Pioneer in safety controls and networks moves into the future with strong partners and a new Group structure
Vienna, Austria – December 13, 2018
- For 20 years TTTech has successfully demonstrated innovation leadership in the field of safety controls and networks which is becoming even more relevant in the age of smart digital machines. Building on the company’s market success, TTTech has announced a new group structure with key strategic partners earlier 2018.
- TTTech Group with its strong R&D centers of excellence now operates as major shareholder in strategic go-to-market entities shaping the megatrends of autonomous mobility and the industrial internet.
- In July 2018 TTTech Group has closed, with the support of AUDI AG, Infineon Technologies AG, GE Ventures and Samsung, a strategic partnership with a €75 million investment in the newly created TTTech Auto AG to set a global safety reference platform for automated and autonomous driving.
- In August 2018, TTTech Auto AG has successfully registered a Joint-Venture company with the largest Chinese car-maker group SAIC Motors in Shanghai to scale with excellent local support in the largest automotive market.
Since TTTech was founded in 1998 as a spin-off of the Technical University of Vienna by Prof. Kopetz, his son Georg and Stefan Poledna, TTTech Group companies have advanced their core technologies in real-time networks and safety controls true to their vision “Advancing safe technologies, improving human lives”. They applied their technology in platform solutions in key digital industrial markets, such as aerospace and space, automotive, off-highway, wind power and on the industrial factory floor. Today, about 1,600 highly talented employees from 42 nations work in more than 12 countries for TTTech Group companies, most of them in Central Europe.
Building on strategic partnerships
TTTech Group believes that digital platforms can only be established in open partnerships and vibrant eco-systems. In a ‘winner takes it all’ digital platform economy it is paramount to set up market focused entities with global leaders as shareholders. Therefore, TTTech demerged its Automotive business into a separate entity – TTTech Auto AG, still being its largest shareholder. Harald Triplat, who has been appointed as Chief Financial Officer of TTTech Auto AG comments, “In order to establish an open safety platform for automated driving, we are now joining forces with some of the most prominent global leaders in the autotech industry in our new company. From its start, TTTech Auto has been a very successful neutral software and integration partner to the auto industry, scaling globally and preparing professionally for an initial public offering in a few years.”
First series-production cars capable of automated driving Level 3
The last year marked a milestone in the history of TTTech’s automotive business and the long-standing partnership with Volkswagen Group. Several production models with TTTech’s technology as a central part on board were launched, becoming the first series-production car models capable of automated driving level 3. MotionWise, TTTech’s modular platform for automated driving became a vital part of the advanced zFAS computer architecture. Most recently BMW chose TTTech Auto as a software development partner to bring level 3 and 4 automated driving to highways until 2021.
Moving forward with OPC UA TSN
Besides benefiting from the strong trends towards autonomy in the automotive industry, TTTech has evolved into a leading provider for real-time communication and open computing platforms for the Industrial Internet/Industry 4.0. Nerve, TTTech’s Industrial IoT platform for the industrial automation market, enables machine builders and factory owners to capitalize on the Industry 4.0 opportunity with services based on seamless software updates, proactive maintenance and optimized machine performance. TTTech became a driving force within the Time Sensitive Networking (TSN) standardization process and promotes OPC UA TSN as a unified communication standard for the factory floor alongside key IT and OT companies.
In 2001, TTTech’s subsidiary TTControl entered the mobile machinery market partnering with HYDAC International, a leading German manufacturer of hydraulic components and systems. Today, TTControl is one of the leading full-service providers of control systems and operating devices for mobile machines.
With the development of Time-Triggered Protocol (TTP) for aerospace applications, TTTech paved the way for all of its later safety critical technologies. In 2000 Honeywell became one of TTTech’s first partners in the aerospace business. Subsequently, many more suppliers followed suit, leading to applications in new Boeing, Airbus and Embraer airplanes. TTTech started to reach for the outer space: In 2009, NASA and TTTech signed a “Space Act Agreement” and officially became partners. TTTech technology became part of the NASA Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle and since then TTTech and NASA as well as ESA (Ariane 6) have been working on several projects together.
New Executive Board member
To reflect the new corporate group structure with a strong focus on new technology development, Manfred Prammer, who has been working with TTTech for 20 years and built up the company’s electronics development and supply chain departments, was elected as a third member of the Executive Board of TTTech Computertechnik AG in the summer of 2018 alongside the co-founders Georg Kopetz and Stefan Poledna. In his new role, Manfred Prammer is responsible for Development as well as Supply Chain Management and is also part of the management of the Joint Venture TTControl. “Scaling TTTech since the very beginning of the company was an extremely exciting journey. I am honoured to now support the further rapid growth of the company as a member of the executive board”, says Manfred Prammer.
To find out more about TTTech's history, take a look at our 20 years of innovation slideshow or browse through our history section.
TTTech founders Stefan Poledna, Georg Kopetz (TIFF, 22,64 MB)
