A Smooth Start to Your CareerSeeking innovative people to join the team.AVL Germany – TOP Employer 2015 – offers students and young professionals tailor-made opportu-nities to join the company. › Pages 12

Global Tech Center Network 250 test beds globally in use.AVL has tech centers in Germany, China and Brazil and in a host of other countries. And they are all in need of dedicated experts.

› Pages 4

Who can say about themselves that they are helping to shape the future of mobility? AVL employees can! As part of the global AVL team, you get to work on projects for the best automotive manufac-turers in the world. The career opportunities you are offered in all three business areas will take you more than just one step further in your career. If you’re willing to harness your potential and let us support you profes-sionally, then you’re in exactly the right place at AVL.

› Pages 2 - 3

IMPRINT: PUBLISHER AND PROPRIETOR: AVL LIST GMBH, HANS-LIST-PLATZ 1, A-8020 GRAZ, TEL. 0043-316-787-0. EDITORIAL, LAYOUT & PRODUCTION: SCOOP & SPOON GMBH

INTERNATIONAL

COVERSTORY

AVL GERMANY CALIBRATION

PASSION CAREERINFORMATION MAGAZINE OF AVL HUMAN RESOURCES

No. 3

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Perfect Team Play It’s a matter of calibration!When it comes to calibration, we’re looking for team players who love the idea of occasionally swapping their chair in the office for a driver’s seat. › Pages 14 - 15

AVL is Looking for Experts with the Drive to Excel

BECOME A FAN AND FOLLOWER: facebook.com/AVL.List twitter.com/AVL_List

linkedin.com/company/avl xing.com/companies/avllistgmbh youtube.com/AVLList

AVL’s expertise and technologies are incorporated into large engines, pas-senger cars, heavy-duty vehicles and two-wheelers, small engines and off-road drive systems all over the world. Its wide-ranging spectrum of products and services focusing on the power-train is divided into three main business units. In Powertrain Engineering (PTE), efficient and environmentally friendly drive solutions are developed and opti-mized. The Instrumentation & Test Sys-tems (ITS) business unit delivers com-plete development environments such as testbeds measuring equipment, software and automation systems. Tools like these allow development en-gineers to organize and implement the ever more complex drive system devel-opment tasks in a highly efficient man-ner. The simulation software produced by Advanced Simulation Technologies (AST) is used throughout all phases of a development project to design and en-hance drive systems.

The immense power of innovation in-side the technologies in all three busi-ness areas would never be possible without AVL employees, who are cre-ative and exceptionally committed – these are the people who benefit from AVL’s outstanding career opportunities.

Leeway for innovationHannes Schmüser, Executive Vice President Global Business Develop-ment, Sales & International Operations

“As a family-owned company, AVL stands for growth, high levels of internal invest-

ment in R&D and long-term stability.”HANNES SCHMÜSER

COVERSTORY2

(ITS), describes what distinguishes AVL as an employer: “We offer our staff an exceptionally innovative work environ-ment, where they can help to shape

Markus Tomaschitz, HR DirectorHannes Schmüser, Executive Vice President Global Busi-ness Development, Sales & International Operations (ITS)

the latest technologies, products and solutions. Our employees operate both at our international affiliates and at the Graz headquarters, in an international

Innovative Global PlayerAs a global player in the automotive industry, the AVL Group offers its staff not only exciting career challenges, but also a variety of rewarding further training opportunities.

COMMENTHELMUT LIST, CEO

As an established partner to the auto-motive industry, AVL has gained glob-al leadership in the development of efficient and environmentally friendly drive systems. Like no other compa-ny of its kind, AVL not only produces instrumentation and test systems for powertrain engineering but also sim-ulation models. In all these business areas, we are on the lookout for new employees who are willing to dedi-cate their creativity, passion and am-bition to finding new solutions.

Never before was there such a wide and fascinating variety of drive tech-nologies than there is today. The scope ranges from efficient internal combustion engines and various hybrid solutions to all-electric drives with or without a range extender. The jobs that involve their development are just as fascinating and diverse as the technologies themselves.

