MagneticsPro.com is pleased to continue our Magnetic Technology Leadership Series — candid, in-depth conversations with executives shaping the global magnetics industry.
Next up: Dr. Dragana Popovic Renella, COO and Board Member of SENIS Group, Switzerland, on the shift of magnetic measurement from a niche lab activity to a strategic design parameter, where she sees the strongest growth opportunities across robotics, aerospace, and semiconductor manufacturing, and SENIS’s role mapping the magnetic fields on the ITER fusion energy project.
Q1. Tell us about your company and the primary products or services you offer.
SENIS is the global leader in compact, high-precision 3D Hall magnetometry and advanced magnetic measurement solutions. For more than two decades, we have empowered innovators across electric mobility, robotics, aerospace, defense, semiconductor manufacturing, energy systems, medical technology, and cutting-edge scientific research to accurately characterize, optimize, and validate magnetic performance in the world’s most demanding applications.
Our technology is trusted wherever magnetic precision is mission-critical—from next-generation electric vehicles, robotics, and advanced MedTech systems to spacecraft, naval platforms, semiconductor manufacturing equipment, quantum technologies, and world-renowned research institutions, where accuracy, reliability, and performance cannot be compromised.
What sets SENIS apart is our patented 3D Hall sensor technology, industry-leading spatial resolution, and deep expertise in measuring highly complex, high-gradient magnetic fields. We do more than measure magnetism: we provide the precision intelligence that enables breakthrough innovations, accelerates product development, enhances performance, and ensures reliability in the technologies shaping the future of industry, healthcare, energy and science.
Q2. How did you come to lead this organization, and what drew you to your industry?
As co-founder and Managing Director of SENIS, I helped build the company from the ground up with a vision of transforming advanced magnetic sensing technologies into practical solutions for industry. My background and passion have always been rooted in combining deep scientific expertise with real-world impact, and magnetic sensing offered a unique opportunity to bridge cutting-edge development with commercially valuable applications.
What continues to inspire me is the wide range of industries our technology solutions serve and the complex challenges they help solve. SENIS solutions contribute to sectors undergoing profound transformation, including electrified mobility, autonomous robotics, space exploration, and advanced manufacturing. Over the years, we have grown from a R&D-driven startup into a globally recognized technology leader by remaining committed to innovation, precision, and Swiss engineering excellence.
I lead the organization together with our CEO, Mr. Sasa Spasic. Since SENIS joined the fast-growing Swedish Nilario Group last year, we have further strengthened our global reach while preserving the entrepreneurial spirit, innovation culture, and Swiss engineering excellence that have defined SENIS since its founding.
Q3. What’s the most significant shift you’ve seen in the industry over the past few years?
The biggest shift is that magnetic performance has become a strategic design parameter rather than a specialist engineering concern.
A decade ago, magnetic measurement was often considered a niche laboratory activity. Today it sits at the heart of electric mobility, robotics, aerospace, defense, semiconductors, and renewable energy systems. As products become more intelligent, more compact, and more electrified, understanding magnetic behavior has become essential for performance, efficiency, and reliability.
This transformation has elevated magnetic measurement from a supporting function to a competitive differentiator.
Q4. Where do you see the greatest growth opportunities in your market segment right now?
The strongest growth opportunities lie at the intersection of precision engineering, automation, and next-generation manufacturing.
While electric mobility remains an important market, we see particularly strong momentum in sectors such as robotics, aerospace, marine propulsion, semiconductor manufacturing, medtech, and advanced industrial automation. These industries are pushing the limits of performance and require increasingly sophisticated control of magnetic and electromechanical systems.
As products become more compact, efficient, and intelligent, the ability to accurately characterize magnetic behavior throughout development and production becomes a critical differentiator. Companies that can transform magnetic performance into a measurable and controllable engineering parameter will be best positioned to accelerate innovation and maintain a competitive edge.
Q5. What broader trends are affecting demand for your products?
Several powerful industry trends are driving demand for high-precision magnetic measurement solutions.
First, products are becoming increasingly complex. From robotics and medical devices to aerospace systems and semiconductor equipment, engineers are pushing the limits of performance while working within ever tighter tolerances. As systems become more sophisticated, the need for precise and reliable magnetic measurements becomes essential.
Second, development cycles continue to accelerate. Companies are under constant pressure to bring new innovations to market faster without compromising quality or reliability. To achieve this balance, engineering teams depend on accurate measurement data to reduce uncertainty, streamline validation, and make confident decisions earlier in the development process.
Third, manufacturers are embracing a more data-driven approach to production. Organizations want deeper visibility into critical physical parameters and greater control over process outcomes. As a result, magnetic measurement is no longer viewed as a niche testing activity, it is becoming a key tool for optimizing product performance, strengthening quality assurance, and improving manufacturing efficiency.
What ties all these trends together is a growing demand for certainty. As performance expectations rise and timelines become more compressed, companies need trusted measurement data they can act on with confidence. High-precision magnetic measurement provides that foundation, helping organizations reduce risk, accelerate innovation, and achieve better business outcomes.
