Panther GmbH is a film technical company situated in Aying, Munich. It develops and produces professional camera cranes and dollies. It built the first ever electro-mechanical camera dolly, the "Super Panther". Company founder Erich Fitz received the 1990 Oscar "Scientific & Engineering Award".

In 1968, Erich Fritz founded the film equipment rental company Waltraut Fitz GbR after first working at ARRI in camera assembly and later as a cameraman.The special requirements of production companies gave him the idea of renting out film equipment under his own name. In 1982, Panther designed the world's first computer-controlled, electro-mechanical camera dolly. The soft, quiet yet powerful movements in combination with its black color earned the dolly the name “Panther” - the birth of the Panther Dolly. The very next year, the second prototype was used to film “The Neverending Story” at the Bavaria Studios in Munich.

After the “Panther Corporation of America” was founded in 1987 as a branch for distribution and sales in Hollywood, Panther was awarded a technical Oscar in Hollywood in 1990 for its “Super Panther” Dolly. Panther Verleih set up further branches in Munich, Hamburg, Berlin and Prague (now ARRI Rental) and is one of the most successful companies in its sector. Panther has received several international awards such as the “Golden Frog” and the “Cinec Award” for its special achievements and developments in film technology. (Source: Wikipedia)