IEE S.A., a world leader in smart sensing solutions for automotive and other markets, is proud to announce that it has been awarded the prestigious FEDIL Innovation Award 2024 in the “Product” category. The award recognizes IEE’s groundbreaking innovation: the Laminated Busbar Connector for batteries of electric vehicles (EV) or energy storage facilities.

The Laminated Busbar Connector is a compact, lightweight hybrid solution combining printed electronics with traditional electronic assembly elements. This revolutionary product integrates multiple functionalities—such as voltage monitoring, cell balancing, temperature sensing, electrical isolation, and busbar connection—into a single component. The innovation simplifies battery design, increases automation in manufacturing, and reduces production costs, ultimately making electric vehicles more affordable and accessible to a broader audience.

“We are incredibly proud of this achievement and this award is a testament to the dedication, creativity, and teamwork that have driven the development of the Laminated Busbar Connector” said Michael Olk, Business Development Manager at IEE. “Our cross-functional teams in Luxembourg have worked tirelessly to create a product that pushes the boundaries of innovation. We are excited to continue collaborating with the automotive and energy industries on solutions that contribute to a more sustainable future.”

By reducing the need for traditional cabling, the Laminated Busbar Connector saves space within the battery pack, allowing more room for electricity charging cells, which in turn enhances the driving range of electric vehicles. Its customizable design also extends the benefits to energy storage and industrial battery systems, further contributing to a sustainable future.

“We are honored to receive the FEDIL Innovation Award 2024 in the Product category,” said Alain Schumacher, Chief Technology Officer of IEE. “This recognition highlights our commitment to developing cutting-edge solutions that do not only drive technological progress but also create tangible benefits for the environment and society. The Laminated Busbar Connector is just one example of how IEE is innovating to shape the future of electric mobility and energy storage.”

IEE continues to lead the charge in smart sensing technologies, pioneering solutions that support the global energy transition and a sustainable mobility.

We offer a complete range of sensing and heating solutions to improve the safety and durability of your battery safety pack.

Congratulations also to the other awarded companies:

Husky Technologies for its “Plate Line Automation” project (category: Process)

Creos Luxembourg S.A. / DataThings S.A for their project “Kopr: The AI Twin of the Smart Grid” (category: Data / AI)

CTI Systems S.à r.l. / Gradel S.à r.l. for their “On Board Cargo Loader” (category: Engineering Excellence)

Thanks to investment in R&D and manufacturing, as well as growing demand for vehicle interior sensing solutions, IEE S.A. maintains a profitable position on the market amidst global instability.  

High energy prices, high inflation, high interest rates, geopolitical challenges, and economic recession – the overall climate has not been particularly favorable to the automotive industry. Nevertheless, IEE Group (which includes ALL Circuits, acquired in 2015, delivering electronics manufacturing services) has continued to grow its revenue significantly.  

IEE Group managed to generate a total revenue of 682,4 million euros in 2023, an increase of 24,6% compared to 2022 (547,8 million Euros). EBITDA is at 64,5 million euros, which means a progress of 60,5% compared to 2022 (40,2 million Euros).  

The main drivers behind IEE’s continuous growth are technologies such as hands on/off sensing (HOD) that support assisted and automated driving functionalities, novel vehicle safety features like Child Presence Detection (VitaSense), and the increasing fitment of seat belt reminder systems (SBR) to the rear seats of vehicles. Furthermore, our daughter company, ALL Circuits, has seen an increase in orders of electronics manufacturing services (EMS) for electric vehicles (inverters, battery management electronics) during the past year.  

“We take pride in our in-house built sensors that make cars all over the world safer and enhance the driver and passenger experience. Innovation has always been at the heart of IEE’s strategy, and we continue to invest in vehicle interior sensing solutions to further improve occupant safety and comfort. We also support safe usage of assisted and automated driving systems,” says Paul Schockmel, CEO at IEE S.A.  

For over three decades, IEE has gathered incomparable car seat and car interior know-how, with which it kept developing a wide variety of safety and comfort sensing solutions renowned worldwide. ALL Circuits ranks 45 among the global Top 50 EMS companies and is strongly benefitting from the vehicle electrification trends in Europe.  

Over the past 5 years, IEE has invested an estimated 30 million euros in Luxembourg, where the headquarters are, in R&D and Manufacturing 4.0. Aside from investing into resources, building up and developing solutions for growing markets such as car electrification and automated driving, IEE looks into the future and develops innovative technologies and new applications also outside of the automotive industry, in eHealth, and Industry 4.0, for example. 

IEE’s Management expects the company to be in the growth curve also this year with full order books. IEE Group booked new orders in 2023 which are worth more than 1500 million Euros. The Management is made up of Paul Schockmel (CEO), Kevin Hui (CFO), Alain Schumacher (CTO), Christophe Keiser (COO) and Bruno Racault (President at ALL Circuits).

