Pioneers of innovative locking systems HUF

PIONEERS OF INNOVATIVE LOCKING SYSTEMS

Huf Espana is a European technology leader in the manufacture of lockset and tailgate systems. As part of the international Huf Group it leads the field in a number of high technology disciplines. Philip Yorke looks at the company’s products and the strategies that set it apart from its competitors.

Huf Espana was founded in 1983 and is the oldest subsidiary in the Huf Group. In a production area of over 18,000 square metres, Huf Espana produces locksets, power tailgate systems, and especially mechanical locking systems. The Huf Group is headquartered in Velbert, Germany and consists of 19 subsidiaries in Europe, the Americas and Asia. All Huf companies operate according to the group’s central corporate strategy and whilst Huf Espana represents around 7 per cent of the group’s turnover, its parent company Huf Hulsbeck & Furst contributes over 40 per cent.

Although Huf companies work closely together, nevertheless they all operate independently. They buy and sell a large proportion of their products to other companies in the group. For example, painted parts from some of the paint shops or electronic parts from others are purchased from the specialised suppliers within the group. Also, Huf buys moulds from Huf Tools and there is a strong collaboration between Huf Espana and Huf Portuguesa.

Worldwide the Huf Group employs over 7000 people and in 2013 recorded sales of more than €1.1 billion. Statistically more than 13 million new cars every year are supplied with products made by the Huf Group.

Excellence as standard

In order to maintain its unrivalled worldclass standards, Huf Espana made some significant investments recently when it completed new facilities for its lock-set production lines. Today the Spanish company operates in the die casting and plastic moulding areas as well as in assembling and supplying products to a number of leading car manufacturers in Europe and overseas. Huf is the supplier of choice to the international automotive industry worldwide as well as to the automotive aftermarket tyre and repair shops.

To underscore its reputation for quality at Huf Espana, the company was awarded the ‘Ford Silver World Excellence Award 2013’ for supplying automotive door handles of exceptional quality. The team at Huf Espana is especially pleased with this award as the company has already received the ‘Ford World Excellence Award’ the year before. “Receiving the prize two years in a row makes us especially proud. It shows that we are supplying products continuously of the highest quality,” said Jose Former, general manager of Huf Espana.

Based upon the growing global demand for its products, Huf Espana is planning to develop its capabilities further in line with the overall group strategy. As its customers are very closely linked, Huf relies on its global strategy to enable companies to break it down to serve its local level activities.

Fully integrated systems

Huf was the first company in the world to develop components for fully integrated immobilisation systems known as ‘Passive Entry’ and ‘Keyless Go’. Today door handle systems contribute to the overall styling of the car. Therefore car designers put emphasis not only on the safety and comfort requirements but also on the look and feel of the handle itself.

Huf specialises in designing and producing door handles in black grained plastics, as well as producing painted handles and those with special chrome embellishments. For premium car manufacturers, Huf also develops light concepts, which are integrated into the door handle. Huf was also the first to develop

and produce a concept for retractable door handles. As a result of these advances, world demand continues to grow and every day the company manufactures more than 145,000 high-tech door handles for the automotive industry. In order to meet this growing global demand for its automotive door handle products, a new paint plant with a capacity of around 12.5 million handles was recently commissioned in North America.

With its five existing painting locations in Europe and China, Huf has become one of the most significant providers of painted door handles in the world. In fact in China every fourth vehicle manufactured there relies upon Huf door handles. With the new plant now in operation the Huf Group has the capacity to produce over 72 million door handles per year worldwide for its customers in the automotive industry.

Huf Espana also produces advanced ‘Power Tailgate Systems’. These comprise all the mechatronic components required to open and lock the tailgate and feature specially designed electric latches, tailgate component carriers and emblem closures. Furthermore, Huf can incorporate reversing cameras, which can be fitted either into the emblem or in the carrier for additional security. The company also recently developed a kick-sensor for the comfortable opening of the boot of cars that incorporate the Huf Passive Entry System. An innovative mechanical lockset system designed to increase anti-theft protection was also launched recently by Huf. n

For further details of the Huf Group’s latest innovative products and services visit: www.huf-group.com