Sogefi Filter Division – a recognized development partner of the Automobile Industry

Sogefi in Mantova , Northern Italy is an Italian Group, specialized in auto parts components and among the leaders on the worldwide markets in two product lines: the systems of engine and cabin filtration and the suspensions components. Sogefi is a multinational company, partner of the most important car manufacturers in the world. The Company has a global presence: 4 continents and 14 countries, with 50 locations of which 41 plants. In its two divisions, filters (51 % of turnover) and suspension parts (49 % of turnover), the group employs 6,200 people worldwide creating a turnover of 1,023 million € (2005). Leader in its core business in Europe and South America, Sogefi is active on the markets of the first equipment and the original and independent replacement. Sogefi stock is traded on the Milan Stock Exchange.

Sogefi Filter Division – a recognized development partner of the Automobile Industry

Sogefi Filter Division is one of the leading European developers and manufacturers of filters for automotive and heavy duty applications. 3,670 employees create an annual output of around 180 million filters. The product range comprises oil, petrol, diesel, air and cabin air filter and complete modules for the first equipment and the original and independent aftermarket. Sogefi Filter Division is active in developing complex liquid filtration and air intake systems with a series of integrated features such as valves, sensors, water drain functions or heating and cooling systems.

As development partner and serial manufacturer of the automotive and heavy duty industry, Sogefi supplies 29.6 % of its annual production directly to the international OEMs including the leading automobile and truck manufacturers. With a share of 25.7 % the original (OES) and 44.6 % the independent (IAM) replacement markets are supplied with the entire product range in OE quality.
The filter division owns 20 sites worldwide with local presence in Europe, South America, USA, China and Egypt. 2005 turnover reached 515 million €.

Product Development and Manufacturing

The division´s development and production facilities are located in France, Spain, Italy, Slovenia, Great Britain, Brazil, Argentina and Egypt. Within six global R&D centres, Sogefi engineers are continuously working on innovations in automotive filtration. Due to the group-wide platform strategy, the different research and test centres benefit from synergy effects. With its specific pleating technology, known as the “Chevron Pleat”, Sogefi excels in offering the smallest filter element sizes for a given level of efficiency and capacity for more than 50 years. With their mastery of media processing technologies with both chevron and straight pleating, Sogefi engineers have taken this to a higher level still, with their recently developed curve pleat, offering up to 40 % more filtering capacity for a given filter volume compared to traditional pleating.

Outstanding Quality

All sites are certified according to the most important quality and environmental standards such as ISO TS 16949, ISO 14001, ISO 9001, QS 9000, EAQF 94, and meet the requirements of a multitude of customer audits. Furthermore a number of “Supplier of the Year” and “Preferred Supplier” awards from leading automobile manufacturers like Ford, GM, Honda, Renault or Toyota represent the high quality standard.

Independent Aftermarket

Due to its broad original brand portfolio including Purflux, FRAM, Tecnocar, Fiaam, Crosland, Coopers and PBR each meeting the local customer demands, Sogefi Filter Division is able to occupy a leading market position in almost every country throughout Europe.
Covering almost 98 % of the most important passenger car applications with its different brands, the company offers one of the broadest ranges of oil, fuel, air and cabin air filters for the Independent Aftermarket. Wholesale distributors benefit from a comprehensive service offer supporting their sales to workshops.

Sogefi Group expands its activities in Asia

The Sogefi Group, development partner and original equipment supplier to the global automotive industry, has strengthened its market position with the signature of another joint venture agreement in China. Following their already successfully working joint ventures within the suspensions division, Sogefi is responding to their customers needs for local production of filters and filtering systems in China, too. A corresponding agreement with the Chinese filter manufacturer Zhe Jiang Universe Filter Co. Ltd. has been signed in May 2006.

Zhe Jiang Universe Filter Co. Ltd.

Based in Shanghai, the company was founded in 1993 and produces around 50 million air, fuel, oil and cabin air filters for the automotive industry per year. The OE customers include Sinotruck and Geely, both companies belonging to the local Chinese automobile industry. The main part of the production of Universe Filter is supplied to the international aftermarket. The complete production site covers an area of around 60,000 m² and is certified in accordance with ISO 9000 and ISO TS 16949.

With the foundation of Shanghai Sogefi Filtration Co. Ltd., as the new joint company is called, Sogefi has expanded its presence in the Chinese market, where it has been active since 1997. Under the operative leadership of Managing Director Yann Chen, development engineers and product managers are engaged in building up the company’s local business relationships to customers such as Peugeot, Ford, Nissan, Mazda, Sinotruck, Geely, Valeo and TI Automotive.

The construction of a new filter factory in Shanghai has just been finished and production started already with filters for Sinotruck and will be followed by oil filters for different Ford and
Mazda models to achieve an output volume of approximately 1.5 million filters in the medium-term. In excess of this, the production capacity will be continued to increase rapidly and expanded to include air filters.

Other activities, aimed to increase the presence of the Sogefi Group in Asia, are currently focused on India and South Korea where efforts are being made to build up industrial and commercial business relations.