2019: Positive forandringer hele vejen rundt hos GPower

2019: Positive Changes in Many Ways [Annual Story]

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What happened at GPower during 2019, and what do we expect for the coming year? In this post, our CEO reports on the past year while also giving a foretaste of 2020.

A Summary of 2019

In short, 2019 was a year of large-scale, but positive changes regarding everything from development of own products to a new organizational structure. Changes that were made owing to a staff increase of 33%, despite a year of establishment. The increasement has, among other things, resulted in more projects in pipeline as well as a much larger and much more varied customer portfolio. These are all factors that will be decisive for us next year, where we expect the number of employees to increase by up to double.

To return to own products, we have made good progress in what we said in 2018. In addition to being ready to launch a complete test concept, we are continuously launching new packages of our proprietary software where reusability, quality, and efficiency are among the keywords.

More employees, projects, and customers have likewise resulted in a new organizational structure that came into effect shortly before the summer holidays. Consequently, Jens Christian Andersen and Mads Grunnet Askholt are now the two new Tech Leads in our development department. Jens Christian and Mads are both supporting our CTO, Steen Secher Schmidt, regarding day-to-day operations, while also having a leading position when it comes to projects and software development in general. In addition to changes in the development department, changes have also occurred in our sales department, where Poul Lindholm Pedersen has entered the scene as our new Tech Sales. In close cooperation with Steen, Poul has intensified the focus on further development in terms of our concepts, strategic cooperation agreements, and partnerships, for which we have great expectations.

Furthermore, we have scaled up in terms of LabVIEW and TestStand certifications, which means that all developers have increased 1-2 levels during the year. Besides creating a common skill sets and an environment with a huge knowledge sharing, the certifications have also meant that we are highest certified LabVIEW and TestStand company in Denmark. All this is moreover supported by the fact that we are working on the most ground-breaking test and measurement projects in Scandinavia which I am incredibly proud to be part of.

What Are the Expectations for 2020?

Besides we already know that an experienced developer will join our team at the beginning of next year, we also expect to introduce another two employees during Q1. In addition, we will be launching several of our concepts, just as we will continue the journey from 2019 in 2020.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

In conclusion, I would like to take this opportunity to thank our long-time partner, National Instruments. Once again, they have proven that they are the right partner for us at present but also in the future. This is, among other things, because of their uncompromising approach to ensuring the highest quality while also having a forward-looking product portfolio. Two examples that are completely aligned with our philosophy.

Moreover, thanks to all our customers and partners for a good and fruitful cooperation in 2019. At the same time, I also wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Internally at GPower, we are now looking forward to celebrating 2019 and welcoming 2020 which we are doing with a ski holiday in Tignes, France in week 2. So now you know why, if you do not get a quick answer in the beginning of January 😉 🍻.

See you in 2020!

– Martin Boje, CEO at GPower.

Nu med yderligere to TestStand-arkitekter

Two More “STRONG” TestStand Architects

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A week ago, we celebrated that we have become two more TestStand Architects at GPower. Congratulations to Mads Grunnet Askholt and Jeppe Lohse, who have now received the highest TestStand certification. PSST! Yes, we have our own fitness facilities 😊

GPower Is the Highest Certified in Denmark

In addition to be the company in Denmark with the greatest number of TestStand certifications, we are also the company in Denmark with the greatest number of Certified TestStand Architects – the final step in the two-part TestStand certification process. But what does that actually mean for you?

Read more about TestStand

This means, among other things, that we have the skills to develop the most advanced test systems. Skills that might be relevant if you for instance need a system for data logging in a development department or a system for quality assurance of processes in a manufacturing company.

Two-part TestStand Certification Process

In order to become a Certified TestStand Architect (CTA), you must first be a Certified TestStand Developer (CTD), which you can read more about here.

At GPower, we have a total of 21 certifications, including five CTDs and four CTAs.

Erfaren LabVIEW-udvikler bliver en del af GPower-teamet

An Experienced LabVIEW Developer Becomes Part of the GPower Team

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From September 1, 2019, the experienced LabVIEW developer, Danny Halskov Birkmose, will also be part of our development department! The reason is, among other things, that the number of development projects for test and measurement are continuing to increase.

A New Developer with Experience in Test and Simulation

At GPower, we are once again scaling up the development department, when Danny Halskov Birkmose from September 1, 2019 also becomes part of our team.

Danny is a trained physicist from Aarhus University. For the past four years, he has been a LabVIEW developer at Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy A/S in their Software Test Environment. Here, he has worked with hardware-in-the-loop simulations in and around wind turbines and designed complex test systems.

