"Complaining is Easier Than Acting"
Interview with Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dieter Gerling, Founder of FEAAM GmbH
With this guiding principle, Professor Dieter Gerling founded FEAAM GmbH in 2006 – a spin-off from the University of the Bundeswehr Munich. Nearly two decades later, his ten-member team is developing electric drives for well-known customers worldwide, from the automotive industry to Formula 1. With 80 patents and scientific excellence, the company from Neubiberg defies economic crises and looks optimistically towards the future of electromobility.
It was the belief that action is more important than complaint that moved Professor Dieter Gerling to start a company over 19 years ago. The professor of electric drive technology at the University of the Bundeswehr Munich wanted to transfer the scientific excellence of his institute into practical application. Together with former doctoral students, including the current CEO Dr. Gurakuq Dajaku, FEAAM GmbH was founded.
Services instead of hardware
FEAAM GmbH does not sell products in the traditional sense, but rather highly specialized development services. On behalf of other companies, the team develops electric drives with a clear focus: higher performance, better efficiency, and lower costs – all at the same time. What are normally contradictory goals are achieved thanks to the approximately 80 patents the company has developed. The customer list is impressive: FEAAM has worked with all major German automobile manufacturers, developed steering wheels for Fanatec brand game consoles, which are also used in Formula 1 for driver training, as well as elevator motors for one of the tallest buildings in the world and drives for battery-powered machine tools from renowned manufacturers.
Scientific Excellence Meets Practice
What sets FEAAM GmbH apart from its competitors is the close connection between scientific excellence and practical application. According to statistics from the renowned Elsevier publishing house, several employees are among the top 2% of researchers worldwide—a ranking otherwise dominated by American medical professionals. A specific example: For a manufacturer, FEAAM developed an e-bike motor that achieves 40% more power and 15% higher efficiency within the same space. Another unique feature is the independence from rare earths from China, which are needed for high-performance magnets. FEAAM has developed a technology that completely does away with these magnets.
Through Crises
FEAAM GmbH also felt the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine, but managed well through these times. Meanwhile, things are definitely looking up, albeit with a notable shift: More than 50% of the orders now come from outside Europe, mainly from the USA, China, and India. Dieter Gerling regrets the current mood in the domestic economy: "We have technologies to offer that can also bring great advantages to European customers." For the future, the company is focusing on expanding marketing and sales. And the market prospects could hardly be better: Electric drives are being used in more and more areas, from aviation to robotics, autonomous systems, and defense. Artificial intelligence for controlling drives is also a topic for the future. "The potential is still growing," explains Dieter Gerling. "You can look anywhere you want—it’s becoming more and more electrified."
Optimism Over Pessimism
In conclusion, Dieter Gerling returns to his founding motto and expresses clear criticism of the current debate about the German economy: "I find it incredibly regrettable how the economic situation is currently being discussed in Germany. It is being made out to be worse than it really is." Of course, there are problems that he does not want to ignore. But the constant talk about the crisis creates a downward spiral. His wish: "That especially those actors who are so often present in the media would perhaps show a bit more positive action and less complaining." An appeal that fits with the founding idea of FEAAM GmbH—and which gains significance in economically uncertain times.