On June 11, 2024, FORVIA HELLA will be 125 years old. A reason to celebrate! Many activities are planned for employees to mark the anniversary - from competitions and interactive videos to a birthday party at the company's founding location in Lippstadt. The overview.

Monday 22.04.2024

June 11, 1899: On this day, today's FORVIA HELLA was founded as "Westfälische Metall Industrie AG" in Lippstadt. What began small has developed over the decades into a leading global automotive supplier: FORVIA HELLA is now an established player on the global market with innovative lighting technology, electronics and products and services in the aftermarket and special original equipment sectors. 37,500 employees drive business success at 125 locations in 35 countries. To mark the anniversary, this extraordinary success story will be celebrated throughout the year - with lots of exciting news, entertaining interviews with contemporary witnesses, hands-on activities for everyone and an anniversary event at the company's birthplace of Lippstadt. The focus will be on the employees as the heart of the company and drivers of business success.

"Over three centuries, FORVIA HELLA has played a key role in shaping mobility. Innovative strength and adaptability have always made the company strong. This year's company anniversary is therefore an opportunity for us to look back and be proud of our successful history. At the same time, it is an incentive for the future: we are not standing still, we are facing up to the challenges and continuing on the path of technology leadership," says Bernard Schäferbarthold, CEO of FORVIA HELLA.

Special birthday page for the 125th anniversary

From now on, a special birthday page on the intranet invites you to browse. In addition to information on the company's history, videos and an initial join in activity are already waiting for you there. Further content will be published regularly - so it's worth checking back often. There is also a special section on the hella.com website with interesting insights into the 125-year history of FORVIA HELLA. Last but not least, the company's social media channels will be focusing on the company's long history over the coming weeks and months.

The first join in activities at a glance

1. International Happy Birthday Video
   Anyone who wants to can now take part in the first join in campaign: an employee birthday video. The script is as simple as it is effective: various teams are shown wishing FORVIA HELLA a happy birthday: with a birthday candle and a 'Happy Birthday' in their respective national language. The individual sequences are filmed by the teams themselves and later edited together by Corporate Communications. The more teams take part, the more beautiful and varied the video will be. So grab your cell phone camera and take part! The info sheet explains exactly how it works and what you need to bear in mind. The video will then be published on the official birthday, June 11, 2024 - both on the intranet and on the company's social media channels.
    
2. MS Teams backgrounds to the 125th anniversary
   But there are other ways to actively help shape the 125th anniversary of FORVIA HELLA. Anyone who wants to can design their MS Teams presence in the anniversary design. Simply download one of three Teams anniversary backgrounds from the special intranet page in the 'Downloads' section and insert it into MS Teams (see a How-to here).
    
3. E-mail signature for the 125th anniversary
   An e-mail signature with a birthday design is also available. IT will be sending out more information on this shortly.

Highlights on June 11 and September 28

On June 11, the official founding date of FORVIA HELLA, special surprises await employees once again. Details will not be revealed here - just this much: anyone who visits the anniversary page on the intranet will have the chance to win great prizes and to watch further exclusive content. So be sure to check the intranet.
In Lippstadt, where FORVIA HELLA was once founded and which is still home to the company headquarters today, the anniversary activities will culminate in an evening event for the employees of the then 125-year-old site on September 28, 2024. Further information for colleagues in Lippstadt will follow.