"Everything Must Be Simplified"
Interview with Christoph Wiedner, CEO of DEWETRON GmbH
When it comes to accuracy, there are no compromises. On the contrary. The testing and measurement solutions by DEWETRON GmbH, based in Grambach, Styria, are becoming more effective and precise. CEO Christoph Wiedner discusses with Wirtschaftsforum why it is important to also simplify the systems, and how DEWETRON contributes to a sustainable future.
Wirtschaftsforum: Mr. Wiedner, you have been measuring for many years. When exactly did it start?
Christoph Wiedner: DEWETRON was founded in 1989. The founders had the idea to develop measurement solutions, especially for the automotive sector. That led to the creation of the first PC-based measurement systems. We still have such systems today, but with Windows or Linux. In 2000, signal conditioning was added, meaning measurement amplifiers with good isolation. That's where our strength lies. Up to 1,000 channels are synchronously recorded with our system. Many still fail at this today. Since 2014, we also have our own software.
Wirtschaftsforum: How is the company doing today?
Christoph Wiedner: We are very pleased with our business development and are continuously growing in various markets. Our focus is on building long-term partnerships and achieving sustainable success. We employ 145 employees, of which 100 are in Grambach. We are now a global company that acts sustainably. Some internal changes were necessary for this. Because we are broadly positioned, we can cushion areas that suffer from the energy crisis. In Germany, the automotive sector is currently difficult. But our strength lies in research and development. Manufacturing affects us less. The crisis leads to restraint from German OEMs and Tier 1. But there is also an opportunity in this because Germany needs to invest in batteries, technologies, and drive concepts.
Wirtschaftsforum: What exactly are you developing?
Christoph Wiedner: We have three segments: Automotive, Aerospace, and Industrial and Renewables. Our main products are the power measurement systems, as everything is moving towards electrification. The most important part of a measurement system is the signal conditioning amplifier. In 2018, we started focusing on Power Analyzers, which we have been continuously developing ever since, also with the feedback from our customers. Our portfolio is modular, and the diverse applications of the amplifiers give us great flexibility.
Wirtschaftsforum: What topics are you currently working on, and where do you see the greatest potential?
Christoph Wiedner: The potential for the future, despite all challenges such as charging infrastructure, lies in the area of renewable energy, namely wind and solar energy, and in electrification. Another area is aerospace. India and China are investing heavily here, which somewhat offsets the weakness in automotive. In-house, we are focusing on smart software. Measurement systems consist of both hardware and software, with software becoming increasingly important. More and more measurements are being taken, yet there is less and less time available for them. Additionally, the background of the users is often not as solid as it used to be. This is also related to the shortage of personnel. Therefore, everything must become simpler. Another important topic is accuracy. Systems are becoming more efficient and requirements are increasing due to more standardizations and standards. A system should cover as many different requirements as possible.
Wirtschaftsforum: To what extent does sustainability play a role in your work?
Christoph Wiedner: For the Power Analyzers, this is an issue for many of our customers. It is extremely important for us to advance this topic. DEWETRON is part of the Dutch TKH Group, which is a public company. Therefore, ESG criteria play an important role for us – that includes the entire supply chain as well as social sustainability. We are addressing this holistically.
We also invest in sustainability around our building and fleet. 80% of our vehicles are already hybrid and we have our own charging infrastructure. In addition, we contribute to solving environmentally relevant issues: We have equipped the TU Graz with measuring technology worth over 400,000 EUR, so that the students can research with our technologies.
Wirtschaftsforum: What makes DEWETRON so attractive to your customers?
Christoph Wiedner: We actively take care of our customers, even when it comes to commissioning, training, measurements, or applications in the field, as well as during outages. We also have experts close to the market and customers. Having the right product at the right time for the right customer is crucial.