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EUR 15 million investment for eMobility: Miba expands site in south-eastern Styria

October 11, 2023

– Miba plans to more than double its production area for high-tech power electronics in southern Styria, from 3,000 to 6,300 square meters, creating around 40 new jobs.– The expansion is driven by the growth in eMobility, with an increasing number of customers from the automotive industry using the company’s discharge resistors in their series production.

Miba’s EUR 15 million investment will expand its southern Styria site, more than doubling its production area for high-tech power electronics. The current 3,000 square meter space will increase to 6,300 square meters. This expansion enables the creation of around 40 new jobs.

The decision to invest is a response to the plant’s growth where power and high-voltage resistors are produced under the “EBG Resistors” brand. In two years, annual revenue has doubled from 18 to almost 37 million euros.

EBG power electronics have traditionally been used in buses and trains, measurement technology, and medical equipment. However, the rise of energy transition and eMobility has introduced new markets. About 90% of all wind turbine manufacturers worldwide now use EBG power resistors for their electronics. They also play a crucial role in power grids for energy transmission with minimal loss. But eMobility stands as the largest growth driver.

Miba invested over two million euros in a first production line for eMobility products at the Kirchbach site in 2021. The current expansion will provide a large-scale production infrastructure to meet rapidly increasing volume requirements. EBG General Manager and Plant Manager Louis Klein stated, “We are expanding the factory location, which has existed since 1977, with an additional two-storey building.” Around half of this space is reserved for eMobility – for production, research and development, sales and administration.

The investment will also enable optimization of existing production processes. “The greatly increased space will allow us to integrate our previous external production in St. Stefan im Rosental into the Kirchbach plant location. This not only saves time and organisational effort, it also reduces transports and thus helps the environment,” says Louis Klein.

Miba has been operating production sites in Styria since 2010. The company’s CEO, F. Peter Mitterbauer, highlighted that the plant’s turnover tripled from 13 million euros in 2010 to almost 37 million euros last year, with employee numbers growing from 48 to 180.

This investment will not only boost Miba’s production capabilities but also stimulate eMobility growth within the automotive industry, further driving the shift towards sustainable transportation solutions.