pending certification and operator approval.
Distribution of the IS-04Z1 is by authorised partners only, and SAMS has not yet granted a territory for Germany. Each application is reviewed on its merits. Because opening a certified Ex handset in an ordinary workshop invalidates its certificate, the partner must be able to support and service the device locally.
Not today. Until the certificates are issued the IS-04Z1 stays out of classified areas, and until launch there is nothing to purchase. You can ask for the datasheet and the certification schedule, or book a safe-area evaluation unit.
No price is published. While certification is in progress there is no list price and no committed lead time, and a supplier quoting a firm figure for an uncertified Ex handset is promising something it cannot stand behind. Indicative pre-launch pricing is issued in writing against a stated quantity and site.
The circuits are designed to limit energy so a spark or hot surface cannot ignite a gas or dust atmosphere, even with one fault (level ib, Zone 1). Certification of that design is in progress.
The market guide for Germany covers Ludwigshafen, Leverkusen, Marl, Frankfurt Höchst, among others. Site-level pages are linked below.
Apply through the distributor page with your company details and the territory you cover. SAMS reviews applications company by company and has not yet granted a territory for Germany.
German LNG terminals supplied about 10.3% of natural gas imports in 2025, and crude, products and coal arrive through ports and pipelines. Individual terminal locations and rules change, so confirm the current list and each operator's contractor requirements before planning work.
Lignite is mined in North Rhine-Westphalia, Saxony and Brandenburg and burned at nearby power plants, so coal dust, conveyor and bunker areas are typical dust zones. Choose devices with a dust group marking suited to the area classification, and check with the operator.
Acceptance is the decision of the operator and its approved inspection body. ATEX is the usual reference for equipment in the EU, and IECEx papers may support a review. Ask the site's explosion protection officer which evidence they require before ordering.
Other guides for Germany, other places in Germany, and the pages behind them.
Share the site details and quantity. You will get the datasheet and the certification schedule back by email; pricing is indicative only until launch.
Name the site and the operator and we will send what is available before launch.