Hella Acquires Enko Automotive

Hella, a global tier-one supplier of automotive lighting and electronic equipment, has purchased Enko Automotive.
Based in Schortens, Germany, Enko Automotive is a developer of sensor and body electronics hardware and software for the automotive industry.
Enko and Hella have collaborated on projects since 1999.
“The acquisition of Enko allows Hella to strengthen its position in the fields of electronics and light-based driver assistance systems,” said Jean- Francois Tarabbia, chief executive officer of the Automotive Electronics Division of Hella KGaA Hueck & Company.
Enko’s facilities will become Hella’s competence center for access and driving authorization system development, which includes technologies such as the Passive Entry/Go, a key fob that allows a driver to enter a vehicle without a car key and start the engine by pressing a button.
Most recently, Hella and Enko have worked with a technical college in Wilhelmshaven, Germany, on future technology such as a fingerprint recognition system that allows for personalized comfort settings to be maintained in a vehicle.
Hella develops and manufactures components and systems for lighting and electronics for the automotive industry, including driver- assistance systems enhancing safety and comfort. In addition, its joint- venture companies produce complete vehicle modules, air-conditioning systems and vehicle-electric systems.
Hella is also one of the world’s largest companies selling automotive aftermarket parts and accessories, with its own sales companies and partners in more than 100 countries.
Annual consolidated sales for the Hella Group total $4.4 billion.