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19.02.2026 CompanyEvents

100 years of the Jansen patent

Maschinenfabrik Reinhausen celebrates a milestone for stable grids and the future of the energy transition

Regensburg. In 1926, Dr. Bernhard Jansen applied for a patent for the resistor-type tap-changer – the basis for switching under load and thus for voltage-stable, meshed power grids. For Maschinenfabrik Reinhausen (MR), this anniversary is more than just a historical date: it marks the birth of the company's technological DNA and its mission to actively enable security of supply in the future.

Profilbild Dr. Jansen

The resistor-type tap-changer is not only the technical revolution that made MR a global innovation driver in load tap changers – a role that the company has expanded over generations. Today, the principle of switching under load enables the integration of renewable energies and robust grid management. This makes the Jansen patent the basis for the energy transition – and thus more relevant today than ever before. 

“Comparable to Benz and Edison”

The fact that the stroke of genius by the former Chief Technology Officer of OWAG (now Bayernwerke) is not yet on the top ten list of inventions of the 20th century does not detract from its significance, according to Wilfried Breuer, member of the MR management board: “The OLTC is a groundbreaking invention – comparable to Carl Benz's motor car or Edison's light bulb. The resistor-type tap-changer was just as influential for our industry.”

From product to solution

The inventor and his invention will be the focus of MR's communications throughout 2026 and is a starting point for MR's managing director: “For me, this anniversary represents a new beginning – from product to solution. Since its invention, the resistor-type tap changer has become established at all voltage levels and has become a guarantee for security of supply.” – Dr. Nicolas Maier-Scheubeck, Spokesman for the MR Management Board.

The family-owned company with 5,400 employees is now presenting the history of Dr. Jansen and the resistance shunt, the development of MR and energy technology in this century, and the future of the all-electric society on its own website: 100years.reinhausen.com combines experience and technology, history and stories, as well as current highlights from the anniversary year.

The website, which starts with an AI video podcast featuring Dr. Jansen and lots of background information on the Jansen patent, will be expanded over the course of the year.
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