Being part of a close-knit global team, committed engineers at AVL additionally get a chance to take un-conventional paths, which often take them outside the traditional boundar-ies of physics. As a home of innova-tion, AVL offers the ideal environment to foster creative ways of thinking and acting – remaining true to our motto: We are constantly moving forward and we will never stop.

COVERSTORY 3

“Mobility means that everything’s on the

move. And the same is expected of our em-

ployees when it comes to training and person-

al development.”MARKUS TOMASCHITZ

environment with lots of different cul-tures and languages. It is this combi-nation of global presence and leading technology that makes us totally unique in our area of expertise.”

Innovative power and internationality demand open-mindedness, which is a firm part of AVL’s corporate culture. This is why AVL deeply values the thoughts and ideas of each of its employees, who are given a high level of freedom in their work. “But this also entails that a great deal of independence and re-sponsibility from the employees,” points out Markus Tomaschitz, HR Director. Hannes Schmüser adds: “What we ex-pect from most of our staff is that they find joy in engineering, in the automo-tive environment, in drive systems and

in developments beyond these areas. Our employees are distinguished by a certain amount of what I like to call ‘pi-oneering spirit.’ Passion for technology is another crucial attribute, because without it you’d never be able to ex-cel at your job! AVL additionally relies very specifically on teamwork. So, in a complex development environment, we are not seeking lone warriors, but open-minded people who work well in a team.”

Promoting strengthsThe variety of career development opportunities offered at AVL is excep-tionally broad and diverse. Markus To-maschitz: “We are seeking employees who clearly show they are willing to undergo further training. Whether pro-fessionally, toward executive positions, or in the direction of project manage-ment – we promote your strengths. The conditions here are perfect, as we do everything we can to accompany and support our employees along their path and offer a very wide-ranging selection of programs and activities.”

A career at AVL means being part of a global team that helps to shape the future, and being given a chance to dis-cover and unleash your potential.

www.avl.com

Engage with AVL Digital

AVL Fact and Figures:

Chairman and CEO: Prof. Dr. h.c. Helmut ListFounded: 1948Employees: More than 7.470AVL Headquarters:AVL LIST GmbHHans-List-Platz 1A-8020 Graz, Austria

INTERNATIONAL4

With its global tech center network, AVL works very closely with automotive manufacturers around the globe and offers an abundance of fascinating and diverse jobs for employees who are interested in gaining professional experience abroad.

Local around the world“With 250 testbeds worldwide, AVL has

a greater testing capacity than many

OEMs.”URS GERSPACH

“An AVL tech center combines engi-neering and testing capabilities under a single roof,” explains Urs Gerspach, Head of the AVL Test Factory, “this is where complete projects can be carried out independently. Worldwide around 250 test beds are being operated at AVL tech centers. Depending on what the market requires, these might be en-gine or powertrain testbeds or chassis dynamometers that are being used for

projects which AVL conducts either for its customers, or in the context of its own research and development activi-ties. So considering its global network, AVL has a greater testing capacity than many OEMs.” And it is this network that is continuously being expanded: Following on from AVL’s first tech cen-

ter in Shanghai, AVL opened a second in China, in Tianjin, in April 2015. Near Stuttgart, a new tech center is being constructed right now. It will go into full operation in early 2016. And in Japan, AVL is expanding its commitment by erecting a new tech center in Kawasaki City, scheduled to open in late 2016.

The collaboration between the Graz headquarters and the affiliates and tech centers around the globe is really good and intensive, says Urs Gerspach: “AVL’s local presence means that it is usually located physically very close to the OEMs, providing a number of ben-efits. We can execute projects for cus-tomers with the same high technical standards as we do in Graz. And there is no need to transport, say, a fleet of prototypes all around the globe. En-gineering and testing is done on site. Given the close cooperation with our customers in the Asian region, for ex-ample, it is, of course, essential that our employees are open-minded and have a keen interest in foreign cultures.”

