thyssenkrupp Automotive to rebrand alongside powertrain business growth
September 28, 2021
thyssenkrupp’s Automotive Technology segment, headquartered in Essen, Germany, is pressing on with the transformation of its powertrain business. The current Camshafts business unit is being aligned to stronger growth in e-mobility; the unit is reported to be one of the world’s leading suppliers of components for internal combustion, hybrid and electric powertrains. The product spectrum mainly includes assembled camshafts and valve train systems for conventional powertrains as well as rotor shafts for electric motors.
“We initiated the transformation of our powertrain components business at a very early stage,” stated Dr Karsten Kroos, CEO of the automotive components division at thyssenkrupp. “Starting out from traditional valve train systems for internal combustion engines, around ten years ago we started developing and industrialising new products for electric powertrains. Today, we already manufacture rotor shafts for renowned OEMs and are achieving faster-than-market growth with this product. We are now continuing our transformation with new products beyond the internal combustion engine.”
The company has already started developing complete rotors for electric motors. Further development projects are also underway for new products in the area of thermal management for battery electric vehicles. The repositioning of the business with a significantly expanded product portfolio will also be reflected in a new name: At the start of the new fiscal year on October 1, this business unit of thyssenkrupp’s Automotive Technology segment will be renamed Dynamic Components.
Frank Altag, CEO of the Camshafts business unit, added, “The transformation of our business is following a two-pronged approach. Based on orders received from customers, we will continue to achieve profitable growth with our products for internal combustion and hybrid engines in the coming years – even though the overall market is shrinking. We will use the profits from this business to finance the development and industrialisation of the new products, gradually making ourselves independent of the traditional internal combustion engine.”
Further profitable growth in internal combustion and hybrid engines is anticipated from the potential of thyssenkrupp’s technologies to further enhance the efficiency of advanced internal combustion engines and reduce emissions.
Alongside technology leadership in powertrain components, the business unit’s manufacturing and automation capabilities are intended to act as a further key element in the successful transformation. The new products are manufactured on the basis of similar production processes to those for components for internal combustion engines. In part, it is even possible to use the same machines and equipment, meaning that various production lines at one plant are already being used to manufacture different products for different types of drive system.
In recent years, thyssenkrupp’s Automotive Technology segment has systematically realigned its product and service range to serve the technological trends towards e-mobility, autonomous driving and sustainable mobility. Today, the business segment is an international automotive component supplier specialised in chassis, powertrain and body technologies. There is a clear focus on powertrain-independent products and services around the chassis, body assembly lines, and the production of lightweight body parts. The segment already generates more than 80% of its total sales with products unrelated to the internal combustion engine.
