Dürr expands business with the Japanese automobile industry

02/10/2009

 

Stuttgart, February 10, 2009 – The Dürr Group and Parker Engineering Co., Ltd. of Japan are joining forces to extend their paint systems business with the Japanese automobile industry. The two companies signed a cooperation agreement to this effect in January. The co-operation covers the sale and planning as well as the construction and servicing of paint systems for Japanese automobile manufacturers in Japan and other Asian markets.

With Parker, Dürr is strengthening its position in the Japanese market which has traditionally been marked by local suppliers. Parker Engineering, a subsidiary of Nihon Parkerizing Co. Ltd., was established in 1951 and has longstanding, close customer relationships with the Japanese automobile industry. The focus of the company’s technology is on corrosion protection through body pre-treatment and dip coating, both of which steps precede the actual painting process. As market and technology leader, Dürr covers the full spectrum of painting technologies and will be bringing this know-how into the partnership.

In the past years Dürr has increased its sales with the Japanese automobile industry from € 20 million to about € 70 million, which is equivalent to a good 4% of its overall sales. So far the group has supplied almost exclusively to so-called transplants, in other words Japanese OEMs’ foreign plants outside Japan.

Ralf Dieter, Dürr AG’s CEO, commented: “The cooperation with Parker will speed up our growth with the Japanese automobile industry. In view of the Japanese auto industry’s roughly 25% share of the world market and our market and technology leadership there is significant growth potential for Dürr.” Dürr and Parker have already submitted first joint offers for the construction and revamp of automobile paint shops in Japan.

The Dürr Group is a supplier of plant and equipment that commands leading global market positions in its areas of activity. Business with the automotive industry accounts for about 85% of its sales. Dürr also supplies innovative manufacturing and environmental technologies for the aircraft, mechanical engineering, chemical and pharmaceutical industries. The Dürr Group operates in the market through two divisions. The Paint and Assembly Systems division supplies production and painting technologies, mainly for automotive body & chassis manufacturing. The equipment and systems supplied by the Measuring and Process Systems division are used, among other things, for engine and transmission production and for final vehicle assembly. Dürr achieved sales of close to € 1.5 billion with approximately 6,000 employees in 2007. Dürr is present in 47 locations in 21 countries around the world.

Contact:

Dürr Aktiengesellschaft                              

Günter Dielmann / Mathias Christen

Corporate Communications & Investor Relations

Phone +49 (0)711 136-1785 / -1381

Fax +49 (0)711 136-1716