Why GPower?

A crucial question for this post is, moreover, why Danny would like to be part of GPower, which he explains here:

“I see GPower as a very competent team that delivers high-quality solutions for test, measurement, and simulation. It seems to be a workplace with a really good atmosphere and with the opportunity to develop by further education and exciting projects. In addition, I also see the annual skiing trip as an excellent tradition 😊” – Danny Halskov Birkmose.

At GPower, we look forward to welcoming yet another strong and highly experienced developer!

Ny Tech Sales er kørt i stilling hos GPower

New Tech Sales Is Entering the Scene

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As we are gaining more and more development projects for test and measurement, we have, in addition to two Tech Leads, also hired a new Tech Sales. A hiring that is based on a strategic decision in order to make more time for further development of our software platform.

Who Is GPower's New Tech Sales?

Poul Lindholm Pedersen is the name of GPower’s new Tech Sales. Poul is a trained physicist, and he has, among other things, a Master of Science (MSc) in Nanotechnology and a Ph.D. from Aarhus University. Before he joined our team in February 2019, he has been a consultant at Teknologisk Institut for four years:  

”As Tech Sales, my goal is to engage in dialogues with a lot of people in order to help them solving everyday challenges at work. Besides being a Tech Sales, I also act as a software developer for the purpose of having a hands-on approach to technical challenges. My motivation is, in short, to help solving challenges in the industry and to make advanced measurement and automation systems available for a wider range of businesses” – Poul Lindholm Pedersen.

Making Advanced Instrumentation Available for a Wider Range of Businesses

When choosing Poul to be our new Tech Sales, it is partly because we want to release more skills and resources for further development of our software platform. As a result, we can live up to our mission of delivering affordable, high-quality instruments on time while also putting an end to expensive and endless projects regarding test, measurement, and control.

Why? Because we want to make quality instruments more accessible, so small and medium-sized companies also can afford measuring instruments, controllers, and signal generators of the highest quality.

Hvad er NIWeek, og hvorfor skal du deltage? [NIWeek 2019 – 3:3]

What Is NIWeek, and Why Should You Attend? [NIWeek 2019 – 3:3]

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NIWeek is much more than just a presentation of new features and products that you can use when solving tomorrow's challenges. It is also a great place to be updated and inspired by other developers, which I will be focusing on in the third and last blog post in the mini-series about NIWeek 2019.

Technical Sessions

In addition to keynotes, NIWeek offers a lot of technical sessions distributed on seven tracks:

    • Software Engineering Processes, Architectures, and Design (SEPAD)
    • Hardware and Technologies
    • Software Fundamentals
    • Academic
    • Aerospace and Defense
    • Automotive
    • Semiconductor

Did You Miss NIWeek? [Video]

Thanks to the LabVIEW community, it is still possible to watch some of the technical presentations!

In this post, I will highlight a presentation about how to keep track of your product requirements when using bookmarks in LabVIEW. The presentation was held by Quentin Alldredge from Q Software Innovations and Becky Linton and Chris Beuschell from Konrad Technologies:

Discount on Certifications and Courses [LabVIEW and TestStand]

Did you know that you could take LabVIEW and TestStand certifications at NIWeek? Furthermore, that the price is cheaper than normal? While there was a 50% discount on certification exams, there was a 25% discount on courses.

It was possible to take the following certifications:

It was possible to attend following courses:

Various Networking Events

A characteristic of NIWeek is also that all participants are represented because they want to learn from each other and build up new relations. This is for instance the case after each presentation, where you can ask questions to the speaker. Questions that often result in professional discussions and networking.

In addition, there is also the exhibition area where sponsors and exhibitors present their latest products, including how these products interact with LabVIEW. For further information about a technical issue, you can also go to the expert bar in order to book a meeting with a LabVIEW expert from NI R&D.

NI was also running an event for the Northern European region, where everybody was invited to dinner for the purpose of networking across countries and companies among others. The conversations were, of course, of a technical nature, but there were also a lot of cock-and-bull stories and funny anecdotes from previous NIWeeks. In addition, one of the major highlights was the final party on Wednesday, where all participants were invited.

A Summary of NIWeek 2019

In conclusion: NIWeek is so much more than just a presentation of new features and future strategies, and I would recommend everybody to attend this event! Personally, it was my first NIWeek, and I want to take the opportunity to thank all of you who have helped making NIWeek amazing!

