Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA
Brose expands presence in powertrain market
- Production of first full electric oil pump (eOP) positions Brose as key player in transmission electrification
Brose North America has announced a significant expansion of its presence in the North American powertrain market. Tightened government and industry regulations are requiring automakers to develop products that improve fuel efficiency and reduce CO2 emissions. As a result, Brose developed its eOP to deliver the economic benefits offered by a stop-start system without compromising the drivability desired by the North American consumer. Stop-start engine solutions are estimated to increase fuel economy by as much as six percent.
“Brose has truly emerged as a leader in transmission electrification. We used our product knowledge and grasp of market trends to create solutions that are flexible and quick to meet evolving customer needs,” said Richard Illingworth, customer team director of DTA North America. “When combined with the eOP, the stop-start system shuts down the internal combustion engine when stopped in traffic, saving fuel while maintaining transmission oil pressure. The eOP delivers a significant improvement in drivability compared to mechanical methods of maintaining oil pressure.”
To achieve its production goals, Brose North America took advantage of its ’Baukasten’, a modular kit for electric drives and powertrain that enables Brose to offer competitive products for both low-volume and high-volume vehicle programs. The North American eOP solution leverages the ’Baukasten’ to ensure flexibility and fast-to-market development as demands in the highly-dynamic electrified transmission market increase.
North American production of the eOP is slated to begin in 2018 at Brose’s El Marqués, Mexico manufacturing location. El Marqués features a “multi-line” process, maintaining the manufacturing flexibility that allows for production of multiple solutions for different customers on the same line. Brose will produce more than 5 million full stop-start electric oil pumps (eOP) in the next five years.
To deepen relationships with North American customers and showcase its solutions for the cars of today and tomorrow, Brose will exhibit during the 9th International CTI Symposium USA, May 18-21, Novi, Michigan. The exhibit (Booth #2) will showcase fuel efficiency technologies for stop-start and coasting applications, as well as all-wheel-drive disconnect solutions.
About Brose North America
Brose has been a committed partner to the North American market since 1993. The mechatronic specialist now counts eight locations across Canada, the United States and Mexico and employs approximately 4,600 people in the region. The entire range of Brose products is manufactured throughout the North American facilities, from window regulator and door modules to seat systems.