Ten years Rutronik Automotive Business Unit
The Automotive Business Unit (ABU) is celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2024. Together with the entire ABU team, Uwe Rahn, Senior Director Automotive Business Unit, provides insights into the history of the company's development by highlighting important milestones and with many pictures of events and special activities of the ABU colleagues.
Join us on a short journey through time and relive with us exciting moments of the first ten years of the ABU.
The ABU in its anniversary year
In the tenth anniversary year of the ABU, the first half of the year was already packed with many global event highlights such as the Future Mobility Asia in Bangkok, ASEAN Automotive Supply Chain in Thailand, and the Bordnetze Kongress in Ludwigsburg.
Rutronik's Automotive Business Unit (ABU) is founded in October 2014. But what is the new department about? The ABU is
- a business initiative specifically geared towards the automotive segment
- launched with six specially selected top suppliers from the automotive sector, who are directly involved as partners
- a consultant and intermediary with the goal of understanding customers challenges and providing them with relevant information and component suggestions
Even before the ABU is founded, Uwe Rahn was already gaining valuable experience in the motorsport sector with automotive customers as FAE Head of Central Europe. In addition to the sporting aspects, topics in vehicle development in particular crystallized. It is precisely this context - the interface between motorsport and development projects for series production - that is ABU's starting point and creates the basis for growth.
In the RUTRONIKER 2017, the Automotive Business Unit is represented by five technical articles of different team colleagues. In addition, the ABU is a partner of the PGUB Executive event for the first time and Uwe Rahn is there with an invited lecture.
In 2018, the first Rutronik Automotive Congress takes place in Pforzheim. The event at a glance:
- Almost 200 visitors
- In a total of nine presentations, experts from OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers provide insights into key trends and strategic developments
- The speakers include representatives of Hella, Infineon, ROHM, and ST
- 13 companies - including Infineon, Bosch, ROHM, TDK, and Kyocera AVX - provided information about new products and services in the accompanying trade exhibition
In addition, there are other event visits in 2018: the Electronic Vehicle Technologies Conference in Shanghai and electronica 2018 in Munich.
In 2019, the second Rutronik Automotive Congress takes place at the CongressCentrum Pforzheim (CCP) due to the great success of the first congress in the previous year.
240 visitors listen to presentations by high-ranking representatives from BMW, Audi, Schaeffler Paravan, Bosch, Infineon, ams Osram, Kyocera AVX, ROHM, Vishay, Samsung EM, Marelli Automotive Lighting, and the ABU.
In addition, the first Rutronik Automotive Congress is held in Turin with around 170 participants. For the first time, the Rutronik Event Truck is used as a mobile event venue.
Take a look at the picture gallery for exclusive insights into the Rutronik Automotive Congress in Turin.
The close links between the Automotive Business Unit and racing activities are once again evident. The Audi A8 racing sports car is equipped with an innovative driving and steering system from Paravan for test purposes and is on display at the ABU Congress.
Behind this is Tier 1 Schaeffler, which is integrating its innovative "Drive-by-Wire" system for the Audi platform. Rutronik is providing support with design expertise and the necessary electronic components.
The ABU founds the Automotive Executive Community (AXC). This network of high-ranking decision-makers from OEMs, Tier 1, Tier 2 and component manufacturers establishes an exclusive community of experts with a focus on the challenges in automotive electronics and to bring them together as a distributor.
Important impulses for this came primarily from the successful Rutronik Automotive Congress events of previous years as well as visits to international events such as the Electric Vehicle Technologies in Shanghai in 2019 and the Infineon Roadshow 2019.
In addition, preparations are already underway for the first visits to on-site events after the pandemic, which are firmly planned and aimed for again from 2021.
In 2021, ABU and Vishay present the "Smart HV-eFuse for Electromobility" reference design.
In addition, Uwe Rahn is voted "Manager of the Year 2021" in the Supply Chain category by the editorial team of the German trade magazine Markt&Technik.
At the IAA Mobility in Munich, Rutronik and ABU is presented in the European High-Tech Pavilion. ABU is also present at the Life Battery Conference in Munich.
In the following year, the Automotive Business Unit is again on tour
- for a strategic exchange of experience at Diodes Inc. in Manchester
- at polisMOBILITY in Cologne
- at The Battery Show in Novi, Michigan (United States)
- at a Quarter Business Review (QBR) with Toshiba and Infineon in Berlin
In addition to these highlights, discover other events with ABU presence in 2022:
After the pandemic, a Rutronik Automotive Congress is held again in 2022 at the CongressCentrum Pforzheim (CCP). In the video you will get an insight into the relaunch of the successful congress series of the ABU.
One highlight is the presentation of the new reference designs at electronica India in Bangalore, India, together with the manufacturers Elmos and Vishay. The traction inverter and on-board charger designs for low-speed vehicles introduced last year - in cooperation with Vishay - mark a further step towards the future of mobility.
Take a look at the picture gallery for an insight into ABU's presence at electronica India 2023 together with the two suppliers Elmos and Vishay and discover even more event highlights from 2023.
In 2023, the 4th Rutronik Automotive Congress is on the agenda. Around 10 days before Rutronik's 50th anniversary celebration at its headquarters, around 220 initiators, developers, and decision-makers from the German automotive industry meet in Pforzheim. Klick through some highlights from the Rutronik Automotive Congress 2023 in the picture gallery.
In the video, Uwe Rahn presents the prototype of a low-speed vehicle
This year once again demonstrates the importance of the close integration of racing activities with the ABU. Vehicle manufacturers use motorsport for the development and testing of pre-series technology. ABU's expertise at the intersection of motor racing and development know-how gives Rutronik access to this sector. More and more designs based on this expertise are clear evidence of the success of this approach.
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