Further growth on the same scale as before is unrealistic due to market developments and “we wouldn’t be able to manage it”. At the same time, it is already a challenge to keep sales constant.
According to Lackner, this and the great success in recent years are mainly due to one thing, which is called particle number measurement. In diesel cars (from class Euro 6), the number of soot particles in the exhausts is measured and it is determined more precisely than before whether the particle filter is working correctly. “The number of emitted particles can be 100 to 1,000 times higher,” says Lackner. Sometimes this is due to manipulation through tuning. “This would not have been discovered in the past when measuring exhaust emissions.”
According to Lackner, the new measuring methods have already been introduced in Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland and most recently in Germany. In the neighboring country, the new measuring system was actually supposed to be implemented at the beginning of last year. But the law had to be suspended for six months due to delivery difficulties on the part of manufacturers. And even then, AVL DiTest was the only provider that was able to deliver in large quantities, says Lackner. The reason for this was the digitization of supply chains during the pandemic, including the company’s own suppliers. “That is a lasting value.” As a result, AVL DiTest has an 80 percent market share among testing organizations in Germany with around 20,000 devices delivered.
To Lackner’s regret, other countries have not yet implemented a similar law on the new measurement method. “It’s going a bit too slowly for me.” This also applies to Austria. He now hopes for a corresponding EU-wide regulation.
94 percent export quota
AVL DiTest delivers to around 50 countries, with the main focus being on Europe. The export rate is 94 percent. In addition to Graz, there are also locations in Germany and China. “Our customers are the major car manufacturers who equip the workshops with our tools, as well as independent workshops and testing organizations.”
Even though “combustion engines will be around for a long time to come,” the Styrian company is also focusing on e-mobility. “Electric cars must be checked just as much by law.” Repairs and long-term performance are the challenges. Regarding the EU requirement to only allow new electric cars from 2035, Lackner says that his company is “not directly affected by it,” because AVL DiTest does not deal with the drive system itself, but with the diagnosis and repair of the entire vehicle. Lackner advocates technological openness, “you have to be allowed to try out all possibilities. That is the only way to make progress.” In the rarest of cases, you will hear “That’s impossible.”
That is why AVL DiTest invests a lot in research and development, more than ten percent of its turnover each year. “There is no alternative,” says Lackner. “We have been on the market for 25 years and have always made a profit because we do a lot of research.”
