Anvis and Sumitomo Riko complete integration

The start of a joint future began in 2013 with the acquisition of the Anvis Group, the leading development and manufacturer of automotive anti-vibration systems (AVS), by Sumitomo Riko, the Japanese market leader for automotive vibration engineering. As part of a fundamental shift in global mobility, the deal represented a far-sighted step designed to actively help shape the direction of these changes. “Our Vision 2020 lays the foundation for an expansion that will produce sustainable growth and create a globally excellent manufacturing company,” said Olaf Hahn, the Managing Director of Anvis Deutschland GmbH and Executive Officer of Sumitomo Riko. The crucial enhancement work was done with the construction of the new Anvis headquarters in 2015 and integration into the international Group structure. “On 1 April 2017, we will take the next step in the integration process,” Hahn said. The “House of Automotive Comfort” will combine not just the experience, know-how and innovative power of a global technology leader for automotive anti-vibration systems under one roof. A new name will also be displayed on the door: The Anvis Group is becoming SumiRiko AVS Europe. “In this final step of the integration process, we are developing one truly visible entity that has a clear portfolio and is sending a strong signal about its ability to create innovative solutions for use in the mobility of tomorrow in part by applying expanded, globally available resources in research and development,” Hahn said.

The history of Sumitomo Riko began in the industrial city of Yokkaichi City, Japan, in 1929. The company’s expertise in the areas of rubber processing and vibration engineering grew rapidly. Innovations and the continuous refinement of the product portfolio to meet customers’ needs turned Sumitomo Riko into a global market leader. The Group’s expansion into worldwide automotive regions began in 1988 in North America.

Sumitomo Riko laid the key milestone for its expansion in the European market by acquiring a 100 percent stake in the Anvis Group in 2013. The start and symbol of the new era are embodied by the European headquarters dedicated in 2015 – the House of Automotive Comfort. Innovativeness and the continuity of customer relationships that have been maintained for years flow into the centre of expertise for automotive vibration engineering. Another milestone will follow in 2018: the opening of the new technology centre in Steinau that will serve as a bridgehead for the Group’s global development network. Once the centre is operating, innovative technologies can flow directly from the research centre in Komaki to series implementation for European customers. “Against the backdrop of the automotive industry’s ongoing technological transformation, we can more intensely address our customers’ needs in our role as innovation partner,” Hahn said.

Think globally, act locally

In addition to the modernisation and expansion of physical capacities, the Group’s target-group-focused organisational structure that was introduced in 2016 is one of the most important aspects of efforts to make the vision come true. The three regions of Asia, North/South America and Europe are putting the global strategies of the Anti-Vibration Systems Business Unit into action. In this structure, Olaf Hahn will represent this business towards European automobile manufacturers in order to support them carrying out their global activities. “Think globally, act locally – by taking this approach, we can precisely and quickly address our customers’ needs,” Hahn says. “We have already achieved a great deal in more than three years of intensive integration work.”

Under one roof with one name

The logical consequence of the applied globality, the regional structure and the internal integration is a visible external symbol. “The new name enables us to uniformly do business in the marketplace under one roof, deepen trust and more clearly underscore our membership in the Group,” said Hahn, who became Managing Director of SumiRiko AVS Germany GmbH as part of the renaming process. This final step in the integration will sustainably bolster the global unity of the Group (all 105 locations in 23 countries) and fuel efforts to tap all of the related potential. “The European customers of SumiRiko AVS Europe can continue to rely on the tried and tested product and service quality and the continuity and reliability that they have come to value from Anvis,” Hahn said.

The operation of automotive functional solutions will be integrated into the service company Sumitomo Riko Europe in future. It will represent the product and service portfolio of the entire Sumitomo Riko Group to European OEMs, including hose systems and polyurethane products. As a result, customers will receive the entire range of products and services from a single source. The brand integration that has been carried out under the name of the Sumitomo Riko Group represents a service commitment to the company’s customers and business partners around the world. The reason for this is clear: The working relationship is entering a new dimension. “We offer ground-breaking solutions for our customers’ open questions,” Hahn said. “Access to new technologies will be faster and more direct. Value-creating processes can be designed efficiently and productively. These are ideal conditions for developing complex modules for the vehicle concepts of the future.”

About the Sumitomo Riko Group

In addition to the Japanese company, the Sumitomo Riko Group also includes the Anvis Group and the Italian company Dytech. The group has 105 production sites in 23 countries. With 12 research and development centres globally, the group develops innovative solutions for the mobility of the future. The products range from anti-vibration systems such as engine, gearbox and chassis mounts, exhaust system hangers and vibration dampers as well as hose systems to components made of polyurethane such as engine covers. The group generates a turnover of €3.3 billion annually. Its customers mainly include leading automobile manufacturers such as the VW Group, BMW, Daimler, Audi, Renault-Nissan, Mazda, Toyota or General Motors. The expertise of the Sumitomo Riko Group also flows into other sectors, however, such as the rail and IT industry as well as health applications.

About Anvis Industry

From engine, gearbox, and chassis mounts to exhaust system hangers and vibration dampers, Anvis components are installed in all parts of automobiles. The company’s main focus is the development of anti-vibration systems, i.e. systems to decouple vibrating parts in vehicles. The group generates a turnover of more than €300 million at its 13 sites around the world. Its customers mainly include leading automobile manufacturers such as the VW Group, BMW, Daimler, Renault-Nissan or General Motors. The company also has expertise in other industries such as the rail and aviation industry. In 2013, the Anvis Group was taken over in full by Sumitomo Riko Company Limited (formerly Tokai Rubber Industries). Sumitomo Riko is the global market leader in the automotive vibration technology sector.