Press release, 22nd April 2021

IEE is the first sensor supplier to deploy 60-64 GHz radar technology for unattended child detection in North America, with both countries having certified VitaSense  

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) took a major leap recently by granting waivers for the use of 57-64 GHz radar technology to help save children facing heatstroke risks when left unattended in a car. The decision came shortly after Innovation, Science and Economic Development of Canada (ISED) granted special authorization to IEE for the same technology.

The VitaSense system for unattended child detection was launched earlier this year in other parts of the world and will be introduced in North America with the arrival of the Genesis GV70 premium SUV in summer 2021.

“Many campaigners have been actively supporting the implementation of life-saving technology. This certification will help prevent tragedies or near-misses related to vehicular heatstroke. VitaSense plays a major role in the prevention mechanism, not only in the U.S., but worldwide, and we at IEE are celebrating the certification grant wholeheartedly. Our global teams worked around the clock for the success of this product. It is a great achievement to help families keep their kids safe,” says Paul Schockmel, CEO of IEE. “We are proud to be the first ones to bring such systems on the automotive market and we look forward to setting a new standard for car child safety.”

IEE’s VitaSense combines in-house sensing expertise with extended research conducted in real environment with universities and medical specialists. “It was important for us to study the physiology of occupants, from new-born babies to adults, to build a product that is able to detect even the slightest breathing movement, thus triggering the warning functions of the vehicle,” says Peter Larsen, Head of Radar Accelerator at IEE. “VitaSense is made for accuracy and reliability, all in a small unit behind the vehicle headliner which respects the car’s interior design. It is great news that the product is introduced in the U.S. and Canada. The journey continues.”

IEE commends ISED, the FCC and their staff for being pro-active in allowing this life-saving technology to enter the automotive market.

Not many people can speak with more passion and enthusiasm about printed electronics within IEE than Dr. Alain Schumacher. Which is no wonder, considering he has been active in the “field” for his entire career and knows the topic inside and out. Here is a short interview that sheds some light on the lesser publicized universe of printed electronics, widely integrated into IEE’s mainstream business, from the past and into the future.

IEE and Printed Electronics, how does that connect?

Starting out as a small company with a moderate presence in the industrial and medical markets, IEE decided to propose the potential of printed electronics to the automotive sector back in the days. This had a direct, significant impact on the evolution of our value chain. IEE experienced different challenges, decisions, and market circumstances which lead us to our present business model, mostly based on printed electronic devices. Printed electronics products are still at the very heart of the IEE business, 30 years down the road.

How have printed electronics built on IEE’s success over the years?

Initially a three-man crew, IEE S.A. is today a global market player with more than 2000 employees working in R&D and the production of sensing technologies. Our flexible printed electronics products integrate various market segments with a strong focus on systems designed for automotive interior comfort and safety applications. This is one of the most demanding sectors in terms of liability, technical and economical requirements, and a rather hostile environment for polymer-based electronic systems.

The development of sensor mats based on a similar principle as membrane switches but with improved reliability and performance were the entrance ticket to the global automotive market. Integrated in the car seat for Passenger Presence Detection (PPD) functionality, the systems enabled to better control the airbag firing, thus, to making passengers’ lives safer and reducing airbag repair costs. Since then, our sensor variants for additional applications have equipped no less than 400 million cars.

In time, the advantage of the favorable aspect ratio of thin flexible films combined with the high design freedom of printed electronics technology became obvious and opened the door for further sophisticated applications related to automotive safety and comfort (hands off detection for steering wheels) but also medical applications (footwear sensing solutions that help prevent Alzheimer’s’ and monitor health and sport performance).

What are the unique advantages of using printed electronics from IEE?

Obviously, our technology is much more than merely producing foil sensors. What truly makes us stand out and is our unique offer to customers for their various applications, which we prepare completely in-house, from A to Z. We first research a solution, develop it, put it on the production line, thoroughly check the quality of the end product, test it and when it is approved by our teams, it is ready to go to the customer and we start the mass production. We call this comprehensive service based on our extensive competences in material sciences, design, hardware and software development, manufacturing, quality, etc. “from lab to fab”.

What does it take for a company with roots in printed electronics to go towards IoT?

Identifying the potential of key technologies is the essential starting point to developing specific business ideas. But agility, innovative spirit, strong interdisciplinary and strategic partnerships as well as state-of-the-art customer intelligence, know-how and timely favorable market conditions are also mandatory prerequisites for a successful, sustainable, and prosperous evolution of any project.

Also, to maintain a competitive position in continuously challenging and changing market environments, the vision must be focused on how to satisfy the demand and potential functions best, rather than to hold on to traditional technologies. Thus, driving the establishment of high-level R&D infrastructures for more complex systems is required and competencies in disciplines like digitalization, big data, cyber security up to functional safety are being integrated into the making of future products. We know that printed/hybrid electronics technologies have great potential for future automotive and consumer applications. We are on the way to extending our market position via implementations of new technologies.

Alain Schumacher is Chief Technology Officer at IEE and acts as Vice-Chair Europe within the Board of Directors for OE-A (Organic and Printed Electronics Association)