annual RepoRt 2011 - Haldex

Business excellence
during the last year, Haldex has been working hard
to optimize processes to reduce costs and build a
more effective organization. We have recently consolidated
our businesses to new facilities in north
america, as well as in Brazil, which will improve our
ability to meet customer demands in two important
markets. the strategic location of our new Brazilian
unit is a great asset for expanding in the fast growing
South american market.
We will continue with our operational excellence
initiative in order to increase productivity and
the capacity utilization.
emerging Markets
the markets in asia and South america represent
over 50% of global vehicles build; therefore, Haldex
will continue to drive expansion in these regions.
Safety legislation is forcibly creating opportunities
for Haldex’ products. demand is driven by economic
growth and adaptation of high quality technology.
Investment in existing road infrastructure
in these markets also opens up an opportunity for
further growth. We are now expanding our facilities
in Suzhou, China, with a new laboratory and
increased production space. Customers in India have
shown appreciation for our knowledge, safety expertise,
and commitment to high performing products.
together with leading manufacturers in India, Haldex
is continuing with new projects to develop products
that meet the requirements of the local markets and
add increased functionality for our customers.
outlook 2012
among the established markets, north america has,
expanded very well during 2011. We expect this positive
trend to continue also in 2012. north america
is a consistently strong market for Haldex, and with
our recent structural improvements in mind, we
expect it to show results in 2012 as well. For europe,
the situation is harder to forecast, since many of the
macro-financial issues that have plagued the continent
over the past year remain unsolved.
Several important emerging markets like
China and India dramatically slowed down in late
2011. However, in terms of the rate of expansion of
their economies, the development of infrastructure,
and increasing demands for improved vehicle safety,
the emerging markets are of utmost importance.
Since Haldex solutions can meet real demands, with
higher quality than most competitors, I’m optimistic
about our long term ability to fulfill both our customers’
needs and our shareholders’ interests.
an invaluable asset
the major improvements that Haldex has achieved
throughout its operations are based on the dedication
of all the employees and the day-to-day efforts of
many people to implement continuous improvements.
I would like to thank all Haldex employees for
their fantastic contributions.
landskrona, March 9, 2012
Haldex StoRY #117: Winter testing in arjeplog
ulf ahlén, president and Ceo
– every winter since the 1980s a group of developers from Haldex travels to arjeplog.
We leave the computer simulated environment in the development labs for real life
winter testing in the cold, snowy climate of northern Sweden. large parts of the world’s
automotive industry meet up every winter at the arjeplog winter test center to test
their vehicles and products. on a deep-frozen lake, we have our own test track, 1500
meters long and 100 meters wide, where we perform advanced measurements and
test brake performance and vehicle dynamics. When the security systems are turned
on there is not much action, which usually keeps the driver in control of the vehicle.
But as soon as we turn off the security systems it can suddenly become quite dramatic
when the large, heavy trucks lose control on the slippery ice. For us as developers it’s
invaluable to test our products under these extreme conditions. In the winter testing in
arjeplog we see the results of how well we have succeeded.
Dudley Harrison, Chief Engineer Trailer Systems
Report from the Ceo
Haldex annual report 2011 | 9