Urs Gerspach points out the exchange between the international AVL locations: “As part of our further training programs (High Potentials, etc.) there is also the option of working both at different tech centers and at the headquarters – an option which highly motivated and com-municative young people will certainly regard as an exciting and rewarding way of embarking on an international career with AVL.”

In the course of AVL’s global network expansion, a new tech center is being built in Kawasaki City, Japan.

Urs Gerspach, Head of AVL Test Factory

The new AVL Tech Center in Bietigheim-Bissingen near Stutt-gart is scheduled to commence operations in early 2016, creating 100 new jobs for highly qualified experts.

AVL Commercial Driveline & Tractor Engineering

Making Tomorrow’s Drive Technology Affordable

INTERNATIONAL 5

Exciting and challenging tasks for motivated employees.

The mobility of the future not only needs to be clean and efficient, it has to be affordable too. And that is exactly what series development is all about – keeping a balance between technology and costs.

AVL subsidiary AVL Commercial Drive-line & Tractor Engineering, based in Steyr in Upper Austria, provides bun-dled AVL expertise in agricultural engi-neering, which makes it a fascinating and forward-looking partner for interna-tional manufacturers.

“The big challenge we face in pow-ertrain development series projects today,” says Diethard Jeitler, Head of Simultaneous Engineering at AVL, “in-volves finding the best way to reconcile demanding technical objectives (func-tion, weight, consumption, etc.) with reduced production costs and strin-gent quality requirements. To do so, we are in need of talented engineers who are able to come up with brilliant solutions that meet the customer’s ex-act specifications.” Particularly when dealing with complex electrified drive solutions, costs are a crucial factor. “It is of fundamental importance that future mobility becomes affordable for buyers. And that’s where the staff working in series development can make an essential contribution,” con-tinues Diethard Jeitler. So what does a typical AVL series project look like? Diethard Jeitler explains, “Our scope of projects ranges from the development of an engine derivative – for example a variant for a new or exceptionally economic vehicle – to power units with unusual specifications, e.g. particularly high performance. Base engine devel-

Georg Biegelbauer, Specialized Team Leader for Design and Calculation, is well aware of the company’s unique selling point: “As a system provider, we are the only company that covers the whole spectrum of agricultural en-gineering along the entire value chain.

Our overall system and application ex-pertise, along with our customer orien-tation, distinguishes us from our com-petitors. With our tools, processes and methods, we support our customers with problem-solving approaches – ul-timately also through the expertise of AVL specialists worldwide.” AVL Com-mercial Driveline & Tractor Engineer-ing offers services that go far beyond conventional development activities. These include such areas as market analysis, product management, spec-ification and homologation, entire ve-hicle development, validation and field testing, as well as production & plant engineering. As an innovative and in-ternationally positioned company, AVL CD&TE offers a global work environ-ment, serving as the basis for personal and professional further development of every employee. This challenges employees, but it also gives them the necessary room for personal develop-ment – so why not submit your appli-cation today!

Developing and testing drives for commercial vehicles and agricultural machinery can be a rewarding, professional challenge.

opment activities are also per-formed in the context of series projects at AVL. In do-ing so, we not only develop the product, we integrate the custom-er’s produc-tion areas – and their suppliers. A possible reason for outsourcing this area might be that vehicle manufacturers simply lack the required capacities.” Here at AVL, the engineers concentrate intensively on powertrain electrification. “In series projects, we are currently focusing on various degrees of hybridization – in-

cluding all-electric drives. Anyone in-terested in making a difference to the future of mobility, is welcome to submit their application!”

AVL develops innovative hybrid drives with focus on affordability.

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ELECTRIFICATION 6

Helping to Shape Innovative Solutions for Electric Mobility

With electrification being a key driver for future mobility, AVL is engaged in a substantial number of activities fo-cusing on this area around the world. Volker Niemeyer, Global Business Unit Manager, Electrification & Racing Test

Systems, sums up AVL’s activities in the Instrumentation and Test Systems (ITS) business unit like this, “For a long time, AVL was exclusively known as a supplier of test systems for the con-ventional powertrain. From 2007 and, to an increasing degree from 2010, sales in the test systems segment for electrification multiplied – and we are working hard on continuing this dyna-mic trend. Today, our test systems co-ver all areas of electrification – whether relating to the battery, inverter, e-motor or the complete sub or overall system. We are in a position to offer both test systems and emulators that can repla-ce a real physical component in sys-tem testing.”

