bilstein group open new competence centre

In September, the bilstein group opened its second competence centre in Germany. The first was designed for the clutch technology product group in Durmersheim in 2017 – now –, near Cologne, has been put into operation.

Production and remanufacturing are being reorganised and expanded, with Andreas Solibieda, long-standing managing director of the turbocharger specialist, Motair – which was acquired by the bilstein group in 2021 – taking over the management of the new facility.

Within the bilstein group, there are 10 category procurement teams (CPTs). These are independent units that are responsible for product management, the sample testing process and procurement in defined product ranges.

Initially, a new CPT will focus on turbochargers and related add-on parts. The conversion of all articles to the febi product brand has been completed.

To mark the opening of the new competence centre, PMF put some questions to a bilstein group spokesperson:

Q. What benefits will customers see from the new turbo competence centre in terms of product availability and support?

A. The competence centre is largely focused on testing, repair and conversion. There are 25 specialised employees with comprehensive expertise, who receive regular training from OEMs and follow strict testing processes. Defective turbochargers are diagnosed quickly, accurately and in accordance with DIN EN ISO 9001:2000. The turbochargers are then professionally dismantled and tested using modern technology.

In addition to repairing turbochargers for the spare parts business, these employees also manufacture special turbochargers in small series according to customer requirements. These special turbochargers are used, for example, in industrial engines, marine engines and in the motorsport and tuning sector.

This allows us to stay up-to-date with the latest turbocharger technology in our range and ensures when a customer is purchasing an OE turbocharger from us – either new or remanufactured – they can be assured it is of the highest quality.

Q. Do you plan to set up more competence centres for other product groups in the future?

A. For now, it’s just the clutch competence centre and turbocharger competence centre; however, the rest of our product ranges are supported by our bilstein group engineering site, CPTs and external independent testing facilities. This means we can always assure customers that if a part is not OE, it is supplied in OE-matching quality.

Q. How will Motair’s experience help to shape and grow the febi turbocharger and TURBO ProKit ranges?

A. We will strategically expand our offering in this area. To this end, we will be adding further generic product groups to our range in the medium term. Our specialised teams have always been proactive in driving change. And this is also how we are approaching things in the turbo systems and emissions division. It is clear that we still have a lot of work to do to expand the product range specifically for turbocharger systems and exhaust gas after-treatment.

Q. Which new product groups in turbo systems and emissions are you looking to add next?

A. In addition to the complete turbocharger kits, we’ve recently added a range of NOx sensors for car and LCV applications, with more coming in the future. This is in addition to our existing fuel and emissions products, which include AdBlue, AdBlue tank caps, AdBlue filters, AdBlue dosing modules.

Q. How will the turbo competence centre support sustainability through remanufacturing?

A. The competence centre will support our sustainability process as it is where a part of our reman programme is handled. On site, each unit undergoes a rigorous inspection and remanufacturing process. Wherever possible, components are reused to preserve resources and reduce waste.

We also have simplified core management with our ‘back-in-box’ process. A credit note is automatically generated as soon as we receive the old turbo in the original box. This provides a sustainable and economical solution, costeffective approach, and reduces material usage and environmental impact.