GLOBAL VISION
2015/2016
GLOBAL VISION
2015
We develop and manufacture lighting technology
and electronics systems and components for
the automotive industry. HELLA also has one of the
largest trade organizations for automotive parts,
accessories as well as for diagnostics and service
in Europe. With sales of 5.8 billion euros in the
2014/2015 fiscal year, the HELLA Group is one of the
top 40 automotive suppliers in the world. Nearly
32,000 employees work for us at over 100 locations
in approximately 35 countries. As a globally posi­
tioned, family-owned business, which is listed on the
stock market, we are constantly continuing our
growth strategies – with dedicated employees, in­
novative ideas, and above all, with vision.
WELCOME!
Innovational leadership, operative excellence, global presence as well as cooperation
are the foundation for HELLA’s success. Come along and find out how we continue to impress
and inspire our customers time and time again.
Pg. 4–11
Pg. 12–19
Pg. 20–27
Pg. 28–35
Pg. 36–43
Pg. 44–47
Pg. 48–57
2
GLOBAL VISION
Group – Interview with
Dr. Jürgen Behrend and Dr. Rolf
Breidenbach, pg. 4 –11
CONTENTS
ON-THE-GO
WORLDWIDE
HAND IN HAND
Electronics – Innovative products
for efficient solutions, pg. 20 – 27
Lighting – The development of
an automobile headlamp, pg. 12 –19
ON DEMAND
ON ASSIGNMENT
Special Applications –
The future of LEDs for various
applications, pg. 36–43
Aftermarket – The growth region of Dubai, pg. 28 – 35
A BRILLIANT CHOICE
IDEAS FOR TOMORROW
Employees with vision, pg. 48 – 57
Create something new –
“Driving e-nnovation”, pg. 44– 4 7
HITTING THE MARK
HELLA GLOBAL – The
Group in numbers pg. 58 – 5 9
3
ON-THE-GO
WORLDWIDE
HELLA employs approximately 32,000 people at
over 100 locations in more than 35 countries. In an
interview, Dr. Jürgen Behrend, Managing General
Partner, and Dr. Rolf Breidenbach, President and CEO,
discussed efforts to transform HELLA from a medium-sized company in Germany into a global player and
what it means to be employed at such a company.
4
GLOBAL VISION
ON-THE-GO WORLDWIDE
In 2014, almost 18 million vehicles were registered for Chinese roads, which placed the Middle Kingdom at the top of automotive markets.
But the automotive industry is also developing rapidly in other growth markets. This means that expanding the international network is more
important than ever for HELLA .
5
»Internationalization has been a core component of
HELLA’s corporate strategy for many years.«
Dr. Rolf Breidenbach, President and CEO
Dr. Behrend, HELLA is known as a sustainable familyowned company focused on the long term. You made the
move to the Frankfurt trading floor in November 2014 –
doesn’t this represent a break from longstanding tradition?
Dr. Jürgen Behrend: No, not at all. On the contrary, be­
coming a publicly traded company has opened the door for
us as a family-run business in a globally competitive en­
vironment to continue our longstanding operating indepen­
dence and to provide us with even more flexibility. We
came to the conclusion that now would be the right time to
take such a step so as to allow HELLA to continue devel­
oping. HELLA is and will remain a family-owned company,
even after going public – with a stable group of share­
holders and sustainable corporate management. Our core
values will also remain the same.
Dr. Rolf Breidenbach: Our move to the stock market is thus
an important milestone in the long-term, ongoing devel­
opment of the company. We will use the proceeds – a total
of about 278 million euros – to continue our growth course,
which means we will be primarily further investing in new
technologies and expanding internationally.
Internationalization has been a component of HELLA’s
strategy for many years. Dr. Behrend, as Managing General Partner of HELLA, what has been your experi­ence and influence with respect to the Group’s development over the last 25 years, particularly in terms of
internationalization?
Dr. Jürgen Behrend: When we planned our first international management conference in 1994, HELLA was a German
company. Sure, we already had a dozen foreign factories in
North America, Asia and a few Western European countries,
but there was no talk of being an international corporation.
6
For historical reasons, the organizational structures at the
time were clearly run from Lippstadt. In many cases, the
highly dynamic nature of growth markets did not permit our
international colleagues the luxury of waiting for decisions
from Germany. The principle of entrepreneurial self-respon­
sibility was intended to help here. Gradually expanding our
managerial responsibility to be more international enabled our
locations to act more quickly and with greater flexibility.
Figuratively speaking, we transformed a large, unwieldy tank­
er ship into a fleet of many autonomous ships. In spite of
the speed and agility of each business unit, they all sail to­
gether under the HELLA flag.
HELLA opened its first factory outside of Germany in
Australia in 1961 – essentially all the way on the other side
of the world. Why not closer to home?
Dr. Jürgen Behrend: As a supplier, the needs of our cus­
tomers are always the focal point. Because of this, we often
accompany automakers as they enter new markets. We
were following a customer when we founded HELLA Australia.
At the time, Volkswagen had taken up production on the
continent. We seized the opportunity and followed VW specif­
ically to increase our local manufacturing share. The large
wave of internationalization began in the 1990s.
Dr. Rolf Breidenbach: Internationalization is a central compo­
nent of our corporate strategy and represents competitive
strength. We use our international positioning to simultane­
ously limit regional risks and to seize new opportunities.
Because of this, we no longer just tag along with European
or North American customers as they enter new markets.
We also demonstrate the quality of our products to customers
on-site, in South Korea and India, for example.
… or China …
GLOBAL VISION
ON-THE-GO WORLDWIDE
Dr. Jürgen Behrend (below) and Dr. Rolf Breidenbach
(right) intend to use the proceeds from the initial public
offering to continue the company’s growth course,
primarily by investing more in new technologies and
expanding internationally.
7
An expert global player: HELLA currently
is well-positioned in the major growth regions
While the number of employees in Germany has stayed virtually flat over the last two
decades, the number of those outside Germany has tripled.
Europe
i
13,734
21,779
22,169
7,153
9,677
786
1995 2015
i
11,216
5,604
Asia/Pacific/South Africa
Comparison of Group-wide trends
in number of employees
Germany
i
3,849
International 4,481
North and South America
Dr. Rolf Breidenbach: By all means. The automotive market
there has grown substantially in the last five years, and it
continues to grow at an impressive pace. For this reason, we
are continuously expanding our presence in China. The au­
tomotive industry is also experiencing rapid development in
other growth markets. Continued expansion of our inter­
national network is more important than ever.
And how are you driving this expansion?
Dr. Rolf Breidenbach: In principle, we take two approaches:
We either collaborate with partners on-site, perhaps in a joint
8
venture, or we expand independently. Both approaches work
well for us. Since 2012, we have opened three new loca­
tions in Mexico and expanded two of our existing plants. In
China, we have founded three joint ventures with Chinese
companies. One joint venture was formed in Spring 2014 with
BAIC, one of the largest Chinese automobile manufacturers.
Dr. Jürgen Behrend: The idea to rely on strong partnerships
while expanding came about in the 1990s and remains a
recipe for success for HELLA. Fierce international competition
still fuels consolidation in the supplier industry: companies
consolidate or are themselves consolidated.
GLOBAL VISION
ON-THE-GO WORLDWIDE
»I believe that enormous creative potential
lies in intercultural, international cooperation.«
Dr. Jürgen Behrend – Managing General Partner at HELLA
… which path did HELLA choose?
Dr. Jürgen Behrend: As a medium-sized company at the
time, consolidation was not a consideration for HELLA. Our
independence as a family-owned company was more im­
portant to us. This lead to the idea of bundling our compe­
tencies with partners and creating added value. The “co­
operation instead of concentration” principle still forms the
basis of our network strategy.
