Press Release

Behr Hella Service has two new air conditioner service units in the range: SECUsmart for stationary use and SECUmobile for mobile use, on agricultural vehicles, for example.

Both units provide the basic functions of air conditioning servicing: Evacuating the refrigerant and the oil from the vehicle system, recycling the refrigerant and separating the used oil, generating a vacuum to evaporate the residual refrigerant completely, and checking the air-tightness of the vehicle system, as well as refilling the system with fresh refrigerant and oil.

The SECUsmart provides further additional advantages:
Thanks to a database stored in the unit, the vehicle-specific data such as refrigerant filling quantity and oil filling quantity can be selected easily and quickly, so that – if required – time-saving, fully automatic evacuation, leak test and refilling are possible. Alternatively, this can be freely programmed.
In addition, exact refrigerant consumption is recorded electronically during every service. With this feature, Behr Hella Service is already helping all garages to meet the planned EU guidelines concerning the accountability of refrigerants. The smart card technology (compact flash card) integrated in the new service units from Behr Hella Service GmbH for the first time allows stored vehicle data to be transferred to a PC (customer database), or software updates such as updated filling quantity summaries to be transferred from a PC to the service unit.
The SECUsmart unit is extremely easy to use and yet still flexible. Alongside the straightforward, fixed program automatic function "Fire&Go", users can put together and store their own automatic function or carry out the necessary service steps individually one after the other. An integrated automatic flushing function, which can be used to flush the vehicle system with liquid refrigerant, is another of the unit's highlights. In addition, the SECUsmart is equipped with innovative connections matched to modern vehicle conditions, has a refrigerant capacity of 20 kilograms and a vacuum pump with a capacity of 180 l/min (final vacuum 0.01 mbar at 20 °C). Which means even small buses and trucks can be serviced.

The compact, powerful SECUmobile service unit is the optimum choice for mobile air conditioning servicing on vehicles that are not easy to get to a garage, such as combine harvesters and construction machinery. With its dimensions of 500 x 450 x 900 millimetres (length x width x height), a weight of only 55 kg and its refrigerant and oil weighing cells specially designed for mobile use, it is easy to transport in service vehicles and is resistant to vibrations.

About Behr Hella Service GmbH

The EU commission approved the founding of the new joint venture Behr Hella Service GmbH in the independent European automotive aftermarket on 1st December 2005. This allowed operational business and active marketing of the brand Behr Hella Service to begin completely and on schedule in Europe. The processing of further markets will follow later. The joint venture company between the automotive supplier Behr (specialist for vehicle air conditioning and engine cooling) and Hella (specialist for components and systems for lighting technology and electronics) will together serve the worldwide independent aftermarket for vehicle air conditioning and engine cooling. The joint venture combines the Behr Service activities on the independent aftermarket and the air conditioning business of the Hella aftermarket organisation. Behr and Hella each have a 50% share in the joint venture. Managing Directors at the company are Dr. Joachim Damasky, Hella KGaA Hueck & Co., also responsible for the Product Division Electrics/Electronics in the Business Division Aftermarket at Hella, and Jürgen Laucher, Behr GmbH & Co. KG, at the same time Managing Director of Behr Service GmbH. The combination of Hella's worldwide sales organisation with Behr's product know-how and the linking of activities in the field of vehicle air conditioning and engine cooling for the parts business is a consistent further development of the already existing cooperation between Behr and Hella in the field of climate control and front-end modules.

Independent aftermarket for thermal management developments

Whereas the total number of vehicles on European roads is more or less stagnating, the number of new vehicles fitted with air conditioners is continuing to increase. Nowadays, more than 80% of newly registered vehicles are fitted with air conditioners, which means dynamic business development can be expected at independent garages in the next few years. In addition, the increasing interconnection of air conditioning and electronics results in further challenges for this customer group, making cooperation with competent partners more and more important. Backed by the know-how of the companies Behr and Hella in air conditioning electronics, Behr Hella Service has created the best possible prerequisites for optimum customer support in this expanding business.

Behr Hella Service is a powerful company on the independent aftermarket not only in the field of vehicle air conditioning but also in engine cooling. The complexity of the products in the field of engine cooling is increasing all the time, particularly on account of vehicle manufacturers' demands for the design space taken up by parts and components in the engine compartment to be reduced, while the same time their capacity is to be increased. Modular design and the production of sophisticated systems are the solution, which requires increased specialist knowledge in garages. Behr is a specialist in this field and contributes both sound technology know-how and 100 years of experience in radiator production to the new joint venture.

Behr Hella Service – Extended range of products with more than 6,000 items for air conditioning and cooling

The complete product range from Behr Service and the air conditioning business division of Hella Aftermarket are being merged in the new joint venture. This means that a wide range of over 6,000 items is available to customers worldwide. At the operational start of the new joint venture, Behr Hella Service immediately took up a leading position on the West European market for condensers and compressors as well as passenger car cooling parts.

Behr Hella Service – advantages for aftermarket partners

With the operational start, most sales and distribution activities are being processed via the global Hella sales organisation. For wholesaler customers, this means one-stop shopping for an extended range of products in the fields of vehicle air conditioning and engine cooling. Previous Behr Service customers, mainly specialists (radiator repair companies and air conditioning garages) will in future be able to purchase products from the fields of electronics, electrics and light, in addition to thermal management items. This makes access to more than 20,000 items possible in all four fields of competence.

Press contacts:

Behr Hella Service GmbH Anja Müller-Koelbl Communication Dr.-Manfred-Behr-Str. 1 74523 Schwäbisch Hall / Germany Tel: +49 (0) 7907 9446-37338 Fax: +49 (0) 7907 9446-37379 anja.mueller-koelbl@behrhellaservice.com www.behrhellaservice.com

Hella KGaA Hueck & Co. Ulrich Köster Press Officer Rixbecker Str. 75 59552 Lippstadt, Germany Tel: +49 (0) 2941 38-7566 Fax: +49 (0) 2941 38-7558 ulrich.koester@hella.com www.hella-press.com

About the Behr Group
Behr GmbH & Co. KG, Stuttgart, is a system partner to the international automotive industry. The company group specialises in vehicle air conditioning and engine cooling systems and is one of the leading OE suppliers in the world for both passenger cars and commercial vehicles. In fiscal year 2004, sales were around 3 billion EUR. Behr currently employs about 18,000 people in ten development and 30 production facilities in Europe, North and South America, Asia and South Africa.

As a 100% subsidiary of Behr GmbH & Co. KG, Behr Service is responsible for the worldwide spare parts business of the Behr Group on the OES market. In 2004, Behr Service achieved sales of 254 million EUR worldwide, including business on the independent aftermarket. Outside Europe, Behr Service is represented in Asia, North America, South America and South Africa.

Hella KGaA Hueck & Co.
The automotive supplier develops and manufactures components and systems for lighting technology and electronics for the automotive industry. In addition, the joint venture company also produces complete vehicle modules and vehicle electric systems. Hella has one of the largest aftermarket organisations in the world for automotive parts and accessories, with its own sales companies and partners in more than 100 countries. The consolidated sales figure for the Hella Group is 3.1 billion EUR. 24,000 people work in 65 manufacturing facilities, production subsidiaries and joint venture companies in 18 countries all over the world. Across the Group, more than 2,900 engineers and technicians work in research and development. Customers include all leading vehicle and system manufacturers, as well as the automotive aftermarket.