Tricky weather? Behr's new climate tunnel helps the supplier increase its testing capacity - Trends Supplier Technology

Automotive Industries,  August, 2002  by Andrew Cummins

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There's a monsoon in Stuttgart.

Thousands of miles away in Tray, Mich., the temperature will change from artic cold to desert hot in only a few hours.

It's not a bizarre weather front. It's Behr GmBH's twin climatic wind tunnels installed last year in Stuttgart and next year in Tray.

The newest tunnel will increase Behr's capacity to handle testing of all vehicle classes--cars, light and heavy trucks. The North American wind tunnel also can handle dynamometer testing up to 800 hp and creates greater wind velocity with wind speeds up to 125 miles per hour.

Construction has already started on the $15 million wind tunnel and will be complete by early 2004 at the latest, according to Josef Kern, Behr's senior vice president of engineering. The new facility will include a solarium to measure influences of different climate conditions on air conditioning and cooling systems. It will enable engineers to optimize control algorithms and achieve the best performance for all air conditioning components.

Both the German and U.S. tunnels will allow the company to precisely test and measure the performance of Behr components under all conditions. Instead of standard road tests, Bohr can control factors such as air temperature, humidity, airflow, solar radiation, solar loads and vehicle speeds. A vehicle can be driven under all climatic conditions, uphill and downhill and under all weather extremes, from below -22 degrees Fahrenheit (-30 degrees Centigrade) to above 120 degrees Fahrenheit (50 Centigrade).

The Troy wind tunnel is installed on the site of Behr's new $34 million North American headquarters. The complex houses an 80,000-square-foot headquarters building along with technical facilities for product development and testing.

Headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany, Behr is a systems supplier for the global automotive industry specializing in heating, ventilation and air conditioning modules and front end and cockpit modules. Behr America, Inc. is the U.S. subsidiary of the Behr Group. With four plant locations in the U.S., Behr recently acquired Dayton Thermal Products from DaimlerChrysler in February 2002. The new facility makes Behr America capable of supplying large-scale series production for passenger vehicles in the U.S.

Investments such as the wind tunnel, new headquarters and Dayton Thermal will help the company meet a growing demand for its products in North America, say executives. With success in supplying the heavy-duty truck industry, the company is looking to increase supply to the passenger car and light-duty vehicle market.

The Troy facility is the second technical center Behr has opened in Michigan in the past two years. In 2000, Behr built a new 60,000-square-foot production and technical facility in Webberville, Mich., with design, engineering and testing capabilities for fans, clutches and engine cooling components.

RELATED ARTICLE: Behr's global joint ventures

* Hella-Behr Fahrzeugsysteme GmBH develops and manufactures front-end modules.

* Behr-Hella Thermocontrol GmBH develops and manufactures climate controls (algorithms & control head)

* Behr-Toya Engine Cooling Systems Kabushiko Kaisha designs and produces systems and components for engine cooling applications.

* Sanden-Behr Air Conditioning Systems Co., Ltd. develops HVAC modules and systems. R&D and marketing for the manufacture of air conditioning components such as evaporators, condensers and heater cores and HVAC modules.

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