Practising transformation

Since then, PSW has made a name for itself with electronics integration. However, right at the beginning it took a resourceful, go-getting team. Starting off with two employees, a team of nine experts was established within nine months. “A lot was achieved through coaching, but a lot also had to do with personal commitment. It was a great time because I could see how much potential my colleagues had”, says Nico Schirmer.

Formerly a radio and television technician, Matthias started in 2011 as the first electronics technician in the department. Working on the Audi e-tron GT, his tasks also grew and he became a specialist in the drivetrain and chassis area. He was responsible for ensuring the networking and efficient communication between the control units – from the battery and the electric motor right up to the chassis.

Daniel Matzner and Nico Schirmer have shown they have a knack for deploying the right people for the right tasks and knowing who was capable of what. Many employees had a background in conventional vehicle mechanics and needed to get to know new topics in a very short time. Without this high level of flexibility and strong commitment none of what was achieved would have been possible. “The staff did a tremendous job, they performed incredibly well and everyone pulled together. I am extremely proud of the team,” says Daniel Matzner. Matthias Strixner, responsible for driver assistance systems at PSW since 2014, also broke new ground with the development of the Audi e-tron GT.

The biggest challenge was always whether the control units of the entire vehicle were communicating properly with one another. Tests were carried out on the lab vehicle. From the electric motor control unit, gear selector, oil pump, and power electronics front and rear, right up to the battery control unit, two chargers and the release button for the charging socket, a total of 12 control units for the drivetrain and chassis components had to be constantly monitored. Is the software up-to-date? Are warning messages displayed correctly? What can be improved?

Kilian Helmer had been working in the field of door test coordination before he joined the team as a technical sub-project manager in 2020. He also had to start completely from scratch and familiarise himself with control units which he had not worked on previously. The biggest challenge for him was meeting deadlines and responding to the requirements of the different markets for the vehicle. “We are proud to have acquired such in-depth expertise in the processes so that at the end of the day all approvals and scopes could be fulfilled,” says Kilian Helmer.

Thanks to the agile project management within the PSW matrix structure, the drivetrain and chassis team was able to deliver on time and demonstrated perfect organisational, technical and personal coordination between the core team and the two project managers, Christian Schröder and Tim Rosenwirth. Since the beginning of the year, the topics of drivetrain and chassis development have been reassigned within the company. In so doing, PSW has expanded its vehicle development portfolio and is positioning itself ready for demanding future projects.