Building the future: One PLM at MAHLE

The advent of electric mobility means that the company needs to address fundamental changes. To cope with the challenges, MAHLE is preparing to introduce a uniform PLM landscape. The important role played by system provider CENIT in developing and implementing this new PLM world is reflected by the conclusion of a strategic partnership between the two companies.

MAHLE was created in 1920 when Hermann Mahle hired on at the Hellmuth Hirth motor works in Bad Cannstatt; in 1922 Mahle’s brother Ernst also joined business. The company developed the first light-alloy pistons which permitted higher engine speeds than the customary gray-iron pistons. To increase the durability of the delicate light-alloy parts, the brothers developed oil and air filters, setting off the triumphal march of the modern light-alloy piston.

At one time, half of the automobiles on the road anywhere in the world were equipped with MAHLE products. From a small testing workshop, the company grew into a leading global technology enterprise.

Today, MAHLE is a corporation with international presence: around 77,000 employees working at 170 production facilities in 34 countries generated sales of € 12.3 billion in 2016, with sales growth of over 100 percent just in the past five years. This unusually high growth rate is largely a result of acquisitions, including engine manufacturer Cosworth Technology, thermal management specialist Behr and the thermal management segment of Delphi Automotive. MAHLE has positioned itself as a major provider for powertrain solutions.

But the auto industry faces great changes. The demise of the combustion engine is just a matter of time, at least in the passenger car sector. New mobility concepts are arriving on the scene – a true challenge for a supplier like MAHLE, where the combustion engine is virtually a part of the company DNA.