MAHLE is a leading international development partner and supplier to the automotive industry with customers in both passenger car and commercial vehicle sectors. Founded in 1920, the technology group is working on the climate-neutral mobility of tomorrow, with a focus on the strategic areas of electrification and thermal management as well as further technologies to reduce carbon emissions, such as fuel cells or highly efficient, clean combustion engines that also run on renewable fuels, such as hydrogen. Today, one in every two vehicles globally is equipped with MAHLE components. 

In 2024, MAHLE employed just under 68,000 people at 135 production locations and 11 technology  centres located in 28 countries while generating €11,7 billion in sales across the globe.

MAHLE South Africa is a specialist component manufacturer of air conditioning and engine cooling products for passenger and commercial vehicles and is the South African subsidiary of MAHLE in Stuttgart Germany and has been a part of MAHLE since 2013, with plants in Durban and Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth).

MAHLE’S ROLE IN SOUTH AFRICA

World class production locations in South Africa provide support for MAHLE’s customers and their production plants and as such, are full-service providers for the local Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM).

The Durban plant produces components for Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) and Engine Cooling Modules, tubes and turbulators, exporting 120 million aluminium tubes annually to all regions of the world.

The plant in Gqeberha is a HVAC assembly plant and produces components for HVAC/Engine cooling modules (OES only) and air cleaners.

MAHLE South Africa plays a significant role in the automotive industry of South Africa and in so doing supports various initiatives such as the Durban Automotive Cluster, The National Association of Automotive Component & Allied Manufacturers (NAACAM) and the African Association of Automotive Manufacturers (AAAM) on both a national and local level.

From an employment development perspective, MAHLE South Africa also supports the Governments Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) with qualified information where required.

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Creating an awareness of and highlighting the opportunities that exist in the world of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) for the youth is a priority for MAHLE South Africa.

MAHLE South Arica has hosted the Young Women in STEM conference which is where learners have first-hand interaction with leaders in the field of STEM. One of the objectives of the conference is to expose delegates to the many of examples of young woman who have been successful in STEM careers.

Another successful initiative is the Science2Go programme that is sponsored by MAHLE. Sciene2Go’s mission is to provide quality teacher professional development opportunities for Mathematics and Science education in under-resourced and rural schools in South Africa.

MAHLE South Africa also participates in YES or the Youth Employment Service where jobs are created to provide quality work experience for the unemployed youth. These activities are well suited to MAHLE South Africa’s investment in developing the youth, transferring valuable skills and developing careers that transition into earning future incomes.

RECOGNITION

In 2024, MAHLE SA received two awards from the Durban Automotive Cluster (DAC) for recognition of their continuous improvement and problem-solving excellence, as well as MAHLE’s commitment to skills development through nurturing talent and fostering growth within the automotive industry.

OPPORTUNITIES

The South African government white paper and the Automotive Masterplan provide an excellent outlook for the future. The Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) technology will be continued, but there will be a transformation towards New Energy Vehicles (NEV), including Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV), Hybrids, Fuel Cell Vehicles (FCV), all of which are incentivized by the South African Government giving added security to future business plans.

In addition, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) opens further opportunities with better access to North Africa Automotive Cluster.

SUSTAINABILITY

For the first time, MAHLE reached the “A list” of the independent organization Carbon Disclosure Project. Thanks to the consistent reduction of carbon dioxide emissions in production, the upstream supply chain and the utilization phase of its products, the group is among the best companies in the automotive industry.

With the figure of 47% having already been reached, MAHLE is well on track to achieve its goal of a 49% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 CO2 emissions by 2030.

MAHLE South Africa has continued to focus on energy efficiency through a number of energy reduction projects guided by the Continuous Improvement Element within ISO 14001.

OUTLOOK

MAHLE South Africa aims to improve local production to global excellence standards and in so doing become part of the transformation to E-Mobility ensuring that the company is able to introduce E-Mobility products when they are locally needed in South Africa and Africa as a whole. Hybrid Vehicles are a way forward in Africa and as such, it is strategically sensible to continue growth in this sector with some products already available in the MAHLE Group.

PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE

At the end of 2024, MAHLE initiated a new group organization, merging business units to strengthen the future-oriented areas of electrification and thermal management in industrial and structural terms. The streamlined group structure makes the internal cooperation faster and more efficient, laying the foundation for the establishment of a high-performance, future-proof production network while strengthening the regions.

The development of holistic solutions connected with mobility and the vehicle life cycle, means that new opportunities and the extension of the product portfolio has been created for South Africa in the thermal and fluid products division.

KEY ASSET IN GROWING THE FUTURE

MAHLE South Africa continues to innovate and will be extending the product portfolio to offer more system solutions as opposed to single products. An example are Air Intakes and Air Cleaner systems for passenger car and truck applications, which are new products that are coming online.

MAHLE plants have enough free installed capacity to meet the demands as the requirements for Hybrid solution grow in Africa, a continent that has the potential to grow in the automotive sector and where automotive component manufacturers are well positioned to add value to that proposition.