Executive Summary

• Janitza celebrates four decades of energy innovation; here is an interview with founder and owner, Markus Janitza, where he discusses the major industry shifts and why precise energy data, intelligent grids and power quality is critical looking forward.
• From starting out in 1986 as a small specialist provider operating in a niche market, to 40 years later a growing global company with more than 600 employees worldwide. 
• Mr Janitza predicts the energy sector will be shaped by three developments: the continued expansion of renewable energy, the ongoing digitalisation of electrical grids and the growing use of AI to manage increasingly complex energy systems.

 

Forty years of Janitza also reflects four decades of technological change in energy infrastructure: from analogue measurement technology and power quality to data-driven energy management and AI. In this interview, founder and owner Markus Janitza discusses the major shifts that have shaped the industry, and explains why precise energy data, intelligent grids and power quality will become even more critical in the years ahead.

Mr Janitza, your company is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, and Janitza energy measurement technology is now used worldwide. Back in 1986, did you ever imagine that those first energy measurement devices would grow into an international company?

Markus Janitza: No, definitely not. At that time, we were a small specialist provider operating in a niche market. Nobody could have imagined back then that Janitza would one day grow to more than 600 employees worldwide. 

Over the past 40 years, there must have been several moments when important strategic decisions had to be made. Which decisions proved to be the most important for the company’s development?

Markus Janitza: Early on, we established a small development department where we developed our first energy control systems and reactive power controllers, as well as reactive power compensation systems. Later, the mandatory replacement of PCB-containing capacitors created a major boom in the market for power factor correction systems. When that boom eventually ended, our revenues declined sharply and the company came under significant economic pressure. 

What was your strategy at that point?

Markus Janitza: At that time, we were also working primarily as a supplier, providing assembly and manufacturing services for electrical and electronic devices. We quickly decided to move away from the supplier business and invest more heavily in the development of our own products and solutions. That decision laid the foundation for the company’s later growth. Looking back, one of the most important decisions we made was to rely on our own innovative strength and creativity. 

Over time, the energy sector has also changed fundamentally. Looking back, what do you see as the major drivers of change in the industry?

Markus Janitza: One of the biggest shifts was the transition from centralised fossil and nuclear power generation towards renewable and decentralised energy systems. At the same time, digitalisation and increasing regulatory requirements around energy efficiency and CO₂ reduction have fundamentally changed the market. Across many industries, companies have invested heavily in new technologies to reduce energy consumption and improve transparency. Throughout these developments, Janitza has continuously provided reliable and precise measurement solutions. 

As part of these efficiency and electrification trends, we are seeing massive growth in electrification across industry, data centres and mobility. What does this mean for the power grids and electrical infrastructure of today and tomorrow?

Markus Janitza: Electrification across all sectors is already creating major pressure on energy infrastructure. This will have a significant impact on power quality across electrical grids. I still remember when industrial companies began automating their production processes as part of Industry 4.0 initiatives. As manufacturing lines became increasingly automated, more sensitive electronics were introduced into production environments, which led to increasing problems with production downtime and system failures. 

What kind of solutions was Janitza offering at that time to address these challenges?

Markus Janitza: With the UMG 510, for example, we introduced one of our first dedicated power quality measurement devices. Our analyses showed that phenomena such as harmonics and voltage dips were responsible for many of these failures. Using this data, we worked closely with customers and partners to develop practical solutions, and this is still very much part of our approach today. 

Do you expect the importance of power quality to continue increasing in the years ahead?

Markus Janitza: Absolutely. Today, we can measure electrical phenomena in far greater detail and identify disturbances much more precisely than in the past. Certain network events can now be captured by Janitza measurement devices with time resolutions in the microsecond range. This level of precision is increasingly important in environments such as AI-driven data centres, where systems are highly sensitive to power quality disturbances. Operators are already using live energy data to actively manage these facilities. 

Does this mean that energy management and power quality are increasingly becoming about managing high-resolution data?

