Mahle GmbH

Last updated

MAHLE GmbH
Company type GmbH
Industry Automotive
Founded1 December 1920;103 years ago (1920-12-01)
FounderHermann Mahle
Headquarters
Stuttgart
,
Germany
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Arnd Franz
(Chairman and CEO)
Products Automotive parts
Revenue€12.4 billion (2022) [1]
Number of employees
71,947 (2022) [1]
Website www.mahle.com

MAHLE GmbH is a German automotive parts manufacturer based in Stuttgart, Germany. It is one of the largest automotive suppliers worldwide. [2] As a manufacturer of components and systems for the combustion engine and its periphery, the company is one of the three largest systems suppliers worldwide for engine systems, filtration, electrics, mechatronics, and thermal management. [3] In 2018, Mahle's sales amounted to over €12.5 billion. [1]

Contents

Mahle headquarters in Bad Cannstatt MAHLE Hauptverwaltung Stuttgart.png
Mahle headquarters in Bad Cannstatt

As of 2022, its approximately 72,000 employees work in 152 production plants and 12 major research and development centers in Germany, Great Britain, the United States, Brazil, Japan, China, India, Poland, Spain, and Slovenia. Worldwide, over 6000 development engineers and technicians work as partners for Mahle's customers on new products and systems. [1]

History

Formation

In 1920, engineer and pilot Hellmuth Hirth established a small workshop in Bad Cannstatt with others, where he developed and constructed a two-stroke engine. [4] 26-year-old Hermann Mahle started working for Hirth on 1 December 1920 as his seventh employee. The workshop was then called Versuchsbau Hellmuth Hirth. [lower-alpha 1] 1 December 1920 is acknowledged as the birth date of today's Mahle Group.

It soon became clear that the workshop would not survive by only conducting engine tests, so the need arose to build a profitable line of production in order to finance ongoing engine tests. At that time, pistons in automotive engines were generally made of cast iron, but Versuchsbau Hellmuth Hirth experimented with light alloy pistons.

On 1 November 1922, Hermann's brother Ernst joined the factory as head of engineering. In 1924, the company merged with Chemische Fabrik Griesheim-Elektron, the inventors of the magnesium alloy Elektron, [5] and was renamed Elektronmetall GmbH. [6]

In 1927, the company developed Germany's first controlled-expansion piston, and in 1931, the world's first aluminium ring carrier piston for diesel engines. Following this, piston technology was steadily improved. In 1931, aero engine manufacturing was split off as a separate company, Hirth-Moroten GmbH. [7]

In 1938, Elektronmetall became Mahle KG, and a new company logo was introduced. The company expanded, and before World War II was the only company in Germany manufacturing die-cast magnesium alloy products. [8] During the war, the company's Bad Cannstatt factory made alloy pistons ranging from those for small cars to pistons with a 40 cm (15.7 in) bore for submarine engines (such as the 522 L (31,854 cu in) diesel MAN M9V 40/46). The Fellbach plant accounted for 70% of Germany's output of magnesium, aluminium and zinc alloy pressure die castings. [9] After 1945, new products were developed and produced (such as aluminium cylinders with Cromal surface coatings in 1951).

In 1964, Hermann and Ernst Mahle decided to waive private ownership in their company and make it part of a foundation for public benefit. They transferred the company shares to the Mahle Foundation.

In 1976, Mahle made the first series-production aluminium engine blocks in Europe using low-pressure die casting. In 1988, their composite camshaft was enhanced to production standards, and in 2001, they developed a cooling system for diesel engine pistons in high-speed passenger cars. The first all-plastic oil filter in the world followed in 2003. Mahle developed and constructed its first complete engine in the same year, which was used in Formula Student.

Mahle has become a predominant system supplier for components of piston systems, cylinder components, valvetrain systems, air management systems, and liquid management systems. The Mahle Group generated sales in excess of €5.2 billion in 2010, and in excess of €12.8 billion in 2017.

Organization

As of 2022, Mahle GmbH consists of five business units and four profit centers.

The five business units are: [10]

Executives

The Mahle Management Board consists of the following members: [11]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Versuchsbau roughly translates to "experimental building".

