diff --git a/Makefile.am b/Makefile.am
index 8a8a8fcd..288f86ed 100644
--- a/Makefile.am
+++ b/Makefile.am
@@ -29,6 +29,9 @@
 
 ACLOCAL_AMFLAGS = -I m4
 
+AM_DISTCHECK_CONFIGURE_FLAGS = \
+  --with-systemdsystemunitdir=$$dc_install_base/$(systemdsystemunitdir)
+
 SUBDIRS = \
 	include \
 	script
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index e9517115..b19992cf 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@ AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE([-Wall -Werror dist-bzip2 subdir-objects])
 AC_CONFIG_HEADERS([config.h])
 AC_CONFIG_SRCDIR([config.h.in])
 AC_CONFIG_MACRO_DIR([m4])
+PKG_PROG_PKG_CONFIG
 PKG_INSTALLDIR()
 
 #------------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -1078,6 +1079,35 @@ else
     AC_MSG_RESULT([no])
 fi
 
+#------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# systemd service support
+#------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+AC_ARG_WITH([systemdsystemunitdir],
+    AS_HELP_STRING([--with-systemdsystemunitdir=DIR],
+                   [Directory for systemd service files]),
+    ,
+    [with_systemdsystemunitdir=auto]
+)
+
+case "${with_systemdsystemunitdir}" in
+    yes)
+        with_systemdsystemunitdir=$($PKG_CONFIG --variable=systemdsystemunitdir systemd)
+        if test "x$with_systemdsystemunitdir" = "x"; then
+            AC_MSG_ERROR([systemd support requested but pkg-config unable to query systemd package])
+        fi
+        ;;
+    no)
+        with_systemdsystemunitdir=
+        ;;
+    auto)
+        with_systemdsystemunitdir=$($PKG_CONFIG --variable=systemdsystemunitdir systemd)
+        ;;
+esac
+
+AM_CONDITIONAL(HAVE_SYSTEMD, test "x$with_systemdsystemunitdir" != "x")
+AC_SUBST(systemdsystemunitdir,[$with_systemdsystemunitdir])
+
 #------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 AC_CONFIG_FILES([
diff --git a/script/Makefile.am b/script/Makefile.am
index 419a024f..b3483f15 100644
--- a/script/Makefile.am
+++ b/script/Makefile.am
@@ -35,9 +35,6 @@ SUBDIRS = init.d sysconfig
 
 sbin_SCRIPTS = ethercatctl
 
-systemddir = $(libdir)/systemd/system
-systemd_DATA = ethercat.service
-
 dist_sysconf_DATA = ethercat.conf
 
 EXTRA_DIST = \
@@ -49,4 +46,8 @@ BUILT_SOURCES = \
 	ethercatctl \
 	ethercat.service
 
+if HAVE_SYSTEMD
+systemdsystemunit_DATA = ethercat.service
+endif
+
 #------------------------------------------------------------------------------