LIGHTING UP EUROPE
Koito Czech, a subsidiary of the Japanese Koito Manufacturing Co. Ltd, is not only a proud follower of the group’s hundred-year tradition in lighting technology but also an important contributor to its expansion in Europe. Romana Moares reports.
T
he Czech production plant of the Japanese Group has been developing rapidly since its establishment and its financial growth has strengthened Koito’s position in the European automotive sector in terms of the production of all relevant types of vehicle lighting technology. Moreover, in 2016 Koito Czech will commemorate 15 years of operation in the Czech Republic and confirm its position as the largest and most stable employer in the Usti region. The production lines at the Zatec plant make headlamps for Toyota (UK, FR, CZ), Nissan, Suzuki, Renault, Daimler, Bentley, Volvo, Land Rover, Porsche and Audi. Headlamps are Koito’s core business. These integrated high-functional products are designed to match the contours of the vehicle body shape and contain high-quality lenses as well as high-precision reflectors in the headlamp section, with built-in signal lamps and other function lamps.
Hundred years in the lighting sector Japanese Koito Manufacturing Co. Ltd was founded in 1915 to manufacture lenses for signal railway lamps. Currently the group controls one fifth of the global automotive headlamp market and is 52 Industry Europe
the number one in this sector. “Overall, Koito Manufacturing serves 20 per cent of the automotive market, thus we can say that every fifth car is equipped with our safe and comfortable products,” says Kamil Duba, managing director of Koito Czech. The group operates production plants and offices in Asia, America and Europe. Competition in the automotive headlight sector is severe not just on a global scale but also in the Czech Republic, which, given its population, is one of the biggest automotive manufacturers in the world. The production of headlights has become one of the key segments of the Czech automotive industry.
Innovation is the key One of the major factors behind the group’s success is its innovative approach and research and development capability. One example of this is the introduction of plastic lenses and the first commercial employment of LED technology in vehicle headlights, or compact LED headlamps integrating the full beam and contour lights in a single reflector. “Of course, the requirements for lighting parameters differ in terms of technologies used and modifications for different continents and different markets,” says the managing director.
