Product strategy

Vehicle thermal management
Comfort and safety
Ecology
Integration in the vehicle

Vehicle thermal management
Behr’s air conditioning and engine cooling products control all aspects of vehicle thermal management. We use the pillars of comfort and safety, ecology, and integration in the vehicle to differentiate our products. Along with differentiation, the goals of this strategy are the growth of our company, as well as cost reduction. We also set great store by strategic research and development partnerships in order to ensure sustainable growth and our ability to meet our customers' increasing requirements for finely-tuned systems. We are extending our network with regard to products as well as regionally, and will maintain our open, trusting cooperations Partnerships .

Comfort and safety
Thermal and acoustic comfort, air quality, and ergonomics are all essential for comfort and safety. With thermal comfort, we keep in mind that people not only want to use their car to get from A to B, but also want to do this as comfortably as possible. The decisive factor here is the interaction between the temperature, air volume, and air distribution, which creates an individually comfortable climate, thus making safe driving possible. After all, if you are comfortable in your vehicle, you can concentrate more easily. This is also true for acoustic comfort, as uncomfortable noise can get on your nerves. We test the interaction of various air conditioning and engine cooling components in our acoustics lab Test equipment and adjust the entire acoustics for the passengers’ comfort.

Our HVAC units generate a high level of air quality because they both cool and dehumidify the air. This creates a pleasant environment even in extremely humid weather and also prevents condensation on windows. The particle filter, which keeps the vehicle interior free of dust, dirt, and pollen, also contributes to better air quality. An active carbon filter removes harmful gases and annoying odors from the air.

Another important aspect for comfort and safety is the ergonomic design of the control heads, which we develop with Hella in our joint venture BHTC . It is important to us that the driver can use the controls intuitively and without having to look at them. Pedestrian protection is another important safety element. In our joint venture HBPO , we develop integrated front-end modules together with Hella and Plastic Omnium. They combine pedestrian protection, crash management, cooling, illumination, as well as the curve line, and are integrated in the vehicle as one component.

Ecological sustainability
Behr is committed to protecting the environment and develops its products in line with a certified environmental management system. Careful use of resources can be found in all our processes. High value is placed on the reduction of emissions and consumption both in production and product development.We use recyclable materials as well as resource and energy-saving processes in our production. Our products, which are used in vehicles as components, modules, and systems, are developed under environmental protection aspects. We play a big part in developing environmentally-friendly technologies such as cooled exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) or the R744 refrigerant. We have also developed a process with BehrOxal^® to coat evaporators in an environmentally-friendly manner without any chrome or chemical additives.

We have set up and structured our business processes following environmental protection aspects. In 1998, we introduced an environmental management system to continuously integrate our goals for emission reduction and conservation of resources into our corporate processes. This system is regularly tested by independent experts according to the internationally recognized DIN EN ISO 14001 standard.

Integration in the vehicle
Behr has a goal to develop innovative products at marketable prices which can be integrated in the vehicle as complete modules and systems. Installation size and weight specifications supply us with a framework for development. Legal requirements with regard to emission reduction, pedestrian safety, downsizing, or system integration also result in additional stimulus for our development work. Depending on the vehicle concept, the components can be packaged, which decreases development, production, and logistics costs.

Integration is also about improving the air conditioning control quality. The automatic climate control system, for example, is controlled by our PHYSIO-CONTROL^® control logic, which we developed with our joint venture BHTC. PHYSIO-CONTROL^® takes outside factors, such as sun altitude, seasons, and wind, into account, and sets the temperature, air volume, and air distribution accordingly. The HVAC module computes the key data for the sensitivity of the occupants and uses this information for climate control. In terms of vehicle dynamics, we also make sure that our engine cooling products quickly respond to outside influences. Our components, modules, and systems for engine cooling have been designed in such a way that they immediately respond to new driving conditions, such as uphill driving, traffic jams, or acceleration and help improve vehicle dynamics in every situation.