Hella and the Minth Group have agreed to establish a joint venture, to be called Hella Minth Jiaxing Automotive Parts. The new company will work on development, production, and marketing of radomes and illuminated logos.
Radomes are permeable covers for radar systems, which can be produced in special designs according to customer requirements. Both companies are already active in this field. The JV will be funded by both partners in equal shares, with a production facility (one of Minth’s existing ones in Jiaxing), and will have an international scope with an initial focus on the Chinese market. The joint venture is scheduled to start operations this Autumn.
Hella Lighting Divisional Managing Director Dr. Frank Huber says “With the increasing market penetration of radar-based driver assistance systems, the demand for radomes will also continue to rise. Radomes offer vehicle manufacturers a wide range of possibilities for differentiation, since they can be staged in different ways, just like logos. We have been active in this field for many years, being a technology leader. By cooperating with Minth, we want to further expand our business internationally”.
Minth will contribute their own production capacities to the JV, including existing series productions). Initially, the JV employ around 80 people; production capacities will be continuously expanded within the next year to meet expected growth of the radome business and the increasing demands of globally operating carmakers.