How has the change to a global Group affected
things internally?
Dr. Jürgen Behrend: Some newer employees might only be
familiar with HELLA as a global company. However, some
of our employees have been part of the HELLA network for
decades. They experienced the transformation firsthand,
and this change – just like any other – brings its own challenges. Employees travel abroad for training sessions, and
some management meetings are held outside of Germany.
Employ­ees from Lippstadt work closely with colleagues
from China, and Indian employees develop work together with
Czech teams. This type of work requires an adjustment
period because it involves different cultures, ways of working
and ways of thinking. In spite of this, I believe that enor­
mous creative potential lies in intercultural, international
cooperation.
Dr. Rolf Breidenbach: Internationalization provides many
opportunities for our employees. It is very exciting to be
part of a growing international company. Many of our employ­
ees want to seize the opportunity for a temporary assign­
ment at a HELLA location in Mexico or China. There’s nothing
quite like the experiences you can have there.
Dr. Jürgen Behrend: At the same time, Lippstadt is and
remains the center of HELLA. It is the common thread that
unites us. Though the locations exercise a great deal of in­
dependence, Lippstadt is the flagship of the HELLA fleet – the
heart of our network. And we are expanding it into the lead­
ing technology location and lead plant.
Does globalization play a part in your products and
technologies? Do manufacturers look for different
solutions for the Chinese market than they do for the
German market?
Dr. Rolf Breidenbach: Absolutely. A variety of factors are
critical here. In Germany and throughout Europe, for example,
legislation meant that reducing fuel consumption played a
critical role in the automotive industry much earlier than in the
United States or China. Accordingly, at a very early stage,
our business division Electronics started developing solutions
for our customers focused on efficient energy management.
Another factor is design. Just because a headlamp is popular
among customers in the United States doesn’t mean that
people in China will buy the same model. This is why we devel­
op individual solutions and products locally. But the entire
company always benefits from the interaction in our network.
Dr. Jürgen Behrend: In many cases, our technologies allow
us to put our own stamp on the market. For example, our
employees in India launched a large-scale campaign to help
improve the illumination standards of trucks and commercial vehicles, which had long been far below the international
level. Thus we succeeded in not only offering tailored solu­
tions, but in increasing safety and helping to shape the mar­
ket. Our technologies frequently result in entirely new pos­
sibilities for our customers.
9
Can you give examples of these technologies?
What are the pioneering trends?
Dr. Rolf Breidenbach: In light of the current sustainability
debate, technologies to implement alternative drive concepts
are the key to success in the industry. For example, we’re
currently developing an innovative battery management sys­
tem that will be used both in premium hybrid vehicles and
electric vehicles of the small vehicle segment. This system
monitors the status of the relatively expensive lithium-ion
batteries and controls them to prevent problems such as in­
dividual cells overheating. In the field of lighting, new light
sources such as lasers and OLEDs are currently being used in
initial applications and are the buzzwords of the day. They
will definitely play a role in the automotive lighting of tomor­
row. However, I’m also convinced that the LED will be around
for a long time, as the potential of LED applications in the
market is far from being exhausted. After its introduction in
various premium models, we will establish the LED in an
increasing number of high-volume market vehicles.
Dr. Jürgen Behrend: In addition, our developers are currently
working on a large number of exciting topics that will play
a major role in defining the mobility of the future. This proves
yet again that the HELLA brand has maintained its brilliance
and stands for cutting-edge Technology with Vision.
Dr. Jürgen Behrend: In many cases, we shape the markets
with our technologies. Our products frequently open up entirely
new possibilities for our customers.
10
GLOBAL VISION
OVERVIEW / GROUP
Global
With nearly 32,000 people in over 35 countries, HELLA
offers exciting opportunities for international collaboration
and individual development.
Network
We bundle our expertise with strong
partners. Since the launch of our
network strategy in the late 1990s, HELLA
has maintained over a dozen exciting
and successful joint ventures.
Progress
Our employees have always been distinguished by their
entrepreneurial spirit and their striving to make things
happen. This is why HELLA is now one of the major suppliers
of automotive lighting technology and electronics.
5%
19%
42%
Sales to third parties according to
business activity – Fiscal Year 2014 / 2015
Automotive €4,364 million
– Lighting €2,427 million
– Electronics €1,937 million
Aftermarket €1,131 million
Special Applications €308 million
33%
Ever since its founding as a lamp manufacturer in 1899, the company has been among the innovation drivers for vehicle lighting. We are one of the leading
producers in Europe in this area, and hold a global market share of twelve percent. In addition, we have earned market-leading positions in many areas
with our electronics product range. This includes products that help to reduce CO2 emissions and fuel consumption and increase driver safety. HELLA is also
a partner of wholesalers and garages, and has one of the largest retail organizations in Europe for automotive parts, accessories, diagnostics, tools and
services. We also develop and sell lighting and electronics solutions for manufacturers of special vehicles, such as buses, caravans, and agricultural and
construction vehicles. We offer customer target groups outside the automotive industry customized LED light products, such as for street and building
lighting or airport lighting.
HAND IN HAND
LIGHT HELLA breaks new ground with headlamps for the Volkswagen Polo
facelift. At the plant in Mohelnice in the Czech Republic, a team developed the
first LED variant for a compact car in the volume segment: For all markets
around the globe and in close cooperation with their colleagues in Germany,
China and India.
02
01
01 Program manager Pavel Zlebek
worked closely with his colleagues at HELLA
in China and India during development.
02 The Volkswagen Polo headlamps have a
distinctive look with their U-shaped light guide.
03 Reflectors and decorative elements
are developed in Mohelnice in the Czech Republic.
14
GLOBAL VISION
HAND IN HAND
03
Orderly operating is the word of the day in the open-concept
office of HELLA Autotechnik Nova. Phones are ringing,
men and women with headsets are gesturing in front of their
screens and there are always colleagues deep in conversa­
tion between the neatly arranged, 1.50 meter-high shelves
that frame the workstations for approximately 50 men and
women. “Coordination is a central component in the develop­
ment of headlamps. Therefore, we are always talking with
customers, suppliers and the other departments,” says Pavel
Zlebek with his desk behind him. The headlamps program
manager is wearing a white shirt and a neck tie, just like his
neighbor, the project manager. In the other cubicles where
the engineers are seated, the dress code is more informal.
A high concentration of expertise is at work in this plain
building in the industrial zone on the outskirts of Mohelnice. It
takes just a five-minute drive to reach the beautiful down­
town area of the small town of 10,000 in the eastern Czech
Re­public. The team is responsible for the development of
headlamps. Around 2,000 employees are working in pro­
duction in the neighboring halls. On top of Pavel Zlebek’s shelf
is one of his developments: The LED headlamp for the
Volkswagen Polo 5, whose facelift was unveiled at the Geneva
Motor Show in March 2014 and has been mass-produced
since November 2014.
Zlebek has supervised the project from the very beginning,
ever since the first request from Volkswagen landed on
his desk in 2012. “We were very excited about the project be­
cause we were able to work with LED technology for the
first time in a compact class-sized model,” says Zlebek, who
has been working at HELLA for over 18 years. He knows
all the necessary process steps inside and out for putting
headlamps on the road – and he makes it clear that there
are a great many steps.
After the request, preliminary development started at HELLA
Autotechnik Nova in close collaboration with the designers
15
01
01 Injection molding machines process plastic granulate into frame parts.
The material is heated to up to 130 degrees Celsius during this process.
