Brose Fahrzeugteile

1908–1955

Max Brose opened a trading company for automobile accessories in Berlin on March 4, 1908, while also working as general agent for his father's car body manufacturing company in Wuppertal.

After the First World War, Max Brose and Ernst Jühling, who grew up in Coburg, founded Metallwerk Max Brose & Co. in Coburg on June 14, 1919. Operating as a general partnership, the company manufactured and sold metal goods, tools, devices and materials especially for vehicles and airplanes. For this purpose, they took over the staff, buildings and machines from "Metallwaren Haußknecht & Co." located in the Ketschendorfer Straße.

The company initially used the trade name of "Atlas" for the accessory and supply segment, producing vehicle lights, signaling equipment, fuel and oil canisters, jacks and air pumps. In October 1926, the company patented its crank drive for lowerable windows. After buying the rights to use the patent for the wrap sling brake from the American company Ternstedt, series production of mechanical window regulators started in 1928. Commonly referred to as a window crank apparatus, this device was also manufactured for buses, trains and streetcars. Windshields and ventilation systems expanded the range of products in the years following.

Production switched to the 20-liter standard canister for the German Wehrmacht (armed forces) in 1936 and to contact fuses and impact grenades during World War II. At the time, nearly 900 employees worked for Brose and towards the end of the war some 200 Soviet prisoners of war, who lived next to the plant in a camp run by the German Wehrmacht.

In 1945, the company was placed under trusteeship for three years by the American military government and produced household devices such as ovens and irons with fewer than 100 employees. Production expanded into a new segment beyond automotive accessories with the manufacture of a portable typewriter called "Brosette" in 1953.

1956–1999

After having sold more than 40,000 devices, production was stopped and sold to India in 1958, allowing Max Brose to focus on products for the automotive industry. The window regulator became one of the company's main pillars. In 1963, the company began series production of this product fitted for the first time with an electrical drive. In 1968, Brose ventured into a new key segment – the seat systems business – with the production of seat recliners for adjusting backrests.

The mid-fifties saw numerous changes in management. In 1956, Ernst Jühling died and his heirs withdrew as shareholders. After the death of Max Brose, his eldest daughter Gisela ran the company from 1968 and changed it to a limited partnership (KG). Three years later, Michael Stoschek, grandson of company founder Max Brose, took over at the age of 23. At that time, the company had around 1000 employees and was generating a turnover of DM 55 million. The company's legal form was changed to Brose Fahrzeugteile GmbH & Co. KG in 1982.

During the 1974 recession with the first oil crisis, the company was forced to lay off one quarter of its employees and to switch production to water taps and recliners for the furniture industry. Brose Coburg started to expand again over the next few years, investing DM 35 million into its new "Plant 2" in Coburg, which went into full operation in 1983. The company employed then around 1500 people. However, the production of injection molded products for the automotive industry which started in 1981 was stopped again in 1989. In the eighties, numerous products were refined such as the power window regulator with anti-trap protection, the power seat adjuster and the electronic position memory.

In 1988, Brose purchased its first foreign production site in Coventry. In 1990, production started in Hallstadt, the first German plant outside Coburg. Another German plant opened in Gera in 1991, which was transferred to Meerane in 1997 to bring it closer to Volkswagen's plant in Mosel for the just-in-sequence production of door systems. In line with this procurement logistics concept, many other national and international production sites have since been either built or purchased. International expansion has focused mainly on North America and Asia.

2000–2015

In the 21st century, the family-owned company primarily expanded by means of several takeovers. Through the acquisition of closure systems business from Robert Bosch GmbH in 2002, it was possible to venture into a new business segment. 2004 saw the takeover of the window regulator business of Maxion Sistemas in Brazil, followed by the acquisition of a 40 percent stake in the Turkish window regulator manufacturer Pressan A.S. one year later. In April 2008, Brose added electric drives for window regulators, sunroofs and seat belt retractors to its portfolio by purchasing the electric motor business of Continental AG. In setting up the drives business division, the number of employees increased from nearly 10,000 to more than 14,000.