Volker Hennige, Head of Global Battery Competence Teams and responsible for all AVL activities in battery deve-lopment, points out the advantages

of the close collaboration among the areas Powertrain Engineering (PTE) and Instrumentation & Test Systems, “For me as a development engineer, it is essential to have the appropriate testing environment to be able to work efficiently. For example, if I need a tem-porary adjustment made to the auto-mation system, I simply walk over to my ITS colleagues, three doors down the corridor. The same applies if I have special hardware requirements. The experience gained by PTE – as ITS’s ‘first customer’ – is incorporated into the systems and ultimately benefits all customers of AVL who buy these test systems later.”

The huge significance electrification has at AVL today can already be seen by its employee numbers. In the area of ITS there are around 125 employees working in the dedicated New Tech-nologies business unit established for this purpose, dealing with the develop-ment, production and sale of electrifi-cation-related test systems. In a conti-nued effort to rapidly expand its global activities in the area of powertrain electrification, AVL is permanently on the lookout for further employees.

AVL develops vehicle batteries with voltages up to 800 volt which are tested on special battery testbeds.

An electric motor testbed that allows testing at extreme temperatures, thanks to a climate chamber.

Volker Hennige, Head of the Global Battery Competence Team

In response to the demand in the global market, AVL is continuing to expand its drive electrification activities and is seeking com-mitted experts for a number of specialized areas ranging from mechanical and electrical engineering and electronics to physics and electrochemistry.

SOFTWARE AND FUNCTIONS 7

Sportiness and Driving Pleasure with an All-Electric Drive

From zero to 100 km/h in 6 seconds, a range of 140 km and a charging time of 1 hour: The AVL Coup-e 800 is a genuine innovation in terms of electric mobility. Mathias Deiml, Center Ma-nager E-Drive Sys-tems, describes the show car’s extraor-dinary features, “For the first time ever, an operating voltage of 800 volt was used in a passenger car, to efficiently represent a performance level of 200 kW.” The im-plementation of the Coup-e 800 involved combining a great variety of AVL capa-bilities. He continues, “We make up a strong team, consisting of the core team in Regensburg and employees of AVL Schrick in Remscheid, from the AVL si-tes Graz and Stuttgart and even from the AVL California Technology Center. The collaboration among us was excellent and, thanks to their great commitment, and despite ongoing customer projects, the specialized teams gave high priority

The implementation of the AVL Coup-e 800 was a great success for the project team.

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The AVL Coup-e 800 is a prototype that is creating quite a stir and has even won an eCarTec award. All development tasks were carried out in the global AVL Group – under the management of AVL Software & Functions in Regensburg.

to developing the components for the Coup-e 800.” When carrying out a project of this sca-le, there are lots of exciting highlights. Mathias Deiml, tal-king about his per-sonal experience, said, “What I found very interesting was convincing the sceptics that the established objec-tives were actually achievable and me-aningful. Next, we chose the vehicle – a Mercedes C-Class Coupé – into

which the AVL components had to be in-tegrated. The most exciting moment was when the big battery was being placed inside the delicate installation room in the chassis. Step by step we started up each of the systems in the workshop at AVL Schrick – and then it was time for the first test drive in the yard. Since then, components and calibration have been improved in many sub-steps, and the Coup-e 800 today achieves convincing drive performances.“

”Team building was another important goal of the Coup-e

800 project.” MATHIAS DEIML

The AVL Coup-e 800 achieves a maximum speed of 180 km/h.