Markus Janitza: Absolutely. Today, very different types of energy sources and loads must interact within the same electrical infrastructure, from photovoltaic systems, wind power and backup generators to EV charging infrastructure, data centres and heat pumps. In addition, we are seeing large-scale battery storage systems being integrated into the grid. All these energy flows must be managed intelligently, both from a load management perspective and in terms of maintaining power quality. Measurement data is now being used directly to dynamically control energy systems, with energy management increasingly becoming a data business. 

As energy management becomes increasingly data-driven, what role do you expect artificial intelligence to play in the coming years?

Markus Janitza: AI will continue to improve and will play a central role in managing increasingly complex energy systems. We also see strong potential for AI within our own grid visualisation software, GridVis®. I believe AI will significantly change the way load management works in the future. At the same time, precise measurement technology will remain essential, because AI can only work effectively when it has access to reliable data. 

Recent years have shown how sensitive energy markets and energy infrastructure are to geopolitical developments. Against this backdrop, how important is energy efficiency today?

Markus Janitza: Efficient use of energy is absolutely critical in this context. One issue in particular stands out for me: improving energy efficiency reduces dependence on energy imports. Every kilowatt-hour saved matters. The more self-sufficient we become through renewable energy and the less dependent we are on oil and gas imports, the more resilient our economies and infrastructures will become. Ultimately, this benefits everyone. 

After leading Janitza for 40 years, what do you see as the most important ingredients for building a successful company?

Markus Janitza: For me, the most important factor has always been a strong customer focus. By that I mean truly understanding the problems customers are trying to solve. Many of our products were developed directly from these requirements. The second key factor is having the right people within the company. As an entrepreneur, you can only achieve your goals if you have the right team around you. 

Janitza remains a family-owned company and continues to invest heavily in its headquarters in Lahnau, central Germany. Why has maintaining this strong connection to the company’s home base remained so important to you?

Markus Janitza: First of all, this is where Janitza was founded and where our roots are. Our headquarters in central Germany remain an important hub for engineering, development and production. At the same time, the region offers strong infrastructure, reliable energy supply and close links to universities and technical institutions. Access to skilled professionals is a key factor for us, and our headquarters still provide room for further expansion as the company continues to grow internationally. 

At the same time, Janitza is investing heavily in international growth. How important is internationalisation for the company’s future development?

Markus Janitza: We cannot predict exactly how the company will grow in the future, because growth always depends on market success. However, our strategy is clearly focused on becoming more resilient by diversifying across different markets and customers. Internationalisation plays a key role in this. Expanding into new markets requires significant investment and, in many regions, we are still building brand awareness. At the same time, we have seen these investments deliver entirely new growth opportunities and help make Janitza more resilient in the long term. 

Looking ahead, which developments do you believe will have the greatest impact on the energy sector in the coming years?

Markus Janitza: In my view, the energy sector will mainly be shaped by three developments: the continued expansion of renewable energy, the ongoing digitalisation of electrical grids and the growing use of AI to manage increasingly complex energy systems. These trends will affect many industries in similar ways. At the same time, I believe the balance between energy supply and demand will become increasingly challenging. Energy availability could become a major issue in the years ahead. 

Is this also being driven by the rapid growth of AI?

Markus Janitza: Yes, absolutely. The load profiles of AI-driven data centres are highly dynamic and difficult to predict. In many ways, they are even harder to forecast than renewable energy generation such as solar power, which is already weather-dependent. This is why precise measurement data for both energy consumption and power quality will become increasingly important. The more volatile electrical grids become, the more measurement and transparency will be required. That is why I remain very optimistic about Janitza’s future.

Janitza UK Limited

Janitza delivers smart measurement solutions for transparent energy – for greater efficiency and long-term sustainability.

Janitza offers energy measurement technology that helps customers to increase energy efficiency and monitor power supply reliability. The company, headquartered in Germany, provides a portfolio of versatile measuring devices and the matching GridVis® Power Grid Monitoring software – complemented by high-quality system components.

Customers around the world benefit from Janitza solutions in the fields of energy data management, power quality monitoring, load management, and residual current monitoring – all within a single system environment. Made in Germany.