Continental and Osram Sign Joint Venture Contract
- Joint venture involving approximately 1,500 employees scheduled to start in the second half of 2018 pending approvals
- Both partners have a 50 percent stake
- Sales target in mid-triple-digit-million-euro range
- CEO from Osram, CFO from Continental
Auburn Hills, Mich., April 3, 2018 - The technology companies Continental and Osram have successfully concluded their negotiations on the Osram Continental GmbH joint venture. The joint venture, in which each of the partners has a 50 percent stake, aims to combine Continental and Osram’s respective expertise in lighting, light control and electronics and is scheduled to start in the second half of 2018, once all the necessary merger control approvals have been granted. CEO Dirk Linzmeier comes from Osram and CFO Harald Renner from Continental.
“We want to actively drive forward technological change in the lighting market within the automotive industry and develop even more innovative and intelligent lighting solutions. The joint venture will help us to establish the conditions for this since it combines our expertise in software and electronics with Osram’s automotive lighting expertise. As such, we will be able to offer our customers an unrivaled portfolio in the lighting market,” said Andreas Wolf, head of Continental’s Body & Security business unit.
Hans-Joachim Schwabe, CEO of the Speciality Lighting Business Unit at OSRAM Licht AG (left), and Andreas Wolf, Head of the Body & Security Business Unit at Continental AG (right).
“Digitalization is creating new potential applications in automotive lighting and, in turn, tremendous opportunities that we want to leverage with Continental. By joining forces, we will be in an even better position to drive forward innovations by working closely with the automotive industry to integrate lighting, sensor technology and electronics seamlessly in a single application. This will allow us to advance new intelligent light functions such as the combination of lighting and sensor technology in a module or light-based communication between the driver, other road users and the vehicle’s surroundings,” explained Hans-Joachim Schwabe, CEO of Osram’s Specialty Lighting division.
Joint Venture negotiations concluded: Combined expertise of Continental and Osram in lighting and light control is planned.
The joint venture will be based within the region of Munich, but will operate globally to ensure rapid development cycles with customers in their local areas. The product portfolio will feature semiconductor-based lighting modules such as LED modules for front and rear headlights, laser modules and light control units.
Continental develops pioneering technologies and services for sustainable and connected mobility of people and their goods. Founded in 1871, the technology company offers safe, efficient, intelligent and affordable solutions for vehicles, machines, traffic and transportation. In 2017, Continental generated sales of €44 billion and currently employs more than 238,000 people in 61 countries.
Information management in and beyond the vehicle is at the very heart of the Interior division. The product portfolio for different types of vehicles includes: instrument clusters, multifunctional and head-up displays, control units, access control and tire-information systems, radios, infotainment systems, input devices, control panels, climate control units, software, cockpits as well as services and solutions for telematics and Intelligent Transportation Systems. The Interior division employs more than 46,000 people worldwide and generated sales of €9.3 billion in 2017.
OSRAM, based in Munich, is a leading global high-tech company with a history dating back more than 110 years. Primarily focused on semiconductor-based technologies, our products are used in highly diverse applications ranging from virtual reality to autonomous driving and from smartphones to smart and connected lighting solutions in buildings and cities. OSRAM uses the endless possibilities of light to improve the quality of life for individuals and communities. OSRAM’s innovations enable people all over the world not only to see better, but also to communicate, travel, work and live better. OSRAM has approximately 26,400 employees worldwide as of end of fiscal 2017 (September 30) and generated revenue of more than €4.1 billion. The company is listed on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt and Munich (ISIN: DE000LED4000; WKN: LED 400; trading symbol: OSR). Additional information can be found at www.osram.com.
Mary Arraf
Head of Communications Automotive and Continental North America