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wilhelm Maybach</span> German engine designer and industrialist

Wilhelm Maybach was an early German engine designer and industrialist. During the 1890s he was hailed in France, then the world centre for car production, as the "King of Designers".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hirth</span> Engine manufacturer based in Benningen, Germany

Hirth Engines GmbH is an engine manufacturer based in Benningen, Germany. It is currently a part of the UMS Aero Group. Hirth began manufacturing aero engines in the 1920s, was taken over by Heinkel in WWII to develop the Heinkel-Hirth jet engines, and today specialises in small two-stroke engines for light aircraft and other applications.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hellmuth Hirth</span>

Hellmuth Hirth was a German engineer who founded the Mahle GmbH and Hirth companies, manufacturing engine components and complete aircraft engines respectively.

VDO is a German brand of Continental Automotive which makes automotive electronics and mechatronics for powertrains, engine management systems and fuel injection systems. A full range of Tachograph, Data Management, and Telematics products are produced. VDO has also supplied components for pleasure boats, yachts and sailing boats since 1958. In 2018 the marine business was separated into VDO Marine, offering products made by Swiss manufacture Veratron AG.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Audi RS 6</span> Motor vehicle

The Audi RS 6 is a high-performance variant of the Audi A6 range, produced by the high-performance subsidiary company Audi Sport GmbH, for its parent company Audi AG, a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group, from 2002 onwards.

Elektron is the registered trademark of a wide range of magnesium alloys manufactured by a British company, Magnesium Elektron Limited.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hella (company)</span> German automotive part supplier

Hella GmbH & Co. KGaA is an internationally operating German automotive parts supplier headquartered in Lippstadt, North Rhine-Westphalia. The company develops and manufactures lighting, electronic components, and systems for the automotive industry. It also operates one of the largest trade organizations for automotive parts, accessories, diagnostics, and services within Europe.

BorgWarner Inc. is an American automotive and e-mobility supplier headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. As of 2022, the company maintains production facilities and sites at 92 locations in 24 countries, and generates revenues of US$15.8 billion, while employing around 52,000 people. The company is one of the 25 largest automotive suppliers in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PACE Award</span> Annual Automotive News award

The PACE Award is an annual award from Automotive News. The focus of the award is an innovation (i) developed primarily by a supplier, (ii) that is new to the automotive industry, (iii) that is in use, and (iv) that "changes the rules of the game". Awards have been given for products, materials, processes, capital equipment, software and services. A panel of independent judges from industry, finance, research, and academia choose finalists from the initial applicants, make site visits to evaluate the innovation, and then gather to select winners, independent of the sponsors. Winners to date include suppliers from Japan, Korea, China, the US, Canada, Brazil, Germany, France, Italy, Poland and other European countries. Among the most awarded companies over the years are BorgWarner, Delphi Automotive, Federal-Mogul, Valeo and PPG Industries as well as Robert Bosch GmbH, Gentex Corporation, and Siemens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magnesium alloy</span> Mixture of magnesium with other metals

Magnesium alloys are mixtures of magnesium with other metals, often aluminium, zinc, manganese, silicon, copper, rare earths and zirconium. Magnesium alloys have a hexagonal lattice structure, which affects the fundamental properties of these alloys. Plastic deformation of the hexagonal lattice is more complicated than in cubic latticed metals like aluminium, copper and steel; therefore, magnesium alloys are typically used as cast alloys, but research of wrought alloys has been more extensive since 2003. Cast magnesium alloys are used for many components of modern cars and have been used in some high-performance vehicles; die-cast magnesium is also used for camera bodies and components in lenses.