02 All headlamp light functions are checked with the utmost precision.
03 The raw reflector pieces are cast from thermoset, a glass fiber
reinforced plastic.
from Volkswagen. “Approximately 80 percent comes from
the customer during this phase. We mainly contribute
our lighting expertise.” The design possibilities dramatically
increase with LEDs, which is also clearly evident in the
headlamps of the Volkswagen Polo. The Polo, equipped with
its U-shaped curved light guide, has an unmistakable
appearance; the heat sinks are also design elements and
characterize the face of the vehicle to a large extent.
During development, this required a well thought-out pro­
cess taking into account cost and feasibility at an early
stage. Zlebek points to a table on his laptop where a total of
144 components are broken down into their raw materials
and machine hours required for suppliers. “We discuss every
one of these parameters during monthly phone conferences or during our visits to the development center in Wolfs­
burg,” explains the amateur soccer player who participates
16
in the weekly soccer match that takes place on site. His
employees working in the open-concept office also draw the
components on the computer where they already closely
resemble the finished headlamps.
Once the go-ahead arrives from the automobile manufac­
turers – as in the case for the Polo in February 2013 – all of
the preliminary work is examined in detail once again and
put into concrete terms. The employees communicate with
the suppliers, pass on the specifications for the machine
tools and plan the production of the most important parts in
their own factory. “Roughly 40 percent originates here,
es­pecially strategic parts such as reflectors and decorative
elements,” explains Zlebek, who worked in close collabo­
ration with the HELLA colleagues in China and India during
development. In times of global production, he has to
look much further ahead. Volkswagen produces the Polo in
GLOBAL VISION
HAND IN HAND
03
02
Spain, South Africa, India, Russia and China. “For the best
quality, it must be possible to follow every step of the pro­
cesses 1:1 to ensure that our customers are satisfied.” The
team is only occupied to a certain extent with the LED head­
lamp. “We have also developed a halogen variant that we
need to adjust for right and left-hand traffic as well as for
special regulations in the Chinese market,” says the father
of two grown-up sons in describing the scope of the work.
Along with preparation for the start of production, HELLA
Autotechnik Nova is producing several headlamps of a model
to be tested on vibration test rigs and in heating furnaces
in laboratories in Mohelnice and Wolfsburg. In the case of
Volkswagen test drives are even carried out in Arizona
and the Kalahari. “Before we can start series production, our
headlamps have an entire vehicle life behind them,” says
Zlebek. “Once the final okay comes, we have to be finished
with everything else to be able to get started as quickly as
possible.” The initial order for the plant in Mohelnice ulti­
mately called for over 1,000 sets of LED headlamps – along
with approximately 9,000 sets of the halogen variant per
week – each with a left and right headlamp.
Since production has started, humans and machines have
been working together in a process timed down to the min­
ute. In one hall, truck-sized injection molding machines
process plastic granulate to frame parts. The material is heat­
ed to up to 130 degrees Celsius, pressed into steel molds
and finally lifted by a robot for quality control. An employee
checks the part and places it into a container.
In an adjacent hall, an employee stands at a short assembly
line where the beige-gray components go by. These are
the raw pieces of the reflectors molded from thermoset
17
01
02
01 Quality control: The very last specks of dust
are removed from the cover lens.
02 Supervisor Jana Stanickova checks each individual
part with care during the final inspection.
plastic. The glass fiber-reinforced plastic in large blocks in
plastic trays is not all that different from pizza dough. From
the assembly line, the products are being put in another ma­
chine where they are sprayed with ionized air. “This is import­
ant because it lets us prevent electrostatic discharges,” says
Zlebek.
Then the parts come to the spray booth where they are
coated with clear lacquer. “This serves as a basis for the next
step, metallization. The reflectors have to be smooth so
that the light distribution is perfect,” explains Zlebek. The aluminum layer is applied in the belly of the machine he is
standing next to.
Final assembly takes place after the reflectors are equipped
with LED chips. Supervisor Jana Stanickova shows one
of her colleagues on the team all of the steps that are nec­
essary. They are identified by barcode and she places both
control units for the high and low beams into the black cas­
ing after she has installed the software via the cable con­
nection. Just like at every other station in the production pro­
cess, she checks the quality of each individual part. She
does this by wiping them with a fine fiber cloth, giving them
18
a thorough visual inspection and spraying them with
ionized air repeatedly to ensure every last speck of dust
has been removed.
She inserts the reflectors at other workstations, presses
them into the holes provided, tests the strength, and equips
them with an orange direction indicator. She attaches the
plastic lens to the fully equipped frame. “Almost done,” says
the young woman. In her mid-twenties now, she started
working for HELLA over seven years ago right after gradu­
ating from high school. “A machine handles the bonding
step,” she explains, clamping both parts into a workstation.
The headlamp is transported along the assembly line, put
together by a small robot that applies the adhesive and se­
cures it with pressure. The light functions are tested in a
glass case. The screen says “Dobre – odeber kus”. “Good –
please remove” translates Stanickova with a smile and
does exactly that. At the last table, she places a small stamp
on the headlamp. She applies “F27” in white paint, “That’s
my ID.” The component can be traced back to each and ev­
ery employee, which helps increase employee motivation.
“And we personally stand by the quality of our products,” adds
Zlebek. “That is important to us and to our customers.”
GLOBAL VISION
OVERVIEW / BUSINESS DIVISION LIGHTING
10 %
>
60 %
Increase in sales of lighting products
such as headlamps, rear and interior lamps
in Fiscal Year 2014 / 2015.
is HELLA’s market share in the dynamic
LED headlamp product field. This makes us
the European market leader. *
14
development sites in the business division
Lighting are the basis of our expertise.
Segment sales in the business division Lighting (in million €):
2012 / 2013
2013 / 2014
2014 / 2015
1,947
2,234
2,458
Light is our passion and has been the core of the HELLA brand for over 100 years. As a manufacturer of headlamps, combination rear lamps and interior lamps
as well as lighting electronics, we are now among the leading suppliers of lighting systems, which we sell to major automobile manufacturers the world
over. Our cutting-edge technological expertise makes the HELLA brand famous for innovative and future-oriented lighting technologies. Our headquarters in
Lippstadt, Germany features Europe’s largest light testing facility where we test and evaluate the latest lighting systems under real-world conditions.
Continuous technological progress does not just increases comfort and convenience when driving. Most importantly, it also increases safety on the road.
Globally, our employees work at ten production locations and fourteen development locations in the business division Lighting.
* Based on a market study commissioned by HELLA for selected product
groups by sales volume for passenger cars and light commercial vehicles.
ON DEMAND
ELECTRONICS Today’s cars are safe means of trans­
port, comfortable lounges and infotainment centers on
wheels. But this versatility comes at a price: energy.
To provide greater efficiency, HELLA has developed a
wide variety of intelligent solutions.
31.7million km
is the total length of the worldwide road system. The map on this
double-sided page shows the main traffic routes around the
world. On all these roads, innovative HELLA products ensure safe,
comfortable and efficient driving.
20
GLOBAL VISION
ON DEMAND
Car buyers have long lists of wants. Ambient interior lighting,
efficient drives, and convenient assistance systems are
just a few items on the list of features a car must have to be
considered up-to-date. However, nothing will come of
nothing. Everything that makes driving more enjoyable, safer
and generally more fun needs power, and that power has
to be provided by combustion engines or electric motors. The
more options a car offers the driver, the more specifically
the energy has to be distributed. This is why HELLA is contin­
uously working on product solutions that draw electricity
only when it is actually needed. Let’s take a closer look at
three of these champion products.
