Industrial Controls Engineer
About the job
- In-depth knowledge of Beckhoff control systems, particularly TwinCAT 3.
- Good Structured Text programming skills using IEC 61131-3.
- Ability to use common hand tools and diagnostic instruments such as multimeters.
- Proficiency in field network topology in both theory and practical applications.
- Two to five years of experience in controls engineering for manufacturing or automation equipment, ideally involving electromechanical or precision systems.
- Experience commissioning servo drives and variable frequency drives and integrating sensors, actuators, and safety devices.
- Familiarity with HMI/SCADA platforms such as TwinCAT HMI, WinCC, Ignition, or similar.
- A Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, Computer Science, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
- Own the controls engineering for new magnet factory equipment supporting coil winding, impregnation, joining, and end-of-line testing.
- Architect control systems and develop programmable logic controller software, primarily on Beckhoff platforms.
- Commission and validate manufacturing equipment to ensure safe, reliable, and predictable operation.
- Partner with mechanical, process, and manufacturing engineers to translate production requirements into robust, well-documented automation solutions.
- Participate in initial equipment conceptual development for new magnet manufacturing cells, balancing process requirements, layout, cost, and lead time.
- Architect control system architecture and electrical schematics for new equipment, including sensor and actuator selection and panel layout coordination with electrical designers.
- Write, debug, and maintain PLC programs in Structured Text and IEC 61131-3 on Beckhoff TwinCAT, emphasizing organized, documented, and reusable code.
- Specify and implement field network topology, including EtherCAT, Profinet, EtherNet/IP, and OPC-UA, connecting equipment, sensors, and upstream or downstream systems.
- Set up and tune servo drives and VFDs for precision motion control on winding, handling, and assembly equipment.
- Design intuitive HMI/SCADA screens for operator use and troubleshooting.
- Commission new equipment end-to-end, including FAT/SAT, installation, integration, and initial process validation.
- Use hand tools and diagnostic instruments such as multimeters and oscilloscopes for hands-on electrical troubleshooting during build and commissioning.
- Implement control-reliable safety systems in line with relevant machine safety and electrical standards.
- Document control architecture, code, and equipment operation to support handover and future sustaining work.
- Collaborate with manufacturing, mechanical, and process engineers to ensure controls solutions match the realities of magnet coil production.
- Experience with computer-aided design electrical drafting tools such as AutoCAD Electrical or EPLAN.
- Scripting experience with Python or SQL for data acquisition or MES/database integration.
- Machine vision experience.
- Greenfield or startup equipment commissioning experience.
- Working knowledge of relevant electrical and machine safety standards such as EN 60204-1, IEC 61439, and ISO 13849.
About the company
Proxima Fusion designs and builds fusion power plants based on quasi-isodynamic high-temperature-superconductor (QI-HTS) stellarators. Its main project, Alpha, is a net-energy stellarator demonstrator near Munich developed with partners Bavaria, IPP and RWE to test and prove the technology before a commercial Stellaris plant planned for the 2030s. The company leverages its roots as the first Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics spin-out and uses advanced HTS magnets to create steady magnetic confinement for fusion plasma, enabling a scalable path to power generation. Proxima differentiates itself by pursuing a clear commercial roadmap from a world-class research lineage, collaboration with industry and government partners, and a focus on the Stellaris design to move from a demonstrator to a market-ready fusion power plant. The goal is to deliver commercially viable fusion energy, moving from the Alpha demonstrator to fully commercial Stellaris plants in the 2030s.
Company Size
51-200
Company Stage
Series B
Total Funding
$651.5M
Headquarters
Munich, Germany
Founded
2023
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Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- Lower Saxony signed September 2026 MoU, backing Europe's first large-scale HTS tape plant.
- Proxima reports around 200 employees and active hiring across Munich, Zurich, and Oxford.
- Germany's STRIDE hub funding and Bavaria support strengthen Alpha's regulatory and financing path.
What critics are saying
- HTS tape stays concentrated in China and Japan, exposing Alpha to supply shocks.
- Alpha depends on 2026-2029 HTS plant milestones; delays push Stellaris beyond 2030s.
- No net-energy stellarator exists commercially; a failed Alpha would break investor confidence.
What makes Proxima Fusion unique
- First Max Planck IPP spinout, built on Wendelstein 7-X stellarator science.
- Proxima raised €411 million in July 2026, plus Google and RWE strategic backing.
- Alpha Alliance now spans 50+ industrial partners supporting HTS magnets and components.
