Safion

After years of interdisciplinary research on the inner processes on lithium-ion batteries at RWTH Aachen University, in 2019 four engineers at the Institute for Power Electronics and Electrical Drives (ISEA) decided to turn their findings into business and founded a company – Safion GmbH was born. The founding team consisting of Dr. Alexander Gitis, Hendrik Zappen, Georg Fuchs and Dr. Arne Hendrik Wienhausen developed and established a new battery analysis and assessment technology. The innovative measurement method improves the production and operation of lithium-ion batteries.

Not even three years later, on its way to success the young start-up now entered a strategic partnership with Digatron Power Electronics GmbH, a global supplier for battery test and formation systems. Rolf Beckers, founder and owner of Digatron, invested a seven-digit sum in the RWTH spin-off. Already in 2020, Safion signed an exclusive licencing agreement with RWTH Aachen University.

Know your batteries

Safion is a fast-growing deep-tech company offering industry solutions for battery diagnostics to advance global electrification. The new scalable diagnosis technology precisely evaluates the quality and predicts the potential failure of any lithium-ion battery within seconds. This largely expands the performance and lifetime of battery systems, and reduces risks and cost – no matter where it is being used. Battery-driven products become safer and last longer through optimising the development, design and operation of the batteries which is cost- and resource-saving. Safion’s solutions are designed for anyone who develops battery systems or implements them into their products, and cover the whole battery value chain – from development to production and integration to onboard diagnostics and second-life reuse. Current customers include automotive OEMs and Tier-1 suppliers, electrified aircraft manufacturers and consumer electronics manufacturers.

High impact on the technological progress in the battery industry

Rolf Beckers, founder and long-standing managing director of Digatron, started his Aachen-based company 53 years ago in a garage. Today, Digatron is the leading global supplier for test and formation systems for the battery industry, supplying to customers all over the planet and actively shaping the future of energy storage. Beckers is convinced of the disruptive potential of the technology he invested in:

“Safion's technology is the right product at the right time, and it will be the solution to the upcoming challenges of the battery industry and e-mobility. I see great potential here, because the global interest in this technology is very high, and I am convinced that this partnership will be an asset for both companies. Together with Digatron, Safion will continue to grow and drive international distribution."

Indeed, the Aachen-born technology has an enormous market potential since basically all battery-based products can be improved through batteries which last longer or charge faster. Safion offers comprehensive turn-key industry solutions for battery onboard and production diagnostics – still a white spot in the market with high impact on the technological progress in the battery industry. In the last three years Safion has been growing continuously. The company ramped-up their global sales activities and started series production. They also hired more employees and moved into new larger office space.

We are proud to see that with Safion and Digatron, two strong Aachen-based innovators join forces to improve batteries around the world, and look forward to watching your next steps.