• Automotive technology innovator, Doftek, adds global automotive executive and engineer, Jochen Hermann, to its leadership team as the company prepares for growth.
• Tested and evaluated by numerous global vehicle marques, Doftek’s Australian-developed active wheel alignment systems have proven to significantly enhance vehicle performance, safety, and sustainability.
• Demand from global vehicle manufacturers has also spurred development of new applications for Doftek’s technology.
AUSTRALIAN automotive innovator for the real-time control and monitoring of wheel alignment, Doftek, has strengthened its leadership team with the appointment of highly respected global automotive industry executive, Jochen Hermann, to its Advisory Board.
The appointment follows a significant period of product and business development for the company, resulting in Doftek deploying its Active Wheel Alignment (AWA) systems across multiple prototype vehicles for development and testing by globally recognised carmakers. During these tests, Doftek’s systems have demonstrated a significant reduction in lap times, ABS stopping distances, and rolling resistance.
German-born, Jochen Hermann, brings 30-years of extensive automotive industry experience to Doftek, the vast majority of which was garnered within the Mercedes-Benz Group in Germany where he rose to the position of Chief Technical Officer and member of the Board of Mercedes-AMG. During his career at Mercedes-Benz, Jochen also oversaw the development of the Group’s global electric drivetrains and vehicle platforms.
Highly regarded for his technical excellence and passion for vehicle dynamics, Jochen's leadership at Mercedes-AMG was instrumental in creating the AMG GT stable of performance vehicles. His masterpiece was the development of the most complex car in AMG’s history: the Mercedes-AMG One hypercar. The AMG One is a street-legal vehicle with a Formula 1 derived engine, which recently became the first production car in history to post a sub-6:30 minute lap time at the Nurburgring Nordschleife racetrack.
Doftek’s Jochen Hermann said, “The challenge for a vehicle engineer is to manage the trade-off between performance, emissions or battery range, and safety. Doftek’s technology addresses this challenge and I am thrilled to join the company as it grows its presence around the world.”
“When I was the CTO of AMG, I tasked my team with exploring the feasibility of integrating an active wheel alignment system into future vehicles. A first investigation showed that no system was available on the market. However, a few weeks later, the team returned with exciting news: they had discovered an Australian company that not only developed a solution but had also successfully integrated it into one of their own AMG vehicles”.
Jochen’s deep automotive links, extensive experience and unwavering passion for pushing the performance boundaries of vehicles complements the innovator’s Australian management team who have been working with global carmakers and Tier 1 suppliers since 2017.
Dr. Geoff Rogers, Founder of Doftek said, “Having an industry leader like Jochen join Doftek unlocks major opportunities for our company. As we accelerate towards series production with carmakers, his expertise will be instrumental to the successful introduction and scaling of our products to meet the increasing demand.”
As a platform technology, Doftek’s systems have also spurred customer demand in rear-wheel-steering (RWS) applications, where there is a strong market need for lighter, more powerful actuators for sports cars with high-stiffness axles, heavy SUVs and electric vehicles. The expansion of Doftek’s solution to RWS represents a significant leap forward in possibilities for vehicle engineers.
Today, AWA is capable of automatically controlling camber, castor and toe on all four wheels of a vehicle in real-time while driving, to provide maximum contact between each tyre and the road surface at all times. This includes high-dynamic driving in even the most high-performance cars, where the actuation speed and suspension load requirements are extremely demanding.
Depending on the OEM’s suspension layout, these significant benefits can be achieved with zero increase in unsprung mass using low-voltage systems (12V and 48V versions available). The AWA system has also passed initial durability testing, including endurance, track testing (including at the demanding Nurburgring Nordscheife) and winter testing in Sweden.
About Doftek
Doftek Pty Ltd is an automotive technology company and world leader in active wheel alignment, dedicated to creating new technology solutions that advance driving dynamics, enhance safety and promote sustainability. Our mission is to introduce new degrees of freedom to future vehicles and the people who drive them. Headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, Doftek is bringing its innovative technologies to market, serving a global customer base.
