PLYMOUTH TWP., Mich., April 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Behr-Hella Thermocontrol Inc. (BHTC), a joint-venture company between the tier-one automotive suppliers Behr and Hella, will relocate its North American center of expertise from Plymouth to Troy, Mich. in early July 2007. BHTC also has received two major vehicle manufacturer contracts.
BHTC will be moving from its current location in Plymouth to a dedicated stand-alone building on the Behr America headquarters campus. It will initially house 20-plus employees to better serve its North American customers. BHTC continues to make a significant investment in expanding its North American workforce and development tools as it continues to grow in the NAFTA market.
"Moving into our own building is a significant step forward in our operations," said Joseph Schuck, BHTC general manager. "This move will greatly enhance the ability of Behr America and BHTC to provide a total HVAC system consisting of the mechanical cooling- and heating-assembly along with the electronic HVAC controls resulting in full-system integration."
Additionally, the BHTC Group has recently received two significant global contracts to produce a distributed heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) control for a major vehicle manufacturer serving the North America, Europe and Asia regions. The BHTC HVAC electronic control unit interfaces with the center stack console. This console contains the human-machine interface (HMI)/displays for HVAC control.
"The contract award reaffirms the global scope, competitiveness and technology of the BHTC Group, which is continually recognized by major automotive manufacturers," said Schuck.
Since BHTC began its North American operations about four years ago with a small resident engineering staff, it has established itself as a highly- respected HVAC control and sensor supplier in the North American market. The company already produces a variety of high-line controls for the Mercedes-Benz G-, M- and R-Class vehicles, climate sensors for DaimlerChrysler, along with front and rear controls for Freightliner and the recent launch of a Navistar HVAC control.
Behr-Hella Thermocontrol is a leading designer and manufacturer of automotive electronic controllers and operating units for heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems. A joint-venture company, it was founded in June 1999 by Behr GmbH & Co., which brought its engine cooling and vehicle climate system expertise to the venture, while Hella KGaA Hueck & Co. contributed its experience in vehicle electronics and climate control technology.
Headquartered in Lippstadt, Germany, the joint-venture created Behr-Hella Thermocontrol Inc. in January 2003 to service its North American customers.