Brose Fahrzeugteile GmbH & Co. KG Business Report FY ended Dec. 2014
Financial Overview |
(in million EUR) |
| FY ended Dec. 31, 2014 | FY ended Dec. 31, 2013 | Rate of change (%) | Factors | |
| Net Sales | 5,169 | 4,671 | 10.7 | 1) |
Factors
1) Net Sales
-Sales in the fiscal year ended December 31, 2014 increased by 10.7% over the previous year to EUR 5,169 million. The increase in sales was driven by growth in all three of its major markets: Western Europe, North America and China.
Business Partnership
-Zhejiang Geely Holding Group has nominated the Company as its long-term strategic partner. The two companies are currently exploring avenues for cooperation on the new modular vehicle architecture for C-segment models (CMA platform), which Geely and Volvo plan to launch in both Europe and China. The Company has supplied window regulators and the corresponding electronics since 2010 for the Geely FE. (From a press release on January 22, 2014)
Contracts
-Mando-Brose Corporation, a 50-50 joint-venture between Mando Corporation and the Company, has begun mass-producing steering motors for Hyundai i20 compact passenger cars built in India. (From a press release on June 9, 2014)
Awards
-The Company announced that its plants in Ostrava, Czech Republic; Wurzburg, Germany; Santa Margarida, Spain; and Queretaro-Benito Juarez, Mexico received the Supplier Quality Excellence Award from General Motors. The Company produces liftgate latches for the Opel sites in Bochum and Gliwice, Poland at its plant in Ostrava. The Company's plant in Wurzburg supplies components for HVAC blowers to GM plants in Argentina and Brazil, while the plant in Santa Margarida has been supplying those sites with window regulators for the past two years. Window regulators for the GM sites in Oshawa, Canada; Lansing, Michigan, U.S.; and Fairfax, Kansas, U.S. are produced by the facility in Mexico. (From a press release on October 23, 2014)
-The Company announced that its location in Ostrava, Czech Republic has received the "Q1 Award" from Ford in recognition of their achievements in the closure systems production for the B-Max and Transit vehicle models. In addition, the plant's seat system production received Volvo's "Quality through Excellence Award." Volvo also honored the Company's production sites in Gothenburg, Sweden and Hallstadt, Germany with this quality award. (From a press release on February 25, 2014)
-The Company announced that Shanghai Brose Electric Motors has received the "Excellent Supplier Award of Quality 2013" from Volkswagen Automatic Transmission Dalian (VW ATD). The joint venture between the Company and Dongfeng produced approximately one million drive train actuators for VW ATD in 2013. FAW-VW also presented the Company's Changchun plant with the "Excellent Quality Award", while General Motors honored Shanghai Brose Automotive (SBA) with the "Supplier Quality Excellence Award." (From a press release on February 25, 2014)
-The Company announced that Nissan has awarded a "Certificate of Recognition" for the smooth setup of spindle production in New Boston, Michigan, U.S. In July 2013, the site began series production for the Nissan plant. (From a press release on February 25, 2014)
R&D Structure
-In 2014, 8% of the Company's annual turnover was invested in product development and production technologies.
-The Company has approximately 2,500 engineers and technicians developing products and processes.
R&D Facilities
-The Company has invested EUR 1 million in a new test center in Wurzburg, Germany to measure electromagnetic compatibility (EMC). The centerpiece of the 120-square-meter test center is its anechoic chamber equipped with metal shielding. The EMC center also has a test bench for electrostatic discharging and a room to test electrical impulses for electronics such as cooling fan modules or door control units. Test engineers check the EMC of up to 100 products each day. (From a press release on May 21, 2014)
Product Development
Plastic hands-free power liftgate
-The Company and Hitachi Chemical Co., Ltd. have jointly developed a hands-free power liftgate made of plastic. Compared the plastic liftgate modules that Hitachi Chemical already makes for the Nissan X-Trail, the companies have added sensor solutions for more convenient loading and unloading. The new liftgate module uses capacitive sensors that are designed to respond to a simple movement, while preventing the trapping of body parts or other objects. Users can open and close the liftgate by simply moving their foot near the sensor without touching anything. Additionally, the plastic liftgate module doesn't contain metals that affect sensing performance and is 30% lighter compared to a conventional steel liftgate. The lightweight system also increases the power motor efficiency and improves safety performance. (From an article in the Nikkan Jidosha Shimbun on March 20, 2014)
Capital Expenditures |
(in million EUR) |
| FY ended Dec. 31, 2014 | FY ended Dec. 31, 2013 | FY ended Dec. 31, 2012 | |
| Overall | 239 | 264 | 258 |
-In 2015, the Company will set up new facilities in Eastern Europe and Brazil, and expand its production capacity at its facilities in Coventry, England, and Changchun, China.
Investments in Germany
-The Company celebrated the grand opening of its new door systems plant in Bremen, Germany, which created 60 jobs in the first stage of development. On the 4,500-square-meter shop floor, the Company manufactures door systems for the new Mercedes-Benz C-Class. The Company plans to increase production by 2015, enabling it to equip 1,050 vehicles with door systems daily from its current daily capacity of 600 vehicles. The Company also manufactures latch modules for various Daimler models at the factory. By 2016, the Company expects to increase the number of employees at the plant to 75. (From a press release on May 12, 2014)
Investments outside Germany
-The Company has officially opened its first Italian production plant in Melfi. Upon receiving its first contract for door systems from Fiat, the Company decided to expand its production capacity. The Company will start by producing door systems for the Jeep Renegade and Fiat 500X on the 4,400-square-meter site, supplying products for approximately 400 vehicles per day. Approximately 70 jobs were created during the first phase of development. The Company has invested over EUR 4.3 million in the new location. (From a press release on November 18, 2014)
-The Company announced that it has opened its new production facility in New Boston, Michigan, U.S. This facility is the Company's third location in the state of Michigan, and the eighth location in North America. The decision to expand production capacity in the region was based on new projects from Chrysler and Ford for door systems, seat adjusters and liftgate drives. The Company has invested around USD 62 million in the plant and created 450 new jobs in the first phase of its development. By 2020, the Company expects to have invested an additional USD 100 million and create 400 more jobs. (From a press release on October 16, 2014)
-The Company announced that it has started operating a new joint venture production facility in East London, South Africa, with its partner, the Gulmini Family Trust called RG Brose. RG Brose will deliver just-in-sequence door systems for the new Mercedes-Benz C-Class along with a lightweight design seat structure for one of Daimler's global platform projects. The plant will create jobs for some 130 employees by the end of 2014. Total investments are expected to amount to approximately ZAR 90 million. RG Brose will deliver the door systems for approximately 1,600 vehicles per day to the Mercedes-Benz South Africa plant. (From a press release on February 7, 2014)