Renishaw Opens New Slovenian Research Facility At University Of Ljubljana

Sir David McMurtry, Prof. Dr. Igor Papič, Dean and Mr Jon FugeWorld leading engineering company Renishaw is pleased to announce the creation of Renishaw Tehnični Inženiring d.o.o., a new research and development organisation which is located within the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia.

Renishaw d.o.o. has been set-up following many years of successful technical co-operation between Renishaw and the Faculty of Electrical Engineering of the University of Ljubljana. It will design, develop and supply integrated circuits and sensor technologies for the Renishaw Group and RLS merilna tehnika d.o.o, a Slovenian associate of Renishaw, based in Komenda.

Sir David says: “I am delighted to be able to formally announce the formation of our new Slovenian operation, which adds further capability to our global research and development capabilities. Over a period of more than a decade, the University of Ljubljana’s Laboratory of Microelectronics (LMFE) has been a key supplier of ASICs (application-specific integrated circuits) to the Renishaw Group, and this new investment reflects our confidence in the continuing value of that relationship.”

Dean of the University of Ljubljana’s Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Professor Igor Papič, adds: “By combining the skills of a renowned engineering faculty with that of a world leading engineering company, we have created an environment that offers enormous potential for research and development. We aim to support Renishaw d.o.o. in its future requirements for advanced electronics that will meet the exacting needs of the precision measurement and healthcare sectors.”

The relationship between Renishaw and the University of Ljubljana began in 2002, following an earlier introduction by Janez Novak, Founder and Director of RLS. At that time the UK-based company was facing a supply issue with ASICs for several of its market leading probe systems and Renishaw was impressed with LFME's ability to design and manufacture an alternative product that also improved system reliability.

Jon Fuge, Managing Director of the new company, said: “I have personally worked with LFME on the development of important electronic components for Renishaw’s metrology products over the past 13 years. The ability of Professor Trontelj and his team to constantly deliver what other suppliers have deemed ‘impossible’ has been highly impressive. I am therefore very clear about the value that the University can offer to Renishaw d.o.o. in the research and development of new integrated circuits and sensor technologies.”

The excitement about the creation of Renishaw d.o.o. is shared by Professor Janez Trontelj, Head of the Chair of Microelectronic Technologies and Head of Laboratory for Microelectronics at Faculty of Electrical Engineering, who said: “As well as assisting with Renishaw’s research requirements, we also believe that we can successfully develop the young Slovenian engineers that the company will require in the future to develop its products. In turn, the Faculty will also benefit from having a world renowned company located within its facilities, which can help to mentor and develop aspiring engineers.”

The first customer of Renishaw d.o.o. is RLS merilna tehnika d.o.o, which designs, manufactures and supplies advanced rotary and linear motion sensors. Janez Novak, Founder and Director of RLS said: “The core of our products is our knowledge implemented in advanced sensors and integrated circuits designed and produced in cooperation with the Faculty of Electrical Engineering. I am now looking forward to strengthening the cooperation with Renishaw and the Faculty for future product generations.”

Sir David McMurtry, Renishaw’s Chairman and Chief Executive, invented the original touch-trigger probe in the early 1970s whilst working at Rolls-Royce engines in Bristol, England. He co-founded Renishaw in 1973 with a fellow Rolls-Royce engineer, John Deer, to commercialise the development of the probe. Sir David has been honoured globally by multiple institutions and universities, including Fellowships from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, the American Society of Manufacturing Engineers, the Royal Academy of Engineering, and the Royal Society. In 2012 the Institute of Physics jointly awarded its Swan Medal to Sir David and John Deer for their role in founding Renishaw and leading it to become one of the world’s principal manufacturers of metrology equipment.