Magnetics Business & Technology - November/December 2019 - 25

INDUSTRY NEWS

Miba Nears EUR 1 Billion Goal While New Soft Magnetic Powders Achieve High Power Density
in Prototype e-Mobility Vehicles
prototype engine for the Johammer electric motorcycle, a cargo
bike and a Skoda Roomster.
"Our specific material and the special design make these engines
smaller, lighter and significantly more powerful than other electric
drive systems," according to Christian Sandner, senior application
engineer.
The Miba team developed new electric engines which use softmagnetic components made of pressed soft-magnetic composite
(SMC) powder, allowing them to achieve a 30% higher power density than traditional machines.

F. Peter Mitterbauer (left) and Markus Hofer, CFO
Miba AG, the Austrian-based manufacturer of sintered metal parts
and a leading developer of soft-magnetic powder pressed parts for
electrical drive systems and traction engines, showed strong financial results again in fiscal year 2018-2019, moving closer to its goal
of become a 1 billion EUR per year enterprise.
From its product development efforts, Miba reports that in prototypes for several e-vehicle projects its new powders are enabling
the electric engines to carry the magnetic flux in three dimensions
and result in power density 30% greater than traditional machines.
During the 12 months which closed January 31, revenue rose EUR
97 million to EUR 985 for an 11% gain over the previous year, taking the technology group another step closer to its revenue target of
one billion euros set out in the company's "2020 Dynamic Evolution"
strategy.
Miba's annual revenue has more than doubled since 2010, rising
by over half a billion euros. The company generates 51% of its
revenue in the industrial goods business and 49% in the automotive segment, a mix which as helped it combat slowdown on the
automotive side.
"The past fiscal year saw challenging market conditions in the automotive segment and showed once again that, with its very broad
product portfolio and its focus on a number of regional markets,
Miba is very well prepared to manage volatility in individual market
segments," says F. Peter Mitterbauer, CEO.
In line with its vision to
place greater focus on
e-mobility, the company's development
team at Miba Sinter
Austria is pursuing a
promising avenue with
soft-magnetic powder
pressed parts for electrical drive systems
and traction engines.
The technology is being
tested in several new
designs including a

The special feature of the SMC material is that the individual particles of powder are coated with an electrically insulating layer. Due
to the materials used, these electric engines possess the ability to
carry the magnetic flux in three dimensions, the key to improving
performance. The engines currently in advance development range
in power from 600 W to 40 kW, and more is possible, says Miba.
In the Johammer
motorcycle, the electric
motor and controller
are integrated into the
rear wheel for optimal
performance and low
maintenance, while an
innovative battery pack
is mounted low in the
center of the chassis.
Motor and controller integrated into rear
wheel
Miba's investments
reached an all-time
high of EUR 128
million in the past fiscal year. The group invested EUR 87 million
in property, plant and equipment and intangible assets and EUR
41 million in research and development. Spending on training and
education for employees rose by almost 20% to EUR 2.6 million.
"By investing in our plants, in research and development and in
our employees' expertise, we are creating the basis for our further
growth," explained Mitterbauer. "Thanks to our financial stability and
our independence as a family-owned company, we are best placed
to invest over the long term and with a steady hand. This enables
us to safeguard existing jobs and create new ones." In doing so,
Miba is maintaining its dual approach of both growing its existing
business and leveraging the opportunities arising from electrification and digitalization., he said.
The company is currently building three new plants in China and
India to accommodate growth in Asia. In China, Miba will invest
around EUR 100 million over the five years between 2018 and
2022. In total, it plans to invest more than EUR 100 million in emobility in the period to 2025.

Johammer prototype motorcycle

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Overall, its product portfolio includes sintered components, engine and industrial bearings, friction materials, power electronics
components and coatings that are used around the world in motor
vehicles, trains, ships, aircraft, power plants, refineries, compressors and industrial pumps. Headquartered in Laakirchen, Austria,
the company now has 26 sites and 7,400 employees worldwide.
November/December 2019 * Magnetics Business & Technology

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Magnetics Business & Technology - November/December 2019

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