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0%UK and Germany launch industrial tech corridor to accelerate AI and deeptech growth. Under the Kensington Treaty, the two countries are strengthening cooperation on AI, robotics, fusion energy, and quantum technologies. Today sees the launch of an industrial tech corridor between Britain and Germany as the Prime Minister visits Berlin. The deal will drive companies on both sides of the North Sea to strike partnerships with one another, boosting investment, creating new jobs, and adopting cutting-edge technologies like AI to improve productivity. Some of Germany's and the UK's biggest companies are already capitalising on the agreements. Germany-based tech firm MicroAGI - a robotics research company headquartered in Munich - will expand their footprint in London, creating 180 new, high-paid jobs. Energy company Proxima Fusion will also expand their base in Culham, with the potential to quadruple their workforce at the site by 2028. A flagship initiative under the Kensington Treaty - the UK-German bilateral friendship agreement - it's being backed by some of Germany's leading companies, including Allianz, Bosch, RWE and Siemens. The initiative will connect industry leaders, tech companies and innovators from both countries, unlocking new ways for them to work together and to harness the opportunities of AI and critical technologies. Once fully operational, it will connect high-growth technology companies with major industrial partners and investors, helping them win new business and realise their scale-up ambitions. Deepening the UK-Germany tech partnership further, both countries will also share a pot of some €20 million to help accelerate joint research on Quantum - one of the defining technologies of the future. Dr Karsten Wildberger, Federal Minister for Digital Transformation and Government Modernisation, said: "Together with the UK, we're building an ideal launchpad for AI companies to scale internationally. The UK-German Tech Corridor will accelerate scale-ups to enter Europe's most advanced AI ecosystems. This partnership represents an important step to strengthening our digital sovereignty." Francesco Sciortino, Co-founder and CEO, Proxima Fusion, said: "Proxima Fusion is developing Europe's first commercial fusion power plant, with British engineering playing a key role. Culham is home to some of the world's strongest fusion engineering expertise, and expanding our team there reflects our long-term commitment to the UK. We share an ambition with our UK partners: to turn scientific leadership into a new fusion industry, creating skilled jobs in both Britain and Germany." UK-based AI software company Quantexa is also committing to building a dedicated sovereign unit in Germany which will support the technology's deployment in both countries. Today's funding announcement also follows the UK's earlier commitment this year to be the first country in the world to build large-scale Quantum computers on our shores by the early 2030s. As the UK's second-largest trading partner Germany already contributes some €183 billion to the UK economy. Follow the developments in the technology world. What would you like us to deliver to you?
Ex-General Fusion employee raises $4 million USD for fusion diagnostics startup Daedal. Toronto-based firm provides plasma measurement systems for fusion companies. A former employee of General Fusion has started his own company to make a standardized component to support companies working to generate fusion power. The news: Toronto-based Daedal Systems has raised just over $4 million USD ($5.7 million CAD) to develop standardized plasma measurement systems for the nuclear fusion industry. The round was led by OMERS Ventures, with participation from Garage Capital, Panache Ventures, Ripple Ventures, MaRS Investment Accelerator Fund, and a group of angel investors. Fusion developers need detailed plasma measurements to understand how their reactor designs perform. That component is often designed in-house by the developers. By specializing in this one component, Daedal wants to free up resources for those companies to focus on developing their reactors. The fledgling company will use its fresh funding to build its first three reactor diagnostic systems and deploy the prototypes with pilot customers. From the source: "After building and deploying plasma measurement systems at General Fusion, I saw the same challenge across the sector: every company needs high-quality diagnostics, but too much time and capital go into recreating similar systems in-house," Daedal founder and CEO Henry Gould said in a statement. "Daedal was created to solve that problem...and help them move faster toward commercialization." The context: The global race for commercial fusion power - an as-of-now theoretical method of harnessing energy from reactions similar to those that power the sun - has captured players from around the globe, from national labs to private companies like General Fusion, where Gould worked in many different roles from 2018 to 2025. The technology, if proven commercially viable, promises abundant, fossil-fuel-free power. Daedal did not disclose who its pilot customers are, however, a spokesperson told BetaKit that the firm has signed memoranda of understanding with fusion companies like Toronto-based Stellarex Energy, Proxima Fusion, OpenStar Technologies, and Marathon Fusion. Final thought: Daedal, which has a research partnership with the University of Wisconsin-Madison, claims its platform can adapt to different fusion machines and reactor approaches. While the company's initial focus is on the fusion industry, it said it has a longer-term ambition to become a major provider for other industries that require advanced measurement systems. Feature image courtesy Daedal Systems.
