MAHLE Service Solutions: MAHLE Aftermarket presents new business unit for repair shops

Stuttgart, 16 September 2014 – At this year’s Automechanika, the international trade fair of the automotive industry, MAHLE presents its new business unit for repair shop equipment: MAHLE Service Solutions. Integrated solutions from a single source are a key component—with practical units and the combined expertise from all group divisions. Visitors to the fair will find MAHLE in Hall 3, Stands A11 and A20, from 16 to 20 September.

The increasing complexity of vehicle technology results in more stringent requirements for maintenance and service. In addition to having the right equipment, specialised repair shops also require the necessary expertise to meet the needs of their customers on a sustained basis while simultaneously increasing their own productivity. “We founded the new MAHLE Service Solutions business unit with the aim of providing repair shops with integrated solutions from a single source”, explains Olaf Henning, Corporate Executive Vice President and General Manager of MAHLE Aftermarket. Besides offering practical and innovative units, MAHLE Service Solutions will be able to provide repair shops a comprehensive range of services in the future. This will include training, technical documentation, knowledge-based troubleshooting, and technical support by means of a well-developed network.

Experience and competence of the entire group bundled in new business unit

Through MAHLE Service Solutions, repair shops are able to benefit from the knowledge and expertise of different divisions across the group: MAHLE as a development partner and supplier of drive technology and air conditioning, MAHLE Powertrain as an innovator in vehicle technology and supplier of equipment including testing and diagnostic systems to the automotive industry, and, not least,

MAHLE Aftermarket with a global distribution network. “This know-how is being continuously expanded by means of targeted collaborations and company acquisitions”, continues Henning. In 2011, for example, MAHLE entered into business with engine cooling and HVAC specialist Behr, a company that has amassed almost 60 years of experience in vehicle air conditioning and 25 years of experience in the manufacture of HVAC service units. In mid-2013, with the acquisition of a majority interest in the Behr Group, the cornerstone was laid for the company’s integration into the MAHLE Group. In the same year, MAHLE acquired the American company RTI Technologies Inc., which has specialised in HVAC service units and fluid exchange systems for many years.

Comprehensive portfolio: ArcticPRO, FluidPRO, and NitroPRO

MAHLE Service Solutions offers a comprehensive range for repair shops, featuring innovative and practical units designed in accordance with the latest technical and ergonomic standards.

HVAC systems are now considered standard equipment in vehicles. At the same time, the maintenance of these units is turning into an increasingly complex task, particularly because the systems operate with different refrigerants, each with their own specific handling requirements. With its specially matched units, the ArcticPRO product line has the right solution for both refrigerants used today: R134a and HFO1234yf—and for possible alternatives in the future.

Automatic transmissions, cooling circuits, and diesel systems require regular maintenance. MAHLE Service Solutions guarantees efficient fluid exchange thanks to its FluidPRO range, which includes vacuum coolant exchange units or diesel system cleaning units.

Truck and racing car tyres are subjected to particularly heavy stresses and have therefore been filled with nitrogen for quite some time. Nitrogen is made up of larger molecules and consequently does not diffuse as easily through the rubber layers of the tyre. These properties maintain the tyre pressure at a constant level. With the increased use of tyre pressure monitoring systems and efforts to keep fuel consumption as low as possible, nitrogen is also being used more frequently in passenger car tyres. Correct and constant tyre pressure—thanks to the use of nitrogen—decreases rolling resistance while lowering fuel consumption and tyre wear. The NitroPRO nitrogen filling systems additionally feature a revolutionary membrane technology that generates the gas using normal compressed air—with a purity of 98 per cent.

About MAHLE

MAHLE is the globally leading manufacturer of components and systems for the internal combustion engine and its peripherals as well as vehicle air conditioning and engine cooling. In 2014, some 64,000 employees at 140 production locations and ten major research and development centres are expected to generate sales of around EUR 10 billion.

About MAHLE Aftermarket

MAHLE Aftermarket, the business unit specialising in spare parts and services, applies the expertise from the series production of original equipment to its automotive aftermarket product range and supplies trade, repair shop, and engine repair partners. MAHLE Aftermarket is represented at 23 locations and other sales offices worldwide, with 1,670 employees. In 2013, the business unit achieved a global sales volume of EUR 805 million.

Find out more about MAHLE Aftermarket GmbH at www.mahle-aftermarket.com