NEWS


Mutares expands in automotive


Private equity firm Mutares has acquired Fischer Automotive Systems from Fischerwerke.


It says this will strength- en its automotive and mobility segment. The transaction is expected to be finished by the end of July 2024 and is subject to regulatory approvals. Fischer Automotive develops, produces and sells kinematic compo- nents for vehicle interiors and exteriors, such as air vents, storage compart- ments, cup holders and electrically operated tailgates. It manufactures and develops these at its headquarters in Horb am Neckar, Germany.


It also has plants in the


Czech Republic, Serbia, China and the USA, giving it a global presence in the automotive industry. With around 1,200 employees, it generated revenues of €166 million in 2023. This is the company’s seventh acquisition this year. �www.mutares.com


Viteq boosts automotive output


Automotive interior and exterior parts manufacturer Vuteq Canada is to expand manufacturing at its facility in Woodstock, Ontario. It will install new injection moulding machines,


collaborative robots and camera systems that use artificial intelligence, at a cost of around $40 million. The project is supported by $5 million in funding from Ontario’s Regional


Development Program (RDP) and will create 145 new jobs. Vuteq is one of four companies investing in the local area. �www.vuteq.ca


Recycled nylon design wins award from SPE


An air intake manifold made of Renycle – a recycled polyamide from Radici – has won a Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) award. The component, designed and manufactured by Marelli, must meet stringent performance requirements including high burst pressure, pressure pulsation and prolonged vibration tests subjected to thermal cycles and thermal shocks. Particular attention was


6 INJECTION WORLD | July/August 2024


paid to NVH (Noise Vibration Harsh- ness) analysis to ensure acoustic performance in line with the other materials used today. In developing Renycle, Radici


worked to optimise its performance and maximise the environmental benefits – such as reducing CO2 emissions by more than 70%. “It is a great satisfaction for us to be recognized by the Society of Plastics


Engineers,” pointed out Erico Spini, Global Marketing Director of Radici- Group High Performance Polymers. “This award recognises our teamwork with Marelli,” said Erico Spini, global marketing director of high-perfor- mance polymers at Radici. “We hope this application can give impetus to new initiatives fostering sustainable mobility.” �www.radicigroup.com


www.injectionworld.com


Forvia Hella to cut 420 jobs at Lippstadt plant


Automotive lighting specialist Forvia Hella is to make changes at its produc- tion plant in Lippstadt in Germany – including shrinking the workforce. As well as cutting around


420 staff – which will happen between now and 2026 – it will move production towards its most innovative headlamp technologies. Production of other tech- nologies will be shifted to other plants. The company said that “fundamental” changes in the European market such as lower vehicle production, high costs and changing customer and supplier structures had led to the decision.


The company expects these conditions to continue in the longer term.


“It has not been possible to lift the plant to a competi-


tive level,” according to Yves Andres, managing director of lighting at Forvia Hella. “We are no longer able to generate sufficient profitable new business for the plant.” In response, it plans to specialise production, increase productivity and reduce cost. “Specialisation is part of our general strategy, to gradually focus lighting plants worldwide on one product group,” according to Andres. “This will allow us to increase the quantities produced per line and improve the competitive- ness of our production through economies of scale.” �www.hella.com


IMAGE: FORVIA HELLA


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