Klaus Küpper, Executive Chief Engineer

System ‘Powertrain’

As a leading development service provi-der for the automotive industry, AVL de-velops and tests all five elements of the electrified powertrain – internal combus-tion engine, transmission, battery, elec-tric motor and control unit. The optimal interaction among these elements, the system ‘powertrain,’ is the responsibility of System Development. Klaus Küpper, Executive Chief Engineer for System Development, explains: “Our success is founded on consistent employment of systems engineering expertise, our inno-vative power and our global positioning.”

Fundamental qualities and skills we re-quire of our employees are a keen interest in interdisciplinary work, English langua-ge skills and technical qualifications that may range from mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, mechatronics and software development to physics or technical mathematics. “We set value on a fundamental technical education in the broadest sense and a good amount of enthusiasm for developing the drive sys-tems of the future,” adds Klaus Küpper.

“We like to encourage interdisciplinary ways of thinking and wor-

king in our employees.”KLAUS KÜPPER

“I decided in favor of AVL be-cause I wanted the challenge of working for a top technical company – I must say I was

not disappointed.”JENNIFER DURFY, AVL NORTH AMERICA

“Working on different projects with such a

diversely talented and supportive team this

past year at AVL has been a wonderful experience for me.”TAAHA HUSSEIN, AVL POWERTRAIN UK LTD.

“Unlike other international com-panies I know, the managers at AVL are very approachable and easy to reach. I reckon that has

a huge impact on the work environment.”

MAÍRA ONUMA, AVL SOUTH AMERICA

Working for AVL means implementing exciting projects with people from all over the world and developing solutions that sometimes even turn out to be a technological breakthrough. “Passion and Career” has been asking around at the AVL affiliates to find out what em-ployees value most in their employer.

8

Global VoicesINTERNATIONAL

“A great many enthusiastic people work at AVL. Having the freedom to work on innovative solutions for our customers with my team makes my

work pretty exciting.”WERNER FUCHS, AVL HEADQUARTER

“I joined AVL because I wanted to work for a lead-ing technology company specialized in advanced drive engineering and be part of a competent

team.”ZOLTÁN HEGEDUS, AVL AUTÓKUT ENGINEERING LTD.

“I like my work at AVL. I find it very satisfying be-

ing able to present our customers with the best

solutions.”KENJI MURATA, AVL JAPAN K.K.

“What I value most at AVL is being able to work with engineers from all over the world on inter-

national projects.”CEYLAN TURKUCUOGLU,

AVL RESEARCH AND ENGINEERING TURKEY

9INTERNATIONAL

The people working in Global Operations in the Powertrain Test Systems business unit make sure that more than 400 test systems (all types) are manufactured each year, and that these systems are installed and commissioned at customer sites all over the world.

Around 700 engineers at AVL are employed in Global Customer Services. It is their job to ensure that customers make the most out of their AVL test systems.

Test Systems for Automotive Manufacturers around the Globe

Supporting AVL Customers Worldwide

The AVL ITS (Instrumentation & Test Systems) business unit specializes in designing and producing highly advan-ced test systems for the development of powertrains and their components. Werner Faustmann, who holds the po-sition of Global Operations Manager, is responsible for making sure that the who-le process – starting with concept deve-lopment in the quotation stage together with the customer all the way to on-site commissioning – is executed smoothly and according to schedule. A team of 150 employees in Graz attends to these mat-ters. “Our product portfolio is very broad and ranges from test beds for individual components to engine, powertrain and

“Global Customer Services starts to get active after the test system has been handed over to the customer,” Chris-toph Papst, Global Business Segment Manager Customer Services, explains, “It is our job to accompany the system throughout its service life and to help customers derive the maximum benefit from their investment.” The job covers several areas: to begin with, the availa-bility of the systems has to be ensured, because they are frequently utilized around the clock in multiple-shift ope-ration. This comprises general mainte-

chassis dynamometers, always in con-junction with high-precision instrumen-tation,” Werner Faustmann explains. “It’s our job to make sure that a test system does what the customer wants it to do, in the best possible way. To accomplish

this, we configure the overall systems with components and modules. We additionally develop customized sys-tems with our engineering teams. We are increasingly also designing entire testing centers, including the HVAC, into which the test systems are inte-

INTERNATIONAL10

nance, servicing and repairs, as well as the entire area of software, which, in advanced automated test systems, already accounts for a major part of the technology to be maintained. In additi-on to providing support to customers in performing their testing jobs, Customer Services also covers all matters rela-ting to courses and training. Christoph Papst: “We conduct courses on how to operate our test systems not only for customers but also for our own teams. This is done at the AVL Skills Center in Graz, at our five international training

centers and also at our customer’s sites all over the world.”