2.3 cars
are produced on average every second worldwide.
21
STEERING MINDFULLY
0.8l
Nobody likes to waste energy, but that is exactly what many
cars do. Even worse, they do it unnoticed. One such culprit is
the steering system: the hydraulic power steering systems
on almost every car require a continuous supply of energy from
the engine. Drivers do not have to or want to steer continu­
ously, for example when waiting, coming to a stop or when
driving down a long, straight stretch of freeway.
More efficiency is possible – thanks to a ten-by-ten cent­
imeter box developed by HELLA. The control unit for the elec­
tric power steering (EPS) enables savings that are quite
astounding: up to 0.8 liters of fuel over 100 kilometers. Lower
consumption also results in a decrease in CO2 emissions.
22
less fuel is consumed by a vehicle
with intelligent control units over 100
kilometers. This corresponds to a
CO2 reduction of up to 20 grams per
kilometer.
The lightweight control unit, continuously under develop­
ment by HELLA since 2005, is used today in millions of vehi­
cles, from compacts to SUVs.
Despite its small and straightforward appearance, it is the
result of considerable engineering skill. The small scale
requires high precision to implement the complex connec­
tion technology within the control unit. More than ten
years of HELLA product expertise are housed in the little
box. The control unit is produced in a state-of-the-art
inline manufacturing facility which includes a fully automat­
ed clean room environment to eliminate any chance of
contamination.
GLOBAL VISION
ON DEMAND
>
300
employees are part of the HELLA team
that works around the world on control units
for electric power steering.
10 million
vehicles worldwide have already
been equipped with HELLA control units
for electric power steering support.
Mario Saure heads the international team at the HELLA loca­
tions in Germany, France, India and China responsible for
the origin and development of the electric power steering. En­
ergy efficiency plays a critical role here, as does another
important factor: the feel of the ride. The degreed engineer,
who likewise enjoys driving, is very familiar with the needs
of international customers. “Steering differs from country to
country. While direct steering behavior is in great demand
in Europe, Asian steering is more indirect.”
The HELLA EPS control system supports these fine nuances
intended to provide drivers all over the world with optimum steering behavior. For this purpose, the control unit
communicates with other sensors in the vehicle. It is pre­
cisely this dynamism that makes the product an interesting
challenge for the 34-year-old to make the driving experi­
ence safer, more comfortable and more convenient in the
future. One possibility is for the steering to carry out au­
tonomous movements based on information the ECU receives
from the driver assistance system. This is helpful, for
example when correcting effects from side
winds or staying in one’s lane reliably in
traffic. Not least, EPS is an important com­
ponent and milestone on the way to the
self-driving car.
23
LESS IS MORE
We all know that more does not always do more good. This
wisdom also applies to internal combustion engines. They
need something to burn – such as diesel or petroleum – but
only as much as needed to meet the driving situation. In
conventional vehicle designs, the fuel pump always pumps
the maximum amount of fuel to the internal combustion
engine. Excess fuel is then pumped back into the tank, a pro­
cess that consumes unnecessary energy due to the pumping operation.
The fuel pump control units were originally developed by
HELLA Electronics Corporation in the United States and are
in widespread use in North America. However, the HELLA
fuel pump control unit is gradually becoming more popular
in other markets, as CO2 emissions have to be reduced
everywhere. HELLA has been active in the segment since 2006.
Since then, ten million control units have been sold. In
2014 alone, four million units have been snapped up by buy­
ers – and the trend is rising.
HELLA engineers thought there must be a better way and
“Our strength is our outstanding price-performance ratio,”
explains Schäfer, who supports both customers and HELLA
project managers in the United States and feeds new ideas
to pre-development engineers. “Quality is high, failure rates
are very low and we’re successful in manufacturing the
control units in a way that makes them more compact and
cost-effective all the time,” says the 33-year-old. Auto­
makers appreciate this. As a result, all signs
point to growth. HELLA projects that, by
2020, virtually all of the world’s vehicles will
likely be equipped with an intelligent fuel
pump control unit.
developed a control unit that, in a manner of speaking, pro­
vides intelligent control of the fuel pump output. “The basic
principle involves supplying the engine with just the fuel that
is needed. This unlocks substantial potential savings,” says
System Engineer Christoph Schäfer, who works in the Energy
Management product group at HELLA. In other words, in­
telligently controlled fuel pumps are one piece in the puzzle of
decreasing CO2 emissions and consumption. Their use en­
ables savings of approximately 0.15 liters of fuel over 100 kilo­
meters. The carbon dioxide emissions per kilometer are
reduced by about three grams. Extrapolated to an average
annual mileage of about 20,000 kilometers, this results in
a decrease in CO2 emissions of almost 60 kilograms.
24
GLOBAL VISION
ON DEMAND
60
kg CO2
is the savings a car achieves every year thanks to the HELLA fuel pump
control units, based on approximately 20,000 kilometers driven annually.
In 2020, most of the world’s
vehicles will be equipped
with an intelligent fuel pump
control unit.
2006
In 2014, about four million
of these control units were
sold on the market.
is the year HELLA began
activities in the fuel pump
control unit field.
25
RESPONSIVE PUMP
1-2g CO2
is the savings provided by an
electric pump compared to
a mechanical pump at 100 km.
Patience is everything. We at HELLA know this from longtime
experience, and thus endurance has always been one of
the company’s top priorities. This is demonstrated in our elec­
trically driven vacuum pumps that boost braking force,
offer great flexibility for installation in the engine compart­
ment, and generate the vacuum necessary for braking on
demand. While mechanically driven vacuum pumps are con­
nected directly to the engine and thus draw energy at all
times, HELLA vacuum pumps are active only when a vacu­
um is actually needed. Equipped with HELLA pumps, a
car emits up to two grams less CO2 per 100 kilometer driven.
HELLA developed the first ideas for today’s vacuum pumps
back in the 1990s, reports Jens Hunecke, the company’s
head of worldwide program management for vacuum pumps.
At that early stage, a small team developed the first vacuum pump for the brake system, deducing from trends that
future vehicles would require a stronger vacuum. This
idea grew into its own product group, where HELLA is now
26
the world market leader. Today, five million of these brake
boost pumps are installed in vehicles each year.
At first glance, a pump might not seem very exciting. “In
fact, the component embodies more than 30 years of tech­
nological expertise and experience,” says Hunecke. The
pumps are maintenance-free and work on demand; they are
produced in Germany, Mexico, Romania and China.
And their development continues to evolve. “Automakers
are using ever-smaller engines with turbocharging;
vacuum pumps are increasing in importance due to these
developments,” explains Hunecke. Therefore, HELLA is
continuously working to improve them. A new pump gen­
eration with higher output, faster evac­
uation time and longer lifetime is in the
works. It will hit the market in 2016,
and the first orders from automakers have
already been received.
GLOBAL VISION
OVERVIEW / BUSINESS DIVISION ELECTRONICS
TRENDS
Safety. HELLA plays an active part in helping to
ensure road safety with innovative technologies and
functions for driver assistance systems.
Environment. HELLA supplies intelligent
solutions for reducing CO 2 emissions and fuel
consumption to reach stringent emission
targets.
Comfort and convenience. For a comfortable
driving environment, HELLA develops
high-quality, intelligent body electronics
functions.
FUTURE TOPICS
Connectivity. As an essential part of our
everyday life, the networked lifestyle of
consumers is now also making its way into
automobiles. HELLA offers a variety of
innovative concepts to enhance this progress.
Automated driving. With technologically
sophisticated sensor and software solutions,
HELLA is helping automakers implement the
vision of the self-driving car.
