Vaillant and Siemens VDO found joint venture
Remscheid / Roding, 25 July 2003 - To increase further the number of units in the assembly of common-rail diesel pumps at our Roding location, Vaillant GmbH, Remscheid, and Siemens VDO Automotive AG, Regensburg, founded a joint venture with effect from 1 August in which each partner will have a 50 per cent interest. Following the supply of a total of 170,000 of these diesel pumps in 2001, the first year of the cooperation between the two companies, the number of units was increased to 460,000 last year. A major expansion of the assembly facilities is planned for this year, whereby two new pump variants for the motor manufacturers Peugeot, Ford and Renault will be added to the programme. Siemens VDO is one of the leading suppliers of common-rail systems. Peugeot and Ford were also earlier the most important buyers of the Roding production.
The joint venture will trade as DCP Diesel CommonRail Products GmbH & Co KG. In the first stage, more than 150 of the Vaillant employees in Roding will switch to the joint venture as part of a company transition. That is more than half of the 250 employees working in the Automotive business area there, which in 2002 achieved total sales of 90 million Euro. Automotive activities such as the aluminium diecasting area will remain directly with Vaillant GmbH.
The incorporation of the successful diesel pump business results from the core competence of the Roding factory in the manufacture of high-quality heating technology components that are proof against gas and water pressure. Appointed as Managing Directors of DCP GmbH & Co KG are, from Vaillant, Rudolf Meidinger (Technology portfolio) and, from Siemens VDO, Harald Renner (Commercial portfolio). Increasing the number of diesel pump units and the associated rise in the number of employees to 180 during this year is an important contribution to securing jobs at the Roding location. Of the current 709 employees in Roding - 34 more than two years ago - 348 work in the Heating Technology components area, 250 in the Automotive section, 82 in the Roding part of Vaillant Werkzeugbau GmbH (Toolmaking), and 29 are apprentices.
In view of new activities such as the start of supply of brass parts for Heating Technology production in Belper/UK and for Hepworth Building Products in Hazlehead/UK, the development of a new gas fitting for water heaters and the good utilisation of the toolmaking capacity, the situation and prospects in Roding are altogether positive.
Contact
Vaillant Hepworth Group
Ebrulf Zuber
Head of Corporate Communications
D-42850 Remscheid
Phone:+49 (0)2191 18-2754
Fax: +49 (0)2191 18-2895
e-mail: ebrulf.zuber@vaillant.de
Siemens VDO Automotive AG
Johannes Winterhagen
Corporate Communications
Sodener Str. 9
65824 Schwalbach
Phone: + 49 (0)6196 - 87 2922
Fax: + 49 (0)6196 - 87 4194
E-mail:johannes.winterhagen@siemens.com