AVL Customer Services is particular-ly interested in service engineers, i.e. employees who travel to customers where they do servicing and repair jobs. “It is, of course, obvious that the work done by service engineers involves a lot of travelling, but that’s exactly what a lot of young employees like about it. Should they later on feel they’d prefer to travel less, we offer a substantial number of further training

“Interdisciplinary thinking and

a capacity forteamwork are high in demand at AVL.”

WERNER FAUSTMANN

“We offer a job full of variety in a global team.”CHRISTOPH PAPST

INTERNATIONAL 11

grated. To ensure the functioning of what might be very complex systems, a prelimi-nary setup of the entire system is generally carried out after completion of the tests at a component level. This is usually done in specially designed facilities. As the test-beds are delivered to customers in regi-

ons all over the world, this is associated with an extensive logistics effort, which also has to be supervised by AVL. The on-site setup is either the responsibility of AVL employees from the Graz headquar-ters or of an AVL affiliate. The commissio-ning of the complete system including the

measuring equipment is carried out by specially trained AVL teams.”

Given the extensive range of tasks taken care of by Global Operations (develop-ment, production, installation and com-missioning), the required qualifications are very diverse. Werner Faustmann de-scribes the ideal employee: “We’re ge-nerally on the lookout for employees who use an interdisciplinary approach and are interested in a number of different areas – from mechanical engineering to electri-cal engineering and even software deve-lopment. We need HTL graduates just as much as we need people with a degree from a university of applied sciences or a technical university (HTL = Höhere Tech-nische Lehranstalt, higher-level technical school). Qualities we attach importance to also include practical orientation and the ability to work in a team. Here at AVL, there is a good chance that young em-ployees get to distinguish themselves in an international environment – both in collaboration with our customers in the automotive industry and within the global AVL network.”

opportunities as part of our Career Path program. It’s possible to switch over to the Training area or join Direct Customer Support, where you’re the main point of contact for one or more global customers regarding all support matters. Both jobs do involve travel-ling but the extent to which it is nee-ded is much lower in these positions,” says Christoph Papst. Employees are also being sought for training the cus-tomers and AVL employees. “In this particular case, we prefer people with a few years of experience in technical training, but talented university gradu-ates have very good chances of being hired too.” Intensive initial and further training is quite generally a firm part of Customer Services. “Each one of our 700 employees has what we call a ‘training compass,’ indicating the names and dates of the courses the employee needs to complete. Our em-ployees undergo training for around five weeks a year – that alone already shows how important further training is for us,” points out Christoph Papst.P

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AVL IN GERMANY12

Shaping the Future Together

As a strong and reliable engineering partner to the international automotive industry, AVL, along with its engineers, is actively involved in the transformati-on of mobility. AVL works at the cut-ting edge of automotive powertrain development. Focusing on challenging tasks, it is actively shaping the modern and networked world of mobility. The employees of AVL Germany take on maximum responsibility from an ear-ly stage. With strengths, such as high commitment and a capacity for team-work, they contribute greatly to the de-velopment of tomorrow’s vehicles.

As a medium-sized, owner-run compa-ny, AVL is independent and therefore in

a position to focus consistently on its long-term goals and invest in the future of the company and its employees. As a steadily growing company, AVL Ger-many is seeking young and committed employees who would like to face the challenges of the modern automobile, and offers bespoke opportunities to join the fascinating world of powertrain development and instrumentation and test systems. Regardless of whether you are interested in dual studies, trainee programs or internships, AVL stands for the practice-oriented qua-lification of its employees. Viewing its-elf as a long-term and reliable partner, AVL invests heavily in demand-oriented initial and further training.

