Overview
EA Elektro-Automatik GmbH & Co. KG is a premier European developer and manufacturer of programmable laboratory power supplies, high-power electronic loads, and bidirectional regenerative power systems. Headquartered in Viersen, Germany, the company engineers advanced instrumentation used in research and development, industrial automation, and manufacturing validation. The brand is globally recognized for supplying energy-efficient power electronics that support high-growth secular industries, including electric mobility, battery energy storage systems, renewable energy, and hydrogen fuel cell development. The enterprise operates as a core brand within the Test and Measurement division of Ralliant Corporation.
Technical Specifications
| Attribute | Details |
| Manufacturer | EA Elektro-Automatik GmbH & Co. KG |
| Country of Origin | Germany |
| Primary Product Categories | Programmable DC Power Supplies, Bidirectional Power Supplies, Electronic Loads |
| Core Technology Specialization | High-Efficiency Mains Energy Recovery (Regenerative Power Feedback) |
| Native User Control Interface | Multi-Color TFT Touchscreen Displays with Intuitive Graphic Menus |
| Output Stage Characteristic | Autoranging Flexible Voltage/Current Apportionment |
| Native Digital Interfaces | USB, Ethernet, EtherCAT, CAN, CANopen, Profibus, Modbus, Profinet |
| Corporate Headquarters Address | Helmholtzstraße 31-37, 41747 Viersen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany |
Description
EA Elektro-Automatik architectures specialize in the precise manipulation and recovery of high-voltage, high-current direct current (DC) electrical energy. The firm’s product lines target the “electrification of everything,” engineering benchtop and industrial rack-mount cabinets capable of scaling from hundreds of watts to multi-megawatt test arrays. Their industrial designs focus on achieving high power density, condensing high-kilowatt thresholds into minimal physical rack unit spaces.
The primary product categories encompass:
- Programmable DC Power Supplies: Highly stable voltage sources featuring a flexible autoranging output stage. Unlike traditional power supplies that only deliver maximum power at a single maximum voltage and current coordinate, an autoranging supply dynamically delivers full wattage across a wide, continuous envelope of lower voltage and higher current variables.
- Regenerative Electronic Loads: Test instruments designed to consume electrical power from devices like batteries or fuel cells. Rather than converting this captured energy into waste heat—which requires massive cooling fans and increases facility air-conditioning costs—EA’s regenerative circuitry converts the drawn DC power into synchronous alternating current (AC) electricity, feeding up to 96% of the energy back into the local facility mains grid.
- Bidirectional Power Supplies: Unified single-chassis hardware solutions that combine the functions of an autoranging power supply and a regenerative electronic load into a singular instrument loop, streamlining cycle testing for electric vehicle (EV) battery packs and bidirectional onboard chargers.
History
The enterprise was established in 1974 in Viersen, Germany, by electronics innovator Helmut Nolden with a mandate to produce specialized, high-tech power equipment for local industrial electronics benches. Early engineering efforts centered on linear power supplies and custom transformer modifications. As European manufacturing shifted toward automated process controls and variable-frequency systems throughout the 1980s, the company expanded by engineering switched-mode power supplies that offered higher efficiencies and a smaller physical footprint.
The developer achieved a major technical breakthrough by pioneering the commercial integration of flexible autoranging output stages and high-recovery mains feedback systems into standard industrial electronic loads. To better support the North American market, the firm established its dedicated subsidiary, EA Elektro-Automatik USA, in 2018. Seeking a succession solution to guide the family-owned operation into an era of hyper-growth driven by global vehicle electrification, the founders sold the business in December 2019 to mid-cap private equity investor Bregal Unternehmerkapital (BU).
Under Bregal’s stewardship, EA underwent a comprehensive organizational transformation. The firm doubled its total manufacturing footprint at the Viersen industrial park to 18,000 square meters, fully automated its internal logistics tracks, expanded its engineering staff to over 450 employees, and more than tripled its annual revenues within four years.
Recognizing EA’s leading position in high-power energy transition testing, the public industrial technology conglomerate Fortive Corporation acquired the business from Bregal in January 2024 for approximately 1.72 billion dollars in cash. Fortive placed the brand into its Precision Technologies segment, aligning its factory operations with sister test brands Tektronix and Keithley Instruments. On June 30, 2025, Fortive completed a structural separation of its hardware divisions, spinning off the entire Precision Technologies group into an independent, publicly traded entity named Ralliant Corporation, under which EA Elektro-Automatik continues international development of clean-energy testing infrastructure.
Historical Timeline
| Year | Event |
| 1974 | Helmut Nolden founds Elektro-Automatik in Viersen, Germany, to manufacture high-tech laboratory power supplies. |
| 2018 | The manufacturer launches EA Elektro-Automatik USA to provide direct distribution, service channels, and technical support across North America. |
| 2019 | Private equity firm Bregal Unternehmerkapital acquires the company to execute a long-term corporate succession and scaling plan. |
| 2022 | The firm completes a massive manufacturing capacity expansion at its Viersen headquarters, achieving a 25% boost in industrial productivity. |
| 2024 | Fortive Corporation purchases EA Elektro-Automatik from Bregal for 1.72 billion dollars to anchor its clean-energy testing portfolio. |
| 2025 | Fortive executes a tax-free corporate spinoff, transferring ownership of EA Elektro-Automatik into the newly formed Ralliant Corporation. |
References
- https://www.alixpartners.com/what-we-do/case-studies/ea-elektro-automatik/ – Operational analysis detailing manufacturing scaling, supply chain optimization frameworks, and the organic revenue growth metrics of the Viersen facility.
- https://vectorshift.ai/research/deals/fortive-ea-elektro-automatik-gmbh-2024.html – Financial transaction summary detailing the cash purchase values, corporate segment structures, and industrial test market rationales of the acquisition.
- https://www.bu-partners.com/investments/ea-elektro-automatik/ – Investment registry outlining historical private equity funding, employee expansions, product diversification pipelines, and target industrial verticals.
- https://ralliant.com/tektronix – Corporate brand structure mapping the alignment of EA Elektro-Automatik alongside electronic instrumentation divisions within Ralliant Corporation.