Research and development

Leader in innovations in our class
The Technical Center bundles innovation
Cost/value ratio is in the foreground
Wind tunnels simulate the road inside the lab

Leader in innovations in our class
Research and development for air conditioning and engine cooling are at the heart of Behr’s innovation leadership. Each year, we invest over six percent of sales in our company’s innovative potential. More than 200 million euros flow into research and development year after year and strengthen our market position as a systems partner for the international automotive industry. One focus is on the expansion of our joint ventures with Hella and Plastic Omnium, BHTC and HBPO, as well as further integration of our subsidiary Behr Thermot-tronik Partnerships .

The Technical Center bundles innovation
Behr has two fully equipped Technical Centers in Stuttgart (Germany) and Troy (Michigan). A Behr Technical Center is a contact point for our customers and partners, where they can plan and develop new products for air conditioning and engine cooling with our engineers. Distances between the workstation and trial lab are typically short at a Technical Center, where the simulation computer is only a stone's throw from the wind tunnel and acoustics lab. Here, construction, simulations, and trials are closely connected to quality planning, cost calculation, and prototype construction.

The cost/value ratio is in the foreground
Behr’s development work not only focuses on technological innovation, but also on continuously improving the cost to value ratio. This demands comprehensive know-how, efficient research methods, sophisticated tools, and highly qualified employees who cooperate across divisions and national borders. Using this approach, we have achieved a comprehensive reliability management based on a solid validation process. At Behr, validation
Product development process means intelligently combining simulations and trials in order to recognize weak points at an early stage of development.

Wind tunnels simulate the road inside the lab
Our engineers test new developments and innovations using sophisticated test methods that closely approximate reality. That’s how we are able to make exact predictions on product service life and failure probability. Our research and development centers around the climatic wind tunnels, which are part of the Technical Centers in Stuttgart and Troy, as well as our acoustics lab in Stuttgart Test equipment .