Webasto

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Webasto Group

logo
legal form Societas Europaea (SE)
founding 1901
Seat Gauting - Stockdorf , Germany
GermanyGermany 
management
  • Holger Engelmann (Chair)
  • Matthias Arleth (Deputy Chair)
  • Freddy Geeraerds
  • Arne Kolfenbach (from 09/2020)
Number of employees 13,954 (2019)
sales 3.7 billion euros (2019)
Branch Automotive supplier
Website www.webasto-group.com

Webasto headquarters, Stockdorf

The Webasto SE is a German automotive supplier . The family-owned company is headquartered in the Stockdorf district of the Upper Bavarian municipality of Gauting near Munich and operates under the brand name Webasto Group .

Webasto has been developing and producing sunroofs and roof modules for convertibles since 1937 . The company has also been developing and producing charging technology and battery systems for electric vehicles since 2017 . Webasto is represented at over 50 locations worldwide and is one of the 100 largest suppliers to the automotive industry worldwide . The group generated sales of EUR 3.7 billion in 2019 and employs almost 14,000 people worldwide.

history

The company was founded in 1901 by Wilhelm Baier (1853–1917) in Esslingen in the Kingdom of Württemberg as "Eßlinger wire and iron goods factory Wilhelm Baier, Eßlingen / Neckar". The company is still half owned by the descendants Gerhard Mey and his uncle Werner Baier (see list of the 500 richest Germans ).

In 1908 the company headquarters was relocated to Stockdorf and the company name was changed to Webasto - an acronym from " W [ilh e lm] Ba ier Sto ckdorf".

In 1937 the first folding roof was developed for Daimler-Benz , and Webasto has been a steel sunroof supplier for Mercedes-Benz since 1956 . As early as 1952, the company developed the first heaters for buses and engine-independent heaters for cars .

In 1974 the first foreign subsidiary Webasto Sunroofs Inc. was founded in the USA . Further subsidiaries were founded in Great Britain , France , Italy , the USA, Japan , China and India . In South Korea , a joint venture was founded with the automotive supplier Donghee . In 1980 roof production began in Utting am Ammersee .

In 2009, Webasto acquired the convertible division from Edscha , and in 2010 it took over the North American business from Karmann . This made the company the market leader for convertible roofs. As a system partner, Webasto has since had plants in Molinella (Italy) and Madrid ( Spain ).

In 2012 the group received a new corporate structure. Webasto AG was transformed into a European stock corporation (Societas Europaea; SE). At the same time, the two corporate divisions for roof and thermal systems have been made legally independent: Webasto Roof & Components SE is responsible for the roof and convertible roof business, and Webasto Thermo & Comfort SE for the business of heating, cooling and ventilation systems. In 2013, Holger Engelmann was appointed as successor to CEO Franz-Josef Kortüm . Kortüm headed the company for 13 years.

With the opening of the location in Shenyang in July 2014, Webasto responded to the increased demand for sunroofs in China. In 2017, with the opening of the plant in Baoding, the production network was expanded again to increase production capacity in Webasto's largest single market.

On January 1, 2017, Webasto took over the electronics service provider Schaidt Innovations based in Wörth - Schaidt . The company thus acquired its own electronics production facility. On August 2, 2017, Webasto took over CoSyst Control Systems GmbH, a company specializing in hardware and software development in the automotive industry.

In 2017 Webasto entered the electromobility market with the development and production of charging technology and battery systems for electric vehicles. In this context, Webasto took over the EES business area for charging stations from the US company AeroVironment . In 2018, Webasto concluded individual agreements with Samsung and Wanxiang for the supply of battery cells . Webasto has been a partner of the Startup Autobahn platform , the German offshoot of the US Plug and Play Tech Center , since 2017 .

In 2018, the Webasto Group invested 271 million euros in research and development. The areas of electromobility and mechatronics were particularly in focus.

In April 2019, Webasto took over the shares in the South Korean joint venture partner Donghee. With this largest acquisition in the company's history, Webasto further expanded its market position in Asia .

On May 13, 2020, Rolf Bulander took over the chairmanship of the Supervisory Board of Webasto SE from Franz-Josef Kortüm.

Locations

The headquarters is located in Gautinger district Stockdorf in Upper Bavarian district of Starnberg . Other German locations are in Gilching , Utting am Ammersee, Neubrandenburg , Hengersberg and Schierling , among others . The headquarters of the Thermo business are located in Gilching, west of Munich. The location is considered a showcase project for modern commercial buildings with CO₂-free energy generation and a 1,200 m² semi-transparent photovoltaic glass roof. In total, Webasto SE has around 50 locations worldwide - around 30 of which are production locations.

