Hager Group inaugurates high electrical power laboratory Taranis 

Hager Group has completed a significant 16 million euro investment at its Obernai site in Alsace with the inauguration of its new high electrical power laboratory “Taranis”.  The goal is to strengthen the company’s position in the commercial building sector and enhance technical expertise with cutting-edge technologies.

After three years of construction, the Taranis laboratory is now ready for operation. This project highlights the group’s regional commitment to R&D and innovation. It is the largest facility of its kind in the Grand Est region. The new laboratory enables the development, testing, and validation of circuit breakers, protection devices and electrical cabinets for energy distribution systems.

Through this investment, the Hager Group is accelerating its transformation to meet ambitious goals in the commercial building sector, both in France and internationally.

“We are proud of this investment that not only solidifies the Hager Group’s strategy in innovation, research, and development but also opens up new opportunities in the commercial and industrial building sector. It will strengthen our competitiveness and allow us to address new growth sectors across Europe and internationally. The Taranis high electrical power laboratory establishes our Obernai site as a center of excellence in R&D,” said Sabine Busse, CEO of Hager Group.

One of Europe’s most powerful electrical laboratories

This new laboratory positions Hager Group’s Obernai site as a European benchmark and center of excellence. At its core lies a custom-designed generator, seven meters long and three meters in diameter, weighing 110 tons. The generator is capable of spinning at over 3,000 revolutions per minute and producing currents of up to 150,000 amps (for comparison, a standard socket used to charge a mobile phone provides 16 amps).

“We will push electrical distribution systems to their limits by creating extremely high short-circuit currents to ensure the highest standards of safety and performance for our products and solutions,” said Jean-François Bonnardot, Hager Group’s Engineering Director.

Strengthening the commercial building sector

By expanding its testing capabilities for designing, validating, and certifying circuit breakers and distribution cabinets for commercial buildings, the R&D center in Obernai reinforces Hager Group’s expertise in energy distribution systems. The tested solutions are designed and developed across the group’s global R&D sites.

The Taranis laboratory allows over 220 technicians and engineers to develop new projects, boost Hager Group’s innovation and R&D expertise towards the support the group’s international growth.

Innovation and Sustainability

Innovative in its design, this high power electrical laboratory is the first of its kind to consider sustainability requirements in its construction. Unlike similar facilities, it will not operate continuously, and part of the energy produced during testing phases will be reused to power other buildings at the group’s Obernai site.

The investment is supported by 1 million euros in funding from the Grand Est region.