Rheinmetall Automotive is the Automotive sector of the parent group Rheinmetall. The company emerged in 1997 through the merger of KS Kolbenschmidt GmbH, Neckarsulm, and Pierburg GmbH, Neuss. Hence, at its various traditional locations the company is commonly known as Kolbenschmidt or Pierburg. 40 production plants in Europe, the Americas, Japan, India and China employ a total workforce of around 11,000. Products are developed in cooperation with international auto manufacturers. Rheinmetall Automotive ranks among the 100 biggest auto industry suppliers worldwide and is an important partner to the industry for such products as exhaust gas recirculation systems, secondary-air systems, coolant pumps, and pistons for car gasoline engines and as well as for the commercial vehicle sector.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BBS Autotechnik</span> German car wheel manufacturer

BBS Autotechnik GmbH, formerly known as BBS Kraftfahrzeugtechnik AG, is a high-performance automobile wheel design company headquartered in Schiltach, Germany. BBS produces wheels for motorsport, OEM, and aftermarket applications. The company is often credited as pioneering the three-piece wheel and advancing the aluminum wheel industry over many decades, and remains one of the largest producers of automobile wheels in the world. It is a part of KW Automotive since 2021.

Alusil as a hypereutectic aluminium-silicon alloy contains approximately 78% aluminium and 17% silicon. This alloy was theoretically conceived in 1927 by Schweizer & Fehrenbach, of Badener Metall-Waren-Fabrik, but practically created only by Lancia in the same year, for its car engines. It was further developed by Reynolds, now Rheinmetall Automotive. In the United States, Chevrolet was the first to use Reynolds A390 in the Chevrolet Vega.

Motorcycle components and systems for a motorcycle are engineered, manufactured, and assembled in order to produce motorcycle models with the desired performance, aesthetics, and cost. The key components of modern motorcycles are presented below.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IKCO EF engines</span> Reciprocating internal combustion engine

IKCO EF Engines are a family of four-cylinder engines by the Iranian car manufacturer Iran Khodro (IKCO). The first engines of this family were designed jointly by Iran Khodro Powertrain Company (IPCO) and F.E.V GmbH of Germany. The later models were designed by IPCO alone. IKCO is the powertrain design and production company of IKCO.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MAHLE Powertrain</span> Engineering services division of MAHLE

MAHLE Powertrain Ltd is the engineering services division of MAHLE GmbH. With its headquarters in Northampton, UK and sister company in Plymouth, Michigan, United States, the company specialises in the design, development and testing of electrified powertrain systems and provides a broad spectrum of engineering services to its global customer base. MAHLE Powertrain's engineers and technical specialists are also present in the MAHLE research and development centres in Munich, Germany and Shanghai, China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hatz</span> German diesel engine manufacturer

Motorenfabrik Hatz is a German manufacturer of diesel engines, based in Ruhstorf an der Rott, Lower Bavaria, Germany. Especially known for its small, lightweight and robust engines, the engines are mainly used in all kinds of small construction machinery, for generators or pumps

The Hirth HM 515 was a four-cylinder air-cooled inverted inline engine, intended to power light aircraft of the 1940s. Due to World War II, demand for the light aircraft to be powered by the HM 515 dried up and only the Siebel Si 202C Hummel was powered by development engines before further work was abandoned.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "MAHLE Annual Report 2022" (PDF). www.mahle.com.
  2. ↑ "Automotive News Top Suppliers" (PDF).
  3. ↑ "MAHLE Group – About MAHLE". www.mahle.com.
  4. ↑ "Mahle chronicle". www.mahle.com.
  5. ↑ McNeil, Ian (1990). An Encyclopaedia of the History of Technology. Routledge Companion Encyclopedias. Taylor & Francis. pp. 114–7. ISBN   9780415013062.
  6. ↑ Aichele, G. (September 2007). "Deutsche Magnesium-Produktion in der ersten Hälfte des 20. Jahrhundert" (PDF). International Aluminium Journal (in German). 83: 84–7. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 11 October 2013.
  7. ↑ Gunston, Bill (1998). World Encyclopaedia of Aero Engines, 4th Edition. Patrick Stephens Ltd (PSL).
  8. ↑ United States Foreign Economic Administration (1945). The Light Metals Industry in Germany. War Department pamphlet, issue 31–131. Military Government Guide, United States Provost Marshal General's Bureau. Washington, D. C.: U.S. Government Printing Office. pp. 90, 98.
  9. ↑ Office of Technical Services (7 February 1947). Bibliography of Scientific and Industrial Reports. Vol. 4, No. 6. United States Department of Commerce. p. 491.
  10. ↑ "MAHLE Group – Business segments". www.mahle.com.
  11. ↑ "Mahle Group| Management Board".
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.