Like in all units of industry, we see an ongoing process of concentration also in the global automotive and suppliers industry. To remain competitive one has to think globally and act in networks. Right from the start, MAHLE saw this process of globalization as a great opportunity. Establishing new operations and acquiring existing companies worldwide, MAHLE has succeeded in efficiently rounding off its product portfolio. One of MAHLE's particular strengths is to combine products and modules featuring growing system capabilities with an expanding network and increasing standardization of all major units of the Company.

This allows us to use synergies and save resources. And it starts with the active exchange of information among our eight research and development centers in Stuttgart, Northampton, Detroit (Farmington Hills, Novi), Tokyo (Kawagoe, Okegawa), Shanghai and São Paulo (Jundiaí), ending with our strict quality standards applicable and enforced internationally. Today approximately 48,000 employees work for the MAHLE Group worldwide. The potentials created by MAHLE's global network were demonstrated clearly by the Antonov Enterprise already acknowledged as one of the highlights in the history of the Company: To meet a sudden surge in demand, we transported a complete additional production line from Germany to Mexico in a perfectly organized air lift using Antonov aircraft, followed by the record time installation and start up of production.