Engineering centre targets German car makers

Specialist fastener manufacturer Southco has opened a new engineering centre in Boblingen, near Stuttgart, Germany.

Specialist fastener manufacturer Southco has opened a new engineering centre in Boblingen, near Stuttgart, Germany.

Geared specifically to the needs of the region's motor manufacturers, the centre places Southco's automotive latching specialists in the heart of the German automotive industry.

Southco has more than 40 years experience of supplying the automotive sector and close integration with the industry was the driver for the choice of Stuttgart for the new centre, as Thomas Weuthen, General Manager Automotive Europe for Southco explains: "The majority of European car production is now situated in south-west Germany so it is a key strategic move for us to locate our operation close to our core customer base".

"German automobile manufacturers are setting standards in innovation in the global market and this move enables us to more closely integrate our design and development activities with those of our customers".

Over recent years greater demands have been placed on automotive latching applications, requiring more complex technology leading to the need for greater innovation in latching solutions.

Says Weuthen: "Increasingly components suppliers are required to be involved in the developmental stages of automotive design, so it is important that we integrate our activities, with dedicated specialists being able to support our customers from initial design, through to production and distribution".

"There is a wide diversity of latching requirements in automotive design so there can be no such thing as a standard solution".

"There are important functional and design elements that need to be built into vehicle development from the very earliest stages".

As a key component in the structural design of any vehicle, latches need to fulfil a wide range of criteria from operational reliability, durability and quality through to corrosion and vibration resistance and, ultimately, styling.

At its Boblingen engineering centre, Southco has a specialist team that is concentrating its automotive expertise in developing latching solutions from initial concepts through to prototyping and production with a total manufacturing capability.

Adds Weuthen: "Our aim is to work with automotive manufacturers to provide solutions that will support vehicle manufacture and make cars safer and more secure".

As part of its expansion within the global automotive market, Southco is also planning in 2005 to open an automotive centre in Shanghai to serve the Asia Pacific region.

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