Swiss power electronics company opens up the possibilities of electrification

Global decarbonization is the fundamental base to decelerate and eventually stop global warming. Consequentially, countries around the world are embarking on what is nothing less than an electrification revolution, which is having an impact on a wide range of markets and therefore called a megatrend.

One of the biggest areas in all of this is the electrification of passenger vehicles. Transportation is a massive contributor to CO2 emissions and the automotive sector is predicted to represent half of the entire electrification of mobility within the next five years. That is a game changer in terms of the technological advances that need to be realized within a very small timeframe not only for vehicles but also for their charging infrastructures.

Besides transportation, all other areas of the global economy are impacted by this megatrend. Renewable energies, automation, traction and railway, smart grids, all sectors see the need to adapt and develop electrified products and solutions that are optimized, reliable, and safe for the end user.

Staff in production site

As a global leader in electrical measurement, LEM provides system designers with key components and solutions that detect and reliably measure current and voltage. Since the very beginning of power electronics, back in the 1970s, LEM has been developing current and voltage detection and sensing technologies for the rail, automotive, renewable energies, and industrial sectors.

LEM has always led the way. The company's drive to develop innovative solutions to meet demanding market requirements initially bore fruit in 1973, when the first ever current sensors were installed on Swiss trams to enable them to operate more smoothly.

For 50 years, LEM's customers have been pushing boundaries and inspiring the company to develop some of the most sophisticated current and voltage sensors in the world. Indeed, it is customer demand that has driven LEM to improve to the point that its engineers, R&D personnel, managers, and directors are acknowledged as being among the world's most respected experts in electrical measurement.

LEM has always worked very closely with customers and within key markets, developing and optimizing technologies and co-designing solutions. This culture of closeness to customers led the company to start its activities in China back in 1989. The company started a plant in Beijing and grew steadily, serving customers in key industries in China, like solar, automation, and automotive. China has become one of the key markets for the company, with the sales volume reaching 38 percent of the company's total sales in 2023. Today more than 800 people work for LEM in the Beijing plant and sales offices in China. LEM is investing in a strong R&D base to serve Chinese customers with a team of 40 people based in Beijing.

Sensors close up

The company owes its success to looking to the future and planning ahead. Over the coming years, from its bases in Geneva, Lyon, Beijing, and soon Shanghai, the company will continue to develop innovative and advanced products for use in such areas as drives, residual current detection, high precision, and semiconductors. LEM is expanding its embedded software capabilities to develop smarter products for traction, DC metering for EV fast-charging stations, and automotive battery management systems.

The company has already begun to make substantial increases in the resources of R&D teams around the world.  This enables the company to accelerate the miniaturization of its sensors. Since 2017, LEM has invested substantially in semiconductor development capabilities to develop Integrated Current Sensors (ICSs). These are essentially a “current sensor on a chip” and they enable users to build smaller systems. This miniaturization is key to making a vehicle or any other system as light as possible, minimizing energy usage, and extending the distances cars can drive between charges. A second area of investment is the development of charging infrastructures that can ensure they can bill users fairly and accurately. This is where LEM's expertise in metrology comes into play.  The company is now actively supporting key players in the electric transportation industry by designing and supplying very high-technology energy meters that will enable EV charging infrastructure to expand and meet demand.

In addition to the efforts on the technology side, LEM is the only player in the sector that focuses solely on electrical measurement. That has resulted in the company today having the broadest portfolio of current and voltage sensing solutions, which means it has been able to pick the right technology for every new challenge.

Ingenuity and inspiration have been the watchwords for LEM over the last 50 years. The Swiss headquartered company has pushed the boundaries of electrical measurement technology to become a global leader. Electronics design engineers and system design engineers have come to rely on LEM’s solutions to combine optimal performance with unrivaled levels of reliability and safety. The company is not just about selling tens of millions of electrical sensors but is playing a key role in enabling customers – and society in general – to move towards a more sustainable future by enabling electrification.