EDITOR’S CHOICE u EMS & FAULHABER
A milestone in motion: EMS and FAULHABER celebrate 40 years of partnership and precision
By Mireille Deckers-Strobel, FAULHABER and Dave Walsha, EMS
The year is 1985. Live Aid was on TV, mobile phones were the size of bricks and the idea of remote robotic surgery or responsive prosthetics was the stuff of science fiction. It was also the year that precision gearbox manufacturer, Electro Mechanical Systems (EMS) and German drive system specialist, FAULHABER, started their partnership.
T
he partnership between EMS and FAULHABER began 27 years earlier in the fine mechanics workshop of Dr. Fitz
Faulhaber Sr, and his invention of the ‘Elektrischer Kleinstmotor’, the electric micromotor. This micromotor, with an ironless self-
supporting coil design, marked a turning point in the engineering of precision mechanics, unlocking new applications for small electric motors. It also enabled FAULHABER’s expansion into the US and Switzerland. In the 1980s, the Swiss team began exploring
how to bring FAULHABER’s products to the global market. As they did, 538 miles away in the south of England, a small, motivated team of engineers already familiar with FAULHABER’s products recognised a potential for their motors in the UK and Irish markets. On FAULHABER’s decision to partner with that small team, Mireille Deckers-Strobel explains: “They had acute technical expertise on FAULHABER’s products. More importantly, they understood the customer base and the markets that would benefit from FAULHABER’s solutions. It was the perfect match.”
With the partnership formalised, EMS was
officially founded, marking the beginning of four decades of innovation.
DRIVING TECHNOLOGICAL PROGRESS EMS and FAULHABER wasted no time. In 1985, EMS began supplying FAULHABER’s brushed and brushless DC micromotors for medical respirators, a market they continue to support today. EMS and FAULHABER’s work reached a new
level in 2015 with the launch of the bebionic3 prosthetic hand. Steeper’s original bebionic was already groundbreaking, offering individual motion in each digit. The challenge was to replicate this capability in a much smaller device, making it accessible to a wider group of users. To meet this demand, FAULHABER proposed the brand new 1024M006SR. As part of the
SR series, they designed this motor with 60 per cent more copper and a new rare earth magnet to offer exceptionally high performance. The tolerance on the shaft was also improved for better alignment and higher efficiency. Further improved alignment of bearings and their positioning also reduced contamination from brushes, resulting in higher efficiency and longer lifetime.
In this project, EMS primarily took on a consultation and supply role. However, EMS did complete the drive solution, manufacturing the entire finger actuator. “Our work on bebionic helped set
FAULHABER, and EMS, apart as global experts in medical motion systems,” Walsha reflects. “The project was the launch pad for us to explore how our drive system solutions could support cutting- edge technologies that serve to make the world a better place.”
From high-precision lab automation to compact point-of-care diagnostics and surgical robotics, EMS and FAULHABER have continued to transform how care is delivered, enabling earlier diagnoses, minimally invasive procedures and personalised treatments. Today, that expertise extends into aerospace
and aviation, where the highest standards of reliability and performance are essential. Supporting this growth is EMS’s ability to
deliver custom precision gearbox solutions. The manufacturer’s customisation and manufacturing capabilities began in the 1990s and have since evolved through ongoing investment in CNC gear cutting, high-precision milling, turning and metrology, ensuring every drive solution meets the most demanding requirements.
FORWARD MOMENTUM In July 2025, EMS celebrated its 40th anniversary at its headquarters in Holton Heath, Poole, Dorset. The day presented a rare opportunity to reflect on past and present successes, as well as to highlight achievements across the company.
34 September/October 2025 Irish Manufacturing
To honour their shared anniversary, members of FAULHABER’s global team also joined the celebration.
“It was an internal celebration,” Deckers-Strobel expresses. “And we were honoured to be invited. It’s great to be considered part of the EMS family.” This sense of family reflects more than a strong
business relationship. It highlights the shared values, trust, transparency and aligned goals, that have sustained EMS and Faulhaber’s partnership for four decades.
Looking ahead, it is these shared values that position EMS and FAULHABER to meet the evolving demands of emerging markets and applications, particularly in robotics like humanoid, agriculture and logistics. As these technologies become more mainstream, they increasingly push the limits of current drive systems. Transparency, technical alignment and mutual
trust between the two teams enable seamless collaboration from design through to delivery. As project complexity increases and timelines shrink, it’s this close partnership that ensures they continue to adapt and deliver high-performance motion solutions. The world has changed dramatically since 1985,
but EMS and FAULHABER remain focused on delivering motion systems that push performance boundaries and support the technologies shaping the future. After 40 years, their momentum shows no sign of slowing.
www.ems-limited.co.uk/contact-us www.irish-manufacturing.com
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