Lear, BERU In Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems Venture
Lear Corporation and BERU Group said they have signed an agreement to jointly design and develop tire pressure monitoring systems for the global automotive market. Terms were not disclosed. Under this strategic partnership, the two companies said they will develop systems that will relay information to drivers through the electronic architecture used for the remote keyless entry system.
The joint venture will combine Lear’s capabilities as the North American leader in remote keyless entry systems with that of BERU, the market leader in tire pressure monitoring systems in Europe, the companies said.
“This strategic partnership makes sense from a technological standpoint because both remote keyless entry systems and tire pressure monitoring systems currently operate on radio- frequency signals,” says D. William Pumphrey, President of the Lear Electronics and Electrical Division.
“This partnership is especially important in North America because the recently amended United States Transportation Recall Enhancement Accountability and Documentation (TREAD) Act will require tire pressure warning systems on all new vehicles by 2003. So this is an excellent growth opportunity for both companies.”
As part of the agreement, Lear said it will apply BERU’s tire pressure monitoring technologies in conjunction with its remote keyless entry systems. Lear said will have the opportunity to incorporate and sell the BERU products that are fully integrated with the vehicle’s body electronics and remote keyless entry systems.
“This agreement will be advantageous for both partners. It will broaden BERU’s access to the U.S. market for tire pressure monitoring systems and accelerate its penetration with the BERU sensor-based technology,” explains Ulrich Ruetz, Chairman and CEO of BERU Group.
BERU Group, based in Ludwigsburg, Germany, said it has been supplying tire pressure monitoring systems for five years. The company’s monitoring system is currently available on BMW Group’s 3-, 5- and 7-series models and the X5 sport-utility vehicle, on most DaimlerChrysler models as well as on the Volkswagen Group’s Audi A6, A8 and Quattro sedans, it said.
BERU Group is the leading manufacturer of diesel cold-start technology with an estimated worldwide market share of 40%. In the field of ignition technology for gasoline engines BERU is one of the four major players in Europe. The company has been strongly expanding its business in the development and production of car electronics and sensor-based automotive systems.
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COPYRIGHT 2001 Gale Group
