A Look
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2017 Highlights
In 2017, Autoneum paved the way to help shape the mobility of the future as the global market leader in the field of vehicle acoustic and thermal management. Last year, the Company invested in the expansion of its global presence and its innovation leadership in particular. These are not only part of Autoneum’s DNA, but also guarantors of the Company’s profitable growth – today and tomorrow.
January
Opening of “Competence Center New Mobility” in Sunnyvale, USA
Against the backdrop of new industry trends such as electromobility, autonomous driving and digitalization, Autoneum has assumed a pioneering role in the development of lightweight products and technologies for various vehicle drives with its “Competence Center New Mobility” in California’s Silicon Valley. This ensures that both established and new automobile manufacturers will benefit from the innovative product portfolio of Autoneum as the global market leader in acoustic and thermal management in the future.
February
Carpet innovation Di-Light for increased driving comfort
All in one: Needlepunch carpets made of Di-Light are not only sound-absorbing and resilient, they also have an attractive appearance. Furthermore, Di-Light-based carpets weigh less than standard needlepunch carpets yet maintain the same acoustic characteristics. Thereby Di-Light also lowers fuel consumption and emissions. Di-Light carpet systems are made almost entirely of recycled PET, thus contributing to its excellent environmental performance.
March
Annual General Meeting raises dividend to CHF 6.50
388 shareholders attended the Annual General Meeting of Autoneum Holding AG in Winterthur on March 30. The shareholders not only agreed to increase the dividend but also to elect Norbert Indlekofer as the seventh member of the Board of Directors.
April
Five-year anniversary of the Katowice development center in Poland
The development center opened in 2012 in the Polish city of Katowice is one of six such centers located worldwide, in Europe, North and South America as well as in Asia. It is home to a prototype workshop and measurement laboratory in which customized components for the engine bay and interior floor are being developed, tested and manufactured. The acoustic experts working there place particular focus on lightweight components made from Theta-Cell that set themselves apart by virtue of their high heat resistance.
May
New North American headquarters opened in Novi, USA
At its North American headquarters in Novi (Michigan), USA, Autoneum brings together the research and development activities for the North American market and the management of its Business Group North America. In Novi, vehicle predevelopment studies are being conducted for customers in addition to the development and adaptation of noise- and heat-reducing vehicle components created for regional market requirements. Close proximity of the new Administrative and Technical Center to the automotive hub in Detroit ensures intense collaboration between Autoneum and its customers and suppliers.
June
Enjoy the silence with Hybrid-Acoustics ECO+
Autoneum extended its product portfolio for electric vehicles with the addition of Hybrid-Acoustics ECO+ for carpet systems, inner dashes and floor insulators. Hybrid-Acoustics ECO+ is based on an innovative, noise-reducing fibrous material that provides ideal sound protection. Components made of
Hybrid- Acoustics ECO+ likewise provide thermal insulation which also has a positive effect on climate control and the associated need for battery power. This enables Hybrid-Acoustics ECO+ to also make a contribution to an increased driving range for electric vehicles.
July
Participants record at Automotive Acoustics Conference
On July 11 and 12, more than 250 participants met to discuss challenges associated with trends such as electromobility at the world’s prime conference for automotive acoustics in Ruschlikon (Zurich), Switzerland. At this conference, which was scientifically led by Autoneum, numerous special presentations and workshops provided information about new mobility trends and innovations in the field of acoustic management to experts from automobile manufacturers, suppliers and research institutes.
First Corporate Responsibility Report published
By managing human and natural resources responsibly, Autoneum aims at making a decisive contribution to a sustainable future. Against this backdrop, the Company created a Group-wide function for Corporate Responsibility in 2017 and published its first Corporate Responsibility Report for the 2016 financial year in accordance with the requirements of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), the leading global standard in sustainability reporting.
August
Learning centers for a better future
In 2017, Autoneum launched its first global philanthropy project by engaging in the Bookbridge program. The objective of Bookbridge is to establish learning centers in developing countries. Within a part-time project, Autoneum employees worked locally in Mongolia and Cambodia on the conception and development of these centers. The learning centers create jobs and the participants also benefit from the growth and expansion of their entrepreneurial skills.
September
New record high: 100th Alpha Cabin sold
For more than 50 years, Autoneum has been setting standards in the field of vehicle acoustics with its measurement systems. Today, Autoneum’s measurement systems are used by both automobile manufacturers and competitors alike. In 2017, Autoneum sold its 100th Alpha Cabin measurement system, developed exclusively at the research center in Winterthur, Switzerland, to a Japanese automotive supplier. In addition to this milestone, the Company set another record: Never before have so many Alpha Cabin systems been sold in a single year.
October
New joint venture for research and development in vehicle acoustics
In the reporting year, Autoneum and Japanese automotive suppliers Nittoku and Toyota Boshoku decided to expand their existing collaboration in the form of a joint venture for research and development in vehicle acoustics. As of 2018, Toyota will benefit as a first customer from this bundled expertise through predevelopment studies as well as through innovative components for optimized vehicle acoustics. 2017 also represents a milestone for the partnership between Autoneum and Nittoku: 50 years of successful collaboration. Today, Autoneum and Nittoku profitably operate seven joint venture companies with eleven plants in China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Thailand and the USA.
November
Expansion in growth market China
In response to strong customer demand, Autoneum is significantly expanding its production capacities with four new plants in China, the highest-volume automotive market worldwide. Series production of inner dashes and carpet systems is already underway at the plant in Yantai (Shandong province), which only opened in November. In the future, around 250 000 vehicles from Chinese manufacturers will be equipped with components from Yantai on an annual basis.
December
Autoneum enters Iran market
By concluding a license agreement with the Iranian automotive supplier Ayegh Khodro Toos on the production of innovative components for noise and heat protection in 2017, Autoneum now offers its sought-after product portfolio also in the growing Iranian market. In the future, Ayegh Khodro Toos will produce carpet systems and inner dashes at its plant in Mashhad for IKAP, a joint venture between Iran Khodro, the Iranian car manufacturer, and PSA, the French automotive group. The first vehicle equipped with Autoneum components, an SUV, will roll off the assembly line in early 2019.
