Poland, Czestochowa
Headquarter
SFC Solutions in Częstochowa makes Fluid Transfer System (FTS) products by following three main process steps, beginning with the extrusion through the forming and vulcanizations to the final, highly customer specific, assembly process. The customers are global vehicle manufacturers, including BMW, Tesla, Benteler, Citroen, Audi, Opel, Bentley, Porsche, Jaguar and Volkswagen.
The site was established in 1994 by the company CF Gomma Poland. It became “Polymer Systems Barre Thomas Poland” in 2007 and, as further step in 2011, was developed under CooperStandard Automotive Group and the name changed into CSF Poland. The successful acquisition of this plant by Mutares SE & Co. KGaA took place on 1 July 2020.
The production has a covered area of 28 300 m² and currently has over 800 employees. For the extrusion process, rubber compound and plastic material are used and the production process is made on 7 extrusion lines. Forming and vulcanization process is split into 12 autoclaves where the saturated steam generated is reused on independent generators.
Final assembly production is performed across various process types including markings, metal clamp gluing and assembly, plastic ring injections over-moulded on the connectors and inserts, the required assemblies, leakage control and packaging.
More than twenty-five years of experience combined with our focused specialisms makes SFC Solutions Częstochowa a flexible and reliable partner for our clients.
Poland, Piotrków
The history of the plant in Piotrków Trybunalski began in 1997 under the name of SAIAG Polska. Production activities commenced with 25 employees covering finishing operations (seals and fittings) for the automotive industry. Over the next few years the plant changed owners three times, a new production hall was added and employment increased.
Between 2001-2007 the owner changed again and the plant was part of Metzeler. Since 2007 the Metzeler Group has been part of the CooperStandard Automotive. The plant in Piotrków Trybunalski changed its name to Cooper Standard Automotive Piotrków Sp. z o. o. in 2010 and operated under this name until June 2020. During this period the plant continued to grow and from 2018 started to manufacture fluid flow systems and continues to explore new projects within Fluid. Our customers are global vehicle manufacturers, and include Daimler, Fiat, VW and Maserati. Today the site has IATF 16949, ISO 14001 and ISO 9001 certificates and employs 242 people. The successful acquisition of this plant by Mutares SE & Co. KGaA took place on 1 July 2020.
Spain, Borja
Borja is located in the northeast of Spain. Within the past 25 years, the plant has evolved changing its owner three times. It was established in 1996 by Allied Signal, an American industrial company that focused on seat belts and pre-tensioners. In 2001 the Group Mondragon, one of the most renown Spanish industrial groups, overtook the management and expanded the capabilities (extrusion and autoclaves) and product catalogue. In 2007 CooperStandard took control and helped develop the company further by integrating it into an international organisation. The successful acquisition of this plant by Mutares SE & Co. KGaA took place on 1 July 2020.
Borja hosts 140 employees and produces degas and cooling system hoses. 4 million hoses will be sold in 2020 to the automotive sector, serving customers, such as PSA Group, Renault and Daimler, across Europe and Morocco. 80% of the cars built in Spain (2nd manufacturer in Europe and 9th Worldwide, 2019) can be found within 300 kms of the factory.
The automatic extrusion line is capable of producing mono and bilayer hoses. The three autoclaves can vulcanize and form rubber and plastic (EPDM, TP and TPV). The flexibility of the autoclave technology allows Borja SFC Solutions to treat different materials in the same unit. The final assembly of products concludes with four overmoulding machines. The last robot was successfully implemented in 2019 and doubled the capacity of the production cell.
Italy, Ciriè
The plant in Cirié was established in 1935 by the company SAIAG (Sociétà Anonima Industria Articoli Gomma). In the past thirty years, the plant has changed its owners several times and was known as SAIAG, BTR, Metzeler, and in the last 13 years CooperStandard.
During its history the plant created joint ventures in Russia, in India and in China. Today with 390 employees, automotive and industrial sealings are produced in the plant, as well as rubber compounds on a total area of 82 thousand sqm. The successful acquisition of this plant by Mutares SE & Co. KGaA took place on 1 July 2020.
The two in-house compound mixing lines allow us to produce 180 different compound recipes, which are used for internal production and for sales to third parties, including some Cooper Standard plants, located in Poland, France and Spain. The inhouse tooling shop supports our flexibility with the annual development of more than thirty new dies.
Further equipment includes three strainer lines, three salt bath extrusion lines, five microwave extrusion lines as well as one hot-air line.
Customers served by this plant include FCA and Maserati in the automotive sector, as well as nearly 400 customers in the ISG-market (Industrial & specialty segment), appreciating the technical support that our R&D-teams offer. The onsite laboratory works closely with the engineers for the testing of raw-materials, including compounds and processes, with the highest operational excellence. We are proud to count on a rich heritage and to serve our customers as a reliable, experienced, and flexible partner.
France, Charleval
Our history begins in 1924 in Paris where the “Mesnel” family starts with the manufacture of small rubber tubes for artificial flower stems, then sheaths (insulating covering around a conductor). The production of reinforced skids and door seals for moving parts of cars became our main activity in 1950. Finally, Mesnel moved to Charleval in 1959 and diversified its products (skirting boards, window seals, drain plugs, washing machine windows, etc.) In 1979, it refocused exclusively on the production of seals for the automotive industry.