The company has been divided into four business divisions since 2008, i.e. seat systems in Coburg, door systems in Hallstadt, drives in Wurzburg and closure systems in Wuppertal. Jürgen Otto was appointed CEO of the Brose Group in 2005 after Michael Stoschek withdrew from the management board. In 2006, Brose left the Employers’ Associations for the Bavarian Metalworking and Electrical Industries and has since not been bound by a collective bargaining agreement.

The joint venture SEW Eurodrive is established in early 2011 with the aim to develop drives for e-mobility. In 2011 Brose is the world’s fifth-largest family-owned automotive supplier based on turnover. 10% of the total annually business volume is invested in the development of new products and processes with a special focus on the development of products that contribute to fuel efficiency. The company also localizes its R&D activities in China the same year and builds a new administration building in Shanghai. In Chongqing, the foundation stone is laid for another plant; Brose is now present in five locations in China. Brose opens a plant for window regulators and seat height adjusters in Pune/India. Brose plans to strengthen its global activities in Asia in the future.

In May 2012, Brose wins the innovation prize in the “Erfolgsfaktor Familie” competition supported by the German government for the “Brose Kids Club” and receives special recognition for the company’s family-friendly philosophy. In fall 2012, another production site is opened in Beijing – the second just-in-sequence plant for door systems in China. The whole process, from the arrival of an order to delivery of the ready-to-fit product at the Beijing Benz Automotive plant eight kilometers away, takes only 300 minutes.

In April 2013, Brose receives its first Pace Award for the sensor for hands-free opening of liftgates; it is the most highly sought-after and prestigious award in the US automotive supplier industry. The company supports the introduction of the dual-track training system in the US state of Michigan, thereby securing future skilled employees for its four locations in the United States.

New production facilities in South Africa (seat systems) and Bremen (door systems) expand Brose’s production capacity in 2014. Berlin-based Brose Antriebstechnik GmbH & Co begins series production of the first pedelec electric motor in fall as part of a joint project with bicycle manufacturer Rotwild. Due to the increasing electrification and digitization of vehicles, Brose invests in a test center in Würzburg to measure electromagnetic compatibility.

In 2015, a plant to produce door systems for Fiat opens in Goiana/Brazil. In fall, the foundation stone is laid for a new plant in Prievidza in Central Slovakia. The logistics center at the location in Ostrava/Czech Republic commissions an automatic high-bay and small parts warehouse in which transport takes place without forklifts. Brose presents numerous innovations at trade shows such as the International Motor Show in Frankfurt am Main and Auto Shanghai in China. The company receives two prestigious quality awards – the Procurement Leaders Award and the Volkswagen Group Award. The city of Coburg pays tribute to the life’s work of Max Brose by naming a street after the company founder.

Shareholders

The Brose Group's shareholders include Michael Stoschek, his daughter Julia Stoschek and his son Maximilian Stoschek, his elder sister Christine Volkmann and her eldest daughter. Michael Stoschek is Chairman of the Brose Group.

Products

Market position

Global presence

Brose operates the following production sites:

Europe

Headquarters Coburg, Bamberg, Berlin, Bremen, Gifhorn, Hallstadt, Ingolstadt, Meerane, München, Oldenburg, Rastatt, Sindelfingen and Weil im Schönbuch, Wolfsburg, Wuppertal, Würzburg (all Germany), Ghent (Belgium), La Suze, Voisins-le-Bretonneux (both France), Coventry (Great Britain), Melfi, Turin (both Italy), Tondela (Portugal), Tolyatti (Russian Federation), Gothenburg (Sweden), Bratislava, Prievidza (both Slovakia), Sta. Margarida de Montbui (Spain), Kopřivnice nahe Ostrava, Rožnov_pod_Radhoštěm (both Czech Republic), Kecskemét (Hungary), Istanbul (Turkey)

North America

Headquarters Detroit, Auburn Hills (MI), New Boston (MI), Spartanburg (SC), Vance (AL), Warren (MI) (all USA), London,_Ontario (Canada), Querétaro, Puebla_City (all Mexico)

South America

Curitiba, Goiânia und São Paulo (all Brazil)

Asia

Headquarters Shanghai, Beijing, Changchun, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Taicang, Wuhan (all China), Pune (India), Suwon (South Korea), Rayong (Thailand)

Africa

Brits (South Africa)

Awards

2013

2012

2011

2009

2008

2007