When complexity becomes a strength – operational excellence in the supply chain
Every year, around 90 million vehicles roll off assembly lines worldwide – that’s nearly three vehicles per second. About one in four of these is equipped with components from HOERBIGER. Behind this lies a highly complex system of precision manufacturing and logistics processes along global supply chains. The Automotive Division’s largest customer project demonstrates how this interplay works in practice.
The heart of the project is a dual-clutch transmission (DCT), which is used in modern hybrid drive trains. The concept combines a classic dual-clutch transmission with an integrated electric motor, thereby enabling particularly efficient and smooth gear shifts. The performance-defining synchronizer system was developed by HOERBIGER in close collaboration with the customer.
Since 2023, HOERBIGER has been supplying the series components for this application to the customer’s transmission assembly plants – for up to 1.5 million transmissions. That amounts to up to 30 million components per year. To manufacture these extremely high volumes in accordance with automotive standards, capacities were specifically expanded and processes were consistently optimized for series production performance.
Six plants, one system
The foundation for this is a closely integrated production network comprising six plants in Germany, Poland, and China. Each location contributes specific expertise – from toolmaking, stamping, and forming, to complex machining and heat treatment, all the way to proprietary friction lining technology and highly automated series production with fully automated “end-of-line” quality inspection.
At the plants in Schongau, for example, components for friction systems and shift sleeves are manufactured. A friction system manufactured entirely in-house in Schongau goes through a total of 16 precisely coordinated production steps. Ultimately, the components from all locations converge at the customer’s transmission plants are mounted in the transmissions there as ready to install synchronizer systems.
“Our strength lies in perfectly coordinated collaboration – across plants, countries, and functions – as well as in close cooperation with our suppliers. End-to-end digitalization, defined lean standards, and continuous improvement processes along the value chain help us efficiently manage complex processes, create transparency, and ensure a stable supply of consistently high quality,” says Andreas Veit, Chief Operations Officer (COO) of the Automotive Division.
Operational excellence – every day
For HOERBIGER, operational excellence means high throughput with a clear goal: just-in-time delivery with 100 percent quality. The employees are key to success: teams from different countries and functional areas work closely together, optimize processes, and ensure that complex requirements are transformed into robust series production processes.
For the customer, this means an optimally designed product with superior performance – manufactured according to operational excellence criteria and at globally competitive prices. Operational excellence thus makes HOERBIGER a market leader and a reliable partner.