HELLA and MINTH establish new joint venture in China

Lippstadt/Jiaxing, 19 June 2020. HELLA and the MINTH Group have agreed to establish a joint venture. The company HELLA MINTH Jiaxing Automotive Parts Co. Ltd. is to promote the development, production and marketing of radomes and illuminated logos. Radomes are permeable covers for radar systems, which can be produced in special designs according to customer requirements. Both companies are already active in this field. The joint venture will be funded by both partners in equal shares. It has a production facility in Jiaxing and shall have an international scope, with an initial focus on the Chinese market. Subject to the approval of the relevant antitrust authorities, the joint venture is scheduled to start operations in autumn 2020.

"With the increasing market penetration of radar-based driver assistance systems, the demand for radomes will also continue to rise," explains Dr. Frank Huber, Managing Director responsible for the Lighting Division at HELLA. "Radomes offer vehicle manufacturers a wide range of possibilities for differentiation, since they can be staged in different ways, just like logos. As HELLA, we have been active in this field for many years, being a technology leader. By cooperating with MINTH, we want to further expand our business internationally."

During the signing Ceremony, Binbo Chen, CEO of MINTH Group, commented: "HELLA and MINTH share a similar corporate culture and complement each other perfectly. On the one hand, MINTH’s existing technology in radomes has been recognized by many original equipment manufacturers and has received orders from a number of international customers. On the other hand, HELLA has a high level of technological expertise in the industry. The partnership will therefore promote the development in the field of radomes and illuminated logos the best possible way. The joint venture therefore represents an important milestone for us."

To this end, MINTH will contribute its existing production capacities (including already existing series productions) to the new joint venture. The joint venture will be based in Jiaxing, China, at one of MINTH's existing production facilities and will initially employ around 80 people. The production capacities there are to be continuously expanded within the next year in order to meet the expected growth of the radome business and the increasing demands of globally operating car makers. For this purpose, the joint venture will combine the fast response and business advantages of MINTH and the technological know-how of HELLA.