Apple picker Press Release: Eaton, a leading global power distribution company, will celebrate its 10th anniversary this year Eaton European Innovation Center (EEIC) in Roztoky near Prague. The aim of the center is to develop technologies and products that will help on a global level with by developing the concept of a sustainable future and other innovative approaches for more efficient and safer management of electricity consumption. "In Roztoky, we develop top products and technologies that will help us solve the complex energy issues of the future. We are also working on projects dealing with fuel economy, functional safety and smart features,” says Luděk Janík, Site Leader EEIC.
A team of world-class engineers and researchers from more than twenty countries around the world, it quickly grew from the original sixteen members to the current 170, and its further expansion is planned. "We are very proud of the fact that we manage to acquire the best talents and experienced engineers from all over the world for Roztoky. This gives us the ability to come up with truly innovative ideas and be at the forefront of innovation for certain product areas.” continues Luděk Janík. More than ten research teams are currently working in the research center, which, in addition to their own expertise, mainly use the possibility of interdisciplinary cooperation, which is essential for the development of modern products.
The success of the EEIC is clearly demonstrated by the fact that during its existence the center already applied for more than sixty patents and ten of them actually won. These were mainly patents for projects in the field of the automotive industry, switching and securing of power electricity and industrial automation.
EEIC is one of Eaton's six major innovation centers worldwide and the only such center in Europe. Others can be found in the United States of America, India or China. Except solutions for the future EEIC also collaborated on many projects, the use of which has already moved from development to practice and which are used all over the world. As an example, we can cite the xComfort smart home system or AFDD devices, which are designed to detect the occurrence of an arc in electrical installations.
A decade of innovation
EEIC was founded in 2012 and a year later applied for its first patent, which it also obtained. It was a patent in the area of solutions for the automotive industry. "For us, obtaining this patent actually had such a symbolic value. It was our first patent and precisely in the field that is connected to the very beginnings of our company. It was founded in 1911 precisely as a supplier of solutions for the rapidly emerging automotive industry." explains Luděk Janík.
Roztock team grew to more than fifty people a year after the opening of the center and moved to a newly built building in 2015. It offers engineers quality facilities for research and development, including modern laboratories equipped with all the necessary technology. Research teams can thus fully concentrate on the development of state-of-the-art products and technologies for next-generation electrical, automotive, aerospace and IT systems. The focus of the center gradually expandedabout other new areas, which mainly include Power Electronics, Software, Electronics and Control, Modeling and Simulation of Electric Arcs. "We try to invest as much as possible in the equipment that our teams need for their work. In 2018, we designed and launched Eaton's most powerful supercomputer, which helps us develop critical components such as circuit breakers, fuses and/or short-circuit proof switchboards.” says Luděk Janík.
EEIC has been very active in the field since its inception cooperation with prestigious partners from the academic world. Apart from the Czech Technical University, it also actively cooperates with the Brno Technical University, the Czech Institute of Informatics, Robotics and Cybernetics (ČVUT), the Regional Innovation Center for Electrical Engineering at the University of West Bohemia, Masaryk University and RWTH Aachen University. As part of these partnerships, EEIC participated in several significant innovation projects supported by the government of the Czech Republic and also received funding from the European Union. "In this area, we are mainly dedicated to projects for Industry 4.0, the development of switchboards without the use of the dangerous greenhouse gas SF6, the new generation of electrical circuit breakers, microgrids and various platforms for use in the global shift to the electrification of transport,"explains Luděk Janík.
A sustainable future
EEIC currently employs 170 experts and plans to increase their number to 2025 by 275. Their main task will be to work on projects that are important for sustainable future and the transition to a low-carbon economy, which will be clearly defined by decentralized electricity production, electrification and digitalization of energy distribution. "We will focus on developing new approaches, but at the same time it will also be our task to improve Eaton's existing products so that they are more efficient and comply with the principles of sustainable development." concludes Luděk Janík. It is currently being developed in the EEIC a new department for Energy Transition and Digitization. This will address projects in the field of building integration for the energy transition process through the use of renewable energy sources, infrastructure for electric cars and energy storage devices. Expansion of the team for eMobility and aviation is also planned.
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