The automotive industry is one of the four sectors among the Seco/Warwick Group’s equipment main recipients in 2023. Manufacturers of battery coolers, vehicle suspensions, catalytic converters, and air conditioning systems dominated among buyers of metal heat-treatment equipment.
For decades, the automotive industry has been one of the European economy’s key sectors, generating almost 7 percent of the region’s GDP and being directly or indirectly responsible for almost 14 million jobs. In Asia, the automotive industry is also one of the main industries. Car exports from China in 2023 in the January-July period increased by 74 percent compared to the same period the previous year. Of the 2.8 million vehicles exported, 1.8 million were powered by gasoline engines.
The automotive industry uses Seco/Warwick solutions in almost every area of the company’s specialization. The automotive industry is looking for solutions that bring a real reduction in production costs as well as an increase in efficiency in mass production. The most frequently chosen solutions in 2023 included the CaseMaster Evolution – T (CMe-T) three-chamber vacuum furnace and the Vector single-chamber vacuum furnace, as well as the EV/CAB continuous line designed for the electric automotive industry.
The production of battery coolers for electric cars is growing rapidly, and the demand for electric vehicles is increasing around the world. Due to its size, this type of heat exchanger cannot be brazed in a standard furnace. This requires a special product, the EV/CAB.
The EV/CAB is a complete line designed for the production of oversized heat exchangers. Thanks to continuous operation, it guarantees an uninterrupted production process and high production efficiency. Its greatest advantage is the perfect temperature uniformity over the entire furnace conveyor belt width. This allows the system to obtain perfect and repeatable results, which is the key to success in mass production.
According to KPMG data, in the two quarters of 2023, 5.4 million passenger cars were registered throughout the European Union, which is 17.9 percent more than in the previous year. Among the 10 largest domestic markets in terms of volume, an improvement in the result was recorded in nine, including the largest in the Netherlands (+31% y/y).
However, when talk concerns electric vehicles, which is the focus of Seco/Warwick’s offer in the field of continuous lines, talk is about a real boom. Especially in Asia.
“Last year, electric cars accounted for 1/4 of all passenger cars sold in China,” said said Sławomir Wożniak, CEO of the Seco/Warwick Group. “The share of EVs in new car sales in China was much higher than in other markets. In the USA, one in seven cars sold had an electric drive, while in Europe, one in eight new cars were electric. It is therefore not surprising that our EV/CAB product, intended for the production of electric vehicle battery coolers, is selling very well on the Asian market. Recently, our solutions have been delivered to Jiangsu RIDEA and NBR Cooling Systems from India.
“We are receiving signals that the automotive industry is recovering from the crisis. It concerns both — the traditional and electric vehicles. This is a positive signal for our group, because customers from this industry constitute 25 percent of our orders. The development of the electric vehicle industry made us decide to highlight our product and its purpose for the electromobility industry. Hence the introduction of a new brand for the CAB line – EV/CAB, which, it must be admitted, not only sells very well, but also has gained trust among our partners.”
Controlled atmosphere brazing (CAB) is the technology of first choice in the production of aluminum heat exchangers in the automotive industry.
Nearly 30 percent of world automotive patents comes from European countries, and the value of the 10 largest European automotive companies has reached EUR 200 billion. Half of these companies are the most valuable brands in the world. The German automotive industry is of particular importance, whose representatives have been considered world leaders in the industry for many years.
In addition to the Vector furnace, the automotive industry also chooses the CaseMaster Evolution – T furnace. It is a three-chamber vacuum furnace which can be used for many processes. Among other things, it can provide surface hardening using low-pressure carburizing (LPC) technology and high-pressure oil or nitrogen hardening. The solution is distinguished not only by its three-chamber design, but also by a significant improvement in process quality, cost reduction, increased efficiency, and greater production flexibility. It is one of the most frequently chosen metal processing furnaces by the automotive industry. The furnace recently ordered by an Indian customer will be used for gas brazing and cooling. This is but one of many such solutions to be delivered in India.
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