Q6. What’s a common misconception engineers or buyers have about your product that you’d like to address?
One of the most common misconceptions is that magnetic field measurement is a commodity, that any sensor or instrument capable of displaying a magnetic value will deliver the same result.
In reality, magnetic measurement is a highly specialized discipline where the quality of the measurement can directly determine the success or failure of an entire product development program. When engineers are working with high-gradient magnetic fields, precision magnets, current sensing systems, particle accelerators, fusion energy projects, medical devices, or advanced industrial applications, even small measurement errors can lead to incorrect design decisions, failed validation tests, or costly production issues.
What separates an ordinary measurement system from an exceptional one is a combination of factors: accuracy, noise performance, spatial resolution, calibration quality, sensor orthogonality, field-sensitive volume, and the expertise required to interpret results correctly. SENIS has spent more than two decades developing proprietary 3D Hall sensor technology, with ultra-compact sensing volumes that measure all three magnetic field components at virtually the same point in space, as well as advanced calibration methodologies. Our calibration techniques reduce orthogonality errors to as little as 0.1°, while our sensors achieve exceptionally high spatial resolution and measurement accuracy that are critical in demanding applications.
The importance of these factors becomes particularly evident when measuring complex magnetic structures, where sensor size, positioning accuracy, and calibration quality directly affect the reliability of the results. This is why organizations working at the forefront of science and industry – including particle accelerator laboratories, fusion energy projects, MedTech innovators, defense and aerospace organizations, advanced manufacturing companies, and leading research institutions – rely on SENIS technology when measurement confidence is non-negotiable. In these environments, measurement errors are not merely inconvenient; they can impact product performance, regulatory compliance, operational safety, and mission-critical decision-making.
Ultimately, customers are not buying a sensor, they are buying trust in the measurement. And when critical engineering decisions depend on that data, measurement excellence is never a commodity.
Q7. What does your R&D or product development focus look like heading into the next 12–18 months?
Our focus is not simply on building better instruments; it is on redefining what engineers can measure and understand.
We continue to invest in higher accuracy, faster measurement systems, industrial automation, and intelligent inspection solutions. Our objective is to help customers move from measurement to insight faster and with greater confidence than ever before.
Q8. What’s the most important thing you look for when hiring or building your team?
We hire for curiosity, accountability, and ambition.
Technical skills can be developed, but a genuine desire to learn, improve, and challenge conventional thinking is what drives innovation.
The best teams are built by people who combine expertise with humility and who are motivated by solving problems that others consider impossible.
Q9. What advice would you give to a young engineer or professional entering your industry today?
My advice is simple: stay curious longer than everyone else.
Technology changes continuously, but curiosity remains one of the most valuable professional assets. Build strong technical fundamentals, seek interdisciplinary experiences, and never stop learning.
At the same time, develop qualities that technology cannot easily replace: judgment, integrity, communication, empathy, and the ability to build trust. Engineering is not only about solving technical problems, it is about working with people, making decisions under uncertainty, and taking responsibility for outcomes.
As AI and automation become more capable, human skills will become even more valuable. The ability to ask the right questions, think critically, collaborate effectively, and build strong relationships will set exceptional professionals apart.
The future belongs to those who can connect knowledge across disciplines and transform complexity into practical solutions.
Q10. Is there a recent innovation, success story, or project your company is particularly proud of?
What makes me most proud is not a single product or project, but the trust our customers place in SENIS when measurement accuracy is mission-critical. Across electric mobility, robotics, aerospace, defense, semiconductor manufacturing, medical technology, and scientific research, organizations rely on our technology to make decisions where precision directly impacts performance, safety, and innovation.
A recent example is our contribution to the ITER fusion energy project, one of the most ambitious scientific endeavors ever undertaken. SENIS technology was selected to map the magnetic fields of ITER’s giant toroidal field coils—superconducting magnets weighing hundreds of tons that are essential for confining plasma and enabling fusion reactions. Using our patented 3D Hall technology, we performed highly accurate magnetic measurements across these massive structures, helping verify their alignment and magnetic performance.
What makes this project especially meaningful is that it reflects a broader trend we are seeing across industry: magnetic performance has become a strategic engineering parameter rather than a niche measurement challenge. Whether our customers are developing next-generation robots, advanced semiconductor equipment, autonomous systems, medical devices, or fusion energy infrastructure, they increasingly depend on trusted measurement data to reduce uncertainty, accelerate development, and achieve higher levels of performance.
Today, SENIS instruments have become a global reference for high-precision magnetic measurement. While that recognition is deeply rewarding, the real success is seeing what our customers achieve with the confidence our technology provides. From helping advance fusion energy research to enabling breakthroughs in robotics, aerospace, and semiconductor innovation, our role is to provide the measurement foundation that allows others to push the boundaries of what is possible. That is the achievement we are most proud of.
Read the Digital Magazine Here:
Magnetic Technology Leadership Series Dragana Popovic Renella