Segment sales in the business division Electronics (in million €):
2012 / 2013
2013 / 2014
2014 /2015
1,829
2,039
2,210
Today’s cars can’t do anything without electronics. Estimates state that about 30 percent of a vehicle’s production costs are spent on electronic
components. With over 60 different products and over 20 technologies, HELLA has been a reliable electronics partner of the automotive industry for over
60 years. The electronics portfolio includes products that contribute to reducing CO2 emissions and fuel consumption as well as increasing driving
safety, comfort and convenience. Many of these products have earned us a market-leading position, not just in Europe but throughout the world. To serve
our customers around the world, we now have more than 20 development sites and 16 production sites in locations including Germany, Romania,
China and the United States.
ON ASSIGNMENT
AFTERMARKET HELLA has been active in Dubai with its
own sales company since 2010. The multinational team is
constantly expanding business in the growth region by
relying on expertise, market knowledge and a widening of
the product portfolio.
The metropolis of Dubai: Countless skyscrapers shape the skyline.
The city is growing more quickly than Shanghai.
30
GLOBAL VISION
ON ASSIGNMENT
Torben Petersen leaves the arrival area of the Dubai airport
at a quick pace. The Denmark native with short gray hair
has a laptop bag hanging over his shoulder. He pulls a small
suitcase with his right hand and, with his left, puts his
smartphone in his jacket, which hangs loosely over his arm.
On this afternoon, it is around 35 degrees Celsius, but Pe­
tersen does not let the dry heat get to him.
making it the tallest building in the world. Yachts are anchored
directly on the shore. Many of the inhabitants in the political
and economic center of the region are visibly well off. The city
is growing quickly. Approximately one-sixth of all construc­
tion cranes in use around the globe are standing here.
The 60-year-old is on the way to his office in Dubai’s freetrade zone, where he has been managing the HELLA Middle
East (HMEA) sales company since it was founded in 2010.
He is arriving from Qatar, where he met with several cus­
tomers. The region that he and his team are responsible
for includes the markets in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi
Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait and other countries.
While leaning back in his seat in a red and green-painted
taxi, the manager points to a few massive off-road vehicles
parking at the airport. “Those are models that we help
equip,” says the father of two adult children and points to
the worklamps of the vehicles. “We sell more of these
very robust products here than anywhere else in the world.”
The vehicles that Petersen means are just as special as the
market for which he is responsible itself. Many armored
cars are manufactured in the United Arab Emirates and ex­
ported to the Middle East and Africa. There are 16 manu­
facturers alone who specialize in the production of these ve­
hicles, upgrade standard models and provide the vehicles
with robust HELLA lighting products.
Growth and dynamics
The drive continues over Dubai Creek, a wide estuary of the
Persian Gulf that flows into the city. Looking out the car
window to the right, you can see countless skyscrapers, in­
cluding the Burj Khalifa, which stands 828 meters high,
This is also why Petersen thinks Dubai is a good choice of
location in terms of strategy. The Arabian region is currently
one of the most interesting growth markets in the world,
no less importantly because it is an important link to Africa.
Before the founding of the branch office, HELLA was repre­
sented in the Middle East by an exclusive importer that sup­
plied the vehicle independent aftermarket and sold original equipment products to manufacturers of special vehicles.
“The HELLA brand is present. We benefit from this because
our products have been held in high esteem here for years,”
says Petersen.
Since then, the company has taken a great leap forward.
Thanks to the extensive portfolio, which HMEA increased from
500 to 3,500 active products in the region, things have been
developing quickly. “Before 2011, our importer made approx­
imately five million euros in sales. In 2014 / 2015, we reached
around 20 million euros, and we’ll certainly continue to grow,”
says Petersen, who, among other accomplishments, re­
structured the Danish HELLA importer and managed business
for a major Danish brewery in Vietnam for six years.
There are several reasons for the good development. The
most important: HELLA, unlike many competitors, is now con­
siderably more present in the region. Previously, many
customers were only partially aware of the HELLA portfolio.
“We responded to this by making our sales employees
more active than ever and, for example, providing more Behr
Hella Service and Hella Pagid products,” says Petersen.
The dedication has a clear goal. “We don’t want to gain too
31
»We don’t want to gain too many customers
on the individual markets, but would
rather equip a few customers with a wide
product range.«
Torben Petersen, Manager, HELLA Middle East, Dubai
many customers in individual markets, but would rather
equip a few customers with a wide product range.” This sets
the order patterns of HMEA aside from those of other sales
companies. The number of these orders is lower, but the or­
der volume is many times larger than in other regions.
Close to the customer
The employee structure of HMEA is ideal for this. The 16 em­
ployees have gained a lot of experience in regional compa­
nies, which Petersen describes as a great advantage. “They
understand the markets and have mastered the language.
This provides a great deal of trust that cannot be established
as easily by an export department in a company’s home
country.” According to Petersen, this completely makes up
for the disadvantage that many of the employees have not
yet worked in a Group and, therefore, have to learn the com­
munication structure for the first time. “We are also con­
stantly in close contact with our suppliers and the HELLA
headquarters in Germany. This is a great help.”
The special situation in Dubai of operating within a freetrade zone makes special knowledge a necessity, which the
team has established in recent years. Each transaction is
an export transaction that involves formalities such as cus­
toms declarations and providing export papers or certifi­
cates of origin, especially because there are very different
regulations that have to be taken into account in the indi­
vidual countries with which HMEA trades. “In Saudi Arabia, for
example, completely different specifications have to be
documented than for Qatar,” explains Petersen. Some product
tests in the laboratory run from four to six weeks because
the standards for the target country have to be fulfilled. “We
also maintain close cooperation in the Group here, particu­
larly with our colleagues at our headquarters in Lippstadt.”
Additionally, the great distances within the region also cause
many customers to only accept deliveries in completely
32
filled containers due to the costs. This complicates logistics
because HMEA cannot stock all products in its own warehous­
es. “Our orders often have a longer lead time because we
first have to import certain items from Germany, for instance.”
It is not worth it for just one product. “In the Gulf states,
rotating warning lights for trucks are required by law. There­
fore, we sell around 60,000 units per year, which alone
accounts for 70 to 80 percent of HELLA’s annual production
of this product,” explains Petersen. This allows HELLA to
achieve a market share of 50 percent. And HELLA does so,
even though there are considerably cheaper and some­
times copycat products in the region. “But the companies want
our lamps because the quality is so high, especially in the
extremely hot and dusty weather conditions that prevail in
this region.”
Arriving at HMEA, Petersen gets out of the taxi. He pays, grabs
his bag and walks through the wide glass entrance doors
into the building, where HELLA has rented 300 square meters
on the 5th floor. In the office, employees are sitting in small
groups; some are on the telephone. “We have a great deal of
customer contact,” says Petersen. Project managers in
particular have to be capable of explaining the functions of the
lamps or heating systems quickly and coherently. “These
are often operator errors, which we then have to correct via
remote diagnostics,” says Petersen. HMEA employees re­
ceive intensive training sessions for this, which are tailored
precisely to the situation on-site. “We are expanding our
service significantly and the customers really appreciate this,”
explains Petersen. While reaching for the phone to clarify
another question for the customer in Qatar, he looks out the
window over high-rise buildings shining in the sun. “Dubai
is an ideal location to understand the region and supply it with
products in the best way possible. The direct contact with
our customers motivates us, allowing us to continue to grow
in the future as well.”
GLOBAL VISION
ON ASSIGNMENT
01
01 The location in Dubai is considered
one of the global growth markets.
02 Special expertise in the free trade
zone: The HMEA team.
