Draexlmaier Group (Fritz Draexlmaier GmbH & Co. KG) Business Report FY ended Dec. 2018

Recent Years

Financial Overview

-In the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018, the Company’s net sales totaled EUR 4.6 billion, an increase of 12.2% over the previous fiscal year.

 

Contracts

-The Company's new plant in Chonburi will produce battery modules for several BMW models beginning in the middle of 2019. The batteries will be installed into the plug-in hybrid models of the BMW 5-series, 7-series and X5 assembled at the BMW plant in Rayong. (From a press release on December 7, 2018)
 

Awards

-The Company announced that it has once again received the VW Group Award as one of its top international suppliers. A total of 19 suppliers received the award for special achievements and innovation. The Company received the award for the second year in a row, this time in the field of sustainability. The Company was successful with the development and production of an overall battery system for the first fully electric Porsche sports car in 2017. (From a press release on May 30, 2018)

-The Company announced that it has received "Overall Supplier EMEA 2016" from FCA, and with that, the best supplier in the categories of Quality, Technology and Partnership in the EMEA region (Europe, Middle East and Africa). The Company makes the center consoles and door panels for the Maserati Quattroporte, as well as instrument panels, center consoles and door panels for the Maserati Ghibli. This year, the Company also started making the instrument panels and center consoles for the new Maserati Levante. (From a press release on January 17, 2017)
 

R&D Facilities

-The Company's central research facility is the Draexlmaier Technology Center (DTZ) in Vilsbiburg, Germany. Other development and engineering locations include Munich, Ingolstadt, and Boeblingen, Germany; Mountain View, California, U.S.; Pitesti, Romania; and Sousse, Tunisia.

-The Company made further investments in its operations in Tunisia by opening a design office in Sousse. Electronic and mechatronic engineers at the facility are developing wiring and electrical systems, while also providing support to customer projects in Tunisia. Approximately 20 employees will be working at the design office in Sousse by the end of 2018. (From a press release on February 12, 2018)

R&D Activities

-The Company has been producing a high-voltage battery system in series for the first time this year. This business area is expected to grow over the next few years. As such, the Company also plans to strengthen battery competence in Vilsbiburg.  The planned development and test center will make a direct contribution to the Company's success in the field of electromobility.  The Company is also introducing a new Enterprise Resource Planning system based on SAP S4 / HANA worldwide. (From a press release on December 19, 2019)

 

R&D Structure

-The Company has over 2,000 employees working in research and development.

-The Company has cooperated with the following research institutions and universities on various projects:

  • Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany
  • Technical University of Munich Foundation
  • Rhine-Westphalian Technical College in Aachen, Germany
  • Technical College in Landshut, Germany

 

Product Development

Technologies showcased at IZB 2018
-At IZB 2018, the Company presented innovative solutions for premium vehicles with conventional and alternative drives. The central element for the power supply of future vehicles is the Multilayer wiring harness developed by the Company which is being presented to the public for the first time at the IZB. It can be integrated as the central element in the on-board wiring system. Its multi-layer structure triggers off EMC field erasure throughout all voltage ranges. Thanks to its material and its form, the harness offers savings in space and weight. The harness helps to provide reliable, high-performance, safe power supply in both electric vehicles and in autonomous driving. In addition, the Company showcased the high-voltage control box, designed for connecting the cell package to the high-voltage wiring harnesses, and its high-voltage battery storage systems with up to 800 volts for plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles. (From a press release on October 1, 2018)

Patents

-The Company applies for approximately 150 patents every year.

-The Company announces that it applied for 191 patents in 2016. That means that the number of patent applications has doubled since 2014 and even tripled since 2012.  The Company has filed patent applications for over 1,000 inventions since the eighties – half of them are just five years old or even younger. In 2016, the Company registered innovative solutions, particularly for interior lighting, interior modules, electrical system parts and new types of production means. (From a press release on February 16, 2017)

 

Investments outside Germany

<Thailand>
-The Company will make battery modules for several BMW models for the Asian market at a new site in Thailand starting in the middle of 2019. The Company currently produces electrical and interior systems products at the site in Rayong, Thailand. The new plant in Chonburi will considerably expand this service. The batteries will be installed into the plug-in hybrid models of the BMW 5-series, 7-series and X5 assembled at the BMW plant in Rayong. (From a press release on December 7, 2018)

<U.S.>
-The Company completed an expansion of its manufacturing facility in Duncan, South Carolina, U.S., having invested USD 42.7 million into the project. The investment was used for additional equipment and infrastructure to satisfy increased production demands from customers for automotive interior systems. The expansion is expected to enable the creation of 460 new jobs in the area. (From a South Carolina Department of Commerce press release on December 4, 2018)

<Mexico>
-The Company confirmed that it will open a USD 13.1 million plant in Valle de Santiago, Mexico. It will be the Company’s sixth production facility in Mexico. Its other plants are located in Lagos de Moreno, Matehuala, San Luis Potosi¸ San Miguel de Allende and Puebla. (From a Mexico-Now article on April 26, 2018)