Nye features i TestStand [NIWeek 2019 – 2:3]

New Features in TestStand [NIWeek 2019 – 2:3]

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This is the second blog post in the mini-series about NIWeek 2019. While the first blog post was about new features in LabVIEW, the second one is about new features in TestStand. Here, I will summarize the most important news from TestStand 2019 in terms of completing test systems in a faster way.

An Overview of New Features in TestStand 2019

What new features in TestStand 2019 are important to know in terms of completing test systems in a faster and safer way? Below, I have made a list of new features, which I will elaborate on subsequently:

    • Quick Drop Support
    • PDF Report Generation
    • Data Streams: A new way to read data to and from the sequence
    • Sweep Loops: A new way to combine parameters
    • Building 32-bit packages for NI Package Manager (NIPM)
    • Python Adapter with support for Python 2.7 and 3.6+

See more features here

Quick Drop Support

In TestStand 2019, it has become faster to develop test sequences by using the new Quick Drop feature which is a well-known feature in LabVIEW. You can insert Action Steps, Tests, or Variables via Quick Drop. This is a huge step in the right direction regarding development speed in TestStand.

Read more about Quick Drop

PDF Report Generation

A long-awaited feature is furthermore that it is now possible to generate a PDF report in TestStand, which makes it easier to share results without difficult dependencies. You should, however, be aware that the PDF report is generated in the end, and you cannot generate a report along the way with “On-The-Fly” Report Generation.

Data Streams

By means of the new Stream-loop Step Type in TestStand 2019, there are better opportunities for streaming data to or from a file. The input is element-based, which means that you can define the steps to be executed for the certain element. This allows you to create several test profiles in external files and load them into the sequence for parameterizing its equipment. As a result, you will get a more modular and flexible test system, as the logic for setting the system only needs to be written once, while the test profiles can be added as needed.

Sweep Loops

The new Sweep Loop Control is an enhancement of the ForEach loop from TestStand 2017. In this Loop Type, you can set the limits for different test parameters and select the strategy for changing the parameters. Let us say, you have four parameters with four known values, it becomes 256 different permutations. TestStand can be set to run through the various permutations of parameters, and it can store the active permutation in a file. In this way, you can get more test coverage on your test unit, without writing a lot of loops for handling the permutations. As a result, it is easier to reproduce an error due to an unfortunate parameter configuration within the allowed limits.

Python Adapter

Based on the new Python Code Adapter, TestStand has now full support for Python. This means for instance that you can use Python to develop your test sequence. The improvement of using Python in TestStand is that National Instruments has integrated parallel execution of Python code. This feature solves one of the major challenges in Python regarding the parallel code execution that has been problematic so far.

With the new code adapter, you will have countless ways for connecting to external systems on the web or to databases that are not supported by TestStand naturally. If the system has an API for Python, you can connect to this system from your test station. Hence, the requirements are also lowered in order to extract data from test stations in a production line.

A Brief Summary

The message of the post is therefore: Use the new features in TestStand 2019 and you will complete test systems in a faster and safer way in terms of testing systems, products, components, or prototypes!

Remember that you are always welcome to write or call us, if you have any questions

Nye features i LabVIEW 2019 [NIWeek 2019 – 1:3]

New Features in LabVIEW 2019 [NIWeek 2019 – 1:3]

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As mentioned earlier, GPower attended NIWeek 2019 in Austin, Texas – and there is lots of news from there! News that hopefully can help to inspire your department in terms of new and exciting solutions. Based on our field, I have summarized some technical highlights of the week in a mini-series of three blog posts, where the first one deals with new features in LabVIEW 2019.

LabVIEW 2019 – New Features

A new version of LabVIEW was, true to form, released at this year’s NIWeek. A new version with lots of new features, including:

  • Two new data structures
    • Sets: Contains only unique values
    • Maps: Stores data in a key-based structure for fast retrieval
  • Installation by using NI Package Manager (NIPM)
    • Feeds are available as part of a package
    • Package Installer
  • New 64-bit version of the LabVIEW FPGA module

New Data Structures [Set and Map]

The new data structures complement the existing structures in terms of specific features that do not exist in the existing ones such as arrays, variants, clusters, etc.

  • A Set can only contain unique values and filter out all duplicates during the creation of the set. As a result, you will avoid iterating over all data in an array and determining whether each value is unique or a duplicate by simply converting the array to a set. Hence, the result contains only the unique values of the array.
  • A Map stores data in a key-based structure that is used to retrieve data. This can, among other things, be used for configuration data or handling of multiple languages in applications.