From the 1990s onwards, the Transieres site followed the development and globalization of the automotive industry with the BTR, Metzeler and Sealynx groups. Since the acquisition in July 2022 by the Mutares group, it has become SFC Solutions Automotive France.
Our ultra-modern rubber mixing workshop based in France allows us to manufacture up to 80 tons of mix per day. The 3 in-house mixing lines equipped with automatic dosing systems and filtration allow us to produce 180 different compound recipes for sale to external rubber processing customers, for our internal needs, including the Romanian and Moroccan subsidiaries. From formulation to rubber manufacturing, our on-site experts take care of everything, with a focus on innovative and environmentally friendly materials.
The site is a development center for automotive and industrial seals for the entire SFC Solutions Sealing business and invests heavily in innovation, which finds its source in new raw materials, new processes and new technologies. The design office, the materials laboratory, the product laboratory, the prototype workshop and the innovation department enable us to meet the challenges of tomorrow’s mobility by considering the reduction of CO2 emissions from vehicles, the circular economy, accessibility and regulatory constraints.
The site now includes 8 salt bath EPDM extrusion lines, 1 hot air line, 1 TP line, 3 bi-injection presses from 450T to 750T, as well as around 100 injection presses and special machines to mass produce our automotive seals. The total covered area of the site is 50,000 m² on 14 hectares.
Morocco, Tanger
In 2009, the production of gaskets started in the Tangier Free Zone in Tangier, in the far north of Morocco, to supply customers in the Iberian Peninsula and to support our customer Renault, which is building its new factory there.
In 2017, the industrial activity is transferred in the new factory of Tangier Automotive City (TAC) built specially to accommodate all the manufacturing process of seals and thus to reach an unequalled level of competitiveness for the local and Southern European market
Sealynx will be the first automotive supplier to have implemented the extrusion process in North Africa.
The site now includes 3 EPDM extrusion lines and 1 TP line, 1 robotic varnish spraying booth, as well as 30 injection presses and special machines to produce our automotive seals in large series. Its covered area is around 10,000m².
Since the takeover by the Mutares group in July 2022, the new name of the site is: SFC Solutions Automotive Morocco.
Romania, Pitesti
We started the activity in Romania with an industrial partner at the beginning of the 2000s to accompany RENAULT during the launch of the first DACIA Logan.
In 2008, a new factory was built in Pitesti, in the immediate vicinity of the Dacia factory, thus guaranteeing the availability of our parts for the JIT flows with our customer.
In 2009, 2 extrusion lines were set up to extrude profiles on site. Finally, in 2016, an extension to the site was built, doubling its production capacity to a covered area of 18700 M².
The site now includes 5 EPDM extrusion lines and 2 TP lines, as well as numerous injection molding machines and special machines for mass production of our automotive seals.
Since the takeover by the Mutares group in July 2022, the new name of the site is: SFC Solutions Automotive Romania.
India Plants
The footprint of SFC Solutions in India spans seven locations in the country where it has high-tech manufacturing facilities. The company continues to build on its reputation as a trusted supplier of top-quality sealing solutions and fluid transfer systems for the automotive industry.
Sealings
SFC Solutions India (Sealings): Established in 1993 at Sahibabad as a joint venture between Wadhwa India and BTR UK, the company has a rich heritage of almost three decades of successfully serving customers as a reliable, experienced, and flexible partner. Along the way, its name saw several changes and its ownership changed hands a number of times. What stayed the same was its focus on innovation and customer satisfaction.
The company was taken over by the Metzeler Group. In 2001, Toyoda Gosei Japan, acquired 26% of the shares owned by Metzeler, and then in 2007, Cooper Standard Automotive, USA, acquired the remaining 76%. In 2015, Cooper Standard became the sole owner of the company. This led to an ongoing improvement in the company’s capabilities and production technologies. Then, on 1 July, 2020, Mutares acquired the plant and renamed it as SFC Solutions India (Sealings).
The company’s customers include prestigious global and Indian vehicle manufacturers such as Ford, FCA, TATA, Mahindra, Maruti, Volkswagen, Hyundai, MG Motors, and Renault Nissan.
FBD
SFC Solutions India (Fluids): At its state-of-the-art facilities in Chennai, Pune and Sanand, the company develops, produces, and markets innovative products including Fuel & Brake Bundle, Brake Lines, Vacuum Lines, TOC Lines, Hydraulic Power Steering Lines and DPF Lines.
The company has a rich heritage in fuel and brake delivery systems and valuable experience gained from over twenty years in this field. Maintaining its commitments on the quality and delivery of products, it continues to offer flexible and reliable services to customers.
After Cooper Tire, USA, incorporated the company in May 2000, its name was changed in 2004 to Cooper Standard Automotive. On 1 July, 2020, Mutares successfully acquired the plants in India and renamed the company as SFC Solutions India (Fluids).
While the company’s customers are leading global and Indian vehicle manufacturers, including Daimler, Ford, Mahindra, Maruti, TATA, and Volkswagen, it is a Tier 2 supplier for Hyundai and MG Motor.
Our value-chain-approach for customer-orientation
SFC Solutions is integrating the value chain orientated approach into its daily work to strengthen the outcome for our business partners. For us it is crucial to continuously focus on optimising the value chain.