Products

The product range includes

  • Sliding, panorama and folding roofs as well as solar and lightweight roofs
  • Convertible roofs (soft tops and retractable hard tops)
  • Heating concepts for all types of drive and different vehicle types as well as air conditioning systems for light commercial vehicles and vans
  • Battery systems and charging solutions for electric vehicles.

COVID-19 cases from January 2020

The company received nationwide attention at the end of January 2020 when, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic that broke out in China , the first illnesses with the respiratory disease COVID-19 caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 in Germany at Webasto -Employees at the company's headquarters in Stockdorf. A total of eight Webasto employees and four relatives were infected with the virus. On March 4, the company announced that all sick employees have recovered.

The first infection occurred during a training event at which a Chinese employee infected with the coronavirus was present. At the time of the infection or until her return to China, the Chinese had no symptoms of the disease. This corresponded to some other cases in which there was an infection by the corona pathogen without the carrier already showing symptoms of the disease. On the morning of January 28, 2020, the company management released its employees by email to work in the home office; in the evening, the headquarters were initially announced to be closed until February 2, which was extended on February 3 to February 11.

By the end of February, all infected Webasto members were released from the clinic as cured, so that Bavaria was "officially free of coronavirus again" for a few hours.

criticism

Webasto noticed in February 2019 that permanent employees were dismissed because of allegedly insufficient work. However, the vacancies were filled again directly through temporary work , but on considerably worse terms. After the announcement, the terminated employees were given their former positions back at the original conditions. Webasto commented on the process: “We firmly reject the allegations that we would like to continue to employ employees who have been terminated for operational reasons through temporary employment agencies at a lower wage. That would not only contradict our sense of responsibility as an employer and our corporate values, but would also not be formally possible. "

Awards and mentions

  • “Best Brand” in the parking heater category: nine years in a row (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014), awarded by the trade journal auto motor und sport .
  • "Best Brand" in the category of heating systems for trucks: nine years in a row (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013), readers' award from the trade magazines Lastauto Omnibus , Fernfahrer and trans aktuell
  • “Top Brand 2017”: Readers' choice of the trade magazine Auto Zeitung
  • "Best brand in all classes" 2016/17: readers' choice of the trade magazine Auto Bild
  • Plus X Award "Best Product of the Year 2017": The Webasto panorama roof with ambient lighting was honored in 2017 in the categories of innovation, high quality and design and also received the award for vehicle component of the year.
  • FOCUS Top National Employer 2017: Webasto was awarded the Top National Employer 2017 seal.
  • " Pace Award " for the new technology in the production of panoramic roofs made of polycarbonate (award from the trade journal Automotive News )
  • Hermann Simon mentions Webasto in his book of the same name as an example of a " hidden champion "
  • Since 2011, the Austrian branch of Webasto SE has been authorized to use the national coat of arms as an award .

Web links

Commons : Webasto  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Footnotes

