Jakob Mooser and his two companies have been providing tailor-made solutions to EMC problems for more than 30 years. Their customers include international and national vehicle manufacturers and suppliers. In this interview, the company founder explains the importance of EMC in electric mobility and the benefits offered by an owner-managed company.
How did you come to recognise, as long ago as 1989, that electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) would become so important?
Before I set up my own business, I spent twelve years working for an industrial technology company in Munich after graduating in telecommunications engineering. It was there that I learned about the key role that EMC plays in many sectors of industry. For example in defence technology, railway technology, aviation, special vehicles, industrial electronics and industrial plants. During this time, I also gained my first experience in automotive electronics.
Defence technology has been intensively and systematically occupied with the topic of EMC ever since the 1950s. What was particularly valuable for my later career was its systematic approach towards the EMC of the entire system, right down to the requirements for each individual component The first step was to determine the system data, starting by deriving the data from the environment and related to the system with its various areas of application in the air, on the sea and on land. From this, the requirements for each individual component were then derived, depending on the installation location.
How did you come up with the idea of eCHAMBER®?
From the start of the new millennium, it was already becoming clear that electric mobility was about to take off. I quickly realised that the conventional EMC testing methods were not suitable for high-voltage electric drive systems. So I talked to the German car makers and the major suppliers about the best and most effective way of testing electric powertrains, high-voltage batteries and other high-voltage components. After all, an electric drive system with a power output of 200 kW can’t simply be placed on a standardised measuring bench for testing. It has to be tested in variable load and speed ranges.
After a few months, I had developed a viable concept, and nine months later the first testing chamber for electric drive systems was put into operation in our laboratory in Ludwigsburg near Stuttgart. At that time, the system had a drive and brake power of 100 kW. The testing chamber was protected under the brand name eCHAMBER® and it set new standards in the market. In the meantime, five eCHAMBER® units are being operated by customers in China and South Korea. EMC specialists in the Far East are also optimizing their systems using technology from Mooser.
At Mooser, the well-being and further development of your employees is a top priority. Why is this so important to you and how do you show your recognition of your employees?
Good and committed employees are a company’s greatest asset. You can go out and buy measuring equipment and it is available immediately. But there is an acute shortage of very good employees and it often takes years before they are fully trained and fully accustomed to their work. But there is an acute shortage of very good employees and it often takes years before they are fully trained and fully accustomed to their work. We have a large number of employees who have been with us for many years and who appreciate the short decision-making processes and the other advantages of an owner-managed company. Unfortunately, large companies have a different policy on human resources and they try to “buy in” experienced employees from smaller companies like ours.
What are your most important priorities for the coming years?
For me, the main areas of focus for the next few years will be the expansion of measuring technology for high-voltage and electric drive systems and testing facilities for fuel cell drive systems. In addition, we will also focus more intensively in the future on testing methods for autonomous driving. driving. I expect to see a need for a lot more coordination with OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers on this safety-relevant topic. The testing strategy will probably be expanded in the direction of interconnected and integrated functions. Tests on individual components will no longer be sufficient in many cases. But no matter what the solutions for the future may look like, we will be in an ideal position to provide them, because, in a small, owner-managed company like ours, the decision-making distances are very short. We are also able to decide on major investment in a few months and then to carry out this investment very quickly. This will enable me to hand over both companies to the next generation in an economically strong position in the future.
