Brose is modernizing premises
(01/2001). With its greatest modernization and restructuring program in the company’s history, the Brose Group is preparing to expand even further its leading position on the world market as a supplier of the automotive industry for window regulators, seat adjustment and door systems.
By the end of 2002 fundamental modernization work will have been carried out on all the premises at the location of Coburg. They will have been adapted to the new CD appearance of the Group, too. In doing this, Brose will also be making a contribution to the further development of the townscape in the south of Coburg. A corporate multi-storey car park in Hausmann Street will keep the surrounding traffic routes free of parked cars to the greatest possible extent. The Art Nouveau building ensemble in Ketschendorf Street is also being restored and so are the historical industrial buildings in the works grounds. In the autumn of 2002, the town of Coburg plans to begin construction work on new traffic routing via Bamberg Street and von-Schultes-Street in connection with a roundabout on the south approach road to Coburg. On completion of this, there will be far less traffic congestion in Ketschendorf Street and, in total, this whole area of the town will clearly be very much upvalued.
The research and development center of the business divisions of window regulators and seat adjusters in von-Schultes-Street, where 400 Brose employees will work in future, sets high standards as regards architectural and building technologies. The modern design of its façade reflects functionality, transparency and economy. These are characteristics, which are further seen inside the building in the color scheme of metallic, white, gray and anthracite tones, in the masoned cast stone, in the wood and stainless steel, all an expression of the new corporate design.
Wolfgang Kirschner, leader of the Central Works Planning, says: "A special challenge in Coburg for the planners was the task to create, on the one hand, spatial proximity between the workshops and the administration and, on the other hand, to guarantee a highly flexible use of space:" The structure and architecture of the building are designed to make it possible to have even better communication between cross-functional teams and to ensure an uncomplicated adjustment to ever-changing projects.
In the course of the modernization steps in Coburg and extension investments in Hallstadt, Brose has undergone a restructuring process as well. Both locations in Upper Franconia have been built up into competence centers with central functions for the whole group. Coburg will be the base for the business divisions of window regulators and seat adjustments as well as group central functions like development. The business division of door systems and the new central area of electrics/electronics will be based in Hallstadt. This change in the structure means about 300 employees will move from Coburg to Hallstadt.
The "New Brose Working World" with its far-reaching changes in the administrative organization creates the pre-conditions for a further increase in efficiency. In spite of its extraordinary expansion the Brose Group nevertheless intends to remain lean and flexible in order to be able to expand its competitive position in the face of mega suppliers. By 2006 the annual business volume of the Group is planned to increase from the present DM2.75 billion to at least DM4 billion. Two new orders for door systems will contribute to this growth generating a turnover of DM700 million per year. The Brose Group now supplies systems for vehicle doors and seats to more than 40 automotive producers directly or via leading seat manufacturers. There are approximately 5,000 employees at 15 locations in Europe, North and South America, Asia and Africa engaged in the production and the development of window regulators, door systems and seat adjustments. In the last four years alone Brose’s rapid rate of growth made it possible to create 1,600 new jobs worldwide.
