Mahle Group Takes Control of Thermostat JV

Mahle Group acquires all the shares in the former Behr Thermot-tronik Italia (BTTI) joint venture, which develops and produces thermostat products for all vehicle classes.

The new company, Mahle Behr Grugliasco, was formed last month after former shareholders Mahle Behr Kornwestheim and Valtri “jointly agreed to this step in order to pursue the long-term, future-oriented focus and successful ongoing development” of the JV, Mahle says in a news release.

No physical relocations or changes in the employment status of about 120 employees are planned.

The former JV’s thermostat products are an important component of Mahle’s portfolio, managing complex thermal-management tasks by intelligently controlling energy flows, the release says. Systems such as map-controlled thermostats ensure precise temperature regulation tuned to meet demand, promoting more efficient operation, reduced fuel consumption, less wear and lower emissions, it says.

Mahle is expanding its thermal-management product portfolio as efficient thermal management becomes more important regardless of powertrain configuration. In internal-combustion engines, the cooling system is key to improved vehicle efficiency. For electric vehicles, performance, cruising range and service life depend on the economical use of hot and cold flows, making integrated, efficient and intelligent thermal management a prerequisite for e-mobility, Mahle says.

“We are delighted that the employees of BTTI will now belong fully to Mahle. Their skills and experience will secure the successful development of Mahle Behr Grugliasco and therefore also of Mahle,” says Bernd Eckl, Management Board member responsible for the supplier group’s thermal-management business unit.

Behr Thermot-tronik Italia was created in 1997 from Behr Thomson Italia. Since then, the JV has worked closely with related businesses already integrated into the Mahle Group for some time as part of Mahle’s majority acquisition of Behr in 2013.