03 Most of the HELLA products sold in
Dubai are used in off-road vehicles.
02
03
33
Recipe for success:
A multinational team in a
globalized market
Three questions for Torben Petersen, Managing Director
of HELLA Middle East, Dubai.
Mr. Petersen, people from nine different countries work
in your 17-person team. What are the benefits that come
from this structure?
We are active in a country that lives off internationality to a
high degree. In the free-trade zone where we have our of­
fice, there are companies from various industries and prob­
ably every country on earth. In our building alone, we have
five different restaurants that cover all tastes, ranging from
Indian, Lebanese, and Japanese cuisine to a simple sand­
wich. Our team reflects this diversity. And variety has many
advantages.
What are the challenges of managing a multinational
team in which, for instance, Lebanese work together with
Indians, Filipinos, Syrians and Germans?
You forgot a Dane: me (Petersen laughs). For starters, it is a
lot of fun because I get to work with a very wide variety of
34
characters and mindsets. It is not just about origin, but also
religious affiliation, for example. We work with Muslims,
Hindus and Christians, and we respect all of their traditions.
In greater detail, this means that we have set up our
non-working days to the holidays of the state religion, Islam.
However, we also incorporate the needs of Christians on
Christmas and Easter, for example.
How have you organized the working life?
In some comparable companies, there are hierarchies based
primarily on nationality. This is not a factor here. We are
all equal colleagues and pay attention to performance and the
position, not skin color, religion or nationality. This also
means that we treat each other very respectfully, even when
there are conflicts.
GLOBAL VISION
OVERVIEW / BUSINESS SEGMENT AFTERMARKET
32
countries are home to locations in
our global Aftermarket sales network.
> 40,000
items are encompassed in the line of
products from HELLA in the Aftermarket
business division.
TOP 3
in the independent automotive parts aftermarket in Europe: Our
wholesale business makes us one of the top international suppliers. *
Segment sales in the business segment Aftermarket (in € millions):
2012 / 2013
2013 / 2014
2014 / 2015
1,129
1,144
1,187
In the Aftermarket business segment, HELLA has one of Europe’s largest retail organizations for automotive parts. We sell more than 40,000 spare and wear
parts and accessories for wholesalers and independent garages. The range is focused on lighting, electrical and electronic equipment, thermal management,
diagnostics and garage equipment. It has experienced rapid growth due to joint ventures and other opportunities. This includes Hella Pagid, a supplier of
brake products, and Behr Hella Service, which specializes in sales of cooling and air conditioning spare parts. Hella Gutmann Solutions manufactures
diagnostic tools and other garage equipment. HELLA also features a customer-oriented line of service concepts, a global sales network and marketing and
technical support for garages and wholesale.
* Based on a market study commissioned by HELLA
for selected product groups by sales volume.
A BRILLIANT CHOICE
SPECIAL APPLICATIONS The future of light is LED.
This bold statement has already proven true in a wide variety
of areas at HELLA. A glimpse into the business areas of
agri­culture, filling stations, emergency vehicles and supermarkets illustrates where cost-effective, brilliant and
energy-efficient LEDs are used.
01
01 Products for agricultural machines are in high demand.
02 For agriculture, HELLA offers headlamps
in a variety of luminous intensity levels.
03 HELLA also provides good visibility at filling stations.
02
The scene created by a field freshly plowed a few days ago
can seem spooky, even otherworldly. Shortly after 9:30 on a
Wednesday evening, a bright blue strip of light just under
twelve meters (40 feet) wide appears suddenly out of the dark­
ness. As the machine comes closer, a set of two dozen
headlamps seems to become more visible as the uniform illu­
mination from the lights spreads across the field. Until the
tractor stops relatively close to the viewer and reveals a sur­
prise. All of the bright light is coming from just two work­
lights. They shine through the liquid fertilizer being sprayed
straight out of the jet attachment with pin-point precision.
“The device is equipped with two LED headlamps with a
special integrated blue lens,” explains Markus Kirchner.
38
“The farmer can tell the shape of the spray cone with great
precision, making it possible to avoid applying too much
fertilizer, for example.” Kirchner, who is in charge of the Ag­
riculture target group at HELLA, knows exactly what is
crucial. The HELLA product range now includes over a dozen
LED worklights for different applications and with various
levels of luminous intensity. The trend is seeing a sharp rise
because LED technology is currently enjoying high demand
in the agricultural sector.
That’s not all. Across all business areas, HELLA is expand­
ing its research and development activities in the area of
LED technology. Due to the drop in prices in semiconductor
light sources, the technology has received an enormous
GLOBAL VISION
A BRILLIANT CHOICE
03
boost, particularly in the last two to three years. Suitable
applications can now be found in virtually every area, whether
they be filling stations and supermarkets (which HELLA
serves in the Industries business area) or solutions for police
and fire vehicles and ambulances.
headlamps drops a mere 3.7 amperes. At the same time,
the design life is significantly longer than for xenon or halo­
gen headlights. HELLA calculates it at about 60,000
hours of maintenance-free operation – equal to the service
life of a tractor.
But let’s get back to agriculture for a bit. HELLA mostly deals
with retrofitting older agriculture and forestry machinery.
“We’ve created customized solutions for all commonly used
models,” Kirchner explains. The advantages are clear. Gas
consumption, an important factor in agriculture, decreases
due to the lower amount of energy consumed. Less load is
placed on the alternator of the tractor. Once LED technology
is retrofitted, the twelve amperes drawn by four halogen
Kirchner provides yet another argument for LEDs. “Farmers and agricultural contractors have very short time
windows for certain phases of harvest, fertilizing or ground
preparation.” This is especially true if, for example, it
rains practically the entire summer or a very early frost hits,“
he explains. “They have to make good use of scarce
time, working around the clock in some cases. They need
our lights to do so.”
39
Good light for filling up
HELLA colleagues from the Industries business area serve a
completely different market. Since 2011, they have offered
light solutions for filling stations. “Since the beginning, we
have equipped 1,000 independent filling stations belonging
to the German ’Bundesverband freier Tankstellen (bft)’ trade
organization,” reports Raimondo Baiamonte, Sales Expert
for Filling Station Lighting.
As the Key Account Manager relates, entering this market
required some preparation. “We first had to create an ex­
ample application where we could showcase our technolo­
gies.” The result was a modular system in which the LED
lighting modules can be replaced without using any tools.
“Filling station operators place great value on good illu­
mination, and to them, ‘good’ means uniform. We can ex­
ceed customers’ expectations in this area while also saving energy,” Baiamonte says. Where previously 250 watts
per light spot were required, the LEDs need just 50 watts.
Shortly afterwards, HELLA gained another important cus­
tomer in a major invitation to tender: Aral’s central purchas­
ing. Aral is a brand of filling stations in German-speaking
countries that is part of the BP Group. The company is now
outfitting Aral filling stations in Germany and Austria with
efficient LED lighting. “The outstanding simplicity, robustness,
leak-proof performance and efficiency of our system won
the customer over,” explains Christoph Neumann, Product
Manager for Industrial Lighting. As part of a planned cam­
paign coordinated with a variety of installation companies,
some 670 Aral filling station roofs were equipped with
HELLA LED attachment lights in late Fall 2014.
The contract involves work such as illuminating the roof of the
filling station. HELLA designed a unique solution for this
application. Instead of separate lamps that previously shined
on the blue vehicle barrier, HELLA provides the perfect lighting for the entire pump area using LEDs and optics specially
designed to meet Aral’s wants and needs. “We made full
use of our expertise in light distribution,” Neumann says. And
he has the impressive numbers to prove it. “We reduced
the power consumption from a total of about 2,250 watts to
just 450, while increasing the light quality and attractiveness from a marketing standpoint.” This means an 80 percent
savings per filling station.