“Competent and qualifiedemployees guarantee

AVL’s long-term success.”ROLAND JEUTTER

ROLAND JEUTTER, Executive DirectorAVL Deutschland GmbH

AVL sites in Germany

Challenging tasks in an innovative, dynamic company with a high number of young teams: AVL Germany offers students and young professionals tailor-made opportunities to join the fascinating world of powertrain development and instrumentation and test systems.

AVL Software & Functions in Regensburg

Exciting DiversityAt AVL Software & Functions, the focus is on technologically leading software and electronics development and system so-lutions for forward-looking mobility. This scope of services calls for employees for whom monotony is not an option.

AVL Software & Functions is based in Regensburg and has more than 170 employees. The software and electro-nics hardware developed in Regensburg helps to make sure that conventional cars, trucks, construction equipment

“We offer theflexibility you need

for personaldevelopment.”

STEFAN SCHMID

and large-engine drives meet the rigo-rous exhaust emission standards. The sophisticated functions are also used for the reliable control of advanced electric vehicles. “We are extremely diversified,” Stefan Schmid, Head of Human Resour-ces, explains, “Employed at our com-

pany, you might be working on a truck project today and on a passenger car tomorrow – in that way you learn a great deal. As an employer, this distinguishes us from Tier-1 businesses, where you are likely to remain in the same functional area for many years.”

In the Advanced Simulations Technologies (AST) business unit, at sites in Graz, Zagreb and Maribor, solutions are being developed that optimize and speed up the entire powertrain development.

SIMULATION 13

culation/Support. At the Maribor site (Slovenia), 40 employees work in Sup-port Services or take care of calculation projects. At all three sites, there are also employees working in the Powertrain Engineering (PTE) and Instrumentation & Test Systems (ITS) business units. Jürgen Krasser, Head of AST Software Development, explains, “To bring to-gether the different areas of expertise and developments of AST, ITS and PTE in the context of the AVL ‘Integrated and Open Development Platform’ strategy, there is close collaboration among the individual areas within AVL. This helps to build a bridge between the computer-based purely virtual world of simulation and the virtual-physical world of testing on the testbed.”

Internationality is important for AVL Advanced Simulation Technologies. At our office in Graz, there are specia-lists from 26 different countries who are working closely with colleagues at other sites belonging to the global AVL network. This global network naturally opens up good opportunities for peo-ple interested in working at locations outside of Graz.

Drive unit acoustics – structure-borne noise and acoustic emissions (AVL EXCITE Acoustics)

The electrification of the powertrain and the ever more stringent emission limits have greatly increased the complexity involved in the development of advan-ced drive solutions. This explains why novel methods and tools are critical in the development of innovative and ef-ficient drives, says Gotthard Rainer, Head of AST, adding, “For engineers, the simulation tools developed by AST provide essential support in mastering the complexity in powertrain develop-ment.” The AVL simulation business unit is represented internationally by deve-lopment teams at three sites. The AST departments in Graz and Croatia each have 70 software developers. Each of these departments has 15 other AST employees working in the areas Cal-

JÜRGEN KRASSER, Head of Software Development at AST

GOTTHARD RAINER, Head of AST business unit

International and Interdisciplinary Collaboration

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Simulation of a cooling process for several battery modules performed with AVL FIRE.

AST Jobs

At the AST business unit, do-main experts are needed with an understanding of multi-phy-sical systems, but there is also a demand for mathematicians and computer experts who are proficient in converting models and workflows into efficient si-mulation software. So not only is there a need for physicists, chemists, mechanical engi-neers, electrical engineers and control technicians, but also of specialists who are able to translate physical problems into simulation models and software tools. Equally highly sought for are software experts.

AVL‘s simulation business unit maintains close ties with univer-sities and extra-mural research facilities, as well as international centers of excellence. It is addi-tionally possible to write docto-ral dissertations at AST.

