Press Asia Pacific

Hella Clinches EDB’S International Headquarters (IHQ) Award

SINGAPORE, November 2, 2006 – Hella today announced that the company has been awarded International Headquarters status by Singapore’s Economic Development Board (EDB). Commensurate with this status, Hella has established Hella Asia Singapore Pte Ltd, providing regional support for its Independent Aftermarket and Special Original Equipment (SOE) business in the Asia Pacific region.

Hella also plans to further strengthen its operations here by creating a regional competency hub of critical functions such as logistics, strategic marketing and account and product management to meet the anticipated rise in regional demand and market volume. This will set the stage for a leaner distribution network and quicker time-to-market, resulting in increased efficiency and reliability.

“The business environment offered by Singapore provides a melting pot of Asian and global economic networks that few can rival,” said Daniel Binder, Managing Director of Hella Asia Singapore Pte Ltd. “Singapore also promotes a spirit of innovation and technology leadership which is consistent with Hella’s core values of embodying quality and innovation in its products and services. We believe that we will be able to leverage on Singapore’s world-class infrastructure to strengthen our foothold with an anticipated double-digit percentage growth to our business over the next 5 years.”

The Hella group, headquartered in Lippstadt, Germany, is ranked as one of the 100 largest German industrial companies, currently employing approximately 24,000 people worldwide. The group’s consolidated turnover in the financial year ending May 31, 2005 was 3.1 billion euros, with its Aftermarket & SOE business division successfully increasing sales by 9.5 percent to 822.5 million euros.

An important factor contributing to this success is the company’s "4+2 strategy", whereby Hella supplies the automotive parts aftermarket and garages with comprehensive and continually growing ranges of parts in the four core competence areas of lighting, electrics, electronics and thermal management, as well as effective sales support and technical service.

Hella’s accessories range featuring intelligent light, innovative lighting technology and top design generates steady sales growth in the international aftermarket business. With a market share of 70 percent, Hella is the European market leader in lighting modules for tuners and automobile makers. These include wide ranges of auxiliary lights and combination rearlights, upgrade headlights and special retrofit lights featuring exceptional technology and superior design.

These innovative products specially developed for the Aftermarket segment are manufactured on the basis of Hella's proven know-how in the field of lighting technology. This has made the company a demanded development partner to the automotive industry for decades.

As an OEM supplier to all well-known vehicle manufacturers, Hella continues to be one of the global leading suppliers of modular systems, providing intensive support and customised solutions to vehicle manufacturers, who benefit from the synergies enjoyed from its international developments for automotive SOE. Manufacturers of buses or coaches, trucks or trailers, agricultural or mining machinery, and those in the marine industry rely on Hella to withstand the rigorous stress and pressure that these heavy-duty vehicles are subjected to in their daily routine, whilst ensuring maximum safety for drivers, users and passengers.

“In an increasingly intensely competitive market, Hella has been, is, and will be a reliable and strong partner of the automotive aftermarket and independent garages. The benefit for the customer, namely innovations from which they profit in terms of business success, is the standard which we set for ourselves,” added Binder.