Read more about the use of sets and maps

Distribution of Applications

The installation of LabVIEW 2019 has also changed significantly. LabVIEW 2019 and the majority of the underlying tools such as Realtime and FPGA are now handled as packages in the NI Package Manager (NIPM). This means, among other things, that they can be installed and updated directly from the package manager, which simplifies the installation process when installing several of National Instruments’ products at the same time.

In LabVIEW 2019, the possibilities of making packages for NIPM itself are also expanded. The package manager works by subscribing to feeds in order to find the latest version of LabVIEW among others. Here, the new thing about LabVIEW 2019 is that you can create and update a feed as part of the build process. In addition, the update from the end-user’s point of view becomes available when the build is finished.

LabVIEW 2019 also improves the installation process for your application on a PC that does not have NIPM installed. A new build target, called Package Installer, has been released. A build target that first installs NIPM and afterwards the dependencies for the package installer and necessary files.

What Does the New Features Mean More Specifically?

Based on the new features in LabVIEW 2019, it has become much easier to make an application to share between for example the development department and the production – without questioning which version is the latest. A huge step in the right direction in terms of completing development projects in a faster way!

From New Features in LabVIEW to New Features in TestStand [2:3]

As described in the introduction, this post is the first of a total of three posts. In the next post [2:3], I will be highlighting new features in TestStand, which is a framework for test management.

If you have any questions about the post, you are always welcome to write or call us.

Martin Boje NIWeek 2019

Experience NIWeek 2019 in a Short Video!

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Did you miss NIWeek in Austin? Here, we will offer you an insight into an extremely eventful week. A week with everything from technical sessions to networking events!

An Extract of Highlights from NIWeek 2019

Exciting LabVIEW, test, and automation tracks. Interesting keynote speakers. Countless networking events with customers, business partners, and NI contacts. We could continue at length. Instead, we have summarized an extremely eventful week in a short video below:

From NIWeek in Austin to NIDays in Munich

For the first time this year, and in addition to NIWeek in Austin, NIDays Europe and NIDays Asia will also be held in 2019. Here, you can, among other things, experience:

    • Technical sessions
    • Keynote speakers
    • Alliance Day

Read more about NIDays Europe 2019

As one of the leading, European LabVIEW partners at National Instruments (NI), we look forward to joining NIDays Europe, which will be held from November 20-21. Here, we will once again be represented by technical and commercial employees in order to ensure that we, as NI integration partner, are updated on all latest trends in terms of NI software and hardware.

Call or write us, if you want to be updated on the latest trends in terms of NI software and hardware.

Contact us here

To Tech Leads er del af et nyt setup hos GPower

Two Tech Leads Are Part of a New Setup!

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As we continue to expand the number of employees, we have just introduced two new Tech Leads as part of a new GPower setup. Read more about the new setup in this blog post.

Two Experienced Tech Leads

The reason for introducing two new Tech Leads in our development department is partly due to the expansion of employees and the increase of projects that require even more structure and division of responsibility.

A characteristic of the two Tech Leads is, among other things, that they have many years of experience with LabVIEW and TestStand, which work as our primary tools for developing high-quality software solutions for testing, measurement, and control. Therefore, the two Tech Leads have also a complete understanding of how to develop the best and the most ideal solutions – an understanding and an in-depth knowledge that enable the Tech Leads to make the right decisions, whether it is about system design or quality assurance.

New Titles. Same Mindset

Despite new titles, both Tech Leads will continue developing software solutions, as it is a real benefit for us being hands-on in terms of ongoing projects.

Eksklusiv LabVIEW-gruppe er samlet hos GPower [ALUG DK]

An Exclusive LabVIEW Group Is Gathered at GPower [ALUG DK]

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Today, some of Denmark's best LabVIEW users are gathered in order to share experiences related to advanced LabVIEW programming. The group named Advanced LabVIEW User Group Denmark (ALUG DK) meets approximately twice a year – and this time, GPower is hosting the meeting.

The Purpose of ALUG DK

ALUG DK is a group of advanced LabVIEW users in Denmark created by National Instruments in 2014. At present, the group consists of approximately 20 members who meet a couple of times a year to discuss topics regarding LabVIEW, including:

    • Different ways of working
    • Working processes and programming techniques
    • Supplements for National Instruments’ tools

What Is LabVIEW?

How to Become Part of the Group?

To become a member of ALUG DK, you must have worked with LabVIEW at advanced level. Participation in the group is, moreover, done on the basis of the recommendation by an existing member.

Do you want to become part of the group? You are always welcome to write or call us to get in touch with one of the ALUG DK members.