To calibrate a modern engine so that it meets all the specifications in terms of legal requirements and optimal driving comfort, up to 50,000 parameters have to be optimally tuned to each other: an exciting and challenging task for talented technicians with strong communication skills, an interdisciplinary approach and a capacity for teamwork.

“We Put Intelligence into the Drive Hardware.”

“Calibration is the last stage of the powertrain development process,” ex-plains Gianluca Vitale, Global Business Segment Manager Calibration Applica-tions, Integration Software Products, “In simple terms, it’s all about teaching each of the drive system’s hardware el-ements to behave in a certain way, so that they function optimally when they interact with each other inside the vehi-cle. This is done by parameterizing the control units.”

Since electronics found its way into the vehicle drive system, it has be-come possible to use the same hard-

ware components in many different vehicles. Gianluca Vitale continues, “Today, whichever way a component behaves in a vehicle is largely dictat-ed by the electronic control system. By parameterizing the different control units, we can take advantage of a mul-titude of degrees of freedom – figura-tively speaking we put intelligence into the drive system hardware. A critical aspect in this regard is the perfect in-teraction among the individual compo-nents.”

In conventional drive systems, these hardware components might be the

CALIBRATION14

“Each component can be viewed

as an instrument that has to play perfectly in an

orchestra.”GIANLUCA VITALE

Modern software tools, developed by AVL, support calibration engineers in their work.

Further work steps are carried out on state-of-the-art engine test beds and chassis dynamometers.

The data are validated during test drives with prototypes under extreme driving conditions (high altitudes, hot and cold temperatures).

CALIBRATION 15

turbocharger, the injection system or the exhaust aftertreatment system. If we are dealing with a hybrid vehicle, there’s the battery, the e-motor and the entire hybrid control unit to consider as well. Gianluca Vitale puts it like this, “Once all compo-nents are integrated, they should be able to perform together – like a good orches-tra. This means that the behavior of each component must be optimized to satisfy all criteria – drivability, consumption, emissions, noise, etc. – in the best possible way.” To illustrate the level of complexity this task involves, bear in mind that for an engine

control unit to meet the rigorous Euro 6 emission limits, the calibration engi-neers have to tune as many as 50,000 parameters. On top of that, depending on what kind of a vehicle is being dealt with, there are also the control units for the transmission, steering, chassis sus-pension and for the various driver assis-tance systems to consider. All of these control systems have to be networked with each other, increasing the calibra-tion complexity immensely. Gianluca Vitale adds that, “Without having a so-phisticated project management sys-tem in place, a highly qualified team and some very advanced tools, it would never be possible to solve a task of this pro-portion. Up to 50 engineers in various technical areas are involved. AVL has developed several state-of-the-art cali-bration tools – AVL CAMEO, CONCERTO and CRETA – that are global market leaders and in daily use at automotive manufacturers all over the world.”

Team play is a critical factor in calibra-tion work. “We are particularly interest-ed in team players who show initiative and have strong communication skills, without which it would not be possi-ble to find optimal solutions in an en-vironment that tends to get extremely complex,” emphasizes Vitale, adding: “What makes the work of calibrators particularly interesting is that they only spend about 20 percent of their work-ing hours in the office. The majority of the development activities take place on the engine test bed or on the chas-sis dynamometer and later on in the prototype vehicle. The test drives, on which the vehicle’s behavior is tested and validated under extreme condi-tions, are carried out in Switzerland, Sweden, Spain or elsewhere, and this alone provides for a lot of variety.“

“Calibration is performed not only on virtual or real test beds, but also on test drives in Spain, Sweden or Switzerland,

where we test the vehicles underextreme conditions.”

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At AVL, a virtual test facility with ten highly advanced XiL test beds was recently erected, where major parts of the engine calibration procedure can be completed on the basis of mathematical models of the internal combustion engine.

AVL is the world’s largest independent company for the development, simulation and test engineering of drive systems. We are looking for people who would like to help us actively shape the future of mobility – from the internal combustion engine to the electric motor. If you want to set things in motion, apply now! Scan the QR code and you’ll get the latest job vacancies straight to your cell phone or visit our website.www.avl.com/jobs

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