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Reinova - Sustainable Technologies and Future Oriented Solutions for E-Mobility

23. August 2024

Interview with Michael Harb, Managing Director of Reinova Austria GmbH

How did Reinova come to be founded and what is your vision for the mobility of the future?

Reinova Austria is the first step in the globalization of the Reinova Group. The entry of Reinova into the HB4 Group at the beginning of the year was certainly the milestone to start the internationalization and to carry the vision of our CEO Giuseppe Corcione to revolutionize mobility with innovative ideas, creativity and efficiency - from Italy to the world. At the beginning of the year, Reinova GmbH was founded in Graz, which I am responsible for as Managing Director.

My personal vision for the mobility of the future is very much in line with our corporate vision. I think that mobility will change and that electrification will play a significant role despite the current uncertainty in the market. There will have to be a colorful mix of powertrains - from conventional to alternative fuels and electricity. However, I also believe that a revolution is needed to bring politics, infrastructure and mobility services closer together again in Europe. Innovative ideas and creativity are needed here - and clearly efficiency on the part of mobility manufacturers in order to survive on the globalized market.
How would you describe Reinova's business activities and USP?

Our focus is clearly on testing. In testing, you learn to understand the powertrain components and know all the advantages and disadvantages, as well as all the technological innovations. We build services around testing that offer our customers real added value to make testing as pleasant as possible. From cyber security to rapid reworking and software updates, we can offer everything so that our customers have as little effort as possible. That is our real USP.

Because we are comfortable with testing and our CEO himself is thinking about the test benches of the future, we are also involved in the sale of test equipment. With our test benches, we solve our customers' problems in an innovative and creative way and thus also offer added value.
You opened a branch in Graz at the beginning of 2024. What are your plans for the location?

Every country has specific requirements, so we want to be able to better serve the German-speaking market and international customers from Austria. Our expertise in Graz ranges from sales and project management to product management. Our engineers are also working on the test laboratories and test facilities of the future and are supporting the internationalization of Reinova.
What support did you receive, how was ABA able to support you?

The InvestInAustria event, which took place at the beginning of the year, was definitely fantastic. It was a fantastic opportunity to expand your international network and also to tease out the topic of funding. The ABA also helps us time and again with networking opportunities and contacts, especially in the area of cross-border financial cooperation, for which we are very grateful.

The ABA was able to provide significant help through its strong network, targeted funding and support with financial issues in the intercompany sector.

The automotive industry is strongly represented in the greater Graz area, with research and production taking place. What advantages does the innovative environment with major players in the supplier industry such as Magna, AVL List and Samsung SDI offer Reinova, where you yourself were employed?

Networking is everything. It's fantastic to see how colleagues are developing and how the automotive industry is changing in the Graz area. We have customer or supplier relationships with some of the players mentioned above, and we are involved in joint research projects with others on the subject of cell testing innovation. Sometimes we are also in competition, which is also an opportunity for everyone involved to push their limits - so that we remain the best in global competition. The biggest advantage is certainly the central location, so that you can also run into each other after work and talk about good old times or future ideas.
What advantages does Austria offer as a location, especially for an Italian company like Reinova?

Austria is a particularly interesting location for research and funding. There is a wide range of funding and many curious partners with a very high level of expertise - especially in the automotive industry and everything that goes with it. Furthermore, we have extremely capable employees here in Graz with a lot of experience in technology, but also with our customers, suppliers and partners. In addition, Styria has the courage to innovate and try new things, which is very important to us at Reinova in order to be able to break new ground. Finally, Graz is also geographically ideal due to its proximity to our headquarters in Soliera/Modena, as well as to our customers in Austria and Germany; the connection by car, train or plane is very convenient here.
What are your plans for research at the site, what role does cooperation with universities and research institutes play?

We are currently working on a research topic with a major innovative company in Graz, which involves testing battery cells and the influence of materials. We are interested in how we can make testing simpler, more efficient and safer. We currently have little contact with universities, but I would be delighted if there could be cooperation in the future and would be very grateful for any contact!

Where is the automotive industry heading, what can we expect and how can Reinova contribute?

It's going to be exciting - that's for sure! There is currently a lot of momentum in the industry and the influence from China is greater than ever before. You read about layoffs and cutbacks in Europe, thousands of cars from abroad waiting to be sold and end customers who are not satisfied with the products and infrastructure. I think we in the automotive industry have the task of listening more closely to our customers again and delivering the right products. Politicians need to support us in this and provide the right legislation so that the sustainability goal and the prosperity goal are not in opposition, but are focused on together - with a timeline that is also feasible in terms of infrastructure development. I believe that these are good times to boldly break new ground and revolutionize mobility. At Reinova, we are working every day to offer our customers new solutions with new approaches and strong technical expertise. We want to drive electrification forward and support our customers in mastering the challenges of tomorrow