Brose also successful in the year 2001

Coburg/Hallstadt (12/2001). The Brose corporate group has continued to grow in the year 2001. The consolidated turnover will increase this year by 6% to 1.5 billion euros. Brose develops and produces adjuster systems for vehicle doors and seats.

In 2001 Brose has profited, in particular, from the growth of the foreign companies in Shanghai/China and St. Margarida/Spain. Brose is represented worldwide at a total of 19 locations. About 80% of the business volume is achieved in the five European plants.

For the business division of window regulators, turnover figures amounting to 718 million euros represent an increase of 6% over the previous year. The door system’s turnover rose by 8% to about 500 million euros. With 255 million euros the seat adjuster business division reached the level it achieved in 2000.

Compared to the previous year, the number of employees remained constant at 4,800 in the year 2001. There are 3,200 employees working in Germany, 800 in European countries outside Germany and about 800 overseas.

Research and Development, Investments
In the current year, Brose has invested nearly 70 million euros worldwide in buildings and new manufacturing facilities. With 50 million euros the main focus has been very much on expanding the locations of Coburg and Hallstadt as well as the worldwide introduction of the SAP system R3.

The highlight of the year was the delivery of the first door systems for the pre-series of the new all-terrain vehicle from VW and Porsche. The joint platform of the new luxury offroader is to be produced in the Slovakian plant of Bratislava. “From the beginning of 2002 onwards, Brose will start series production there for both of the car models with 125 employees at the industrial estate located in close proximity to Volkswagen”, says Michael Stoschek, CEO of Brose Fahrzeugteile GmbH und Co.KG. He continues: “Underlining our competence and market position as a system integrator, the new door concept integrates, in addition to the window regulator, door electronics, wire harness, loudspeaker and lock, the door frame, the glass and the door seals. We have therefore already come very close to taking on responsibility for the complete door.”

USA/Asia
There has been a drop of about 10 percent in the delivery call-ups of our customers in the USA in 2001. This has been due to the weak economic development since the beginning of the year. Uncertainty about the economy, caused by the terror strikes on 11th September, has, on the other hand, not had such a serious effect as initially feared.

At the beginning of December, Brose set up a joint venture with the Shiroki Corporation, the Japanese market leader in window regulators and seat adjusters, to supply Japanese automobile manufacturers. In future, the German-Japanese joint venture, in which both partners have a share of 50%, is to set up production in close proximity to Japanese automobile manufacturers. From 2005/2006 onwards, business with window regulators, door systems and seat adjusters is planned to the value of 100 million euros in total.

Forecast
With a worldwide decline of 7% in vehicle production and despite production starts for various new products, the corporate group anticipates, for the business year 2002, a business volume slightly below the previous year’s level. Double-digit growth is expected again from 2003 onwards.

In the next year, there will be about 100 new jobs created abroad. At present, Brose has 30 positions vacant in Germany for qualified graduates.