40
On duty with the men and women in blue
Changing the scene from Germany to England, the benefits
that LED technology provides in highly specialized situa­
tions are on display on the other side of the English Channel.
When police vehicles in England secure the scene of an
accident on a motorway, they can switch off the rear blue
light at the press of a button. This avoids unnecessarily
distracting drivers on the other side of the road. “The rotat­
ing halogen mirrors we typically used before did not let
us restrict the signal beam to certain areas,” relates Target
Group Manager Thomas Dumin. Dumin, who acts as an
interface between market, sales and technology experts, is
the HELLA official responsible for equipping vehicles that
are subject to highly specialized requirements: fire trucks,
ambulances and police vehicles.
He has many years of experience with these customers and
their particular requirements. The first emergency vehicle
strobe light/signal combination (called “Rundumtonkom­bi­
nation” in German or RTK for short) came on the market in
1972. In this design, the blue light and audible signal are in­
stalled in a rooftop strip. HELLA is now in the seventh gen­
eration of emergency vehicle signals. The company makes the
critical beacons for these signal systems itself, investing a
great amount of expertise into the software and control system.
Demand is growing especially quickly in Europe, HELLA’s
core market. “The LEDs are getting better and better all the
time, and we’re adapting the modules continuously,” em­
phasizes Dumin. “This broadens the range of solutions we can
offer at great prices.” As in the other fields of application,
the advantages can be plainly seen. The lamps are durable, de­
pendable and save energy. Another benefit is that unlike
halogen rotating lights, the LED versions have no mechanical
parts, which also increases the lifetime of the system.
Brilliant shopping experience
From the street to the store, HELLA is now equipping some
locations of Jibi, a German supermarket chain. Jibi is switch­
ing to LEDs across the board, including everything from the
parking lot to the shelves to the warehouse. “Our technology
is used to present goods in the best light,” says Max Telg­
kamp, Product Manager in the HELLA Industries business area.
“The light is uniform and does not emphasize individual prod­
ucts, but creates a uniform shopping experience.”
GLOBAL VISION
A BRILLIANT CHOICE
Equipping fire department vehicles, ambulances and police vehicles with special
signaling systems imposes special requirements on the LED technology.
41
A brilliant shopping experience: For optimum presentation of their goods,
supermarket chains use HELLA LED lighting.
The Jibi store in Steinhagen, Germany, was the start of a
long business relationship. “We are now the key supplier
and will convert three or four stores a year to start.” Based
on an initial “reference supermarket,” Telgkamp and his
team have defined all of the steps in conjunction with Jibi
officials. This includes the light planning, type of optics,
height of installation and desired light distribution. The re­
lationship with the customer dates back to 2012. “The
generation of LEDs available at that time finally met our re­
quirements, both in terms of technology and price,” Telg­
kamp explains. The solution we reached together is saving
Jibi a great deal of electricity. In a well-lit supermarket,
this factor is not to be overlooked. After the conversion, the
costs for illumination decrease by over 50 percent.
42
The LEDs replace the typical neon tubes that were used
with reflectors to illuminate the products. The HELLA solu­
tion has a modular structure. When new, high-perfor­
mance LEDs hit the market, the system can be brought up
to the state of the art quickly and easily.
The HELLA IL2 PLUS LED light line system works with special
optics that provide some light to the aisle while showcasing the groceries in soft yet bright light. The LED modules,
including the ballasts, were developed and produced in
Lippstadt. “Throughout the process, we worked closely with
Jibi to find the best solution,” Telgkamp says. After gaining
initial customers in this area, HELLA is now making the pitch
to other supermarket chains. “We’ve learned a lot and will
continue to expand our expertise here.”
GLOBAL VISION
OVERVIEW / BUSINESS SEGMENT SPECIAL APPLICATIONS
29%
of sales in the Special Original
Equipment business is due to the
high demand for LED products.
135,900
LED street lights from HELLA have been
installed throughout the world.
6
development sites in Denmark, Germany,
Finland, India, New Zealand and Austria
ensure innovative solutions in the Special
Applications area.
Segment sales in the business segment Special Applications:
344
2012 / 2013
346
2013 / 2014
2014 / 2015
310
The Special Applications business segment expands HELLA’s automotive core business to other branches of industry. We offer product solutions in Special
Original Equipment (SOE) for manufacturers of special vehicles such as buses, caravans and agricultural and construction vehicles. We also supply
innovative solution approaches for the areas of street, airport, interior and industry lighting by transfering our superior expertise from the Automotive
segment to these customer target groups. For example, we developed products such as the first design-oriented trailer headlamp with LED light guides
and Eco Streetline, the innovative LED street lighting family. In Germany alone, 120 cities are equipped with our LED street lights. The sturdiness and
durability of LED technology is also valued internationally. Around the world, 135,900 HELLA LED streetlights are installed.
IDEAS FOR TOMORROW
The HELLA idea competition “Driving e-nnovation” has gathered 140 fresh ideas for
new products, with the best ones now going into pre-development. The ideas come
from the employees. About 1,000 employees from all of our locations throughout the
world have participated in projects as part of spontaneously assembled teams that
are highly motivated and innovative.
01
02
New sensors for driver assistance systems, a component for
thermal management, products that provide an inexpensive replacement for fuses, and an advanced idea for trans­
mitting data wirelessly. These are just some of the ideas
that the 60 HELLA employees seated in a bright conference
room at the Hockenheimring racetrack have to digest in a
very short time. While the thunder of amped-up sports cars
rolls outside, the critical phase of “Driving e-nnovation”
is underway in the conference room. In the in-house innova­
tion competition, ten teams present their concepts for five
minutes each.
At the end of the day, the results are ten highly varied inno­
vations with completely different degrees of maturity. A
good crop, selected from among approximately 140 submis­
sions from HELLA teams around the world. “We couldn’t
be happier with the results,” says Carsten Kügeler, who works
in the department “Advanced Engineering Projects” at
HELLA and set up the competition with a Belgium-based
46
agency. This is also evident on the evening of the awards cer­
emony. Everyone present looks on with satisfaction when
Man­aging General Partner Dr. Jürgen Behrend proudly pres­
ents the winners. This includes those who did not make
the final round. After all, they had made it to the final selection
from about 1,000 employees from China, India, the United
States, Romania and Germany.
“Driving e-nnovation” shows how HELLA is preparing for the
future. Of course, the company has an innovative product
portfolio that works well. At the same time, however, require­
ments are changing, new markets are coming into being,
and trends are changing at an ever-faster pace. “In addition
to ongoing development, we have to look further into the
future,” Kügeler says. The competition was not focused on
improving internal processes or introducing a new gen­
eration of existing products. “We are aiming for an innovation
horizon of five to ten years.” The competition has met this
goal. Outside of everyday business, the company’s creative
GLOBAL VISION
IDEAS FOR TOMORROW
03
04
01/04 Participants listen to the other
teams’ presentations with interest.
02 Racecars on the test drive track lend
a sporty note to the event.
03 Jury member Dr. Breidenbach in
conversation with the innovation teams.
minds thought up new products and processes – outside the
box, but ultimately highly practical. “Each project was
judged for its usability and cost-efficiency,” Kügeler explains.
“We had a huge bandwidth of ideas. Some of the products
suggested by our colleagues barely have a link to our current
portfolio, but could be implemented using our expertise,”
says Kügeler, who holds a doctorate in electrical engineering.
