Valeo is taking part in the IAA Commercial Vehicles show in Hannover with its latest innovations that provide optimal safety, enhanced driving comfort and greater energy efficiency. The group offers solutions that reduce the consumption of internal combustion engines, as well as the weight and energy use of components, and systems for hybrid and electric vehicles.
Attendees will have a chance to discover Valeo’s latest connected innovations, at the Valeo booth in Hall 16 (Booth A31). These include the 48 V hybrid solutions designed to significantly improve fuel economy, the Active Grille Shutters, a system which closes the radiator grille located at the front of the vehicle when the cooling system does not work at its full capacity, or for better aerodynamics, and Sightstream®, a camera monitoring system to replace mirrors that will undoubtedly offer new styling and aerodynamics potential to the commercial vehicle market.
Valeo is a major player in the global automotive industry and ranks among the world’s top automotive suppliers. As a technology company, Valeo is fully focused on the design, production and sale of components, integrated systems and modules for the car and truck industry in both the original equipment and replacement segments.
Valeo’s solutions for the commercial vehicles market: an offensive strategy
Between 2015 and 2025, the commercial vehicles market is expected to grow not only in terms of production (a 5.5% compound annual growth rate) but also in terms of value (a 10% compound annual growth rate). This trend represents a great opportunity for Valeo, which is gaining towards leading positions in commercial vehicle technologies such as clutches, wipers and electrical systems. To meet this increasing demand, Valeo has developed a strategy based on a two-fold dynamic: innovation and acquisition.
Innovation: Valeo’s driving force
Focused on CO2 emissions reduction and intuitive driving, innovation forms the first driving force of Valeo’s strategy. The vast resources engaged by the group to remain at the cutting edge of technology are testament to this strategic focus. Valeo is engaged in over 2,500 projects with vehicle makers worldwide and can rely on the commitment of 12,000 engineers and technicians working at 19 research centres and 35 development centres across the world. Equally impressive is Valeo’s financial investment, with more than 1.3 billion euros invested in Research and Development in 2015.
The group has also diversified its sources of inspiration through open innovation, forming partnerships with universities, laboratories, major industrial groups and promising start-ups so that innovation can be defined through constant interaction with customers and consumers. The entire innovation strategy is aimed at one goal, anticipate driver and fleet owners preferences before anyone else.
That’s why Valeo has often been a pioneer and is now better placed than ever to continue leading the way, including in the commercial vehicles market, designed to take into account fuel saving issues, safety and intuitive driving. The group’s technological solutions are perfectly suited to tackle the challenge of the commercial vehicles market, optimizing mobility management while increasing driver comfort.
Strategic acquisitions and partnerships for future success
Valeo maintains a constant global innovation watch and works with a range of partners in the commercial vehicle market to ensure flexible innovation and consolidate its technological expertise. In particular, Valeo acquired Spheros, the worldwide leader in air conditioning systems for buses in April 2016.
Spheros (now Valeo’s Thermal Bus Systems Product Group) leverages its technological leadership to supply air conditioning systems to all the main bus manufacturers and major fleet operators. It has a leading market position in Europe (36%), North America (20%), India (27%) and Latin America (26%), thanks to a worldwide sales network and a vast industrial footprint, with plants in Germany, Finland, Turkey, the United States, Brazil, China and India.
This acquisition will allow Valeo to extend its thermal management activities to the vibrant bus market, which is expected to grow by more than 5% annually over the coming years, driven by the expansion of public transportation throughout the world. Moreover, this acquisition offers great potential synergy for both Valeo and Spheros regarding hybrid and electric applications: innovative air conditioning components, newly developed control software and the “Spheros Body Interface” which provides for the first time an interface for analysis values and system feedback.