Global leaders in automotive LED lighting

SG Automotive is a global market leader in the design and manufacture of LED lighting for the automotive and home appliance industries. The company continues to invest heavily in R&D as well as extending its product portfolio, as Philip Yorke reports.

SG Automotive was founded in Slovenia in 1977 by the Grah family and Alfred Schefenacker and was originally involved in the manufacture of automotive wire harness assemblies. By 1999 the company had expanded and its product offering included LED based electronic components for brake lights. It subsequently moved on to produce more complex tail-light=cluster LED electronics. Another milestone was reached in 2008 when the company established a new company as a global supplier of commercial LED street lighting.

SG Automotive has maintained its commitment to investment in the latest production methods, including 3D robotic technology and developing tailor-made manufacturing procedures to increase efficiency and to speed up production times. Historically the company has been recognised for the fast growth of its production facilities and product diversification; however, today it is focused more on growth through its investment in new products and technologies.

Currently SG Automotive is the final stages of establishing a new holding company, Grah Automotive Holding, which will be the umbrella company for all companies in the Grah Group. Owing to the influx of new business the group plans to increase its investment in its production capabilities with the procurement of state-of-the-art machines. Today the Grah Group employs more than 1000 people and operates six primary production plants, with four located in Slovenia, one in Serbia and another in the USA.

Patented innovation

During the formative years of SG Automotive the company was focused on optimising its production processes. However, it soon became apparent that in order to add value for its customers, the company needed to invest in R&D to design and create new automotive component products. One of the company’s first major projects was to design a completely new warning light for a leading OEM and this all-new LED-based product offered many advantages.

The latest LED technology guarantees long life, low energy consumption and is able to provide different lighting functions.

Other products developed exclusively by SG Automotive include a new licence plate illumination unit that utilises the latest LED technology. This patented solution relies simply on one evenly illuminated plastic holder, which replaces the traditional two bulb light system. This new design offers significant cost savings in terms of energy and manufacturing processes and many of the company’s customers have expressed an interest in adopting this attractive, new licence plate solution.

The redesigning of existing automotive illumination sources with new LED technology has become a speciality of SG Automotive. With the latest LED technology there is now a wide spectrum of options open to the company’s design teams. It currently has more than 60 million LEDs flowing through its production facilities worldwide every year and over 140 different components in production at any one time.

Flexible advantage

As a privately owned company, SG Automotive is able to make quick decisions to meet the latest market challenges and to change its manufacturing priorities to suit its customers’ needs. “For sure our biggest advantage is our flexibility. We have a big portfolio of products which means that we have unparalleled know-how and experience. We are producing electronic parts and wire harnesses ourselves, which is another advantage since we don’t need to buy in ‘semi-products’ on the open market, or from our competitors.

“In our lighting sector we have also developed a new generation of LED street-lighting this year, which will shortly be in serial production. Furthermore we have developed electronic products for induction appliances which will also be in mass production later this year. The potential for this market is huge and we have already signed our first major contract with a well-known OEM,” said Davor Strmsek, SG Automotive’s sales manager.

Expanding market

The automotive industry is one of the few sectors that continues to experience strong growth and SG Automotive has continued to invest in new technology in order to support its ‘top-drawer’ OEMs. These include brands such as Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Porsche, VW, Ford, Bentley, Nissan and Toyota. In addition, SG Automotive acts as an OEM ito clients like Adria, Thorn, Franke, Man and Land-Rover.

Furthermore the company is a system supplier to many global companies and maintains a strong partnership with Philips Lumileds, which is an important partner of SG Automotive.

An SG Automotive company spokesman said, “The automotive sector is one where customer demands are getting higher and our main goal is to be the solutions supplier of choice in tandem with our strategic partners. Our latest developments in assembly processes have produced highly efficient systems and in some lean processes and customised technologies we are creating a new competitive edge for our customers.

“Today we are well placed to fulfil our vision to become a global leader in the EMS and OEM business, and to satisfy the most demanding challenges in the field of automotive electronics, street lighting and home appliances.” n

For further details of SG Automotive’s latest innovative LED products and services visit: www.sga.si