“Some of the ideas modify existing products for new mar­
kets and their requirements.”
The competition was a lot of work for everyone. The person
with the idea had to use the corresponding Internet platform to assemble a team, including experts from finance,
development and marketing, for example. He or she also
presented the idea virtually in four rounds, with the idea be­
ing evaluated immediately. The means was money: Each
registered employee also simultaneously acted as an inves­
tor, who could distribute a budget of 1,000 virtual euros to
projects he or she found most promising. To this were added
130 invited investors, each of whom had 25,000 euros
available. “Simply stating the idea was not enough. It had to
be fleshed out with important factors such as a technical
description, potential sales markets and a cost structure,”
Kügeler explains.
About 50 ideas were then evaluated by a jury made up of
members of the Management Board and the management of
the Electronics department. They selected the ten best,
which were presented at the event in Hockenheim. By the way,
the prizes for the winners were highly attractive in two
respects. As Kügeler explains, the winning team flew to the
SEMA Auto Show in Las Vegas, putting its project into
predevel­opment, just like the second-place and third-place
winners. “We’re very excited to see the results. We expect
that some products will make it to market launch and some
ideas will be integrated into development. Thus we have
reached our goals across the board.”
47
HITTING
THE MARK
Our employees are the foundation of our success.
They develop and manufacture the products, they
know the markets and regions – and they have
their own visions for their work and the company.
Nine of these women and men tell us what
“global vision” means to them.
48
GLOBAL VISION
HITTING THE MARK
»I work in production and I know how important my job is. Together with all
of our colleagues, no matter their function, we are working on creating
the present and future of HELLA. We play an important role in making our
multinational company stronger and more innovative.«
Huang Jing, Production Employee for Optical Inspection of Printed Circuit Boards in Shanghai, China
49
»Meeting colleagues from all over the globe, such as Mexico or China, is what
really interests me. It requires openness and tolerance to get to know
different nationalities and working methods. That works really well at HELLA.
And that’s how we can complete global projects successfully as a team.«
Romana Švecová, Project Coordinator in Sales, Mohelnice, Czech Republic
50
GLOBAL VISION
HITTING THE MARK
»HELLA is a company that has pursued its goals with vision and sustainability
for over 115 years. The understanding of the needs of our customers as
well as the conversion of business opportunities into stable business connec­
tions are fundamental contributions of HELLA’s distribution and marketing organization in the spirit of sustainability with a global vision, both in the
short-term and long-term.«
Dr. Matthias Schöllmann, Managing Director for the OE Sales & Marketing business division, Lippstadt, Germany
51
»Quality, efficiency and responsibility are the three pillars upon which we have
built our Corporate Center in Romania. We want to achieve outstanding
results. And, as part of the HELLA family, we want to pass this approach on
to future generations of employees.«
Mirabela Chera, Head of the HELLA Corporate Center, Timisoara, Romania
52
GLOBAL VISION
HITTING THE MARK
»I enjoy my work, even when we frequently have to work at full steam to
achieve our goals. But we always manage. And that’s how we make a
contribution to the company and, ultimately, to ourselves. Because we can
increase our salary by achieving high production numbers and taking part
in training courses.«
Martha Lucia Soto Ibarra, Production Employee for Plastic Injection Molding in Guadalajara, Mexico
53
»Our goal for the company and our employees is clearly defined.
We want to follow a sustainable strategy, but simultaneously
keep our eyes on current developments. We regularly reflect on
our plans and actions, and update them whenever needed. For
this balancing act we need a lot of flexibility but also persistence
and assertiveness.«
Marco Gräsler, Head of Scheduling in the Lighting Electronics business division
(LED modules and headlamp leveling actuators) in Recklinghausen, Germany
54
GLOBAL VISION
HITTING THE MARK
»For me, there are two dimensions to the idea of working with an eye to the
future. We have to have the ability to recognize social and economical
trends as well as innovative technologies. And we – as individuals and as a
corporate unit – also have to have the guts to turn our vision into concrete
products and processes.«
Dr. Michaela Schäfer, Head of the Group Office in Lippstadt, Germany
55
»In India every four minutes a person dies on the streets. We
want to contribute to lowering the number of fatal car accidents
through our work and products that increase safety. This is a
big project that unites us all. It motivates my colleagues and me
to continue striving towards our goals in earnest and in a res­
ponsible way.«
Kamlesh Kaur, Technician in Assembly Line Production in Derabassi, India
56
GLOBAL VISION
HITTING THE MARK
»We as the management have to ensure that visionary ideas
and concepts in our company are transparent to our employees
and realizable. The needs of our customers must be met and
challenges must be overcome. And we have to lay the groundwork to make that possible.«
Steve Lietaert, Managing Director of the HELLA Corporate Center in Plymouth, MI in the United States
57
GLOBAL
118
Locations worldwide. The globalization
strategy of the family-owned company
ensures a stable course of growth.
5.8
billion €
Sales. The upward trend
continues: Sales have quadrupled
in the last 20 years.
JOINT VENTURES
Behr Hella Service
Germany Sales and marketing for products such
as vehicle air conditioning and engine cooling in the
independent aftermarket
Beijing Samlip Automotive Lighting
China Production and sales of headlamps, rear
lamps and signal lamps for customers in China
Behr-Hella Thermocontrol
Germany Design, development and production of
climate control units for vehicle air conditioning
Changchun Hella Faway Automotive Lighting
China Development, production and sales of lighting
systems as well as integration of electronic parts
and control units in headlamps
Beijing Hella BHAP Automotive Lighting
China Development, production and marketing of
headlamps and rear lamps for the Chinese market
Germany Design, development, production and
sales of complex front-end modules
HBPO
Hella Pagid
Germany Sales and marketing of a wide braking
portfolio and braking components such as wear
parts and brake fluids
58
HSL Electronics Corporation
South Korea Production of lighting electronics,
products for energy management and various
components such as intelligent battery sensors
and accelerators pedals
InnoSenT
Germany Development, production and sales of
innovative radar technology for driver assistance
systems
Mando Hella Electronics
South Korea Development, production and sales
of chassis systems, vehicle electronics and driver
assistance systems for more road safety and comfort
1899
The beginning. On June 11 Sally Windmüller
founded „Die Westfälische Metall-Industrie
Aktien-Gesellschaft“ (The Westphalian Metal
Industry Company) in Lippstadt, Germany.
39
countries. HELLA has it’s presence in
39 countries and unites members of staff
from all around the world. The logical
consequence is that English has become
our common corporate language.
176
Patent registrations during the last
fiscal year prove our innovative
strength. Therefore, we rank among the
top international suppliers.
GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT, PRODUCTION AND SALES LOCATIONS
NORTH AND SOUTH AMERICA
EUROPE
Austria
Belgium
BosniaHerzegownia
Czech Republic
Denmark
Finland
France
Germany
LEGEND
Sales
Greece
Hungary
Ireland
Italy
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Romania Russia
Production
Brazil
Slovakia
Slovenia
Mexico
Spain
USA Switzerland
The Netherlands Turkey
United Kingdom Development
ASIA, PACIFIC, SOUTH AFRICA
Australia
China
Dubai
India
Japan
New Zealand
Singapore
South Africa
South Korea
Thailand
The Philippines
Vietnam
HELLA KGaA Hueck & Co.
Rixbecker Straße 75
59552 Lippstadt /Germany
Phone+ 49 2941 38-0
Fax+ 49 2941 38-7133
info@hella.com
www.hella.com
© HELLA KGaA Hueck & Co., Lippstadt/Germany
9Z0 999 137-161
Printed in Germany