27 June 2024
As part of its continued investment in Lower Bavaria, TÜV SÜD today celebrated the opening of a new laboratory at 7, Budapester Strasse in Straubing. With immediate effect, the new laboratory will expand the testing, inspection and certification (TIC) company’s competencies and capacities in several key areas, including testing of components for new energy vehicles, battery technology, environmental simulation and explosion protection. Following the construction of a new EMC absorber hall in 2019, TÜV SÜD has now invested five million euros in a new 1,300-square-metre testing laboratory and the required measurement equipment. The testing laboratories at the Straubing Centre of Competence provides product testing for both German-speaking and international markets.
TÜV SÜD’s location in Straubing offers full-service packages to its clients. Tests carried out in the laboratories include EMC and radio-equipment testing as well as electrical safety testing and environmental simulation tests for the industry and rail sectors and for automotive products. The laboratories’ measurement equipment enables the experts to carry out measurements and tests for the medtech, household appliance, industrial, radio equipment and automotive sectors for the German-speaking countries of Germany, Austria and Switzerland (DACH region) and for other countries such as USA/Canada and Japan. For clients of TÜV SÜD, the new laboratory presents the opportunity to commission greater numbers of more extensive tests at a single location.
“The new laboratory is an important milestone for all stakeholders at the Straubing location, but also for the TÜV SÜD Group as a whole”, explained Dr Johannes Bussmann, Chairman of the TÜV SÜD Board of Management in his opening speech. “It expands our company’s capacities in several key areas, including testing of components for new energy vehicles, battery technology and environmental simulation.
It is a perfect addition to our existing laboratory facilities in Garching in Greater Munich, Mannheim and here in Straubing.” Dr. Bussmann continued, “The cutting-edge equipment and additional floor space enable us to respond even better to the continually advancing requirements in the automotive and supplier industry as well as in other market segments.”
Testing of components for new-energy vehicles deserves special attention. It involves running complex test programmes to investigate the useful life and quality of high-voltage components. These programmes include testing for electric motor rotors and stators as well as for the enclosures of high-voltage batteries under extreme conditions. TÜV SÜD’s new location has salt-spray chambers and benches for ice-water shock testing and splash-water testing as well as plunge pools, and can thus offer comprehensive testing.
Charging infrastructure testing at the new laboratory is covered by a walk-in climate chamber simulating extreme climate conditions, which is designed specifically for testing DC rapid charging stations of up to 500 kW. This is critical for testing the electrical safety and performance of these rapid charging stations, which are primarily installed outdoors and exposed to extreme temperatures and weather conditions.
Another important area of application is the testing of electronic components used in explosion-hazard zones. For this purpose, an autoclave was installed in the laboratory that allows various mixtures to be tested while the test specimen is in operation.
Straubing has proved to be an excellent choice of location. The facility’s extension and continual expansion has gone hand in hand with an increasing demand for skilled professionals. “From 30 employees in 2017, the workforce has grown to 85 experts today, spanning fields such as electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, mechatronics, electronics and industrial engineering. Once the new testing laboratory opens, up to ten experts will be added to the workforce in the future to meet growing demand”, explains the Head of Laboratory, Markus Biberger.
TÜV SÜD has invested roughly five million euros in the project at 7, Budapester Strasse. The new test space adds 1,300 square metres in the hall and further areas outside. The investment was implemented as a joint project involving several TÜV SÜD legal entities. Thanks to the dedicated collaboration by all stakeholders, it was opened on time.
Press-contact: Dirk Moser-Delarami
