In the spotlight HELLA Autotechnik Nova

iN the spotlight

HELLA Autotechnik Nova, based in the Czech Republic, develops, produces and distributes headlamps and rear group lamps for the automotive industry. Since its establishment some 25 years ago, the company has experienced remarkable development and has become a prominent member of the global group. Romana Moares reports.

HELLA Autotechnik Nova is part of the HELLA Group, a familyowned company that is one of the 100 largest German industrial companies as well as the top 40 automotive suppliers worldwide. Since its establishment in 1899, HELLA has introduced a wide range of innovative solutions ranging from the first acetylene gas lamps in 1908 and headlights with asymmetrical light distribution in 1957 to the first ever batch of full-LED headlamps produced in 2008, and MultiBeam high definition headlamps in 2017. The Group currently employs over 40,000 people in more than 125 locations in 35 countries and in the last financial year achieved total sales of €6.6 billion.

HELLA’s activities in the Czech Republic started in 1992 with the commissioning of its production plant in Mohelnice. Now, Hella Autotechnik is not only a manufacturing facility but primarily a technical centre with a wide range of specialists and experts engaged in the development of lighting technology for the automotive industry. The company employs more than 3600 core and agency staff and its product range includes rear group lamps, halogen and xenon lamps, adaptive light-beam headlamps (AFS/ACOL), and premium LED headlamps. In terms of volume, key customers are the traditional German carmakers.

Technical excellence

In the Mohelnice development centre, the first headlamps for the Skoda Felicia were produced, soon followed by further, more complex products including adaptive lighting systems (AFS/ACOL), and recently the innovative full-LED headlamps for premium car manufacturers. Today, the facility is the most important technical centre in the entire company, apart from the Hella headquarters in Germany. “In cooperation with automobile manufacturers, we bring together our know-how, cutting-edge production technologies, and human potential in Mohelnice, and transform them into new products,” says Tomáš Látal, the head of the local Program Office.

Since the establishment of the test centre in 2003, the company has also been self-sufficient in the field of testing. In 2008, the administrative centre for Central and Eastern Europe was established, bringing together IT, business, and purchasing services. In 2011, HELLA opened a new Czech branch in the city of Ostrava. In this development centre, three product groups are developed, specifically headlamps, rear combination lamps, and electronics.

“It is the complexity of our activities that makes us unique on the global scale. As one of very few companies in the field of automotive lighting, we have the capacity to cover the whole development process in one location, including a draft concept, detailed design, simulations, production of tools and related technologies, testing, final certification, and handover to batch production,” says Mr Látal. “We also have a specialised department for design, implementation, and renovation of the assembly lines. Each year, approximately ten complete production lines are designed and supplied to the other plants – the work of two hundred experts from the fields of process engineering, electrical engineering, project management, and mechanical design.”

New products, new future

Mr Látal believes that the future offers enormous growth potential in terms of technology, financial capital, and especially knowledge. “Cooperation with universities is crucial for us. We think about the future and know that qualified and motivated employees are the key to our success. We select potential candidates from the ranks of university students and for those who pass our selection process, we offer special trainee positions, providing an insight into the company’s activities and an opportunity to gain valuable experience. Secondary school and university students participate in short-term professional experience programmes as well as long-term internships throughout all departments of the company.”

He further points out that the automotive industry is undergoing fundamental changes, with the most prominent trends being autonomous driving, efficiency & electrification, connectivity & digitalisation and individualisation. Improving comfort and safety by incorporating automation and artificial intelligence into the driver’s common activities is increasingly emphasised.

“We are preparing ourselves for the arrival of new functions focused on the interaction between vehicles and the environment, infrastructure, and pedestrians. For example, the nextgeneration headlamps will be able to delineate the ideal track for driving through a bend using a light beam, warn drivers about an obstruction on the road by displaying a warning sign in front of the vehicle, delineate a ‘safe zone’ around a cyclist who is being passed, project a warning sign about wet or icy road surfaces… The possibilities are literally endless,” he says.

“In upcoming years, we will focus on competence and capacity development in the field of electronics, human potential development, increasing efficiency of key processes and outsourcing activities such as simulations, CAD/CAM designs, or testing. These will be qualitative changes in which our main goal is to transfer the routine work with lower added value to low-cost locations and to develop our ability to plan, organise and control the work stages from an expert position,” Mr Látal concludes. n