  1. ↑ a b c The company - history. In: webasto-group.com. Webasto Group, accessed on February 2, 2020 .
  2. ^ Family company Webasto: New CFO and new chairman of the supervisory board. Family Businesses in Focus (FiFo) , May 15, 2020, accessed on May 15, 2020 .
  3. ↑ https://vision-mobility.de/news/webasto-e-mobilitaet-wird-wichtiger-46776.html
  4. ↑ https://www.welt.de/regionales/bayern/article208085245/Autozulieferer-Webasto-erwartet-zwei-schwierige-Jahre.html
  5. ↑ https://vision-mobility.de/news/webasto-e-mobilitaet-wird-wichtiger-46776.html
  6. ↑ The company - facts & figures. In: webasto-group.com. Webasto Group, accessed on February 2, 2020 .
  7. ↑ Personnel change at the top. In: automobil-industrie.vogel.de. January 1, 2013, accessed August 23, 2018 .
  8. ^ Christiane Brünglinghaus: Webasto expands in China. In: springerprofessional.de. May 26, 2014, accessed February 2, 2020 .
  9. ↑ Götz Fuchslocher: Webasto opens plant in Boading. In: automobil-produktion.de. May 5, 2017, accessed February 2, 2020 .
  10. ↑ Webasto buys electronics service provider. In: all-electronics.de. January 23, 2017, accessed February 2, 2020 .
  11. ↑ Webasto strengthens the development team. In: sueddeutsche.de. Süddeutsche Zeitung , August 10, 2017, accessed on October 13, 2018 .
  12. ↑ Christiane Habrich-Böcker: Webasto presents new strategic unit. In: automobil-produktion.de. May 30, 2017, accessed February 2, 2020 .
  13. ↑ Webasto would like to take over the AeroVironment charging station division. In: elektroauto-news.net. June 5, 2018, accessed February 2, 2020 .
  14. ↑ STARTUP AUTOBAHN powered by Plug and Play - Partner. In: startup-autobahn.com. Retrieved February 2, 2020 .
  15. ↑ Markus Fasse: Auto supplier Webasto has big plans - sales should double. In: handelsblatt.com. Handelsblatt , May 21, 2019, accessed on February 2, 2020 .
  16. ↑ Tino Böhler: Webasto Donghee: Largest acquisition in company history. In: automobil-produktion.de. April 10, 2019, accessed February 2, 2020 .
  17. ^ Family company Webasto: New CFO and new chairman of the supervisory board. Family Businesses in Focus (FiFo) , May 15, 2020, accessed on May 15, 2020 .
  18. ↑ New company headquarters in Gilching: Without overheating. In: bba-online.de. December 8, 2009, accessed February 2, 2020 .
  19. ↑ The company - locations worldwide. In: webasto-group.com. Webasto Group, accessed on February 2, 2020 .
  20. ↑ a b Ministry of Health confirmed: Three more coronavirus cases in Bavaria. In: spiegel.de. Der Spiegel , January 28, 2020, accessed on January 29, 2020 .
  21. ↑ Anna Clauß: Coronavirus in Bavaria: Webasto boss complains about the exclusion of his employees. In: spiegel.de. Der Spiegel, January 31, 2020, accessed on January 31, 2020 .
  22. ↑ Number of coronavirus cases in Germany rises to 14. In: spiegel.de. Der Spiegel, February 7, 2020, accessed on February 8, 2020 .
  23. ↑ Novel lung disease: 16 corona cases in Germany. In: tagesschau.de. ARD-aktuell , February 12, 2020, accessed on March 19, 2020 .
  24. ↑ Press release: Webasto is happy about the recovery of employees. In: webasto-group.com. Webasto Group, March 4, 2020, accessed on March 19, 2020 .
  25. ↑ Carolin Fries and Kassian Stroh: The last coronavirus patient is allowed to leave the Schwabinger Klinik. In: Süddeutsche Zeitung . February 27, 2020, accessed March 5, 2020 .
  26. ↑ Michaela Arbinger: The employee who has been terminated should return to his position as a temporary worker. Retrieved February 24, 2019 .
  27. ↑ Michaela Arbinger: Temporary work from the table: terminated employee is hired again. In: Passauer Neue Presse . February 28, 2019, accessed April 21, 2020 .
  28. ↑ Webasto wins sixth title: Parking heaters again "Best Brand". In: b4bmv.de. March 14, 2011, accessed February 2, 2020 .
  29. ↑ motorzeitung ( Memento from October 4, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
  30. ↑ The best brands 2012 ( Memento from June 11, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
  31. ↑ Press release Webasto: Best brand for heating and cooling for the ninth time
  32. ↑ Klaus Uckrow: These are the best brands of 2017. In: autozeitung.de. Auto Zeitung , April 13, 2018, accessed February 2, 2020 .
  33. ↑ AUTO BILD readers' choice: The best brands. In: autobild.de. Auto Bild , accessed February 2, 2020 .
  34. ↑ Juliana Pfeiffer: Webasto receives Puls X Award for panorama roof. In: Konstruktionspraxis.vogel.de. July 14, 2017, accessed February 2, 2020 .
  35. ↑ The company - awards. In: webasto-group.com. Webasto Group, accessed on February 2, 2020 .
  36. ↑ Bernd Otterbach: PACE Award for panorama roof. In: automobil-industrie.vogel.de. April 24, 2008. Retrieved August 23, 2018 .
  37. ↑ Simon, Herman: Hidden Champions of the 21st Century: The Success Strategies of Unknown World Market Leaders . Campus, Frankfurt am Main 2007. ISBN 978-3-593-38380-4 . P. 17.
  38. ↑ staatswappen.at ( Memento from December 15, 2015 in the Internet Archive )