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MECHATRONICS CENTER
Live wires
Electric drives and electronic controls for mechanical compo-
nents are the basis of most automotive innovations – including
rear lids, parking brakes and convertible roof systems. In
Remscheid, Edscha is therefore about to set up a Mechatronics
Center in the still-young business year 2003
|
2004. The Center
is to serve as interface between the Hinge Systems, Converti-
ble Roof Systems and Driver Controls divisions, to the elec-
trics and electronics experts at IVM Automotive, and not least
to suppliers and customers. Its tasks are to test motors, gears
or electronic components and to qualify them for Edscha
applications, to integrate them with mechanical components
into fully functional units, to initiate and support
cooperation with specialists, and to monitor
customer projects. To accomplish these tasks, the
Mechatronics Center will have full access to the
Edscha Group’s testing stations for entire vehi-
cles, special measuring equipment, and test
benches for components.
JAPAN
Edscha-Ohi growing
The joint venture of the Edscha Group established in January
2003 in the Japanese city of Yokohama is developing at a rapid
pace. Though initially the joint venture with the local hinge
manufacturer Ohi Seisakusho Co., Ltd., only targeted the
development and sale of hinge systems, as of 1 July, Edscha-
Ohi Co., Ltd., has appreciably widened its scope of business:
now it also looks after the interests of the Convertible Roof
Systems and Driver Controls divisions in Japan – this is the
first step by these divisions into the world’s third largest car
manufacturing country. The workforce of the joint venture is
growing to keep pace with the tasks: Edscha-Ohi currently
employs eight people; in
the business year
2003
|
2004 which has just
commenced it is planned
to take on another three
employees in Sales, Design
and Quality Assurance.
NEW JOINT VENTURE IN CHINA
Edscha goes East
Anhui Edscha Automotive Parts Co.
Ltd. (AEA) is the Hinge Systems divi-
sion’s response to the booming Chinese
automotive market.
Since mid-June, Edscha AG has been
running a second joint production ven-
ture (50:50) with AEA in Hefei in
Anhui province. Shanghai Edscha
Machinery Co. Ltd. (SEM), the first
joint venture of the Group in China, has
grown so fast since it was founded in
1994 that it will soon reach the limits of
its capacity. At present, SEM produces
easily six million hinges and door
checks annually, thus serving around 30
percent of the Chinese market for pas-
senger car hinge systems. With the new
joint venture this market share passes
the 50 percent mark.
AEA is located around 450 kilome-
ters west of Shanghai in the vicinity of
major automobile plants. Under the
name Jiang Nan, the factory previously
was one of the principal competitors in
the regional market for door hinges and
was not privatized until early 2003. The
technological strength and worldwide
presence of the Edscha Group persua-
ded the new owners to serve the Chi-
nese market jointly with Edscha in fu-
ture. AEA currently supplies almost five
million hinges and door checks annu-
ally, mainly to Volkswagen and General
Motors.
Processes and product quality will
soon reach Edscha standard, and output
and sales will thereafter grow by at least
20 percent annually. AEA will then also
supply other Asian markets, including
the Japanese joint development and
sales venture Edscha-Ohi Co., Ltd., in
Yokohama, launched in January 2003.
In the medium term, AEA will addi-
tionally manufacture pedal boxes and
parking brakes for the Driver Controls
division.
The Edscha Hinge Systems business
division, producer of some 250 million
hinges annually, with 19 production
facilities in 13 countries, is the world’s
leading supplier of hinges to the auto-
mobile industry.
Chinese employees at AEA familiarize them-
selves with Edscha products