bilstein group opens competence centre for turbochargers in Germany

The bilstein group has this week opened its second competence centre in Germany.

Following the Clutch Competence Centre, which was set up for the clutch technology product group in Durmersheim in 2017, the Turbo Competence Centre in Frechen near Cologne has now been put into operation.

Production and remanufacturing are being reorganised and expanded there.

Andreas Solibieda, long-standing managing director of the turbocharger specialist Motair, which was acquired by the bilstein group in 2021, will take over the management of the competence centre.

“The integration of Motair into the bilstein group has been completed by bringing together the turbo expertise at a separate location,” explains Solibieda. “The Turbo Competence Centre also offers technical support for the industrial and off-highway sectors, from consulting and special solutions to project-related production. However, I am particularly pleased that all 25 Motair employees are now also an integral part of the bilstein group.

The newly established Category Procurement Team (CPT) ‘Turbo Systems & Emissions’, also headed by Solibieda, will start work under the roof of the Turbo Competence Centre.

Within the bilstein group, the 10 CPTs are independent units that are responsible for product management, the sample testing process and procurement in defined product ranges.

With this focus on the individual product segments, the bilstein group says it has created the basis for further developing and optimising the overall product range in a targeted manner.

Initially, the new CPT will focus on turbochargers and related add-on parts. The conversion of all automotive articles to the febi product brand was already completed on 1st August.

Customers will be supplied with turbochargers and Turbo ProKits via the logistics centre in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. This is expected to significantly improve availability and the delivery service.

André Müller, group director in Group Category Procurement said: “We will strategically expand our offering in this area. To this end, we will be adding further generic product groups to our range in the medium term. Our specialised teams have always been proactive in driving change.

“And this is also how we are approaching things in the Turbo Systems & Emissions division. It is clear that we still have a lot of work to do to expand the product range specifically for turbocharger systems and exhaust gas after-treatment.”