German fusion startup to build €140M superconducting tape plant. Proxima Fusion plans a €140M plant to make the superconducting tape its reactors depend on. Last updated: September 12, 2026 12:06 am Proxima Fusion will spend €140M ($162.6M) on a factory making fusion-grade high-temperature superconducting tape, the Munich company said, in a push to secure a component almost entirely sourced from Asia. The plan follows the startup's €411M raise earlier this year, which lifted it among Europe's best-funded fusion developers. Lower Saxony is contributing €21M, with the rest drawn from public and private sources. HTS tape generates the powerful magnetic fields that contain plasma inside a reactor. Proxima's demonstration plant will need 20,000 kilometres of the material, and a commercial power plant double that. The vast majority of HTS tape is produced in China and Japan, leaving European reactor designers exposed to supply and trade risk. Proxima argues that owning production gives it control over cost, quality and delivery schedules. The material only became commercially viable in the past ten to fifteen years, and it reshaped reactor economics. Machines that once depended on enormous low-temperature magnets could suddenly be built smaller, because the tape carries current without resistance at higher thermal thresholds. Demand is no longer confined to fusion. Companies such as Veir use the material to raise the power density of data centre connections, putting the technology in competition with the AI infrastructure boom for scarce capacity. Proxima has not said when the plant will start production. If it succeeds, Europe would gain its first domestic source of a material that currently shapes the fortunes of every fusion developer on the continent.
Proxima Fusion bets €140M on a critical fusion ingredient dominated by Asian suppliers. Proxima Fusion said Wednesday it plans to build a €140 million ($162.6 million) factory to produce fusion-grade high-temperature superconducting (HTS) Proxima Fusion is betting on a critical ingredient for its fusion reactors: superconducting tape. Proxima Fusion said Wednesday it plans to build a €140 million ($162.6 million) factory to produce fusion-grade high-temperature superconducting (HTS) tape, which will provide the startup with key component to its reactor design. The move comes months after Proxima raised €411 million in a round that catapulted the company up the ranks of the best-funded fusion startups. The Germany-based fusion startup plans to use a mix of public and private funding to complete the factory, with the state of Lower Saxony chipping in €21 million. Proxima will use HTS tape to generate powerful magnetic fields to contain the plasma required to spark fusion reactions. The startup's demonstration plant will use 20,000 kilometers of HTS tape, while its commercial power plant will need twice as much. Today, the vast majority of HTS tape is made in China and Japan. HTS tape emerged a little over a decade ago as one of the fundamental breakthroughs that enabled the current generation of fusion power startups. Because it can generate strong magnetic fields at relatively high temperatures, HTS tape enables smaller and more efficient reactor designs. While fusion power is expected to consume a large portion of the world's HTS tape production, other companies like Veir are using it to boost the efficiency and power density of data centers.
Four Swiss start-ups nominated for the Spark Award 2026. 25 August 2026 13:50 Supporting partner. Düsseldorf/Berlin/Munich - Four Swiss companies have been included on the list of ten nominees for the Spark Award: Jua, terralayr, Proxima Fusion and Sphere Energy. This technology award is presented by "Handelsblatt" and McKinsey to start-ups with the potential to fundamentally and sustainably transform markets. (CONNECT) The German business newspaper "Handelsblatt" and the management consulting firm McKinsey have announced the finalists for their Spark Award - The Technology Award 2026. The nominees include Jua.ai from Zurich and the Zug-based terralayr, two start-ups founded in Switzerland in 2022. Moreover, two German companies with key subsidiaries located in Switzerland, namely Proxima Fusion (Munich/Villigen in the canton of Aargau) and Sphere Energy (Grossaitingen/Zurich), are also in the running for the award. This year marks the 11th occasion on which the Spark Award has been presented to exceptional and innovative start-ups from Germany, Austria and Switzerland, whose ideas have the potential to fundamentally and sustainably transform markets. The award ceremony is set to take place in Munich on November 5. Jua.ai is working on the development of a universal simulation engine for the physical world. The start-up already operates a weather forecasting model, which is now being expanded to cover the entire Earth system in order, for example, to model fluid dynamics around vehicles and turbines or to simulate wildfires and floods. Terralayr, headquartered in Zug with an office in Berlin, develops and operates large-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS). In 2026, the company has managed to secure an investment of 192 million euros. Terralayr is not only the fastest-growing BESS operator in Germany but also makes energy flexibility tradable and scalable through its LAYR platform, which supports grid stability and helps to balance electricity prices. Proxima Fusion is Europe's highest-valued stellarator company and the first spin-off from the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics. In 2026, it successfully secured financing of 411 million euros for the development of fusion power plants that operate on the basis of QI-HTS stellarators. Since 2024, Proxima Fusion has been collaborating with the Paul Scherrer Institute to develop high-temperature superconducting magnet technology for the stellarator at its facility located at Switzerland Innovation Park Innovaare (Villigen). Sphere Energy has created an operating system and an associated data platform that uses Artificial Intelligence to make industrial product development almost as fast as software development processes. To this end, the start-up aggregates distributed development data from test facilities or simulations with field data and to provide actionable insights. Also nominated are the Berlin-based start-ups Apheris, deepset and Qdrant, as well as Focused Energy (Darmstadt), Lidrotec (Bochum) and Q.ANT (Stuttgart). ce/mm