Book review: Behr– one of the “Hidden Champions of the 21st Century”

With a global presence, sales running in the billions, and hundreds of filed patents to its credit, Behr can truly be considered a “hidden champion”. This, at least, is what Hermann Simon claims in his book, “Hidden Champions of the 21st Century – Lessons from the world’s best unknown companies”.

“Hidden Champions“ are, for the most part, midsize businesses – often in the supply industry – who are highly successful in their respective branches, and, in some cases, even world leaders in specific business areas. In spite of this, they often have low public visibility. One of the key success formulas of the “hidden champions” is that they are not driven by the interests of investors or the public, but have the freedom to act independently.

Behr can justly claim to be a Hidden Champion

For one thing, Behr provides overall systems expertise in vehicle thermal management. For over a century, Behr has been supplying products and services to the global air conditioning and engine cooling market. The author positively highlights the countless collaborations entered into by Behr with strategic partners such as Hella and Plastic Omnium – partnerships that have evolved into immensely successful joint ventures such as BHTC and HBPO.

As a global leader in innovation, Behr conducts research and development to constantly advance air conditioning and engine cooling technology. Year after year, Behr, together with its partners, “files almost as many patents as major research facilities“.

A further secret of Hidden Champions’ success is their corporate culture, as underscored by Markus Flik, Behr Group CEO. “One of the plus factors that make us stand out from many of our competitors is our company’s inner strength that empowers us to master our challenges”.

Hermann Simon: “Hidden Champions of the 21st Century – Lessons from the world’s best unknown companies” (Original German title: “Champions des 21. Jahrhunderts – Die Erfolgsstrategien unbekannter Weltmarktführer”, Campus Verlag, 2007)